Telling patients they must undergo a digital rectal examination is bad enough, but mention the need for a colonoscopy and most patients will pull a face. Now Italian surgeons have developed oil lubricated colonoscopy, during which seed oil is released in discrete amounts from the tip of the endoscope during the procedure. Compared with standard lubrication using water soluble gel, the seed oil technique resulted in significantly more successful intubations to the caecum, done faster and less painfully (Endoscopy 2005;37: 340-5

Male mice exposed to oestrogen-like chemicals in utero develop abnormalities in their prostate glands and urethral tracks. Pregnant mice were fed ethinyloestradiol (found in oral contraceptives) and bisphenol A (found in polycarbonate plastics, and easily leaches into any food and drink contained in the plastics) at doses below the range pregnant women are exposed to. The male offspring developed more and larger ducts in their prostate glands and showed more urethral narrowing at the bladder than controls (PNAS 2005;102: 7014-9

Minerva knows she's not alone in having red wine because it's “good for the heart,” so she was sad to read that the antioxidant vasodilator polyphenolic compounds of red wine didn't …