Minerva

Enthusiastic claims are being made for the results of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in patients with atherosclerotic disease of the carotid arteries, despite the lack of data from a controlled clinical trial (Archives of Neurology 1996;53:696-701). A trial of the treatment in carotid and vertebral artery disease is under way in Europe, but sceptics in North America fear a repetition of the experience with angioplasty for peripheral vascular disease: 30 years after its introduction the treatment is still of uncertain value.

Might middle aged people who eat a lot hasten the decline in their cognitive function? This suggestion is made in an article in the “American Journal of Epidemiology” (1996;143:1181-90) describing a study of Seventh Day Adventists in California. Their energy intake correlated with the decline between 1976 and 1991 in their scores on the mini-mental state examination. The hypothesis is supported by research on animals which has shown that those with a low energy intake perform better in tests of learning and memory.

The children's vaccine initiative is a collaborative venture by the World Bank, the United Nations, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the World Health Organisation. Its current priorities (Journal of Clinical Pathology 1996;49:620-2) include the need for an improved measles vaccine that can be given shortly after birth (most deaths from measles in developing countries occur in the …