Catching and treating congenital hypothyroidism early is thought to produce a favorable outcome, but a study in Pediatrics (2005;115: e52-7) shows that even when there are similarities in genes and environment, children treated for congenital hypothyroidism don't do as well as their siblings. In long term follow up, affected and non-affected children were tested at the same time and given the same tests. In the past, critics have pointed to disparities in testing as being the cause of any differences found.

Survival in patients with Parkinson's disease is less than in the general population. A 13 year follow up of 800 patients with Parkinson's disease enrolled in a drug trial found that neither sex nor age influenced overall survival. A poorer response to levodopa was a significant predictor of shorter survival regardless of the severity of the disease at the time of starting treatment, and regardless of the dose used (Neurology 2005;64: 87-93).

For just 60 US cents a month for every person living in a developed country, world hunger could be cut in half by …