People who are routinely exposed to lead at work may have their risk of brain cancer increased by 50 per cent, says a study by the University of Rochester Medical Centre in the International Journal of Cancer (Sept 1). The study of 317,000 people over nine years is the largest yet into possible causes of brain cancer. The only currently established cause is radiation.

Many cases of hearing loss may be attributable to flaws in a specific gene, claims research funded by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, released last week. The study of 1,200 people, by the University of Antwerp, found that minor changes in a gene called KCNQ4 increase the risk for hearing loss above the age of 60.

Omega-3 fatty acids, such as those in cod liver oil, could prevent more sudden cardiac deaths than defibrillators, says an American Journal of Preventive Medicine (Oct) study. A computer-simulated population study of 100,000 people claims that raising the public’s blood-level of omega-3 acids could prevent up to eight times the number of heart-attack deaths that would be reduced by siting defibrillator kits in public places and giving heart patients defibrillator implants.

Multiple sclerosis patients have changes in their brains that until now have been invisible to doctors, says a report in Radiology (Sept) by the VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam. Using a magnetic resonance imaging technology called T1 mapping, researchers found hitherto undetected subtle damage in the brains of up to 30 per cent of patients. This may explain why some patients remain fully functional for up to 30 years post-diagnosis, while others are quickly stricken.

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