■ United States
Hepatitis C report released
Heavy alcohol use increases mortality with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) to a greater extent in women than in men, according to a report. "Previous studies indicated that alcohol use is a risk factor for HCV disease progression, but they seldom examined the effect on women and men separately," lead author Dr. Chiung Chen, from CSR, Inc, said. Chen and colleagues analyzed 132,468 deaths due to HCV and/or heavy alcohol use. Female hepatitis C patients who were not heavy drinkers died at an average age of 61.0 years, while those who drank died at 49.1 years. By contrast, heavy drinking had less effect on lifespan in men, lowering the average age of death with hepatitis C from 55.1 to 50.0 years.
■ United States
Doctor admits taking hand
A doctor pleaded guilty on Thursday to stealing a severed hand, which he gave to a stripper who displayed it in her New Jersey apartment. Ahmed Rashed faces five years probation for stealing the hand in 2002 from a cadaver at a New Jersey medical school. Rashed practices medicine at a hospital in Los Angeles and stole the hand while studying in New Jersey, the prosecutor said. The woman kept the hand in a jar of formaldehyde in her apartment where it was discovered by police.
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