The New Zealand medical journal
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Medical students at the University of Otago are now required to sign a 'student code' on beginning medical school. This new requirement has been put in place in response to changes to the medical curriculum that have resulted in earlier and increased contact with patients, healthcare staff and the general public, and in order to recognise and formalise the students' own learning needs. ⋯ The student code, while having common values espoused in other extant codes, is framed with the student experience in mind. The authors discuss the process of development, implementation and proposed review.
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Letter
Misuse of over-the-counter codeine-containing analgesics: dependence and other adverse effects.
To review cases of codeine dependency from over-the-counter (OTC) combination analgesics admitted to a hospital detoxification unit. ⋯ This pattern of admissions is new to the detoxification unit, and may relate to higher codeine content in the combination product, and marketing strategies. These cases likely represent the severer end of the spectrum of codeine dependency acquired from OTC pharmacy sources. The paucity of evidence to support additional benefit from the inclusion of codeine in analgesic combination products is concerning. There is a need for increased pharmacovigilance around these and other OTC medications.
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Selenium is an essential mineral and severe selenium deficiency is known to cause significant health problems. It has been well documented that New Zealand soil is low in selenium. Recent studies have addressed the roles of selenoproteins in the eyes, with evidence suggesting that selenium supplementation may have a role in preventing cataract formation and age-related maculopathy. This paper summarises the role of selenium in ocular and general health and discusses selenium supplementation in a New Zealand specific context.