The Year In Medicine From A to Z

(7 of 11)
When Rush Limbaugh accused Michael J. Fox of going off his Parkinson's meds to make a political ad in favor of embryonic-stem-cell research--and against Republican candidates who oppose it--the insult backfired. A pro-stem-cell law passed in Missouri, and Democrat Claire McCaskill was elected to the Senate in a tight contest. But it isn't just celebrity endorsements that make people favor embryonic cells as a possible treatment for Parkinson's (and a long list of other diseases): clinical results are starting to come in too, including those from a 10-year study of implanted embryonic cells in human patients. Preliminary findings suggest the cells can survive, divide and moderate symptoms, without rejection--although significant clinical trials have yet to be done.

PLAN B

After years of back-and-forth deliberations, the FDA finally approved over-the-counter sales of Plan B, a contraceptive that can be taken after sex to prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. The drug has been available by prescription since 1999. In a 2003 ruling, the agency refused to change the drug's status, over the objections of its own scientific advisory committee. That ruling angered pro-choice groups. The reversal predictably infuriated right-to-lifers, but those who favor reproductive rights weren't thrilled either: the FDA allowed over-the-counter sales only to women over 18. Anyone younger will still need a prescription. Barr Pharmaceuticals, which makes Plan B, had proposed prescription-free purchases for girls over 16, and will challenge the latest ruling.

POLLUTION

You might think riding in a taxi would expose you to less air pollution than you would get walking down a city sidewalk, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Researchers at Imperial College London gave volunteers particulate detectors and had them walk, bike, drive, bus or taxi their way up and down streets in central London, taking a total of 584 individual trips. To everyone's surprise, riding in a taxi resulted in the worst exposure--nearly twice as much as walking. The suggested explanation: taxis tend to get stuck in traffic surrounded by other pollution-belching vehicles; pedestrians are a little farther from the exhaust pipes.

PRAYER

In an attempt to nail down the question of whether prayer really can heal, six hospitals had strangers say prayers for 1,800 coronary-bypass patients and then studied the postoperative complications. Patients who were told they might or might not be prayed for had roughly the same complication rate, whatever their prayer status turned out to be. But those who were told for certain that they were in someone's prayers actually did worse. The doctors' tentative explanation: people who knew they were being prayed for might have thought they were sicker than they realized, which could have made their outcomes worse. But anyone tempted to think this study disproves the power of prayer should think again. The doctors and clergy who ran the study had no control over whether friends and family were also praying for the patients--and they certainly couldn't have forbidden personal prayers even if they knew about them. Beyond that, the prayers said by strangers were provided by the clergy and were all identical. Maybe that prevented them from being truly heartfelt. In short, the possible confounding factors in this study made it extraordinarily limited.

1. McCain's Foreign Policy Frustration
2. Banksy: An Artist Unmasked
3. LeBron's Gold Guarantee
4. Berlin Awaits the 'Next JFK'
5. When Jellyfish Attack
6. A New Cold War in the Caribbean?
7. Woman Kills Self Before Foreclosure
8. Facebook: Movement or Business?
9. Goodbye to France's 35-Hour Week
10. Dr. Dre's Headphones: Chronically Good