Scientists are trying to link reactive oxygen species (byproducts of cellular respiration and metabolic activity) with insulin resistance. They've now shown that fat storage cells exposed to chemicals that induce insulin resistance raise the levels of reactive oxygen species and that treating these cells to suppress this production results in reduced insulin resistance. They say that antioxidants might prove useful for treating type 2 diabetes (Nature 2006;440: 944-8).

The Medical Defence Union advises doctors to warn their patients that it's not always possible to send data securely through electronic media such as phones, video, internet, email, and faxes. It recommends a thorough review of all communication systems and says that doctors should display warnings in waiting rooms and on practice leaflets, reminding patients about how their data will be used (www.the-mdu.com).

The new national kidney allocation and matching system that is launched this month in the UK promises great improvement in equity of access and for people who have been waiting a long time for a transplant (for more information go to www.uktransplant.org.uk). Children …