bmj.com -- Press Releases

Press Releases Saturday 24 October 1998
No 7166 Volume 317

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(1) HOUSE DUST MITE BUSTERS NO GOOD FOR ASTHMA SUFFERERS

(2) FISH ARE BETTER THAN SOME DRUG TREATMENTS FOR
HEART ATTACK VICTIMS

(3) POLICE AND LAWYERS SHOULD LEARN FROM TRANSPARENCY
OF SELECTION IN MEDICAL SCHOOLS

(1) HOUSE DUST MITE BUSTERS NO GOOD FOR ASTHMA
SUFFERERS

(House dust mite control measures in the management of asthma:
meta-analysis)
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/317/7166/1105
BMJ Vol 317 24 October 1998 pp1105-1110

The major allergen in house dust is derived from mites. Past
research has suggested that the control of mites should be an
integral part of the treatment given to people who are sensitive
to them, such as asthma sufferers. In this week�s BMJ Dr Peter
Gøtzsche from the Nordic Cochrane Centre in Denmark, along
with colleagues from Sweden and Cardiff, report that current
chemical and physical methods aimed at reducing exposure
to allergens from dust mites seem to be ineffective and they
do not recommend them as prophylactic treatment for asthma
patients sensitive to mites.

Contact:

Dr Peter Gøtzsche, Director, Nordic Cochrane Centre,
Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
email: p.c.gotzsche{at}cochrane.dk

(2) FISH ARE BETTER THAN SOME DRUG TREATMENTS FOR
HEART ATTACK VICTIMS

(Diet containing oil-rich fish confers more benefit than some
pharmacological regimens)
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/317/7166/1152/a
BMJ Vol 317 24 October 1998 p1154

In a letter in this week�s BMJ, Roger Harrison from Wigan and Bolton
Health Authority and Michael Burr from the University of Wales College
of Medicine comment on a study reporting that the benefits of a diet
containing oil-rich fish for survivors of heart attack may exceed those
from some pharma-cological regimens. In their study of 2033 male
survivors of heart attack, deaths were reduced by one third among
those who ate oil-rich fish on a regular basis. The authors of the
letter point out that this simple and cheap dietary intervention was
not found to have any important side effects.

Contact:

Roger Harrison, NHS Research Fellow, Wigan and
Bolton Health Authority, Wigan
email: roger_harrison{at}yahoo.com

(3) POLICE AND LAWYERS SHOULD LEARN FROM TRANSPARENCY
OF SELECTION IN MEDICAL SCHOOLS

(Is medical school selection discriminatory?)
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/317/7166/1097
BMJ Vol 317 24 October 1998 pp11097-8

In an editorial in this week�s BMJ Dr Kamran Abbasi, Assistant Editor,
commends the Council of Heads of Medical Schools for making data
available on the selection procedure into the UK�s medical schools.
The data which has been analysed by Professor Chris McManus
(and his interpretation is published in this week�s BMJ) reveals that
in general ethnic minorities and men are disadvantaged in the selection
process. This aside, Abbasi welcomes the medical schools� transparency
and says that other selection bodies such as the police and legal
profession should learn by their example. He concludes that the deans
of medical schools "....should use the findings as a catalyst for change
instead of viewing criticism based on them as an assault on the
credibility of their institutions."