News from the Wacky World of Medical Research

Researchers from the Virginia PolytechnicInstitute and State University have unveiled a prototype vehicle that enables a blind person to drive. Special gloves with vibrating motors signal to the driver when and where to turn, while puffs of air from a tablet-like device create a virtual map of objects around the vehicle.

The modified Ford Escape will be demonstrated by a blind driver at the Daytona International Speedway in January of 2011, before the Rolex 24 race. Researchers hope the new technology could not only provide the blind with the opportunity to drive, but could also be used on conventional vehicles to make them safer.

"We're exploring areas that have previously been regarded as unexplorable," said Dr. Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind. "We're moving away from the theory that blindness ends the capacity of human beings to make contributions to society."

Another study by two US universities found large quantities of bacteria in 84 reusable shopping bags from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tuscon. Researchers from the University of Arizona and California's Loma Linda University say their findings suggest a serious risk to public health, especially from coliform bacteria including E.coli.

Reusable shopping bags have become increasingly popular in an attempt to divert plastic bags from landfills. Many retailers provide reusable shopping bags with their logo printed on them to their customers for free or at a nominal price in an effort to promote their business. The researchers point out that few people ever wash their reusable bags, and recommend a public education campaign. They also suggested cleaning reminders be printed right on the environmentally friendly but potentially unhealthy tote bags.

A third study conducted by the U.S. National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md discovered that many doctors lack the skills to deliver bad news to patients in a compassionate manner. The study of how people learned of cancer diagnoses discovered many patients were delivered the devastating news in insensitive and impersonal ways, including a terse telephone conversation, in a public setting, or even on an answering machine message.

Forty-six percent of cancer patients were told that they had cancer outside of a doctor's office, most often in a busy, non-private hospital setting. Thirty-nine percent were without a support person when given the diagnosis, and almost half reported their doctor talked to them for ten minutes or less. One third said their doctor did not review any treatment options with them when delivering their diagnosis.

Before the 1970s, many doctors concealed a cancer diagnosis from their patients, according to the study's authors. Today full disclosure is the norm, but the study's authors stressed the need for physicians to relay a finding of cancer in as private a setting as possible, and to allow time to discuss the diagnosis and possible treatment options.

A Virginia Commonwealth University study found that smarter people are better proportioned than those with lower intelligence. The researchers reviewed 14 previous studies that measured and compared body symmetry (balanced proportions between the left and right sides of the body) of fingers, hands, toes and feet. The study of nearly 1900 people appeared to confirm a connection between body symmetry and intelligence. "This provides evidence for one potential cause of differences in individual intelligence," says study co-author George Banks.

About the Author:
Lynn Woods is an author with an interest in health and wellness who researches and writes about medications.  She feels strongly that everyone should have access to affordable medicine, and recommends Big Mountain Drugs as a reliable discount Canadian pharmacy from which to buy Canadian prescription drugs and  Canada OTC medications.