Sunday, January 30, 2005

National and International News



The only man I'd beg for Botox
- The Telegraph 31/01/05

The Government has announced it will crack down on unregulated cosmetic procedures. Sally

Risk of Disease Still High in Indonesia's Aceh-WHO - Reuters 31/01/05

Tsunami-stricken Indonesia has escaped major disease outbreaks so far but hundreds of thousands of people are at high risk due to poor conditions in refugee camps, the World Health Organization said Monday.


President Bush During Ohio Visit Discusses Health Proposals - Medical News Today 31/01/05

President Bush on Thursday in Ohio discussed health savings accounts and announced that he would call for $125 million in his fiscal year 2006 budget proposal to promote health care information technology and the "widespread computerization of patients' health records over the next decade," the New York Times reports. Bush, who spoke at the Cleveland Clinic to promote his domestic policy agenda, "echoed his re-election platform" and called for "private initiatives," such as health savings accounts, the New York Times reports (Kornblut/Stolberg, New York Times, 1/28). The speech marked the second consecutive day that Bush has highlighted his proposals to expand access to health care and reduce health care costs through "market forces, rather than government action," the Washington Post reports. Bush, who appeared with medical experts and new HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, said, "The fundamental question facing the country is can we have a health care system that is available and affordable without the government running it?" He added, "I happen to believe the best health care system is one where the consumers, the patients, make the decisions" (Fletcher, Washington Post, 1/28). Bush also discussed medical "economies of scale" and the need for FDA to "get generic drugs to the market faster" (New York Times, 1/28). The speech also addressed his proposals for medical liability reform and called for legislation to allow small businesses to form association health plans across state lines (Wheeler, Akron Beacon Journal, 1/28). "We've got the best medical system in the world. The role of the federal government is to keep it that way," Bush said (Raum, AP/Las Vegas Sun, 1/27).


Solutions to Royalty Stacking Issues a Top Priority in Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Sectors - Medical News Today 31/01/05

As new technologies are innovated in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, the number of fresh patents and related regulations is also on the rise. With patents materialising as the most recognised form of intellectual property fortification, companies are increasingly becoming dependent on patented research tools and techniques. Royalty stacking is primarily the largest patent dilemma industry participants must work towards overcoming.


Sleep: a wake-up call - The Times 31/01/05

MOST CHILDREN feel a little ratty after a poor night’s sleep. But some sleep experts now suggest that sleep deprivation is actually the cause of many forms of hyperactivity, including ADHD.


Dr Thomas Stuttaford - The Times 31/01/05

IT IS just 50 years since Einstein died. He remained intellectually active into old age, was offered the presidency of Israel three years before his death, and was still working busily until he died. Not everyone’s brain remains so active. Bernard Levin, who stimulated Times readers for years and was also a prolific author and popular broadcaster, was not so fortunate. His last few years were blighted by Alzheimer’s disease.


Beyond the binge - The Times 31/01/05

A HANGOVER may be the least of your problems after a night on the tiles. Binge drinking will not only give you a pounding headache the next day but, it seems, could also make you more vulnerable to pneumonia.


Comfortably numb: the survival of prozac man - The Times 31/01/05

EVER get that feeling that you’re missing out? That the rest of your generation is switched on to something that has completely passed you by? It’s that way with me and the midlife crisis. I’m already 49 but I just don’t get it.


Male middle-age crisis: you're only Jung once... - The Times 31/01/05

As the new movie Sideways portrays two men’s midlife angst Richard Morrison hopes his crisis will pass quickly while Jonathan Gornall insists he’ll never have one


24-hour drinking - The Times 31/01/05

Sir, In her report (January 26) on the Commons debate over 24-hour drinking, your Parliamentary Sketch writer says that Tony Blair thinks theatregoers should be able to have a post-ovation drink. Nothing could more eloquently indicate how out of touch he is with real life.


Life-saving vaccines - The Times 31/01/05

Sir, In your report (January 25) on Bill Gates’s $750 million gift for child health in developing countries, you say that the cost of providing basic life-saving vaccines to each child is $1,000. Actually, the average cost of providing a child in the developing world with basic vaccines (three doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis and oral polio; measles, and the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine for tuberculosis) is in the order of $20.


Chancellor offers grants for gap-year commitment - The Times 31/01/05

GORDON BROWN is planning grants for young people to spend their pre-college “gap years” in voluntary work in their local communities.

The Guardian 31/01/05


Charities fear cost of volunteers' claims - The Times 31/01/05

CHARITIES are being forced to use public donations to defend a growing number of legal actions brought by disgruntled former volunteers trying to use employment law to claim unfair dismissal.


Regular testing benefits both sufferer and society - The Times 31/01/05

CHRIS SMITH’S announcement that he is HIV-positive, and has been for 17 years, while still remaining fit enough to carry out parliamentary and ministerial duties should encourage others to be tested regularly for HIV.


Benefit shake-up to get claimants back to work
- The Times 31/01/05

INCAPACITY benefit is to be renamed and reformed in an attempt to get hundreds of thousands of its claimants back into work.

The Independent 31/01/05


Suicide painkiller withdrawn - The Times 31/01/05

Popular drug taken off shelves after overdoses and accidents

The Times 31/01/05
The Times 31/01/05
The Guardian 31/01/05


Katharine Whitehorn on what it means to be 80 - The Guardian 31/01/05

Not so long ago, you were doing well if you reached three score years and 10. But many of us now live full and active lives well beyond that. So what does it mean today to be 80? Katharine Whitehorn, who's not there yet, considers our changing understanding of old age


Companies can be caring - The Guardian 31/01/05

Polly Toynbee (Pity the little goldmines, January 28) takes one company - which isn't an Independent Children's Homes Association member - and applies its alleged opportunism and faults to the entire independent children's homes sector.


How was it for you? - The Guardian 31/01/05

Are things better? Of course they are. Britain in 2005 is richer, fairer, healthier, safer and better-educated than it was eight or even four years ago. But that bald assertion requires some finely calibrated qualifications.


A £60,000 home in a flat-pack - The Guardian 31/01/05

Last night in Manchester's GMEX centre, builders began assembling a series of insulated steel panels, overlaid with cedar cladding and topped with roof trusses, to make an important political statement.


Doctor accused of misconduct over elderly 'neglect'
- The Guardian 31/01/05

A millionaire businessman and advocate of private companies providing NHS services will today appear before a serious professional misconduct hearing over complaints about poor care at one of his former company's nursing homes.


Renaissance for cities of the north - The Guardian 31/01/05

Cities outside London have staged a remarkable comeback since the late 90s with a cultural and business revival that is now driving regional economies, according to research for the Guardian.


New inquiry into care for over-65s - The Guardian 31/01/05

The architect of the government's plans to double spending on the NHS will today launch an investigation into the Cinderella services of social care.

BBC Health News 30/01/05


Green card proposed as part of immigration reform - The Guardian 31/01/05

A radical proposal to reshape the UK's immigration and asylum system and challenge Michael Howard's rightwing agenda is to be proposed by the Labour thinktank, the Smith Institute.


Genes give insight into evolution - The Telegraph 31/01/05

A genetic variant is spreading through Europe according to researchers, giving them the opportunity to study human evolution in action.


Nicotine patches for classroom smokers - The Telegraph 31/01/05

Children as young as 14 will be offered free nicotine patches in a drive to reduce under-age smoking, it was disclosed yesterday.


Wisconsin scientists grow critical nerve cells - Medical News Today 31/01/05

After years of trial and error, scientists have coaxed human embryonic stem cells to become spinal motor neurons, critical nervous system pathways that relay messages from the brain to the rest of the body.

Daily Mail 31/01/05


US Syphilis Epidemics Not Driven by Increases in Unsafe Sex - Medical News Today 31/01/05

A UK based team of researchers has found that regular epidemics of syphilis in the USA are due to the intrinsic cyclical nature of the disease. They show that changes in the immunity of the population cause periodic syphilis outbreaks, rather than changes in sexual behaviour, as was previously thought.


Trial of Etanercept for Wegener's Disease Shows No Benefit Against the Autoimmune Condition
- Medical News Today 31/01/05

A Johns Hopkins-led study designed to evaluate the ability of etanercept to maintain disease remissions in a serious autoimmune disorder has failed to show any benefit. Etanercept, also called Enbrel, is a common treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other types of joint inflammation. “We had hoped that this approach to the treatment of Wegener's granulomatosis would be useful in preventing disease relapses,” says John H. Stone, M.D., associate professor of medicine, director of the Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center, and lead investigator of the study published in the Jan. 27, 2005, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. “The study results, however, demonstrate unequivocally that etanercept was not effective for this purpose. Because of the disease's propensity to flare following remission and the high risk of treatment complications associated with conventional therapies for Wegener's, we must continue to look for safe, effective ways of achieving and maintaining disease remissions,” said Stone. Wegener's granulomatosis is an uncommon disorder in which the body's immune system attacks its own blood vessels, damaging vital organs by limiting the flow of blood to lungs, kidneys, upper airways and other organs. The disease can affect people of any age and occurs in men and women with equal frequency. Although current medications used to treat Wegener's halt the disease temporarily in most patients, 60 to 80 percent of patients eventually suffer from disease flares. The need to treat many patients repeatedly with medications such as glucocorticoids (prednisone), cyclophosphamide, and methotrexate leads to mounting morbidity from treatments. At the same time, each disease flare has the potential to cause irreversible damage. Wegener's granulomatosis frequently leads to kidney failure, hearing loss, damage to the respiratory tract, peripheral nerve injury, and other complications, according to Stone. Etanercept, the first of a class of drugs called tumor necrosis factor inhibitors approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, is also known to be effective in psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. To test the effectiveness of etanercept at preventing flare-ups for Wegener's patients, Stone and colleagues from seven other academic medical centers enrolled 180 patients with the disease into a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. All patients received standard drug therapy to treat the disease. In addition to standard therapies, 89 patients received etanercept and 91 received placebo. Patients were followed for an average of 27 months. The researchers found no significant differences in the percentages of patients in the two groups who achieved disease remissions of at least six months duration: 69.7 percent among the etanercept-treated patients, compared with 75.3 percent in the control group. In the trial overall, fewer than 50% of the patients achieved and maintained remissions for the duration of the study. There were also no differences between groups in the numbers of patients who experienced severe or limited disease flares. Twenty-three patients in the etanercept group suffered severe flares during the trial, for example, compared with 25 in the comparison group. In both groups, disease remissions were achieved at a high cost in treatment-associated adverse effects. Most side effects of treatment were attributed to conventional medications. Solid cancers developed in six patients in the etanercept group, however, compared with none in the placebo group. “The number of malignancies observed is too small to draw any firm conclusions,” noted Stone. “There is certainly the potential for interaction between TNF inhibitors and cyclophosphamide - a drug known to cause several types of cancer. This potential association bears further scrutiny,” said Stone. Other centers participating in the study were the Beth Israel Medical Center (New York), Boston University, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Duke University, the University of California, San Francisco, the Mayo Clinic, and the University of Michigan. The study was funded by the National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, and Skin Diseases/National Institutes of Health (NIH/NIAMS) and the Office for Orphan Products Development (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). Amgen Corporation provided etanercept and placebo for the trial. On the Web: nejm.org vasculitis.med.jhu.edu/index.html Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions 901 S. Bond St., Ste 550 Baltimore, MD 21231, United States Phone 410-955-4288 Fax 410-955-4452


Tired all the time? Figuring Out the Cause of Fatigue
- Medical News Today 31/01/05

Tired all of the time? Most often, fatigue is a result of lifestyle factors such as poor sleep, stress or a schedule that's too full.


Stop the Head-Spin Cycle - Benign Paroxysmal Positioning Vertigo - Medical News Today 31/01/05

Imagine starting to climb out of bed, and suddenly the room is spinning. You could be experiencing the most common form of vertigo called benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo (BPPV).


Scientists reveal cells' 'energy factories' linked to cancer - Medical News Today 31/01/05

University of Glasgow scientists have discovered how mitochondria - the energy factories in our cells - can sustain a cancer, reporting their findings in a new study published in Cancer Cell.

BBC Health News 31/01/05


Scientists Identify Brain Regions That Decide Where We Look - Medical News Today 31/01/05

Scientists have found the brain regions that decide where we look, and where to direct our eyes when we're faced with a difficult choice, such as looking someone straight in the eye or looking away.


Recognizing new aneurysm syndrome can save lives - Medical News Today 31/01/05

A research team led by Johns Hopkins doctors has defined the physical traits and genetic basis of a new aortic aneurysm syndrome that is extremely aggressive and can cause death in early childhood. Early diagnosis of the syndrome and rapid surgical repair of the swollen aorta can save lives, the researchers report in the Jan. 30 advance online section of Nature Genetics.


Protein's Gene-Silencing Role in Development of Nervous System - Medical News Today 31/01/05

The first evidence that a group of proteins called phosphatases play a key role in the development of the nervous system, has been shown in fruit flies and mice by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, in collaboration with scientists at the Salk Institute, La Jolla, California. The phosphatases are required for maintenance of neural stem cells and for silencing expression of neuronal genes in non-nervous system tissues.


Prostaglandins, Cox-2 Expert Available for FDA Hearings Feb 16-18
- Medical News Today 31/01/05

Victor L Schuster, MD, Chairman of Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, is one of the nation's leading experts on the biochemistry and physiology of prostaglandins, the chemical messengers responsible for pain and swelling in arthritis inflammation.


Progesterone therapy could prevent thousands of preterm births - Medical News Today 31/01/05

Nearly 10,000 preterm births could have been prevented in 2002 if all pregnant women at high risk for a premature baby and eligible for weekly injections of a derivative of the hormone progesterone had received them, according to a new study published in the February issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.


Lower Is Better When It Comes to Blood Pressure for heart disease patients - Medical News Today 31/01/05

For people with heart disease, lowering even "normal" blood pressure can reduce the chances of having a heart attack, stroke, severe chest pain, or the need for a procedure to open coronary arteries, according to the Harvard Heart Letter.


Just 200 babies per year now born with HIV, down from 2,000 in 1990, USA
- Medical News Today 31/01/05

The number of babies born with HIV has dropped from 2,000 annually fifteen years ago to just 200 today. Experts believe it is possible to bring the number down to zero.


Is eating fish good for you? - Medical News Today 31/01/05

Is eating fish good for you or not? The February issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource puts the risk and benefits of eating fish into perspective. Fish is generally a healthy protein choice, lower in saturated fat, total fat and calories than a comparable portion of meat or poultry


How Innovative Medicaid Programs Improve Children's Access to Dental Care
- Medical News Today 31/01/05

With only about one out of four Medicaid-enrolled children receiving dental care, a newly released report from the American Dental Association (ADA) shows how some states have initiated innovative reforms that dramatically improve access to dental care.


Heart Disease News from Harvard Women's Health Watch - Medical News Today 31/01/05

Only a few years ago, most of what we knew about heart disease, the number one killer of women, came from studies in men. More recent research, though, is uncovering new information about the sex differences in heart disease.


Down Syndrome Research Key to Advances in Genetic Science
- Medical News Today 31/01/05

The study of Down syndrome has played an important role in the advancement of the science of genetics.


Digital health records are better, Bush tells doctors - Medical News Today 31/01/05

President George Bush told doctors that digitalizing (computerizing) health records would save a great deal of money and improve efficiency. Bush suggested spending an extra $125m next year to test the digitalization of health records.


Better travel insurance deals for asthma sufferers - Medical News Today 31/01/05

People with asthma have a chance of getting a better deal on travel insurance, with the launch of new initiative by a specialist company.


Advantages of keeping children fit - Medical News Today 31/01/05

UAB and Medical College of Georgia researchers say decreasing body fat and increasing cardiovascular fitness in children can have the same preventive effects for type 2 diabetes and heart disease as in adults.


15 minutes training enough to save lives with an automated external defibrillator
- Medical News Today 31/01/05

Just fifteen minutes of training could make it possible for anyone to use a defibrillator to stop sudden cardiac arrest. A study published today in the journal Critical Care shows that a brief training session is all that is needed for safe and efficient use of an automated external defibrillator.

Daily Mail 31/01/05


IVF rush by over-40s - Daily Mail 31/01/05
Rated 3 in National and International News on Jan 31, 2005 at 11:38:50 GMT.
The number of older women trying to become pregnant has soared over the last five years, a Daily Mail survey has found.


400-year-old DNA bid - Daily Mail 31/01/05

Scientists are planning to take DNA from the skeletons of two women who died 400 years ago, in an attempt to discover more about an English explorer who historians say was one of America's founders.


Drinking hours 'could break NHS' - Daily Mail 31/01/05

NHS resources could be pushed to breaking point with the introduction of extended licensing hours, a survey of doctors has suggested.


Blair launches cancer campaign - Daily Mail 31/01/05

Prime Minister Tony Blair is urging the public to "banish any stigma" linked to bowel cancer in the battle against the disease's high death toll.


Greater patient choice in NHS - Daily Mail 31/01/05

Health Secretary John Reid is to publish a pamphlet setting out the "left-of-centre case" for greater patient choice in the NHS.


Deaths-link painkiller scrapped - Daily Mail 31/01/05

A widely used painkilling drug is to be phased out because of its links with accidental and intentional fatal overdoses.


Care home chief faces GMC hearing - Daily Mail 31/01/05

The former chief executive of a care home will appear before the GMC Professional Committee over allegations elderly residents did not receive proper care.


HRT 'bone aid in prostate care' - BBC Health News 31/01/05

Doctors believe prostate cancer can be treated with female hormone replacement therapy without causing the side effects of normal care.


Non-sex genes 'link to gay trait' - BBC Health News 31/01/05

Multiple genes - and not just the sex chromosomes - are important in sexual orientation, say US scientists.


Work illness hits half UK staff - BBC Health News 31/01/05

More than half of people believe they suffer ill health due to work a study has found.


Healthcare struggle in tsunami wake - Daily Mail 30/01/05

Rebuilding the shattered Indonesian healthcare system could take years following the devastating tsunami on December 26, the World Heath Organisation has warned.


Drug Ups Survival in Diabetics with Heart Failure - Reuters 28/01/05

In people with diabetes and heart failure, treatment with the beta-blocker metoprolol CR/XL (controlled release/extended release) safely reduces the risk of hospitalization and death, research shows.


Police appeal after mother abandons baby boy in city garden - The Telegaph 30/01/05

Police are appealing for a mother who abandoned her new-born baby in a Cardiff garden to come forward.


CDC Announces New Strategies to Promote Continued Influenza Vaccination - Medical News Today 30/01/05

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced two unprecedented strategies for use this season to help healthcare providers continue efforts to vaccinate individuals at risk for the serious complications of influenza. In addition, in areas where there are ample supplies of influenza vaccine, CDC endorsed the efforts of state and local health officials to broaden the groups of people recommended to receive vaccine.


Bishops' Office Launches Ads to Dispel Myths of Legal Abortion, USA - Medical News Today 30/01/05

The Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities of the USA Conference of Catholic Bishops has launched a major advertising campaign in the Washington Metropolitan area and in national news media outlets. The campaign, called the "Second Look Project," presents basic facts about legal abortion that much of the public does not understand and encourages people to take a "second look" at their views on abortion.


America's Veterinarians to Fund Noah's Ark for Tsunami Victims - Medical News Today 30/01/05

With more than 3 million people affected by the recent tsunami, how can any one entity make a significant impact on the long-term recovery of these shattered nations? The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) believes it has found a way. But rather than stocking them two by two, this time the ark will arrive loaded with cattle, sheep, rabbits, goats or other farm animals to help the victims become self-reliant again.


9-Year-Old with Brain Cancer to Undergo Revolutionary Surgery February 2 - Medical News Today 30/01/05

Surgeon to Donate Services for Boy Who Gained International Attention With Online Fundraising Campaign - A 9-year-old boy with brain cancer, who gained international attention when his mother launched an online auction to pay for his biopsy, will undergo the surgery at no cost thanks to internationally renowned surgeon Hrayr Shahinian, M.D. of the Skull Base Institute.


Cosmetic Surgery, AACS Releases 2004 Procedural Data, USA - Medical News Today 30/01/05

The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery is pleased to announce the results of its 2004 Procedural Data. This information is collected by polling the Academy's 1,273 U.S.-based members and for the fifth year in a row, liposuction proved to be the nation's top cosmetic surgical procedure. Botox(R) injections tallied in as being the top non-surgical cosmetic


Creative Talent and Corporate Clout Join Forces to Fight Malaria - Medical News Today 30/01/05

Celebrities and industry leaders today announced a major new collaboration to boost the fight against malaria, starting with a star-studded, two-day concert event in Dakar, Senegal on 12-13 March 2005 to support the Roll Back Malaria Partnership.


FDA Clearance to Commence Clinical Trials of AP5346 for colorectal cancer
- Medical News Today 30/01/05

Access Pharmaceuticals has received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration for its Investigational New Drug Application (IND) for AP5346 allowing the company to proceed with a Phase I clinical trial for this promising drug candidate. Access plans to initiate a study of AP5346 in combination with fluorouracil and leucovorin to evaluate drug safety and to establish a starting dose for future Phase II studies utilizing this combination. Upon the successful completion of this Phase I study, Access plans to initiate a Phase II study to determine the efficacy of AP5346 in combination with fluorouracil and leucovorin in colorectal cancer patients compared with the oxaliplatin/fluorouracil/leucovorin combination, which is used extensively to treat colorectal cancer.


FDA Grants Antibiotic Tygacil(TM) NDA Priority Review Status - Medical News Today 30/01/05

Tygacil is the first in a new class of antibiotics called glycylcyclines to be submitted for regulatory approval - It was designed to circumvent two major resistance mechanisms that have limited the use of many antibiotics: efflux pumps and ribosomal protection.


Healthy schools welcome the publication of the Ofsted report into PSHE, UK- Medical News Today 30/01/05

The National Healthy Schools Programme, managed on behalf the Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills by the Health Development Agency has welcomed the publication of the Ofsted report Personal, social and health education in secondary schools.


Hysterectomy Could Be History for Women with Fibroids at Allina's Mercy & Unity Hospitals
- Medical News Today 30/01/05

Nancy Henninger's doctor gave her three options, and she did not like any of them. So, like more and more people, she searched the Internet.


VIRA 38 to Be Provided to SE Asian Nations to Combat Bird Flu (H5N1) - Medical News Today 30/01/05

PRB Pharmaceuticals and Lee's Pharmaceuticals announced today that they are working with government and hospital officials in Southeast Asia to provide VIRA 38 for the treatment and prevention of bird flu (H5N1). VIRA 38 is on the market in Hong Kong and the will be available in China and Taiwan soon.


Leiner Health Products Announce Recall of Multivitamins, USA - Medical News Today 30/01/05

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.


Weight Loss and Liposuction: What You Need to Know - Medical News Today 30/01/05

Plastic surgery has been featured in the mainstream media more than ever before, increasing awareness among women -- and men -- in every generation of the techniques and procedures that can make them look good at any age.


UNESCO Develops Universal Norms in Bioethics, Women Under-Represented
- Medical News Today 30/01/05

Today, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) International Bioethics Committee (IBC) is meeting in Paris to set international standards on bioethics. While these standards have the potential to enhance the health and well-being of all people, the committee membership is almost exclusively male.


Pharmaceutical Services And Family Health Services Complaints, UK - Medical News Today 30/01/05

The Department of Health released the following statistics today. For access to this information, click on the link below. Family Health Services Complaints, England: year ending March 2004: General Pharmaceutical Services in England and Wales 1994-95 to 2003-04.



New towns plan 'will burden south' - The Guardian 29/01/05

Plans for hundreds of thousands of new homes in a series of new small towns will further "overburden" the south of England and undermine less wealthy regions, a committee of MPs will warn tomorrow.


Constant cravings - The Observer 30/01/05

Once it was alcohol and cigarettes. Now it is anything from Viagra to text messaging to sushi. With the modern age has come a whole new world of vices... John Hind meets five 21st-century addicts


Oliver James: Are two mums better than one?
- The Observer 30/01/05

Oliver James examines a raft of studies which consider the impact of having a lesbian mother


Our barbaric jails - The Observer 30/01/05

Tomorrow the inquest begins into the suicide of Jolene Willis, who hanged herself at Styal Prison, Cheshire, in April 2003 at the age of 25. It was a pitiful end to a tragically short life. Jolene was the fourth of six self-inflicted deaths which occurred at the prison between August 2002 and August 2003, a series of tragedies which have made the jail synonymous with the scandal of self-harm and suicide in our women's prisons.


The sound of optimism - The Observer 30/01/05

Bella Bathurst's positive approach to her hearing loss ('How I learnt to love my silent world', Focus, last week) is a wonderful example of how, with the right technology and support, deafness and hearing loss need not be barriers to opportunity and fulfilment.



Singletons are on the increase - The Observer 30/01/05

People living alone have risen by a third since the Seventies

Medical News Today 31/01/05


Bird flu leaps from human to human - The Observer 30/01/05

The killer virus that has claimed its 11th victim in Vietnam could be mutating lethally

BBC Health News 29/01/05


'More than four in 10 teenage girls have now considered cosmetic surgery' - The Observer 30/01/05

I'd love to be a 36D and have thighs the size of breadsticks. I want bigger lips and a tauter tummy. For roughly £11,000, I could buy this Jordan version of me: breast enlargement costs £6,000, liposuction £4,500 a go, collagen injection £500.


I'm ready to go to jail for the right to ease my aches and pains, says the granny with cannabis in
- The Telegraph 30/01/05

For Patricia Tabram, known to the children of her home village of Hums-haugh, in Northumberland, as Grandma Pat, the ailing pensioner who always has time for a kind word, it was a rather surreal moment.


I have had HIV for 17 years, says MP Chris Smith - The Telegraph 30/01/05

Chris Smith, the former Culture Secretary, has revealed that he has been HIV-positive for the past 17 years.

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It's the must-have illness BlackBerry thumb - The Telegraph 30/01/05

Thousands of people using BlackBerries, the fashionable hand-held gadget that offers e-mail, text, pager and mobile phone options, are turning up at the doctor with aching digits caused by using the device's tiny keyboard


Weekend: letters - The Guardian 29/01/05

I have only one thing to add to Melanie McFadyean's excellent article (Who Knew? January 22). This is that, for most of us following diagnosis, life will never be the same again due to the secondary effects of current treatments. For those who are younger, this includes infertility and drug-induced menopause; other effects that potentially threaten all are weight gain, chronic fatigue, depression and lymphoedema. Survival rates have now reached a stage at which we should also be looking for treatments that minimise such long-term side-effects.


Judge sticks to no-resuscitation order on 'improved' Baby Charlotte
- The Guardian 29/01/05

The parents of baby Charlotte Wyatt yesterday failed to persuade a high court judge to suspend an order which allows doctors not to resuscitate the seriously ill child if she stops breathing.

The Independent 29/01/05
Daily Mail 28/01/05
BBC Health News 29/01/05


Work of volunteers takes the spotlight - The Guardian 29/01/05

To raise the profile of the valuable contribution which volunteers can make to their local community, the government has designated 2005 as the Year of the Volunteer.


Southern smokers break for the border - The Observer 30/01/05

Republic's bars eagerly await Blair's ban on lighting up in the north to put them on equal footing


The man who wouldn't be king - The Observer 30/01/05

John Reid insists he admires the Chancellor and is not gunning for his job, let alone the Prime Minister's. So why is he the favourite of the 'Stop Gordon' lobby?


Citizens' pension plan to lift nearly million out of poverty
- The Guardian 29/01/05

Nearly a million pensioners, most of them women, will be lifted from "abject poverty" if the cabinet accepts Alan Johnson's plans to revolutionise Britain's welfare state.


P&G launches £30bn bid for Gillette - The Guardian 28/01/05

Procter & Gamble yesterday unveiled a $57bn (£30bn) plan to buy Gillette, in a move that promises to create the world's largest consumer products group. Its portfolio of brands will range from Duracell batteries to Max Factor make-up and Pampers nappies.

The Guardian 29/01/05
The Independent 28/01/05
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Daily Mail 29/01/05


New homes hit fight to save planet - The Observer 30/01/05

Tony Blair's attempts to tackle climate change could be sabotaged by the massive housebuilding plans of his deputy John Prescott, MPs warn today.


Big sperm race is staged on German reality TV
- The Observer 30/01/05

After Big Brother and Jungle Camp, Germans can tune in to a TV reality show this week that breaks new ground in trashiness ... Sperm Race. Twelve men will compete against each other to see which one of them has the 'fastest' sperm.


Southern smokers break for the border - The Observer 30/01/05

Republic's bars eagerly await Blair's ban on lighting up in the north to put them on equal footing


GPs say private surgery plan not ethical - The Observer 30/01/05

Health officials are planning to offer GPs extra cash to encourage patients waiting for an operation to choose a private treatment centre, with the bill paid by the NHS, rather than the local hospital.


Row erupts over secret filming of hospital filth - The Observer 30/01/05

Health bosses claim that patients were 'put at risk' by nurses who captured appalling conditions for a shocking Channel 4 documentary


Fears over access to bone drugs - BBC Health News 30/01/05

There are fears younger women with osteoporosis may miss out on treatment under guidance published by the NHS drugs watchdog in England and Wales.


Gyms fail disability access test - BBC Health News 30/01/05

Most of the leading gym chains do not provide full access for disabled people, a survey reveals.


Health: Susan Clark — What's the alternative
- The Sunday Times 30/01/05

I suffer from bad breath. My dad says it’s not that bad, but it is affecting my love life, and in the mornings it is really awful. I am using peppermint tablets and oil, but the problem persists.

Clarke plan to ‘steal’ parts of Tory immigrant policy - The Sunday Times 30/01/05

LABOUR is to respond to hardline Tory proposals on asylum and immigration with its own crackdown on the much criticised work permits scheme.

The Independent 30/01/05


Catholic schools 'could lose funding over sex advice' - The Sunday Times 30/01/05

CATHOLIC schools should be thrown out of the state system unless they tell pupils how to obtain the morning-after pill and abortions, according to the Liberal Democrats.


UK scientists make breakthrough in battle to reverse eye disease - The Independent 30/01/05

A team of British scientists has opened the way to a potential cure for impaired vision after they discovered how to make cells sensitive to light.


'This is my country. It welcomed us both. What do you say to that, Mr Howard?' - The Independent 30/01/05

What does it mean to be British? If you are Michael Howard, the Conservative leader, it means vowing to restrict arrivals and turn away refugees (despite being the son of one). But what if you are a first-generation immigrant who came to Britain believing it to be an inclusive, welcoming place? Steve Bloomfield goes to Birmingham to find out


British children's waistlines growing by an inch each decade, study shows - The Independent 30/01/05

Children's waist sizes are expanding by an inch each decade, prompting warnings from health experts that they face a future of serious health problems, such as heart disease, as a result.


Families Reunited: Law to change on tracing biological parents - The Independent 30/01/05

How would you feel if a stranger turned up out of the blue claiming to be the son or daughter you never knew you had? Confused, says an MP who has just had it happen to him. And Katy Guest reveals why changes to the law will make such daunting, tearful encounters much more common


Celebrity power yoga: the new craze from over there causing bad karma over here
- The Independent 30/01/05

It's hard, it's fast and it tones tired bodies. But, Andrew Johnson and Marged Richards ask, was yoga ever supposed to be a competitive sport?


Government pledge on IVF in tatters as units fail to cope with demand
- The Independent 30/01/05

Thousands of couples desperate to become parents will not receive free fertility treatment, despite a government pledge to offer at minimum of one cycle on the National Health Service.


Prescott home plan will 'ruin environment'
- The Independent 30/01/05

John Prescott's plans for green "sustainable communities" in Britain will cause irreversible environmental damage, two authoritative reports have concluded.


Cannabis linked to mental illness risk - The Independent 30/01/05

Mental health campaigners are calling for a government inquiry into the effects of cannabis one year after the drug was reclassified from Class B to Class C.

Daily Mail 28/01/05
The Telegraph 29/01/05
The Observer 30/01/05
BBC Health News 29/01/05
Reuters 29/01/05
BBC Health News 29/01/05



Brown to raise minimum wage above £5 barrier - The Independent 30/01/05

Gordon Brown will announce that the minimum wage is to rise above the symbolic £5 mark for the first time in a Budget expected to launch Labour's election campaign.


Cherie Blair to earn £100,000 from cancer charity fund-raising tour - The Independent 30/01/05

Cherie Blair was accused last night of "trading on her husband's name" after it was reported that she stood to earn a six-figure sum from a charity fund-raising tour of Australia.

The Telegraph 31/01/05


Cosmetic injections are linked to spread of variant CJD and hepatitis
- The Independent 29/01/05

Injection of "fillers" to plump up lips and smooth out wrinkles could spread infections such as variant CJD and hepatitis, the Government's chief medical officer warned yesterday.

The Telegraph 29/01/05
Daily Mail 28/01/05
The Times 29/01/05
Reuters 28/01/05


Cannabis arrests fall under 'softly softly' law - The Independent 29/01/05

The number of people arrested for possessing cannabis has fallen by more than one third since the drugs laws were relaxed.


US firms' war on workers: where there's smoking, they're fired - The Independent 29/01/05

It is often said there is no smoke without fire, but for workers in the US it is increasingly a case of "any smoke and you will be fired".


Natural fidgets keep slim without effort - The Independent 28/01/05

People who fidget find it easy to lose weight because they may have inherited a biological tendency to burn calories without even trying, a study has found.


Save Liverpool's 'slums' - The Telegraph 29/01/05

Oh, the idiocy and goldfish-like memory of John Prescott and Liverpool council, which lie behind the proposed destruction of 20,000 Victorian houses. Liverpool was once one of the great cities of the world, with an exceptional collection of municipal buildings, docks, merchants' houses and Victorian terraces. When the industrial slump set in after the war, misguided town planners thought, as they thought across the country, that the way to cure poverty was to knock down the houses of the poor. Terrace after terrace disappeared, to be replaced by bland, badly built tower blocks - slums in the sky.


Mobiles 'made me allergic to TV' - Daily Mail 29/01/05

A company boss cannot watch television, turn on a computer or fly long distance after mobile phones made him allergic to electricity, he claimed.


Baby Harriet has liver transplant
- Daily Mail 29/01/05

A 13-month-old baby girl who was given just days to live has undergone a liver transplant.


Flesh-eating bug kills two - Daily Mail 29/01/05

Two people have died after being infected by a deadly flesh-eating bug in the west of Ireland, it was confirmed.


Beauty customers facing vanity tax - Daily Mail 28/01/05

Patients electing to go under the knife in the name of beauty may soon be hit by a hefty "vanity tax" in the US.


Feeling a bit defensive . . . - The Times 29/01/05

Oliver Bennett gets fighting fit with the latest trend in self-defence classes


How the fit and fabulous stay that way: Errol Brown - The Times 29/01/05

Singer Errol Brown, 56, might not believe in miracles but he keeps the faith in his love of life


Cruising for a smoothing - The Times 29/01/05

Cocooned in the surreally luxurious world of a tip-top cruise, it quickly seems entirely natural to spend every waking hour thinking about “moi”


Dip into spa-speak - The Times 29/01/05

Good spas are a bit like posh restaurants. They are supposed to be all stress-free but sometimes decoding the menu is enough to set pulse rates soaring


The best of form - The Times 29/01/05

Kathy Lettes,novelist gives her etiquette guide on how to behave in beauty spas


Luxury spas: Rubbing me up the right way - The Times 29/01/05

There’s still a bit of an issue about men and massage, isn’t there? Even after all this reconstruction of the gender


She’s gotta lotta bottle - The Times 29/01/05

Lucia Adams, 29, found giving up dairy pretty tough - but she didn't cry over her missed milk


Recipes to keep you feeling good - The Times 29/01/05

BROAD-BEAN PURÉE (dairy-free) This is great with pasta if you are missing a creamy sauce. Soak the broad beans in water overnight. 350g skinned, dried broad beans 2 celery sticks, chopped 1 large potato, chopped 2 medium onions, chopped sea salt 120ml olive oil Serves 4. Drain the beans and place in a saucepan with the celery, potatos and onions. Cover the vegetables with water, bring to the boil and cook over a low heat for about 2 hours. Towards the end of the cooking time, stir in some sea salt and a little olive oil. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, purée, then beat in 120ml olive oil. Serve immediately.


How to cheat at eating: Dairy-free cheese - The Times 29/01/05

TOFUTTI CREAMY SMOOTH MOZZARELLA STYLE DAIRY FREE SLICES Fat 26.3g Salt 1.5g Price £1.79 per 150g pack Verdict This looks like mozzarella, but that’s where the similarity ends. It’s a mixture of soyabean oil, tofu, soy protein and starch, and though it tastes of cheese, it’s a strong chemical flavour reminiscent of canned macaroni cheese. Despite its relatively low salt content, it tastes quite salty, possibly due to the phosphates that have been used to bind it together. On grilling, the smell got worse and the bread ended up soggy. 318 calories


Is the white stuff wrong for you? - The Times 29/01/05

Jane Clarke, The Times nutritionist, answers your questions on intolerance


What's wrong with your ... shopping trolley - The Times 29/01/05

Stop trying to have what you want and start wanting what you have instead


The milk shake -up - The Times 29/01/05

It used to be seen as the perfect food but now dairy is being demonised. Jerome Burne wonders if we have just lost our bottle, while on the next page Jane Clarke, answers your questions about intolerance


Fashion alternatives - The Times 29/01/05

Homoeopathy, yoga and motherhood gave Ronit Zilkha a new design for life


No longer hanging on - The Times 29/01/05

Jilted before her wedding day was a nasty shock, but Cath Janes explains how counselling helped her to face up to a few home truths


Dr Copperfield: Inside the mind of a GP - The Times 29/01/05

Listen to me, or I shall be contractually obliged to slap you with a wet kipper


Family disorder - The Times 29/01/05

Should I have my son, aged 12, and daughter, 10, checked to see if they have inherited their father’s thyroid problem? Their father had an overactive thyroid which was removed last year, and his sister and brother have both had surgery to reduce their thyroid. My son, in particular, is quite thin and resembles his Dad. What symptoms should I look out for?


So take the weight off your feet - The Times 29/01/05

Anna Shepard meets a scion of the Clarks shoe family who wants us all to go barefoot


Junk medicine: Knowing your genes - The Times 29/01/05

Should kids from donated gametes have the right to trace their real parents?


Seeds of his success - The Times 29/01/05

John Gonzalez is set to make a million selling sperm and eggs over the internet. But should new life be sold like any other commodity?


I hate to be nit-picking - The Times 29/01/05

Monday is Bug Busting Day in the battle against head lice. But is it enough to stop us pulling our hair out?


Boys will be bad - The Times 29/01/05

A NEW book by an American evangelist has become a bestseller within three months of going on sale in the UK. The overriding message of Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge, is that God made men to be dangerous; and the author advocates the “deep and holy goodness of masculine aggression”.


Analyse this: Driving with apples - The Times 29/01/05

NORTHUMBRIA Police have spent an estimated £10,000 on bringing a driver to justice whose crime was merely to clutch an apple at the wheel. After she was booked, police used a helicopter, spotter plane and patrol car to gather evidence of driving conditions on the fateful day in December 2003.


Surrogate mother dies 90 minutes after giving birth - The Times 29/01/05

A MOTHER of two died on New Year’s Eve after giving birth to a surrogate baby for a couple who already had five grown-up children from previous relationships.


Lid lifted on extent of domestic abuse - The Times 29/01/05

DOMESTIC abuse cases in Scotland are on the increase. The country’s police forces recorded almost 40,000 incidents in 2003 — an increase of 10 per cent on the previous year.


Sex with Dr Thomas Stuttaford and Suzi Godson
-The Times 29/01/05

During fellatio, while my partner's head is at penis level, what am I supposed to do with my hands? Whether we lie in bed or she kneels at my feet I cannot reach her erogenous zones. Have you any suggestions?


Decisions, decisions - The Times 29/01/05

BRITISH scientists claim to have located the seat of free will, the thing that separates human beings from other animals and enables us to act by choice as well as instinct.


Heart Attack Diagnosis Less Likely in Women - Reuters 28/01/05

Even with new, more objective criteria, women are still less likely than men to have their heart condition accurately diagnosed as a heart attack, researchers report.


Merck Hit with SEC Probe, Patent Ruling - Reuters 28/01/05

Merck and Co. (MRK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) suffered a double blow on Friday when a court ruled that the patent on its second-biggest drug will lapse a decade earlier than expected and U.S. regulators elevated their probe of its withdrawn Vioxx arthritis drug into a formal investigation.


Erectile Dysfunction May Signal Heart Problems - Reuters 28/01/05

Erectile dysfunction is sometimes more than just an issue that negatively impacts a man's quality of life -- it can also be an early sign of heart or blood vessel problems, according to experts.


Steroid Puffs Do Not Up Nonvertebral Fracture Risk - Reuters 28/01/05

In the short term, the risk of nonvertebral fracture is not increased in older adults with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who use inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), a study shows.


Age a Factor in Cervical Cancer Treatment - Reuters 28/01/05

Elderly women with invasive cervical carcinoma are less likely to receive aggressive treatment than younger patients, and are more likely to die from the disease, a new study shows.


Botox May Soothe 'Musician's Cramp' - Reuters 28/01/05

Injections of the wrinkle-banisher Botox may help soothe the involuntary muscle contractions that plague some professional musicians, according to a new study.


Head Cooling May Reduce Brain Damage in Infants - Reuters 28/01/05

Cooling the head with a special cap may help reduce brain damage in infants with neonatal encephalopathy, a serious neurologic condition that occurs in the first days of life, new research shows. This treatment seems to work for most infants, provided their condition is not too severe.


U.S. Clears Mylan's Generic Rival to J&J Pain Patch - Reuters 28/01/05

U.S. regulators approved the first generic rival to Johnson & Johnson's Duragesic pain relief skin patch, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday.


Anthrax Kills 18 Hippos in Ugandan National Park - Reuters 29/01/05

Anthrax has killed 18 hippos at a Ugandan national park where nearly 200 of the animals died in the worst mass wildlife deaths from disease three months ago, a government official said on Saturday.


Immense pollution pool over Bihar, India - 400% more than Los Angeles - Medical News Today 28/01/05

Scientists studying satellite data have discovered an immense wintertime pool of pollution over the northern Indian state of Bihar. Blanketing around 100 million people, primarily in the Ganges Valley, the pollution levels are about five times larger than those typically found over Los Angeles.


Disaster funding needs radical reform - Medical News Today 28/01/05

We need to rethink the way we respond to large scale disasters such as the recent tsunami, say international health and relief experts in this week's BMJ.


Women don't experience undue pain, anxiety during mammography screening, study - Medical News Today 28/01/05

The assumption that women avoid mammograms for fear of pain is challenged in a study published in the February 2005 issue of The American Journal of Roentgenology, which finds that women undergoing screening mammography report minimal levels of distress.


UCLA researchers detail the evolution of quantum dot imaging in the journal Science - Medical News Today 28/01/05

New imaging tool may change the way cancer is diagnosed and treated - The evolution over the last two decades of the nanocrystals known as quantum dots has seen the growth of this revolutionary new tool from electronic materials science to far-reaching biological applications that will allow researchers to study cell processes at the level of a single molecule and may result in new and better ways to diagnose and treat cancers.


Researcher identifies cellular defect that may contribute to autism, Columbia - Medical News Today 28/01/05

Defect in neuroligin gene disrupts firing of neurons and may result in autism - The causes of autism have long remained a mystery, but new research from Columbia University Medical Center has identified, for the first time, how a cellular defect may be involved in the often crippling neurological disorder.


Protein stops growth of brain tumor, OHSU study shows - Medical News Today 28/01/05

Herstatin blocks signaling inside cells that leads to deadly glioblastoma growth - A protein developed by scientists at Oregon Health & Science University blocks the growth of glioblastoma, an aggressive and deadly brain tumor, in laboratory rats, a new study shows.


Indiana Univ scientists' research success puts Indiana in new stem cell business - Medical News Today 28/01/05

Scientific discoveries by two Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have led to the creation of a life sciences company whose products could someday repair the blood vessels of heart attack victims and diabetics.


Humans and Mice Share Genome Structure - Medical News Today 28/01/05

In the most detailed large-scale study to date of the proteins that package DNA, researchers have mapped a family of switches that turn genes on and off. Their findings may help scientists understand regulatory mechanisms underlying cancer and human development.


Genetic regions influencing male sexual orientation identified - Medical News Today 28/01/05

In the first-ever study combing the entire human genome for genetic determinants of male sexual orientation, a University of Illinois at Chicago researcher has identified several areas that appear to influence whether a man is heterosexual or gay.


Despite causes of lupus proving complex, critical 'checkpoint' suggesting new therapy is revealed - Medical News Today 28/01/05

Mouse studies yield cause and potential cure, with human studies in progress - Scientists at The Rockefeller University have determined that the autoimmune disease lupus results from a combination of genetics that likely varies from person to person, and that a common "gatekeeper" gene called FCRgIIB is critical to the prevention of this devastating disease.


Cooling lessens brain damage in sick newborn babies - Medical News Today 28/01/05

Cooling the brains of babies deprived of oxygen at birth can reduce the risk of brain damage and cerebral palsy, according to an international study published today (January 28) in the Lancet on-line


Wider use of simpler cervical cancer screening could benefit women in developing countries - Medical News Today 28/01/05

An easy, inexpensive method using ordinary vinegar in screening women for cervical cancer could be applied in more situations in developing countries around the world, thus increasing the number of women whose disease is caught early and treated.


Passive smoking in childhood may increase risk of lung cancer in later life - Medical News Today 28/01/05

Environmental tobacco smoke and risk of respiratory cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in former smokers and never smokers in the EPIC prospective study, BMJ Online First


World's leading pharmacological reference debuts on Mcgraw-Hill's access medicine - Medical News Today 28/01/05

Added Feature Provides Real-Time Drug Information To Medical Community - McGraw-Hill Medical Publishing, a unit of McGraw-Hill Professional, announces the online release of Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, the world's foremost pharmacology reference. A powerful addition to AccessMedicine, Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics is a critical resource in the daily work of students, physicians and researchers worldwide.


US Preschoolers not eating enough fiber - Medical News Today 28/01/05

A Penn State analysis of the diets of a nationally representative sample of US preschoolers, ages 2 to 5, shows that more than three-quarters of the children are not getting enough fiber (American spelling - Fiber. UK spelling - Fibre).


Urgent surgery not always necessary to treat stroke caused by brain haemorrhage - Medical News Today 28/01/05

The results of a major international Medical Research Council (MRC) trial, undertaken in collaboration with The Stroke Association, show that early surgery is not always the best treatment for one of the commonest and most lethal forms of stroke. The results of the trial, published in this week's edition of The Lancet, will help doctors decide the best way to care for patients with the condition.


Study Shows That Diabetes Increases Risk of Blood Poisoning - Medical News Today 29/01/05

view all opinions on this write an opinion on this A new study adds potentially fatal blood infections to the list of health risks from diabetes, a condition that is on the rise in the United States as obesity rates climb, according to the Feb. 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.


The mysteries of the emotions: The Good, Bad, and the Learned - Medical News Today 29/01/05

Premier session of imaging discussion group meeting set for February 1, 2005 - Today's neuroscientists, using sophisticated imaging techniques, are uncovering the ways in which our emotions are linked to the physical wiring and physiological functioning of the brain. What do the latest studies say about the brain's reaction to fear and its ability to get rid of unwanted emotional memories? How can our minds control our emotions, and what role do the hippocampus and amygdala play in anxiety and depression?


Parents' and Teachers' Views on the Middle School Food Environment, USA - Medical News Today 29/01/05

The rising rates of childhood obesity have refocused the awareness on the important role schools have in promoting healthy eating among kids. Public health organizations, government officials and educators are all trying to provide the necessary resources to help prevent obesity at all ages. What do parents and teachers think about the nutrition environment in their children's schools?


Shipman Report: GMC willing to host database - Medical News Today 29/01/05

At its first meeting of 2005, the GMC Council announced its willingness to host the central database, recommended by the Shipman Inquiry, holding information about every doctor working in the UK.


NJIT hosts Biomedical Engineering Showcase and Career Fair - Medical News Today 29/01/05

New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is hosting the second annual New Jersey Biomedical Engineering Showcase and Career Fair - an annual event that unites industry professionals and academics interested in the applied-life sciences.


Monkey ‘Pay-Per-View' Study Could Aid Understanding of Autism - Medical News Today 29/01/05

Researches have found that monkeys will "pay" juice rewards to see images of high-ranking monkeys or female hindquarters. They say their research technique offers a rigorous laboratory approach to studying the "social machinery" of the brain and how this machinery goes tragically awry in autism -- a disease that afflicts more than a million Americans and is the fastest growing developmental disorder.


Lottery funding to aid research into superbugs - Medical News Today 29/01/05

A consortium of UK scientists and clinicians is to begin new research to tackle the problem of lung infection amongst Cystic Fibrosis (CF) sufferers. Led by Professor John Govan at the Centre for Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh, the experts aim to find new ways to combat the bacterial lung infections which eventually cause the death of 90% of those with CF. The work has been made possible by a £509,759 grant from the Big Lottery Fund to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.


Media fellowship on autism available at Vanderbilt University
- Medical News Today 29/01/05

Autism diagnoses are growing at the alarming rate of 10 to 17 percent per year, according to the U.S. Department of Education and other federal agencies. It is estimated that the number of Americans diagnosed with autism, 1.5 million in 2004, could reach 4 million by 2010. The spike in diagnoses, advances in genetic testing and debate regarding how best to treat autism are all changing the landscape of diagnosing, educating and understanding children and adults with autism.


How Many Comparative Genomes Are Enough? - Medical News Today 29/01/05

As the human genome sequence neared completion several years ago, geneticists eagerly began discussing which other organisms to sequence - partly to see which DNA regions are similar across species and therefore likely to serve critical functions. But these discussions raised an important, and potentially expensive, question: How many species need to be sequenced to know whether evolution has conserved a given stretch of DNA?


Important new research identifies how brain cells die during a stroke - Medical News Today 29/01/05

Medical Research Council (MRC) scientists, in collaboration with colleagues from British and Italian universities, have unveiled a mechanism that causes the death of brain cells (neurons) in stroke. The discovery may help explain why some therapy approaches for stroke have been unsuccessful and identifies potential research avenues for the development of new treatments for stroke and other degenerative brain diseases.


How computers affect student performance, the good and the bad - Medical News Today 29/01/05

Regular use of computers can have an effect on student performance on standardized tests, according to a new study by researchers at Boston College and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.


HHS Proposes New Medicare E-Prescribing Rules Process Will Improve Quality, Accuracy - Medical News Today 29/01/05
Rated 3 in National and International News on Jan 29, 2005 at 16:22:26 GMT.
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced new proposed regulations that will support electronic prescriptions for Medicare when the prescription drug benefit takes effect in January 2006.


Genetic variant that may explain why women develop MS more than men, new research - Medical News Today 29/01/05

Why do women develop multiple sclerosis (MS) almost twice as often as men? Physicians have long been intrigued by this fact -- and now a Mayo Clinic-led international research team has identified a genetic variation that may explain it.


Computer memory, MRI technology benefit from student research at UH - Medical News Today 29/01/05

Three grad students win honors, prize money at recent competition - Furthering research in computer memory storage devices, magnetic resonance imaging technology and advanced electronics, University of Houston students in science and engineering showcased their original research in a recent campus competition.


Complete Abdication Of Responsibility By First Minister - Plaid Cymru, Wales - Medical News Today 28/01/05

Plaid Cymru's Shadow Health Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM has criticised the First Minister for his recent comments on the NHS. Rhodri Morgan claimed that the crisis at Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales were usual for January.


CMO announces better regulation of private cosmetic surgery, UK - Medical News Today 29/01/05

Facilities should be properly regulated and patients properly informed before cosmetic procedures can be performed.


ASU students host first annual Western Regional Bioethics Conference - Medical News Today 29/01/05

Conference to include experts and undergraduates from across the United States - State University students have organized the first annual Western Regional Bioethics Conference to be held on February 25 and 26, 2005 at ASU's Tempe Campus. The conference aims to both broaden perceptions of bioethics and promote a more reflective approach to highly-charged issues such as in-vitro fertilization, cloning, and the use of stem cells.


CDC Announces New Strategies to Promote Continued Influenza Vaccination - Medical News Today 29/01/05

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced two unprecedented strategies for use this season to help healthcare providers continue efforts to vaccinate individuals at risk for the serious complications of influenza. In addition, in areas where there are ample supplies of influenza vaccine, CDC endorsed the efforts of state and local health officials to broaden the groups of people recommended to receive vaccine.


Association of Herpesvirus with Lung Disorder Questioned - Medical News Today 29/01/05

Contrary to the results of a recent US study, investigators in Japan found no association between a herpesvirus infection and a potentially life-threatening form of high blood pressure, as reported in the March 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.


African-Americans need equal treatment for pain, SLU study finds - Medical News Today 29/01/05

They're not getting it, and it's costing us all money in the long term - As if doing the right thing isn't enough, Saint Louis University researchers have found another reason African-Americans and the poor should receive equal medical treatment and compensation for occupational back pain.


ACS plans March ProSpectives meeting on integrative drug discovery - Medical News Today 29/01/05

The American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society, will hold an ACS ProSpectives Conference on Interplay of Chemistry and Biology in Integrative Drug Discovery in Miami, Florida, at the Hyatt Regency Coral Cables, March 6-9, 2005.


'Future Vision 2005' to feature innovation in endoscopy - Medical News Today 29/01/05

Innovation, research and emerging endoscopic techniques are some of the topics that will be discussed at "Future Vision 2005," hosted by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), March 10-11, at the Annenberg Center for Health Services at Eisenhower in Rancho Mirage, CA.


Bid to find key to social phobia - BBC Health News 29/01/05

Doctors are aiming to uncover what causes one of the most common mental health problems - social anxiety disorder.


Doctors make eye cells see light - BBC Health News 29/01/05

Scientists have found how to make eye cells sensitive to light, opening new ways to treat some forms of blindness.


Hearing aid 'breakthrough hope' - BBC Health News 29/01/05

Experts say an "intelligent" hearing aid has the potential to help the many people who have hearing problems in both ears.


Hospital pays for private crews - BBC Health News 28/01/05

A hospital is spending 100,000 a year on private ambulances for a specialist head injury unit when a one-off payment of 80,000 would buy its own vehicle.


Nurse's killer sent to Broadmoor - BBC Health News 28/01/05

A schizophrenic man who beat a nurse to death in a London psychiatric hospital has been ordered to be sent to Broadmoor Hospital indefinitely.


Cheshire and Mersey News


Phone firm bid to raise mast - Chester Chronicle 28/01/05

MOBILE phone company Vodafone is seeking approval from Wrexham Borough Council to extend the height of a 20m mast at The Kennels Farm, Barkers Lane, Gresford to 25m.


Schoolchildren to get MMR jab to combat mumps - Midweek Visiter 26/01/05

THE MMR vaccine is to be offered in Southport schools in a bid to tackle an increase in mumps.


Patient's traumatic delay - Southport Visiter 28/01/05

A DISABLED woman was given oxygen and had to have her heart monitored after she could not find a parking space at Southport Hospital.


Pathways to Work service to be spread across region - Daily Post 26/01/05

A SCHEME to help people on incapacity benefits back into work is to be extended into Liverpool and the Wirral in April 2006.


A&E night service to close - Ormskirk Advertiser 27/01/05

ORMSKIRK Hospital's adult accident and emergency department will be closed at night from next week.

Skelmersdale Advertiser 27/01/05


Staff urged to go green - Ormskirk Advertiser 27/01/05

STAFF are being asked to help cure car-parking problems at Ormskirk Hospital.

Skelmersdale Advertiser 27/01/05


Brothels best way to get vice girls off the streets - Daily Post 28/01/05

THE Chief Constable of Merseyside yesterday called for licensed brothels for Liverpool's prostitutes rather than the managed zones backed by councillors.

Liverpool Echo 27/01/05
Daily Post 28/01/05


Nursery joy at long last - Maghull & Aintree Star 27/01/05

AN AINTREE school has finally won the right to have its own nursery after a quarter of a century of campaigning.


Protesters vow to beat latest phone mast bid
- Formby Times 28/01/05

MOBILE phone company Orange is bidding to place a mast at an accident blackspot.


Phone firm bid to raise mast - Chester Chronicle 28/01/05

MOBILE phone company Vodafone is seeking approval from Wrexham Borough Council to extend the height of a 20m mast at The Kennels Farm, Barkers Lane, Gresford to 25m.


Air ambulance wants your old telephones - Crosby Herald 27/01/05

YOUR old mobile phone could help to raise money for emergency services in the North West.


EU rejects fluoride ban - Crosby Herald 27/01/05

CALLS for fluoride to banned in the UK's water supplies has been rejected by the European Commission.


Urging action to curb the rise in mumps - Southport Visiter 28/01/05

SECONDARY schools throughout Southport and Formby are being targeted in a new campaign to tackle an increase in cases of mumps.


Drugs giant bounces back from past woes - Daily Post 28/01/05

DRUGS giant AstraZeneca - which has a major base in Cheshire - attempted to win back investor confidence as it posted higher profits and promised further growth in years to come.


Poor children lose out on opportunity - Formby Times 27/01/05

A STUDY has revealed the unequal access to higher education between young people in poor and in affluent areas.


Merseytram fears return as MPs launch inquiry
- Daily Post 31/01/05

A COMMITTEE of MPs has launched an inquiry into light rail schemes, including the £235m Merseytram, amid fresh fears that the Government would prefer extra buses.


Mersey eye scientist tells of her vision of the future - Daily Post 31/01/05

A LIVERPOOL scientist who gets paid to look Wayne Rooney in the eyes has been invited to represent the British Isles in an international forum.


I've got everything to live for, says lung cancer fight groom
- Daily Post 31/01/05

A BARRISTER battling life-threatening lung cancer has married his long-term fiancée in an emotional weekend ceremony.


Cumbria and Lancashire News


Disaster area not in need of baby milk
- Lancashire Evening Telegraph 28/01/05

IT is against UK law and EU directives to export baby milk displaying labels in the wrong language - and with very good reason.


Man made silent calls to emergency services - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 28/01/05

A MAN who made a series of silent phone calls to the emergency services told a court he realised he had put lives in jeopardy.


Hundred's aim to quit smoking - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 28/01/05

A SHOCK advertising campaign has contributed to record numbers of people across Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale signing up to a life-saving service.


Mentally ill man 'hit strangers' - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 28/01/05

A MENTALLY ill man who kept attacking strangers in Burnley town centre has been locked up.


Sick of the time off - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 28/01/05

A HOSPITAL trust has launched a crackdown on long-term sickness - as its chief executive enters his 14th month off work.


Damp 'risking lives' - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 28/01/05

THE mother of a deaf and disabled woman today warned council bosses that her life is at risk due to a damp problem.


Greater Manchester News


Fairfield: the new recommendations
- Bury Times 28/01/05

MATERNITY centres of excellence and the creation of midwife-led units could be established under a radical shake-up of women's and children's health services.


Health boss meets protestor head on - Bury Times 28/01/05

SECRETARY of State for Health John Reid showed his caring side to an NHS patient who interrupted his visit to Prestwich.


Parents who smoke put children at cancer risk - Bolton Evening News 28/01/05

Children exposed to passive smoking on a daily basis face more than triple the risk of lung cancer in later life compared to youngsters who live in smoke-free environments, research has revealed.


Wasted times - Bolton Evening News 28/01/05

IN December, 9.1 per cent of people who had appointments at the Royal Bolton Hospital did not attend. The figure was highest in the paediatrics department, with a non-attendance rate of 11.8 per cent.


House names delay 999 calls, say ambulance chiefs - Bolton Evening News 28/01/05

HOMEOWNERS who replace their house numbers with fancy names could be putting their lives at risk.


Bolton to study vice girl zones - Bolton Evening News 28/01/05

PROSTITUTION tolerance zones being set up in Liverpool will be monitored by council leaders in Bolton - but there are no plans as yet to follow the city's example.


M60 pollution spot warning - Bolton Evening News 28/01/05

A MOTORWAY junction in Whitefield has the highest level of nitrogen dioxide pollution in the north west, a study has revealed.


Deal for cancer mum - Manchester Evening News 28/01/05

A SCIENTIST who claimed she was sacked from Manchester University because she was receiving cancer treatment and due to give birth has reached a settlement with her former employers.


Masts have no place on this listed building - Bolton Evening News 29/01/05

WITH reference to the planning application for a phone mast on Barrow Bridge Chimney, I raise my objection to the erection of mobile phone masts on the following grounds.


Bar that banned smoking does a u-turn - Manchester Evening News 28/01/05

A BAR which heralded the New Year with a complete ban on smoking has been forced to make a u-turn because the policy has been so bad for business.


Funding will help stop hospital decline - Bolton Evening News 29/01/05

DOCTORS Bene and Moulton of the Royal Bolton Hospital claimed in a letter that there was not a shortage of nurses, although that was one of the reasons wards were closed last year.


'Standard of living is key to quitting' - Bolton Evening News 28/01/05

RAISING people's standards of living would help them give up smoking, Health Secretary John Reid said this week.


Bowlers told to jack in smoking - Manchester Evening News 31/01/05

THE genteel game of bowls is set to go smoke-free after the sport's governing body threatened to penalise players who sneak a crafty drag on the green.


Battling groom's fight for life - Manchester Evening News 31/01/05

THE wedding ceremony was a solemn and moving occasion for barrister Paul Marshall and his bride Janet.


Prescott: Think about a mayor - Manchester Evening News 31/01/05

JOHN Prescott has urged Manchester to consider appointing a Ken Livingstone-style mayor.


City's 'quiet revolution' - Manchester Evening News 31/01/05

PRIME Minister Tony Blair will today hail the "quiet revolution" that has helped transform Manchester.


Shipman's secrets - Manchester Evening News 31/01/05

HAROLD Shipman mocked his victims in letters written from his prison cell to close friends.