Wednesday, July 23, 2003

International, National & Local Health & Social Care News

Acne 'made worse by stress'

The skin condition acne may be worsened by stress, research has found.
Scientists found that college students with acne were vulnerable to a worsening of their condition during examination periods.

BBC Health News 23/07/03




Dear doctor

I am becoming nervous about vaccinating my baby. She is only a month old and I am already sceptical about MMR. But now I have heard that the injections they have at two, three and four months old contain mercury. Is it true and should I avoid them?

The Guardian 22/07/03



Diet dissenters swing into Atkins

It may have worked wonders for Jennifer Aniston, Catherine Zeta-Jones and half the people in your office, but Dr Robert Atkins' high-protein, low carbohydrate diet seems to be falling from favour.

The Guardian 23/07/03



Fats ain't what they used to be

First they told us they were bad for us. Then carbohydrates were the enemy. So are fats our friends or our foes?

The Guardian 22/07/03



Fertility watchdog to review egg donation

The fertility watchdog, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, is to review egg giving - the practice by which a woman will donate all her eggs from the first cycle of fertility treatment (when she is stimulated with powerful drugs to superovulate) to a recipient who cannot produce eggs of her own. In some clinics the donor is then offered cut-price treatment on the second cycle of fertility treatment.

The Independent 22/07/03



Go vegan and cut deadly cholesterol, say scientists

Never mind expensive drugs or new-fangled margarines, scientists say they have devised a simple diet that dramatically reduces cholesterol without any need for medication

The Independent 23/07/03



Health service IT contractors plan £700m merger

Two of the main providers of software systems to the national health service are to merge in a near-£700m deal.

The Guardian 23/07/03



I give up

In 1998 Florida University doctors announced that they were using antidepressants to help treat nicotine addiction. "This is a very, very tenacious addiction," said psychiatrist Dr Douglas Eaton. "This is as hard an addiction to beat as heroin or cocaine - it's right up there with the biggies."

The Guardian 22/07/03



Instrument sale to GSK lifts Tepnel 10%

Shares in Tepnel Life Sciences rose more than 10 per cent yesterday after the biotechnology group sold a DNA purification system to GlaxoSmithKline.

Financial Times 23/07/03



Killer in the garden

Breakfast in the back garden may not sound particularly dangerous, but for Jane Murray it was the prelude to a tragedy. Within a matter of hours of sharing breakfast with her husband, she was in a coma. The wasp took less than five seconds to deliver its deadly sting, but it was another three years before Jane Murray died. She spent the remaining time in a coma.

The Guardian 22/07/03



New study rejects MMR link to autism rise

A link between the rise in autism and the MMR jab has been comprehensively rejected by a study that claims to have found "compelling evidence" the triple vaccine is safe.

The Independent 22/07/03



NHS attacks 'must be stopped'

Action must be taken to curb the "shocking" levels of violence experienced by NHS staff, MPs have said.

BBC Health News 23/07/03



NHS 'neglecting' older nurses

The NHS is neglecting the needs of older nurses - and thus failing to make the most of their valuable experience, a report has found. The study, by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, found that NHS hospitals focus on nurturing young recruits at the expense of their more experienced colleagues.

BBC Health News 23/07/03



Rate of murder in cot deaths is far lower than alleged

The number of cot deaths caused by murder has been overestimated, a medical study says today.

The Independent 22/07/03



Regulators face Yondelis dilemma

European pharmaceutical regulators will today face an ethical dilemma as they decide whether to approve Yondelis, a controversial new cancer treatment developed by Zeltia, the Spanish biotechnology company.

Financial Times 23/07/03



Take violent patients to court - MPs

MPs want more prosecutions of violent patients who threaten NHS staff, saying the existing "zero tolerance" approach has failed to bring reductions in physical or verbal abuse and that many incidents are still not reported.

The Guardian 23/07/03



The scribes of good health in the grip of listeria

"This morning I have already written and rewritten my to-do list three times, and it still doesn't seem to be getting any shorter," complained the editor of Women's Health (August) in her introductory letter. "What's more I've started making extra lists of more important things that need doing, the idea being that I prioritise."

The Guardian 23/07/03



Wildlife fear leaves GM safety debate unresolved

The most serious potential harm from growing genetically modified crops in Britain is their effect on farmland wildlife, and this cannot yet be predicted, the Government's review of GM science said yesterday.

The Independent 22/07/03



Cheshire & Merseyside News

Foreign nurses 'exploited'

Nurses from overseas who come to work in British hospitals and care homes face racism, exploitation and isolation, a report claims.

The Liverpool Echo 22/07/03



Hospital hit by TB scare

Around 1,400 patients have been contacted after a member of staff at a top Northern Ireland hospital was diagnosed with tuberculosis.

Liverpool Post 22/07/03



MPs urge protection for NHS staff

Frontline health workers are to be taught how to deal with violence and aggression in one of the largest ever NHS training exercises.

Liverpool Echo 23/07/03



Cumbria & Lancashire News

An obsession fuelled by fear

OCD is a condition that leaves sufferers slavishly following bizarre, self-imposed rituals and routines and Paul Gascoigne himself has spoken frankly about it.

Bolton Evening News 22/07/03



Concern as hospital doctor goes missing

POLICE were today becomingly increased concerned for the safety and welfare of a doctor who has been missing from his home for 24 hours.

Bolton Evening News 22/07/03



Fattening food for thought

SO, food portions have grown so big in restaurants over the last 40 years that they're making us obese.

Bolton Evening News 22/07/03



Fluoride: Let the public vote, says MP

Bolton North-east MP David Crausby fears the chemical could be added to supplies against the people's wishes if a new bill currently going through Parliament is given the go ahead.

Bolton Evening News 22/07/03



Parent power is simply magic

SPARE a thought for the families of chidren born with a disability the next time you're inclined to moan about tough family life.

Bolton Evening News 22/07/03



New drive to beat drugs

A CAMPAIGN to give parents and carers more information about drugs was launched in Burnley.

Bolton Evening News 22/07/03



School deserve a tanning

WE may not get massive amounts of hot sunshine in this country but when we do, look out.

Liverpool Echo 22/07/03



Support for doctor wanting to work

SUPPORT for a recently retired family doctor who was told he could not retract his resignation is gathering pace.

Bolton Evening News 22/07/03



Greater Manchester News

Lifesaver on the line

TEN minutes could have separated life and death for little Bridget Noctor. But thanks to quick-thinking `telephone nursing' by Eileen Walter, the three-year-old got the speedy treatment she needed for meningitis and meningoccocal septicaemia and she is well on the road to receovery.

Manchester Evening News 23/07/03



Mystery of missing doctor

IT LOOKS like a scene for the start of a busy working day. The jacket is on the back of the chair and the security pass lies on the desk next to piles of paperwork.

Manchester Evening News 23/07/03



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