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A Tastier Contrast

Care for a glass of barium sulfate? No? Then perhaps a serving of whole milk will do the trick. Patients going for a CT scan of their gastrointestinal (GI) system may balk at the unfamiliar taste of the barium-based contrast fluid they’re told to drink beforehand. But a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America may have found a common, tastier, and less expensive option—milk. Contrast fluid is needed in such scans so that doctors can discriminate between the intestines and surrounding soft tissue. Whereas water would move too quickly through the GI tract, the barium-based contrast moves slowly enough for doctors to obtain the images they need. Because milk fats take some time to digest, whole milk also moves slowly through the body. Dr. Lisa R. Shah-Patel, a radiology resident at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City, says “We hope that substituting milk for other contrast agents will reduce the number of people who refuse imaging tests because they do not want to drink the oral contrast, especially children.” Besides being as effective as the commonly used contrast fluid, milk provides great cost savings. The contrast fluid costs $18 per patient, while milk costs a paltry $1.39.

Seniors Breathe Easier with Church Attendance

Attending church services at least weekly may not get you past the Pearly Gates, but it apparently protects and maintains pulmonary health in the elderly. A study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine compared the lungs of septuagenarians who attended church regularly and those who never attended, and found that regular religious service attendance was associated with a slower pulmonary function decline among men and women, compared to those who never attend services. The findings could not be explained by differences in smoking or physical activity. Joanna Maselko, ScD, performed the study as an assistant professor of public health at Harvard University. “Pulmonary function is an important indicator of respiratory and overall health, yet little is known about the psychosocial factors that might predict pulmonary function. At the same time, religious activity is emerging as a potential health-promoting factor, especially among the elderly. We wanted to determine whether there was a connection between the two,” Maselko says. Overall, religious activity provides social contact and emotional support, thereby reducing the isolation that afflicts many elderly and boosting psychological well-being. Maselko is a social epidemiologist and an expert in religion-health research. She and her colleagues recommend that future studies consider denomination-specific benefits, as this study focused on Christian religious services. 

Minimally Invasive Procedure Helps with Male Fertility

Infertile men with testicular varicose veins have a new and promising treatment option. These varicose veins, or varicoceles, form when one-way valves prevent blood from flowing back through testicular veins, causing swelling and a network of tangled blood vessels in the scrotum. Varicoceles are traditionally repaired with open surgery. But recently embolization has emerged as a minimally invasive outpatient alternative. In the procedure, an interventional radiologist inserts a small catheter to block the backflow or pressure in the vein. Recovery time is minimal, and patients typically can return to work the next day. Sebastian Flacke, MD, assistant professor of radiology at the University of Bonn in Germany, set out to identify predictors of pregnancy after embolization of varicoceles in infertile men. A semen analysis performed on 173 patients 3 months after the procedure showed that, on average, sperm motility and sperm count had significantly improved. Six months later, 45 couples, or 26 percent, reported a pregnancy. “This study confirms that varicocele repair can significantly improve sperm count and motility,” Flacke says.  

Keep Kids Safe on the Slopes

Taking your snow babies skiing this winter? Prevent injuries by following these safety guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): Children should be taught to ski or snowboard by a qualified instructor in a program designed for children. Young children should always be supervised by an adult. Older children’s need for adult supervision depends on their maturity and skill. If they are not with an adult, then they should at least be accompanied by a friend. The AAP recommends that children under age 7 not snowboard. Parents should consider requiring children to wear helmets. Equipment should fit the child. Skiers should wear safety bindings that are adjusted at least every year. Snowboarders should wear gloves with built-in wrist guards. Slopes should fit the ability and experience of the skier or snowboarder. Avoid overcrowded slopes.