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... GL@BAL NEWS ... NEWS CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AMONG AMERICAN DOCTORS View all the doctors who defended a class of drugs widely used to treat heart disease had hidden links to the mak- ers of the drugs, the New England Journal of Medicine said in its latest issue. The Journal said that a team of researchers has found that almost all the doctors who rushed to defend the safety of calcium-channel blockers in 1995 had financial links to the drug companies that make them. "We wonder how the public would inter- pret the debate over calcium-channel antagonists if it knew that most of the authors participating in the debate had undisclosed financial ties with pharmaceu- tical manufacturers," said the study team, who argued that "the medical profession needs to develop a strong policy governing conflict of interest". Calcium-channel blockers are used mainly to treat heart diseases marked by spasms in the organ's artery. The drugs prevent calcium from entering smooth muscle cells and cause the smooth muscles to relax and muscle spasms to be reduced. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute warned physicians in 1995 that one particular drug—short-acting nifedip- ine—should be prescribed "with great cau- tion, if at all". It said short-acting calcium- channel blockers were linked with an increased risk of death from heart attack. The warning kicked off a major debate. (Source: Gene Emery, Reuters, 7 January 1998; Internet website, www.nando.net) The latest episode, broadcast on Tuesday evening 16 December, included a scene where the screen was filled by a bright red explosion, accompanied by strobe lights and followed by a white flash. The culmination showed the main charac- ter's eyes flashing red. The sequence lasted only five seconds but it provoked fits, vomiting, eye irrita- tions and breathing difficulties. More chil - dren were afflicted later in the evening, when some news programs replayed the scene during their reports on the outbreak. A victim said, "I was lying down watch- ing Pocket Monsters and the next thing I remember is being rushed to hospital in an ambulance". Most of the casualties were discharged almost immediately, but about 120 were still in hospital 24 hours after the broadcast. Dr Tsuyoshi Akiyama, an epilepsy expert at a Tokyo hospital, said: "What is unique about this incident is that so many children were affected at the same time. The flickering lights and the intense colours could bring on epileptic attacks. The producers of the program should use more moderate effects." (Source: Electronic Telegraph, London, 18 December 1997) A new report, published on 22 October, says that at least 750,000 complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) consulta- tions take place every year, most of them in the private sector. There are more than 50,000 registered practitioners—consider- ably more than the 36,000 GPs. On the evening of 21 October, the Prince of Wales launched a discussion document, "Integrated Healthcare: a way forward for the next five years?", with his own appeal for all disciplines to work together to find ways of incorporating CAM into Western medicine. The Prince said that the different approaches to treat- ment had a "vital role to play in supporting and complementing current orthodox med- ical practice". The new report is produced in associa- tion with the King's Fund, the independent health think-tank of which the Prince is president. It says that there is not enough research, training or public information available. Too little is done to teach med- ical students and trainee nurses about CAM, says the report which makes 28 pro- posals to ensure the safety and effective- ness of complementary treatments and to regulate the numerous disciplines. (Source: Electronic Telegraph, London, 22 October 1997) DEMAND FOR ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE SOARS IN BRITAIN N& 40 per cent of general practition- ers are now referring on their patients for complementary or alternative treat- ment, as demand for non-orthodox medi- cine soars in the UK. WARM SEAS ENDANGER ALASKA'S PIPELINE & ECOLOGY cientists from the University of Washington report that during the (northern hemisphere) summer of 1997, temperatures in the normally bone-chilling JAPANESE TV CARTOON SENDS HUNDREDS TO HOSPITAL “HOSPITAL — a bout 120 children were =~" ~>— treated in hospital for conditions similar to those of epilepsy after a television car- toon triggered convulsions and other ill effects. The mass outbreak in more than 700 children across Japan caused panic among parents. The television com- pany has started an investiga- tion. The Pocket Monsters cartoon was inspired by a s - ee Nintendo computer game of aienpennmen aot the same name. NEXUS 7 So FEBRUARY - MARCH 1998