MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Zync combats colds, says latest analysis. An evaluation of data from 15 studies conducted by a team in India and published in the Cochrane Library shows that zinc treatments can help cut the duration of cold symptoms by a day and reduce their severity. The debate is far from over, however.
Youthful baldness linked to increased prostate cancer risk. Men who bald at 20 have double the risk of developing prostate cancer in their lifetimes than those who keep their hair or lose it later, according to a French study published in the Annals of Oncology.
Research indicates intensive care should be overhauled. Intensive-care units usually keep critically ill patients immobilized, heavily sedated and on a breathing machine, but there is a growing amount of evidence that such care can increase patients’ risk for other problems after they leave the hospital and in years to come, according to The Wall Street Journal.
A literary review of the heart. In a new book, “The Sublime Engine: A Biography of the Human Heart,” novelist Stephen Amidon and his cardiologist brother, Thomas Amidon, explore the history, mythology, philosophy and science behind the human heart, writes the San Francisco Chronicle.
The FDA’s record of recalls of medical devices ain’t so bad. A recent report highlighting the recall rate for medical devices cleared via the Food & Drug Administration’s 510(k) program says the agency needs to tighten the process, but a look at FDA data reveals startlingly low recall rates both for 510(k)-cleared devices and those subject to pre-market approval, reports MassDevice.
