National and International News
Dr John Briffa: Restless natives - The Observer 10/04/05
British women are having sleepless nights because of their male bedfellows - and it's not what you might think, says Dr John Briffa
Parties must fill the vision gap [Leader] - The Observer 10/04/05
This week, the main parties fighting the general election will launch their manifestos. Much of what will be offered has already been leaked, discussed and dissected and we do not expect riveting reads.
In brief - The Observer 10/04/05
European children 'catching up with US' obesity rate, says expert
Smokers walk to fight off craving - The Observer 10/04/05
Throw away those nicotine patches, cancel the hypnosis sessions and stop worrying if your willpower is strong enough. Scientists have found a new way to quit the evil weed: just go for a brisk 15-minute walk.
Still a liberal country... but anti-immigration - The Observer 10/04/05
In February, the single most important issue for nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of the nation was immigration and asylum, nearly double the percentage who expressed concern about either the state of the nation's health care (13 per cent) or Iraq, terrorism and defence (13 per cent). In January, only 13 per cent had spontaneously nominated immigration as the single most important issue facing the country and Iraq led the poll at 18 per cent.
Intel insider rides to new digital dawn - The Observer 10/04/05
Chief executive Craig Barrett sees a future so small it's microscopic. Chips a fraction of the size of a pinhead will help fight disease, he tells David Smith
Dignified exits [Letter] - The Observer 10/04/05
Your article 'Right-to-die pressure grows as doctors drop opposition' (News, last week) is wrong when it states the BMA no longer opposes physician-assisted suicide. In evidence to the House of Lords committee last year, the BMA made it clear we were opposed to legislative change on this matter as we believe it could seriously threaten the doctor/patient relationship and could frighten vulnerable people and normalise the concept that some lives are not worth living.
A boring election? Come off it - The Observer 10/04/05
Voters can ensure that the forthcoming campaign is lively by keeping our politicians honest
Which of the political parties do most for your pocket - The Observer 10/04/05
The way you vote will have far-reaching financial implications. Neasa MacErlean and Lisa Bachelor get to the nitty-gritty
Cheaper, faster ... and bigger - The Observer 10/04/05
Nothing is more difficult for a politician or a health administrator than to close a hospital. Conservative proposals to close or merge several hospitals in London in the early 1990s proved to be the undoing of Virginia Bottomley, then Health Secretary, who failed to understand how passionately attached people were to their local NHS.
Showpiece hospital faces axe - The Observer 10/04/05
Jo Revill, health editor, reports on how plans to close a major London teaching hospital in a marginal Labour seat are being kept secret until after the general election
Oliver James: Lost in the past - The Observer 10/04/05
The recent news that drugs for treating Alzheimer's patients should be discontinued isn't as controversial as you might think, argues Oliver James
What's for tea? - The Observer 10/04/05
We know that processed foods and fizzy drinks are bad for our children, but what is it about Turkey Twizzlers, sugar and additives that have been blamed for everything from daydreaming in class to bullying and autism? Andrew Purvis investigates the link between what our kids eat and their behaviour - and discovers that 50p school dinners may not be nearly enough
Homeopaths celebrate founder's birthday - Daily Mail 10/04/05
Enthusiasts of homeopathy, which uses natural substances to cure ailments are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of its founder.
Zinc helps children in classroom - Daily Mail 10/04/05
A daily supplement of zinc can boost the classroom performance of 12 and 13-year-old schoolchildren, a study has shown.
Focus: How much do you think you drink? - The Independent 10/04/05
The Priory is targeting high-fliers who resort to desperate measures to cope with stress. Could you be one of them? By Katy Guest
A doctor who answered the prayer of a patient desperate to die - The Independent 10/04/05
As figures show 13,000 patients want a right to die, Dr Nigel Cox talks for the first time about his role in a mercy killing
Dandruff is as bad for the Earth as it is for your image - The Independent 10/04/05
Millions of tons of dandruff are circling the Earth, blocking out sunlight, causing rain and spreading disease, startling new research shows.
Targets can kill [Opinion] - The Telegraph 10/04/05
"We cannot allow this to continue. I do not think it is safe." Those words, written by Epsom NHS Trust's specialist in infection control, were prompted by a decision by hospital managers to use a day surgery unit as an overflow for Accident and Emergency. "It is simply not acceptable to be nursing a patient with copious foul-smelling diarrhoea in an open area with no sluice."
Revealed: the memos that prove No 10 puts NHS targets before the safety of patients - The Telegraph 10/04/05
An investigation by The Telegraph today lays bare how the health of hospital patients up and down the country is put at risk by direct Downing Street interference in the NHS and Labour's obsession with targets.
How to feed your kids - The Sunday Times 10/04/05
In a junk food-obsessed world, giving children a healthy diet is more important than ever. Food guru Annabel Karmel shows how to make their meals delicious as well as nutritious
Susan Clark — What's the alternative? - The Sunday Times 10/04/05
We live and work in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where a friend of ours recently got rid of a horrible fungus on her hands by using avocado seeds. She was advised to boil the seeds of several avocados until the water turned pink, allow it to cool, then soak the affected areas. Would this work for a fungal infection of the toenail as well?
Show us the money - The Observer 10/04/05
It has been proven time and again that sport uniquely has the potential to enable and assist the implementation of a wide range of government policies, particularly in the key areas of health, crime, anti-social behaviour and social inclusion.
Doctor's orders - The Observer 10/04/05
There are plenty of essential foods and minerals that help alleviate the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder says Dr John Briffa
Food monthly [Editorial] - The Observer 10/04/05
So, tell me, how come you didn't know that kids were being fed crap and chips every day at school? Forgot to ask? If I had kids at school the first thing I would make sure is that no-one was teaching them (as I was taught) that some guy called God created the world in six days, and secondly I would want to know what they were being fed at lunchtime.
What's in your basket? - The Observer 10/04/05
The classical tenor Ian Bostridge never sings or sleeps on a full stomach. Dr John Briffa likes his tone
What your children should eat - The Observer 10/04/05
The good mood diet for optimum health
MPs condemn NHS 'postcode lottery' - Daily Mail 10/04/05
The "postcode lottery" in the funding of long-term care in the NHS has been condemned by a committee of MPs.
MPs attack 'lottery' of healthcare for elderly - The Observer 10/04/05
Care for elderly is a lottery, MPs say - The Independent 10/04/05
MPs attack 'confused' care system - BBC Health News 09/04/05
'Whites cope better with cancer' - Daily Mail 10/04/05
White patients are able to cope better with the pressure of having cancer than their Asian counterparts in Britain, research suggested.
Cancer diagnosis hits Asians hard - BBC Health News 09/04/05
Gene clue in prostate cancer fight - Daily Mail 10/04/05
A gene that protects against malaria and evolved in West Africa generations ago may increase men's susceptibility to prostate cancer, scientists believe.
Body matters - The Sunday Times 10/04/05
WHAT YOU SHOULD BUY * Baby balm If, like Julia Roberts and Gwyneth Paltrow, you want a natural alternative to Vaseline, here it is. Green Baby’s Petroleum Free Jelly (£5.49; 0870 240 6894) is made of beeswax, coconut oil and shea butter. Perfect for your baby’s nappy rash or your own chapped lips. Or stock up on Green People’s Organic Babies Baby Wash (£5.69; 0870 240 1444) —- it is what celebrity babies born at London’s exclusive Portland Hospital use for their first bath. WHAT YOU SHOULD TRY Better Posture Nobody is suggesting that you replace your Myla bra with this, but think how much better skimpy lingerie would look if your shoulders weren’t hunched. In our office, I must be the worst culprit for craning over my computer screen, but after testing the Shoulders Back posture-correcting contraption (I wore it for an hour every evening for two weeks), my shoulders were remarkably less curved and the persistent tightness I usually feel in my upper back had subsided. Shoulders Back, £39.95; 01737 819883 WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT Low-GI cafe If you’ve followed Style’s advice and tuned in to low-GI eating, but haven’t yet paid a visit to the Montignac Food Boutique & Café, you should. It sells low-GI groceries such as sugar-free jams and whole-grain pasta — and you can dine there (as Kylie does), on nutritious dishes such as pure lamb burgers with tzatziki or celeriac mash with spring onions. 160 Old Brompton Road, SW5; 020 7370 2010; to order products, visit www.montignac.co.uk
Focus: When the alternative is death - The Sunday Times 10/04/05
The fate of Paul Howie has led to calls for stricter regulation of complementary medicine, write Richard Oakley and Aine Ryan
Mayo homeopath ‘less than half qualified’ - The Sunday Times 10/04/05
THE Mayo alternative therapist whose patient died as a result of undiagnosed cancer completed “less than half” of her studies in the therapy she practises.
Hospital phones charge patients premium rates - The Sunday Times 10/04/05
A HOSPITAL service company run by two former senior government officials is charging relatives more than the cost of dialling Australia to phone patients in National Health Service beds.
Immigration rise increases segregation in British cities - The Sunday Times 10/04/05
WHITE and ethnic minority communities in some of Britain’s biggest cities are becoming increasingly segregated as a result of rising immigration, a report will say this week.
Closure threat for hospital in marginal - The Sunday Times 10/04/05
ONE of the country’s leading hospitals for cancer care and neurological disorders may be shut down as its trust faces mounting debts.
Hidden infant toll of MRSA - The Sunday Times 10/04/05
FOUR children aged three or under have died after suffering MRSA infections at Britain’s most famous children’s hospital, figures released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal.
Grandchildren of smokers at risk - The Sunday Times 10/04/05
NEW research suggests women who smoke while pregnant are putting their grandchildren as well as their children at risk, writes Jonathan Leake.
Sex with Dr Thomas Stuttaford and Suzi Godson - The Times 09/04/05
Help! I am a 50-year-old divorced female who fakes her orgasms. I met a nice man last year and it was so wonderful just to be having sex that I sometimes told him that I'd come. He is so pleased with this, I now can't bear to tell him the truth. What should I do?
Making a blank canvas - The Times 09/04/05
Can we erase bad memories? Scientists meeting this week think so
Your problems solved: don’t cramp my style - The Times 09/04/05
My six-year-old son appears to suffer from painful cramps in his toes and feet which last for up to half an hour. He is otherwise healthy, eats a varied diet and is extremely sporty. Can you offer a possible cause and ways to treat this painful problem?
Lunchtime fix: microdermabrasion - The Times 09/04/05
Want to shed your dull winter complexion and get Elle Macpherson’s radiant glow in time for spring? Microdermabrasion could be the answer. Dr Patrick Bowler, the chairman of the British Association of Cosmetic Doctors, gives the lowdown.
The man who bakes it better - The Times 09/04/05
Rose Shepherd meets the bread guru who wants to give us all a rise
How to cheat at eating: butter spreads - The Times 09/04/05
Woulda ... COUNTRY LIFE ENGLISH BUTTER Fat 81.7g (54g saturates) Salt 2g Price 75p per 250g pack Verdict This has a well-rounded, slightly salty taste. It’s very moreish, especially when melted on toast; dangerous if you’re trying to lose weight or look after your heart. Like all traditional butters, it’s high in calories and fat — 1 level teaspoon contains 37 calories, 4g fat — and most of this fat comes from saturates. Nevertheless, it’s guaranteed to be free from harmful trans fats. 737 calories per 100g Coulda ... CLOVER Fat 72g (18.9g saturates) Salt 1.8g Price £1.29 per 500g pack Verdict This has a good buttery taste and is a good substitute for the real thing. However, it’s actually a blend of buttermilk, vegetable oils, water, skimmed milk, cream, emulsifiers, flavourings and colourings! Not surprising then that it has an artificial, slightly oily aftertaste. It also contains hydrogenated vegetable oils and so will almost certainly contain unhealthy trans fats. 654 calories per 100g Shoulda ... LURPAK LIGHTER SPREADABLE Fat 60g (26.6g saturates) Salt 0.8g Price £1.15 per 250g pack Verdict This is a blend of butter, vegetable oil, water and lactic culture but, fortunately, hydrogenated vegetable fats are not included. It has a creamy taste and a light, soft texture. Because of its lower calorie and fat content, it’s a great alternative if you want to watch your weight without compromising on taste and quality. 544 calories per 100g
Bodylicious: children's snacks - The Times 09/04/05
Just dip in Convince your child to snack on something healthy by making it fun to eat. New Fruit Dippers, from Organix, combine organic compote with biscuits for dunking, a sneaky way of working a whole extra portion of fruit into a kid’s diet. The thick compote comes in apple and strawberry flavour or apple and banana, and the biscuits are sweetened with grape juice. Neither the biscuits nor the compote contain processed sugar or additives. Available from supermarkets, £1.99 for three 100g servings. For stockists, call 0800 393511. Crunch time For children who are convinced that crisps are a lunchtime essential, Buxton Foods has the alternative to salty fried potatoes. Peter Rabbit organic vegetable crisps contain a mixture of carrot, beetroot, sweet potato and parsnip cooked in sunflower oil, with no salt, sugar or anything else added. The variety of vegetables makes them genuinely tasty despite the lack of additives. They are suitable for children from 12 months old. The handy 20g bags cost 59p and are available from some supermarkets. Call 020-7637 5505 for stockists. Little smoothies Want to ditch the fizzy drinks? Innocent may be able to help. The smoothie manufacturer has launched child-size versions of its delicious drinks, complete with cartoon characters called “dudes” on the packaging. Each 180ml carton contains only crushed fruit and fresh fruit juice, and provides a full day’s recommended allowance of vitamin C. The naturally sweet smoothies come in apple and blackcurrant, or orange, mango and pineapple flavour. They are sold in packs of four, £2.99 from supermarkets. For stockists call 020-8600 3939.
What's wrong with your ... insurance - The Times 09/04/05
Losing delight in life is a high price to pay for hedging against future disasters
Families quizzed on donation view - BBC Health News 09/04/05
Bereaved families are to be asked what influenced them in making the difficult decision over whether or not to allow a loved one's organs to be donated.
Immune boost can combat allergy - BBC Health News 09/04/05
Scientists have found a way to reduce allergic reactions to cats by giving the immune system a boost.
Is anybody out there? - The Times 09/04/05
Mediums are pulling in huge crowds, businesses take advice from spirits — why is a passion for the paranormal now normal?
The writer of passage - The Times 09/04/05
Julian Clary is back — having overcome ostracism, depression and panic attacks — with a new job on live TV. He’s also written a warts-and-all autobiography. Oooh, get her, says Rosie Millard
Extract: A Young Man's Passage - The Times 09/04/05
Choice for bowel cancer patients - BBC Health News 09/04/05
People with advanced bowel cancer will now have a choice of therapy after prescribing curbs have been lifted.
Cure for cancers 'in five years' - BBC Health News 09/04/05
Scientists in Manchester say a cure for all types of cancer could be available on the NHS within five years.
Combined pill to combat malaria - BBC Health News 08/04/05
A cheap and easy-to-use pill could help combat malaria - which kills nearly 2m people a year in poor countries.
Threat of 'flesh-eating' MRSA bug - BBC Health News 08/04/05
US doctors warn of small but alarming rates of a flesh-eating type of superbug.
NHS waiting lists fall by 17,000 - BBC Health News 08/04/05
The number of patients in England waiting to be admitted to hospital fell sharply in February, official figures show.
NHS surgery waiting list shrinks - Daily Mail 08/04/05
NHS Waiting List Figures Down, UK - Medical News Today 08/04/05
Virus deaths soar across Angola - BBC Health News 08/04/05
A further 15 people have died from the Marburg virus in Angola, taking the death toll to 174 in the world's worst outbreak of the Ebola-like virus.
Healthy Med diet can extend life - BBC Health News 08/04/05
Scientists have produced powerful evidence that a Mediterranean diet rich in vegetables and fruit and low in saturated fats can help us live longer.
Mediterranean diet 'lengthens life' - Daily Mail 08/04/05
Switching to the Med diet 'would add a year to lifespan' - The Telegraph 08/04/05
Live longer on Mediterranean diet - Daily Mail 08/04/05
Mediterranean Diet Adds Years to Your Life - Medical News Today 08/04/05
I’ve picked a team for my twins - The Times 09/04/05
In the first of a monthly column, broadcaster Gabby Logan reveals her game plan for pregnancy
The knead to know principle - The Times 09/04/05
A traditional bread-making course in Dorset gives Nick Wyke a therapeutic workout
Junk medicine: regulating supplements - The Times 09/04/05
Don’t knock the EU; it’s new ruling on supplements is overdue and is good for our health
Life in soft focus - The Times 09/04/05
Bel Mooney finds freedom of spirit practising t'ai chi at a Somerset retreat
Not just anybody: Estelle Swaray, 25 - The Times 09/04/05
How the fit and fabulous stay that way. Singer and MC Estelle Swaray, 25, believes in healthy living - but nibbles chocolate to get that zing
What pants - The Times 09/04/05
Who would have thought that pants would divide a nation so? Of all the social groupings, undergarment-wearing proclivities are perhaps the least documented. But thanks to a survey by TENA, the maker of “bladder weakness protection”, we know that the next time you sit on the bus, there’s a one-in-twenty chance that the person next to you will not be wearing pants. (“Going commando”, as it’s known).
Pushing the pills - The Times 09/04/05
The profit-led drugs industry needs a tough new watchdog
Analyse this: polyamory - The Times 09/04/05
THEY call it polyamory and already my spellcheck has gone berserk. Yet the term has now been honoured by a lecture at the annual conference of the British Psychological Society. With about 2,000 practitioners in Britain, and numbers growing every day, we can no longer ward off this peculiar addition to our lexicon. But what is it?
Feast for your eyes - The Times 09/04/05
IT’S TRUE — our eyes really are larger than our stomachs. Through a cunning experiment, scientists have proved that human beings are terrible at judging how much food is enough.
Dr Copperfield: inside the mind of a GP - The Times 09/04/05
Beware a rash judgment — it can spread very quickly into a no-win situation
India honours nurse who stayed after slaughter of family - The Times 09/04/05
IN THE shade of a tree beside her bungalow, Gladys Staines breaks a twig into pieces to explain how her husband and two young sons were burnt alive. One piece represents the van in which they were sleeping when a mob stuffed straw underneath it, doused it in petrol and set it alight in a village in the eastern Indian state of Orissa.
Guilty cannabis granny is free to carry on baking - The Times 09/04/05
A grandmother who cooked up treats laced with cannabis for her friends and neighbours has received a suspended jail sentence.
Inquiry begins into sudden rise in number of infant deaths - The Times 09/04/05
SCOTTISH health officials have launched an investigation after the number of deaths among newborn babies and the number of stillbirths almost tripled in Inverclyde in two years.
Superbug infection can lead to loss of limbs - The Times 09/04/05
MRSA, the “superbug”, can cause necrotising fasciitis, a “flesh-eating” disease, American doctors have found.
Deadly threat from superbug - Daily Mail 07/04/05
Flesh-eating risk of MRSA superbug - Daily Mail 08/04/05
Laser surgery helps bionic soldiers to see at night - The Times 09/04/05
ELITE soldiers and fighter pilots are undergoing surgery at Britain’s leading eye hospital to help them to see in the dark, The Times has learnt.
Your questions answered by fitness expert Joanna Hall - The Guardian 09/05/04
My husband is a fitness fanatic. As parents, we are both worried about our kids getting lazy, fat and unfit, so he's started insisting our two under-10 children join him for his weekend jogs in the park. Are we doing the right thing?
Natural health therapist Emma Mitchell answers your questions - The Guardian 09/05/04
I am on Effexor for anxiety and depression. One of the major side effects is a loss of libido and difficulty in orgasm. Is there any alternative remedy that you can suggest?
Headache for Labour on waiting list figures - The Guardian 09/05/04
Six-month target promised by Reid is unlikely to be reached
Why we should give up on race [Comment] - The Guardian 09/05/04
As geneticists and biologists know, the term no longer has meaning
Work in progress - The Guardian 09/05/04
Remploy, the UK's largest provider of work for disabled people, helped 3,500 more workers find jobs last year, an increase of 60% over the year before. The disabled job seekers were engaged by major employers such as Asda, BT, Christian Salvesen and health authorities around the country.
When did you last see your husband? - The Guardian 09/05/04
Married lone parents forget inequality in the workplace for a moment, and turn your sights indoors. For a new generation of married working women, tending to the home and children has become a second full-time job. So where are the men? So absent, says Melissa Benn, that their partners may as well be single parents.
Zoe Williams: Is just me or ... - The Guardian 09/05/04
Shall we just stop blaming McDonald's for the fact that obesity is bad for you?
Grandmother fined for drug deals - The Independent 09/04/05
A grandmother convicted of dealing drugs after being caught supplying cannabis to a circle of elderly friends has escaped a prison sentence.
Cannabis cookie grandmother set free - The Telegraph 08/04/05
Daily dip in hot tub made woman dangerously ill - The Telegraph 09/04/05
A woman who developed a mysterious and dangerous lung condition believes it was caused by a daily dip in her home hot tub.
Half of infant deaths in Flanders were euthanasia - The Telegraph 09/04/05
Nearly half the newborn babies who died in Flanders over a recent year-long period were helped to die by their doctors, a new study reported yesterday.
Daily dip in hot tub made woman dangerously ill - The Telegraph 09/04/05
A woman who developed a mysterious and dangerous lung condition believes it was caused by a daily dip in her home hot tub.
Botanist killed himself by eating foxgloves - The Telegraph 07/04/05
An amateur botanist committed suicide by eating foxgloves from his daughter's garden that he knew were highly toxic.
Cervical cancer vaccine 'in two years' - The Telegraph 07/04/05
A vaccine against cervical cancer could be on the market in two years, after the latest results of a successful trial among 500 women.
British reserve blamed for cancer toll - The Telegraph 08/04/05
Almost everyone has a friend or a relation who has had bowel cancer. Yet, although it kills more than 10,000 people and there are 30,000 new cases each year, it is still not spoken about openly
Cannabis may stop heart disease - The Telegraph 08/04/05
The active ingredient of cannabis can prevent blood vessels from becoming blocked by atherosclerosis, the inflammation that is the primary cause of heart disease and stroke.
Four fifths of children dislike their body shape - The Telegraph 08/04/05
Four out of five children are unhappy with the way they look, with girls and Asian youngsters the keenest to lose weight, according to new research.
Junk food 'helps pupils pass exams' - The Telegraph 08/04/05
Children do better in exams if they are given junk food for lunch, new research has found.
Number of caesarean deliveries still rising - The Telegraph 08/04/05
The number of women giving birth by caesarean has risen despite concerted efforts by health chiefs to reduce them.
Smoking has 'devastating impact' on IVF success - The Telegraph 08/04/05
Smoking adds the equivalent of 10 years to the reproductive age of a 20-year-old woman seeking to have a baby by in vitro fertilisation and has a "devastating" impact on a couple's chances of a successful delivery, scientists reported yesterday.
Brain food doesn't have to be fast - The Telegraph 06/04/05
High-calorie junk food may boost exam performance, but there are healthy alternatives, says Lucie Hoe
Alternative medics in the disaster zone - The Telegraph 06/04/05
Homoeopathy is helping tsunami victims, says Barbara Lantin
Tories pledge support for family GPs - Daily Mail 09/05/04
Conservatives are to pledge their support to the family GP service, promising to preserve small community surgeries to allow patients to be seen by a doctor they know.
Stress 'top cause of sick leave' - Daily Mail 08/04/05
Stress, anxiety and depression have overtaken back pain as the leading causes of claims for incapacity benefit, researchers have said.
Depression Overtakes Back Pain for Incapacity Benefit Claims, UK - Medical News Today 08/04/05
Refugees 'suffer stress disorder' - Daily Mail 08/04/05
Many refugees granted asylum in Britain and other western countries could be suffering the mental effects of shocking experiences, it has been claimed.
Howard's 52m plan to beat superbug - Daily Mail 07/04/05
The Tories have announced a 52 million 10-point action plan to tackle the MRSA hospital superbug - with leader Michael Howard saying it was a "personal" commitment after his mother-in-law died of a hospital-acquired infection.
Diabetics 'not being told enough' - Daily Mail 06/04/05
Diabetics are not being told enough about their condition and some are losing their eyesight unnecessarily, campaigners warned.
Parties clash in superbugs debate - Daily Mail 07/04/05
The three main political parties joined in a debate on the future of the NHS, clashing over how each would tackle hospital superbugs.
People drinking more - but at home - Daily Mail 07/04/05
Alcohol consumption increased last year, but people were drinking more at home rather than in bars, restaurants and pubs, according to statistics released today.
Drinkers prefer nights in - Daily Mail 08/04/05
60,000 payout for acting chair - Daily Mail 06/04/05
The acting chairman of a cash-strapped NHS Foundation Trust is being paid 60,000 for six months' work.
Third rabies death after transplant - Daily Mail 07/04/05
A German who received a kidney and a pancreas from a woman infected with rabies has died of the disease, doctors said.
Eternal struggle for pop star - Daily Mail 08/04/05
As part of girl band Eternal, Kelle Bryan spent the Nineties touring the world. But in 1999, she became seriously ill with the auto-immune disease Lupus and was told she could be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Here, she tells her story for the first time
Is stress in the workplace the new back pain? - Daily Mail 08/04/05
Stress has become "the new back pain" for lazy employees seeking a long spell off work, it has been claimed.
Alcohol threatens production of mothers' breast milk - Daily Mail 07/04/05
Drinking just small amounts of alcohol reduces the amount of milk women produce and affects breast-feeding, research have revealed.
Alphabet spaghetti back for a spell - Daily Mail 07/04/05
It was the pasta snack favourite that let us practice our spelling as we ate.
Luvverly Doverly! - Daily Mail 06/04/05
It was the modelling competition in which Kate Moss or Gisele would not have stood a chance.
Diabetics blinded by ignorance - Daily Mail 06/04/05
Diabetics are not being told enough about their condition and some are losing their eyesight unnecessarily, campaigners have warned.
Race is on to market first cancer vaccine - Daily Mail 06/04/05
A pioneering vaccine against the virus that causes cervical cancer could dramatically reduce incidence of the disease, researchers have said.
New leg for Sophie after death scare - Daily Mail 06/04/05
A child of five who had her leg amputated after chicken pox can finally join her classmates in PE.
Smoking threatens couples' IVF chances - Daily Mail 07/04/05
Smoking has a "devastating" impact on a couple's chances of having an IVF baby, researchers said today.
School medicals to stop obesity - Daily Mail 06/04/05
Hundreds Of pupils are to be weighed at school to help combat rising levels of childhood obesity.
Sponsored walk for brothers with rare disease - Daily Mail 07/05/04
The eldest of four brothers diagnosed with a life-threatening genetic disorder is to take part in a sponsored walk aimed at helping others in need of bone marrow transplants.
Cambodian Girl Dies from Bird Flu, Asia Toll Now 51 - Reuters 10/04/05
An eight-year-old Cambodian girl has died of bird flu, the 51st known victim of the deadly virus since it swept across Asia at the end of 2003.
Cambodian Girl Dies from Bird Flu - Reuters 10/04/05
High Carb Diets May Raise Breast Cancer Risk - Reuters 08/04/05
Diets that have a high "glycemic index" -- that is, they produce high blood sugar levels -- may increase the risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women who've used hormone replacement therapy (HRT), study results suggest.
Attacks Halt WHO Campaign Against Marburg in Angola - Reuters 09/04/05
The World Health Organization (WHO) has halted a campaign in western Angola against an outbreak of Marburg virus after residents attacked its teams in apparent fear they could be spreading the deadly infection.
U.S. Focusing on Disease Spread Through Air Travel - Reuters 07/04/05
U.S. government health agencies are strengthening ties to airlines and aviation regulators to guard against the spread of infectious diseases or other deadly agents aboard commercial aircraft, federal officials said on Wednesday.
Fend Off Dementia with Sex, Crosswords and a Run - Reuters 07/04/05
Sex, cryptic crosswords and a good run could help ward off dementia and other degenerative conditions by stimulating new brain cells, an Australian researcher said on Thursday.
Vaccine Promising Against Disease-Causing HPV - Reuters 07/04/05
Certain strains of the virus responsible for causing genital warts -- human papillomavirus or HPV -- are also likely to trigger cervical cancer. Now comes news that a vaccine designed to combat four of these strains can dramatically reduce persistent infection and the risk of developing warts and cancer.
Report: Offer Money Up Front to Prod Vaccine Makers - Reuters 07/04/05
Companies might be coaxed into making much-needed vaccines if governments and private donors teamed up to buy them in advance, a Washington think tank suggested on Thursday.
Pfizer Halts Bextra Sales in U.S., Europe - Reuters 07/04/05
Pfizer Inc. (PFE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday agreed to suspend sales of its arthritis drug Bextra after U.S. and European regulators said the risk of serious side effects, including a potentially fatal skin allergy, outweigh the benefits.
Pfizer Suspends Bextra Sales in U.S., Europe - Reuters 07/04/05
European Medicines Agency statement on the suspension of use of Bextra - Medical News Today 09/04/05
European Suspension Of Bextra - Advice for Pharmacists - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Pfizer Suspends Sales of COX-2 Inhibitor Bextra at Request of FDA - Medical News Today 08/04/05
The bird flu outbreak that has recently killed 50 people in Asia and cost the region billions of dollars could spread to other parts -Reuters 07/04/05
The bird flu outbreak that has recently killed 50 people in Asia and cost the region billions of dollars could spread to other parts of the world, the global animal health body OIE said Thursday.
Skin Lesions Seen with Newer Arthritis Drugs - Reuters 07/04/05
Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with the potent TNF-alpha blocking drugs -- such as Enbrel and Remicade, for example -- is linked to an increase in dermatological conditions, researchers in the Netherlands suggest.
Panel Defends Study Behind AIDS Drug for Babies - Reuters 07/04/05
Medical experts on Thursday defended a study that led to the widespread use of a single AIDS drug called nevirapine to protect newborns, saying allegations the research was flawed were unfounded
A Dash of Onion Halts Bone Loss in Rats - Reuters 07/04/05
Onions can spice up your meals -- and maybe strengthen your bones, preliminary study findings suggest.
High Blood Pressure Common in the Overweight - Reuters 07/04/05
Obese patients often have increased blood pressure, researchers report. Also, many do not experience a nighttime dip in blood pressure as occurs in normal-weight individuals, and this could lead to heart damage.
Roma Tomatoes Linked to US, Canadian Salmonella Outbreaks - Reuters 07/04/05
Contaminated Roma tomatoes were the likely cause of a string of salmonella outbreaks that made 561 people sick in the United States and Canada last summer, U.S. health officials said on Thursday.
Allergies Less Likely for Women with Several Kids - Reuters 07/04/05
The more children a woman has, the less likely she is to suffer from allergic rhinitis or allergic conjunctivitis, a study from Italy suggests.
Marburg Spreads in Angola as Death Toll Hits 174 - Reuters 08/04/05
The World Health Organization (WHO) Friday called for stepping up measures in Angola to halt the further spread of the deadly Marburg virus, which has killed 174 people mainly in the north of the country.
Depression Therapy May Help HIV Treatment - Reuters 08/04/05
Antidepressants may do more than improve the mental health of people with both HIV and depression. New study findings suggest the treatment may also bolster patients' compliance with their HIV medications.
Active Teen Girls Run Risk of Stress Fracture - Reuters 08/4/05
While physical activity strengthens bones, high-impact activity can markedly increase the risk of stress fracture among adolescent girls, recent findings suggest.
Project Shows Indoor Asthma Triggers Can Be Curbed - Reuters 08/04/05
The Seattle-King County Healthy Homes Project, designed to decrease exposure of children to asthma triggers in the home through in-home visits by healthcare workers, has proven successful. It led to a reduction in asthma problems and use of health services among participating children.
Poor Blood Pressure Control Ups Stroke Risk - Reuters 08/04/05
About half of all first-time strokes in patients being treated for high blood pressure result from the pressure not being adequately controlled, Swedish researchers report. Older age, diabetes, and smoking also raise the risk of stroke in these patients.
Diabetes Ups Urinary Infection Risk in Older Women - Reuters 08/04/05
Rates of urinary tract infection (UTI) are higher among postmenopausal women with diabetes than among those without diabetes, researchers report.
'Good' Bacteria Help with Eczema in Infants - Reuters 08/04/05
Mixing a type of beneficial or "probiotic" bacteria, Lactobacillus GG (LGG), into food helps reduce symptoms in allergic infants with the skin condition eczema, according to a report in the medical journal Allergy.
Half a million new organ donors in six months, UK - Medical News Today 10/04/05
On behalf of NHS UK Transplant, I'd like to say a huge thank you to all your readers who have pledged to help others to live after their death.
HIV Prevalence Among Pregnant Women in Swaziland Increases to 42.6% in 2004, Survey Shows - Medical News Today 10/04/05
The HIV prevalence rate among pregnant women in Swaziland increased to 42.6% in 2004 from 38.6% in 2002, according to preliminary findings from the country's latest HIV sentinel survey,... IRIN News reports. The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, which conducted the survey in 2004 among women attending prenatal clinics, said in a statement that the results showed "signs of hope as well as indications of huge challenges ahead" (IRIN News, 4/5). Pregnant women are considered a "statistically valid" model to project HIV prevalence for the adult population in the country, according to Reuters. The survey estimates that 56% of Swazis ages 25 to 29 are HIV-positive, Reuters reports (Reuters, 4/5). The survey also estimates that HIV prevalence among 15- to 18-year-olds declined from 32.5% in 2002 to 29.3% in 2004, IRIN News reports. David Okello, World Health Organization Swaziland representative, said the government needs to "move fast" to support programs aimed at preventing vertical HIV transmission, ensuring access to antiretroviral drugs and providing prevention education, even though the decrease in prevalence among young pregnant women is "positive" (IRIN News, 4/5).
Asthma FAQs in braille and on CD, Asthma UK - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Partially sighted and blind people with asthma can now benefit from specially-targeted information from Asthma UK.
A Kidney Transplant Can Reverse Heart Failure - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center say that contrary to conventional thinking, a kidney transplant can significantly improve the heart function of people on dialysis with a serious form of heart failure. In a study published in the April 5, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the researchers found that a majority of patients who had systolic heart failure, in which the heart's left ventricle was weak and not pumping blood efficiently, had a dramatic recovery after their kidney transplant.
Cyanobacteria (“blue-green algae”) produce toxin with possible connection to neurodegerative disorders - Medical News Today 10/04/05
It is well known that a tiny number of cyanobacteria, previously known as blue-green algae, produce substances that can be toxic to both humans and animals. Now a research team from Sweden, Scotland, and the U.S. has found that a further toxin (BMAA, -methyl amino-alanine) with a possible connection to degenerative nerve diseases like ALS, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's is produced by cyanobacteria that are widespread around the world.
Blue-Green Algal Links to Alzheimer's-Like Neurological Disease - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Response to Health Select Committee report 'The Influence of the Pharmaceutical Industry', ABPI - Medical News Today 10/04/05
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry said today that the Health Select Committee's report rightly acknowledges the importance of the UK pharmaceutical industry in the development of new medicines and the fact that its discoveries "have improved many people's quality of life, reduced the need for surgical intervention and the length of time spent in hospital and saved many lives".
Golf-Related Head Injuries In Children Increasing Along With Sport's Popularity - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Children's increasing interest in golf is resulting in an unfortunate upswing in golf-related head injuries, according to a review of sports injuries treated over six years at an academic medical center in Georgia.
Powerful mold-inhibiting bacteria patented - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Bacteria that produce lactic acid have been used for thousands of years to preserve food. Some lactic acid bacteria also produce several other mold-inhibiting substances and are therefore of special interest to agriculture and the foodstuffs industry. This is demonstrated in a dissertation by Jörgen Sjögren from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU. One of the bacteria strains studied has been patented and will be part of a new biological conservation preparation.
Telling the difference between battery laid eggs and free-range or barn - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Scientists have developed a method of determining whether eggs labelled as ‘free-range' or ‘barn' have in fact been laid under battery conditions. The procedure, published in Journal of the Science of Food & Agriculture this month, means eggs can be tested without the need to visit farms.
Autistic Kids Benefit from Dads' Involvement - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Teaching fathers how to communicate and play with their autistic children pays dividends, for parents and kids alike.
'Marketplace' Profiles HIV/AIDS Prevention, Care Program for Commercial Sex Workers in Mumbai, India - Medical News Today 10/04/05
APM's "Marketplace" on Thursday reported on a peer education program in Mumbai, India, that uses the "existing brothel hierarchy" to help prevent HIV transmission among commercial sex workers and their clients. The initiative -- which is called the Saheli project, meaning "girlfriend" in Hindi -- is headed by Dr. Ishwar Gilada, who began the program with a grant from the Ford Foundation. Gilada also runs a mobile clinic that cares for HIV-positive people in the city. Under the program, brothel owners employ managers who oversee the brothel's rooms and assign a "saheli" to each room. Each saheli manages 25 commercial sex workers, educating them about HIV/AIDS, providing them with condoms and bringing them to the clinic or hospital if they become sick. Using this system, each brothel can reach 1,300 sex workers. Approximately 100,000 women in Mumbai are commercial sex workers (Small, "Marketplace," APM, 4/7).
Bono, Brad Pitt, Other Celebrities Appear in Public Service Announcement To Raise Awareness of HIV/AIDS, Poverty - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Irish rock star Bono, US actor Brad Pitt and several other entertainers and public figures star in a 60-second public service announcement scheduled to air on several networks and cable channels on Sunday night and aimed at raising awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the need for poverty reduction in developing countries, the... AP/Austin American-Statesman reports. The PSA -- which also features musicians Jewel and Mos Def, actors Al Pacino, Jamie Foxx, Penelope Cruz and Djimon Hounsou, evangelist Pat Robertson and Rev. Frank Griswold, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States -- is part of Bono's campaign "ONE: The Campaign To Make Poverty History." Bono -- who co-founded DATA, an AIDS, debt relief and trade advocacy group -- on Wednesday said that the campaign currently is not seeking donations but instead is seeking to raise awareness. "We're not just asking for people to put cash in the pot here," Bono said, adding, "Americans are generous, we know they'll do that. We're not actually asking for their money, we're asking for their voice." Pitt, who visited Africa in 2004 after being inspired by Bono's advocacy and who plans to travel to the continent again soon, said that it is difficult for HIV-positive people in Africa to gain access to antiretroviral drugs, according to the AP/American-Statesman. "I've seen it; I've been there, and to walk away from it and turn my back makes me culpable," Pitt said, adding, "And I can't do that" (AP/Austin American-Statesman, 4/7).
Botswana Represents Successes, Challenges Ahead for HIV/AIDS Fight in Developing Countries, Editorial Says - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Botswana -- which has one of the "most extensive and successful AIDS treatment programs in Africa" -- presents not only "hope that the despair AIDS has brought to Africa can be relieved" but also "stark signs of the challenges ahead," a... Chicago Tribune editorial says. In 2002, Botswana began the first government program in Africa to provide antiretroviral drugs at no cost, and about 40% of people who needed the drugs -- about 38,000 Batswana -- were receiving them as of December 2004, according to the editorial. However, the question remains whether Botswana "will be able to bear the burden of its own success," the editorial says. Botswanan officials say that the stigma surrounding the disease keeps many people from undergoing HIV testing or seeking treatment, according to the editorial. Botswana and other countries with similar HIV/AIDS-related issues will need "billions of dollars in aid for the foreseeable future" in order to "maintain survivors on costly medication," the Tribune says. Therefore, while "[i]mproved medical treatment of HIV/AIDS is a critical breakthrough ... prevention of the disease remains the key to success -- in Africa, in the U.S. and everywhere else," the editorial says (Chicago Tribune, 4/8).
Can sunlight help elderly nursing home residents sleep better? - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Saint Louis University School of Medicine is exploring whether morning sunlight can help elderly nursing home residents sleep better.
Breast Implant Decisions Should Be Based on Science, not Emotion, Plastic Surgery Organizations Tell FDA - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Silicone breast implants have been scrutinized more than any medical device, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) stated today. Both plastic surgery societies, which will be represented at the upcoming hearings of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advisory Panel in Gaithersburg, MD, April 11-13, 2005, urge the FDA to conduct a fair hearing based on sound science, not emotion.
Fewer Australians are smoking or using marijuana, steroids and hallucinogens - Medical News Today 10/04/05
The latest National Household Drug Strategy Survey has found that overall there is less use of harmful drugs, both legal and illegal.
Insomnia in Elderly Linked to Risk of Falls - Medical News Today 10/04/05
In nursing homes across the country, elderly people with insomnia often go untreated, because of the perception that sleeping pills increase the risk of falls and injuries that are a bane of old age.
Prevention, Treatment Both Important in Fight Against HIV/AIDS, Brazilian Official Tells U.N. Population Meeting - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Prevention and treatment efforts are both important in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Dr Paulo Teixeira, a senior consultant for Brazil's National STD/AIDS Programme in the country's Ministry of Health, said on Thursday at a weeklong, annual meeting of the... U.N. Commission on Population and Development in New York, the U.N. News Service reports (U.N. News Service, 4/7). The theme of the session -- which began April 4 and is expected to end Friday -- is population, development and HIV/AIDS, with a focus on poverty (Deen, Inter Press Service, 4/6). Teixeira called for an end to the competing strategies, saying that a "false dilemma" between prevention and treatment has caused "unnecessary losses" and "wasted precious time," according to the U.N. News Service. He added that all countries that have been successful in controlling their HIV/AIDS epidemics have policies that promote condom use (U.N. News Service, 4/7). "Based on international experiences, today there is no evidence whatsoever that moral recommendations, such as abstinence and fidelity, have any impact that might prevent infection and curb the epidemic," he said, adding, "We are aware that the promotion of safer sex involves serious cultural, ethical and religious matters, but we cannot allow them to become a barrier for prevention." Brazil -- which is among the world's "most successful" developing nations in combating its HIV/AIDS epidemic -- has an AIDS prevalence rate of less than 0.6% of the population, Reuters reports (Arieff, Reuters, 4/6).
Major Medical Journals Unite in Call for Clinical Trials Registration - Medical News Today 10/04/05
The editors of Transplantation, the official journal of The Transplantation Society, have announced that Transplantation will join with other leading kidney journals and the major general journals-such as New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet-in establishing a policy that clinical research studies involving trials will only be considered for publication if they have been submitted to a free, electronically searchable clinical trial register.
Mooove over mastitis! Nature Biotechnology - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Scientists have generated dairy cows with enhanced resistance to mastitis, an infection of cows' udders that costs the US dairy industry over $2 billion every year through lost productivity. As described in April's Nature Biotechnology, the cows carry a gene that specifically protects them from the bacterium Staphyolococcus aureus, a major cause of mastitis.
More exhaust inhaled by kids inside school buses than by others in the area, says study - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Children on school buses collectively inhale as much or more exhaust emitted from those buses as does the rest of the city's population, according to a new analysis by researchers at the University of California.
No Evidence of Serious Flaws in NIH-Funded Study of Nevirapine Use Among Pregnant Women in Uganda, IOM Report Says - Medical News Today 10/04/05
There is no evidence of serious flaws in an... NIH-funded study of the antiretroviral drug nevirapine among pregnant women in Uganda that would "cast doubt" on the study's findings, according to a report released on Thursday by an independent review panel of the Institute of Medicine, the Baltimore Sun reports (Bor, Baltimore Sun, 4/8). The IOM panel investigated the trial -- called HIVNET 012 -- which began in 1997 to study the use of single-dose nevirapine among HIV-positive pregnant women in Uganda to prevent vertical HIV transmission. The initial results showed that the drug prevented HIV transmission to newborns in as many as half of births. However, by early 2002, medical safety specialists and auditors with NIH, as well as the drug's manufacturer Boehringer Ingelheim, cited administrative problems with the research in Uganda. Because of the reported problems, NIH suspended the research from spring 2002 to summer 2003 and in 2004 asked IOM to review the trial. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in a "Q & A" document regarding the trial said that nevirapine is a "safe and effective" treatment to reduce the risk of vertical HIV transmission and that reviews of the study data "have found only a very small number of serious adverse reactions that potentially might be due to nevirapine" (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 3/16).
Preeclampsia susceptibility, Nature Genetics - Medical News Today 10/04/05
A gene associated with susceptibility to preeclampsia is identified in the May issue of Nature Genetics, explaining why this condition runs in families. Preeclampsia is a common and serious complication of pregnancy, involving elevated blood pressure and impaired kidney function.
Roche and Kosan Breast Cancer Phase II Trial to Proceed - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Kosan Biosciences Incorporated (Nasdaq: KOSN) today announced that its Phase II clinical trial of KOS-862 (Epothilone D) as monotherapy for patients with metastatic breast cancer will proceed to full enrollment of the study following the successful completion of the interim analysis. The multi-center Phase II study is being conducted according to a two-stage Simon trial design, in which the primary objective must be met in the first stage of the trial before proceeding to the second stage.
Six week mini-med school to focus on the fascinating science of aging - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Some of the eternal questions of life - how and why we age, why some people age faster or live longer, and what can be done to fight the diseases and disabilities associated with old age - will be explored by distinguished scientists in a provocative Spring 2005 "Mini-Med School" cosponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the Office of Science Education at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Smithsonian Associates.
Device Technology Shaping Delivery of New Therapeutics - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Evolving injection Designs Focusing on New Classes of Powerful Drugs - Aging population demographics and managed care initiatives are major forces driving the future direction of healthcare, a trend that includes the self-administration of drug therapies for chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, hormone replacement therapy, and a growing list of treatments. This trend is creating an increased interest in routes of administration that are patient-friendly and cost-effective.
Engineering Approach to Blood Flow Aims to Improve Stroke Treatment - Medical News Today 10/04/05
As a mechanical engineer, Hui Meng built her career on the study of turbulent flows generated by jet engines, aerosol particles and other aerodynamic systems. Today she's turned her focus to biomedical engineering and is applying her skills to understanding flow in the tiny blood vessels that lead to the human brain.
States and Territories Must Stop Passing the Buck on Surgical Training, Australia - Medical News Today 10/04/05
AMA (Australian Medical Association) President, Dr Bill Glasson, said today that State and Territory Government's needed to take the issue of surgical training more seriously, otherwise recent efforts to increase surgical training numbers would be wasted.
Study shows light therapy to effectively treat mood disorders, including SAD - Medical News Today 10/04/05
A study commissioned by the American Psychiatric Association and led by a psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine has found that light therapy effectively treats mood disorders, including seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and other depressive disorders.
Two Assay Kits for Early ADME Screening, Molecular Devices Corp - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Molecular Devices Corporation (Nasdaq: MDCC) today announced the introduction of two new reagent products for ADME assay screening-Transil(R) Membrane Affinity and Transil Human Serum Albumin (HSA) Binding assay kits.
Carnegie Mellon researchers open window into the ability of humans to recognize faces - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Recognizing faces is effortless for most people, and it's an ability that provides great evolutionary and social advantages. But this ability is impaired in people who have suffered brain damage or in those with a rare congenital condition, and research by Carnegie Mellon University psychologists reveals startling insights into how the brains of those individuals operate. Psychology Professor Marlene Behrmann and postdoctoral associate Galia Avidan have found that people with congenital prosopagnosia--in which their ability to recognize faces is impaired from birth--are not just deficient at recognizing individuals they know, but they are also poor at simply discriminating between two faces when presented side by side. The researchers also have discovered through functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scans that, contrary to their expectations, the regions of the brain that are activated when normal individuals perceive and recognize faces also are activated in individuals with congenital prosopagnosia (CP). Behrmann and Avidan will summarize the results of their findings in the April issue of the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
First Robotic Complex Liver Surgery - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Surgeons at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago have successfully performed the first robotic complex liver surgery in the United States.
New FDA Labeling for Pfizer's Celebrex and All Other NSAIDs to Reflect Similar Cardiovascular Profile - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Pfizer said today it will work with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to add expanded risk information in the Celebrex label following an FDA decision announced this morning to require boxed warnings of potential cardiovascular risk for all COX-2 pain relievers and all NSAIDs, including older non-specific drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen. The boxed warning for all non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including Celebrex, will also contain information regarding gastrointestinal risk that is already included elsewhere in their current labels.
Prescription Drug Patches Gaining Ground, Tackling New Therapies - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Created as an alternate route of drug administration to improve patient compliance and reduce drug side effects, prescription skin patches are rapidly becoming an important healthcare product category. While quietly gaining market share for the treatment of chronic conditions such as angina, hypertension and HRT, the technology is set to make further inroads as transdermal patches for a host of new conditions wind their way through the development and clinical trial process.
SV40 not implicated in mesothelioma - Medical News Today 10/04/05
New highly sensitive approach shows no evidence of SV40 in tumors - SV40 unlikely to be factor in asbestos related cancers - SV40 does not have a role in the majority of malignant mesotheliomas -- a cancer associated with exposure to asbestos - according to a study in this month's Cancer Research. The study, led by Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers used a scrupulous protocol that eliminated contamination that has likely been the reason previous studies have implicated SV40 in this cancer.
S. African HIV/AIDS Assistance Programs Might Cause Some People To Sacrifice Health for Benefits, Aid Workers Say - Medical News Today 10/04/05
South African aid workers are concerned that some HIV/AIDS assistance programs might have the "unexpected downside" of "perverse incentives," in which people might sacrifice their health in order to qualify for job programs, food and other benefits,... "The World" -- a production of BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston -- reported on Tuesday. People who are "desperately poor" might go to extremes to qualify for job or food aid programs and might make "bad or even unsafe decisions" regarding their health, according to "The World." Government-sponsored programs that help HIV-positive people are important, especially in a country where there are few state-sponsored benefits and no welfare system for unemployed people, "The World" reports. One example is the "highly sought after prize" of government disability grants for HIV-positive individuals in South Africa, according to "The World." In some cases, HIV-positive people who receive the disability grant increase their families' income by an average of 50%, according to research by Nicoli Nattrass, an economics professor and director of the AIDS and Society Research Unit at the University of Cape Town. However, antiretroviral drugs that improve the health of HIV/AIDS patients might make them ineligible for the grants. As a result, HIV-positive individuals face a difficult choice. Nattrass said some HIV-positive people ask, "Should I stay sick and keep the disability grant or should I get better and lose it?" Nattrass added, "This, I think, is a real problem because it's putting people in a bad situation." In addition, some aid workers report having heard about a "black market" of HIV-positive blood that people use in order to falsely produce positive HIV tests and qualify for the program, "The World" reports. Some HIV-negative individuals might even "sacrifice long-term health for short-term money" and attempt to contract HIV in order to qualify for benefits, according to "The World."
Marburg team assaulted in Angola, WHO halts campaign - Medical News Today 10/04/05
Members of the World Health Organization were assaulted in Uige, Angola by residents. The residents feared the team may be spreading the Marburg virus. Uige is at the epicentre of the outbreak.
$3 million donation accelerates TGen breast cancer research - Medical News Today 10/04/05
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) today announced that Paradise Valley businessman and entrepreneur, Mr. Ray Thurston, has pledged $3 million to support three breast cancer research projects.
Melissa Little, Australian kidney researcher, applauded - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Melissa Little, a scientist from the University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) was presented with the prestigious GlaxoSmithKline Australia Award for Research Excellence tonight for her contribution to the development of new treatments for renal disease.
Breast Cancer Prevention - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Tamoxifen is the only FDA-approved drug for many women at high risk of breast cancer. However, tamoxifen has unwanted side effects, so clinical researchers are seeking alternatives.
Discontinuation of Onercept in Moderate-To-Severe Psoriasis and Canvaxin™ in Stage IV Melanoma - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Serono (virt-x: SEO and NYSE: SRA) announced the discontinuation of two phase 3 clinical trial programs; onercept (recombinant tumor necrosis factor binding protein) in moderate-to-severe psoriasis and Canvaxin™ in Stage IV melanoma, licensed from CancerVax. The decision to discontinue these clinical trials is based on the recommendations of two separate independent Data and Safety Monitoring Boards (DSMBs).
Characterizing Skin Cancer by Microarrays - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Microarray technology can be used to identify each stage of skin cancer tumor (melanoma) progression, according to a newly published report.
Yale researchers use laser light to remote control flies - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Scientists at Yale have genetically designed triggers in the brains of fruit flies that allow the flies' behavior to be controlled with laser light, according to an article in the April 8 issue of the journal Cell.
About 70 Percent of Older Adults Use Alternative Medicine, USA - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Nearly three out of every four adults over age 50 use some kind of alternative medicine, such as acupuncture and herbal medicine, according to a new study.
Novel New Treatment for Common Cause of Disabling Leg Pain - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Saint Louis University researchers have begun testing an investigational treatment for severe intermittent claudication, a common condition that causes disabling pain in the legs during walking and exercise.
Molecular pathway suspected in precancerous stomach lesions, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified a chain of molecular signals that generate the specialized lining of the stomach during fetal development - a discovery that could lead to better diagnosis, treatment and prevention of stomach and esophageal cancer in adults.
Nutritional supplement reduces need for traditional ulcerative colitis treatment - Medical News Today 09/04/05
According to a study published in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, a nutritionally complete oral supplement enriched with fish oil, soluble fiber and antioxidants reduces reliance on traditional therapies for people with ulcerative colitis. Moreover, people who took the oral supplement were less likely to start corticosteroid drug therapy, which has many long-term side effects.
Researchers pioneer new gene therapy technique using natural repair process - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Harnessing the strength of a natural process that repairs damage to the human genome, a researcher from UT Southwestern Medical Center has helped establish a method of gene therapy that can accurately and permanently correct mutations in disease-causing genes.
Prevalence of Diabetes set to Increase from 177m worldwide to 370m by 2030 - Medical News Today 09/04/05
A diabetes epidemic is under way. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 30m people worldwide had some form of diabetes in 1985; by 2000, the number had increased to 177m. WHO projections suggest that the number of people suffering from the disease will increase to some 370m by 2030.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Rituxan® Significantly Improves Symptoms In Patients, Phase III Study - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Genentech, Inc (NYSE: DNA), Biogen Idec (Nasdaq: BIIB) and Roche (SWX Zurich) announced today that a Phase III clinical study of Rituxan® (Rituximab) met its primary endpoint of a greater proportion of Rituxan-treated patients achieving an American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20 response at week 24, compared to placebo. The study included patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have had an inadequate response or were intolerant to prior treatment with one or more anti-TNF therapies.
Schizophrenia Gene? - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Is there a gene for schizophrenia? UAB researchers are leading a national trial to see if the condition has a genetic link in blacks.
Scientists analyze chromosomes 2 and 4 - Medical News Today 09/04/05
NHGRI-supported researchers discover largest 'gene deserts'; find new clues to ancestral chromosome fusion event - detailed analysis of chromosomes 2 and 4 has detected the largest "gene deserts" known in the human genome and uncovered more evidence that human chromosome 2 arose from the fusion of two ancestral ape chromosomes, researchers supported by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reported today.
CHKS launches MRSA Diagnostic Audit - Medical News Today 09/04/05
CHKS programme identifies the incidence of infection, improves data quality, provides accurate and timely information for tackling MRSA and informs trusts where improvements should be targeted
Race influences how we cope with cancer - Medical News Today 09/04/05
White patients cope better with the pressure of cancer than their British Asian counterparts according to research published on-line today (Thursday) in the British Journal of Cancer*.
Wiping out polio in Africa - stake remain high, UNICEF - Medical News Today 09/04/05
With the polio virus' high-transmission season just months away, African countries are redoubling their efforts this week to reach 100 million children in the second of a series of three immunization drives scheduled for 2005. This second round, from 9-12 April, aims to contain the epidemic before the virus begins to spread most rapidly in the July to September high season.
Cholesterol-lowering Mechanism of Germinated Brown Rice Confirmed - FANCL, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology - Medical News Today 09/04/0
FANCL announced on April 6 that the company has confirmed a mechanism in which germinated brown rice lowers the level of blood cholesterol.
Hemodialysis causes antioxidant loss leading to long-term complications - Medical News Today 09/04/05
An article published in Hemodialysis International discusses the role of oxidative stress (OS) in dialysis patients, an imbalance which can result in long-term health problems. Potential therapeutic options to restore balance in patients are also reviewed.
Lancet Articles Examine Business Sector's Response to HIV/AIDS, Injection Drug Use - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Lancet: The April 2 issue of the journal includes several articles on HIV/AIDS, including "Comment" pieces on business sector responses to the pandemic and the role of ethnicity in sexually transmitted diseases. The issue also includes articles on syringe sharing among injection drug users and the link between crystal methamphetamine and HIV transmission (Lancet, 4/2).
Chronic secondary hypertension during pregnancy: impact on maternal renal function - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Researchers wanted to study whether inadequate maternal kidney function in pregnancy might contribute to the fetal programming of adult hypertension.
Helping explain basis of psychotic behaviour - OHSU scientist - Medical News Today 09/04/05
An Oregon Health & Science University researcher is among an international team closing in on why many people with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders are "supersensitive" to the powerful neurotransmitter dopamine.
FDA Approves Sealant to Prevent Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks after Brain Surgery - Medical News Today 09/04/05
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved a new product to protect against leakage of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) after brain surgery.
EPA Issues Guidelines for Cancer Risk Assessment and Supplemental Guidance on Risks From Early-Life Exposure - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Two documents released today provide principles and procedures to guide EPA scientists assessing cancer risk from exposures to environmental pollutants. The documents, "Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment (Cancer Guidelines)," and "Supplemental Guidance for Assessing Susceptibility from Early-Life Exposure to Carcinogens (Supplemental Guidance)" reflect EPA's evolving approach to cancer risk assessment. The guidelines are prospective only and will apply to the agency's current and future risk assessments of environmental pollutants.
Instant, computerized notification system to communicate patients' end-of-life wishes - OHSU - Medical News Today 09/04/05
As current events prompt a national (USA) discussion on dying patients' wishes, OHSU launches a system aimed at ensuring one's directives can be found when an emergency arises
Level I trauma centers boost head injury survival - Study - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Head injury patients transferred to level I trauma centers are more likely to survive than if they're transferred to level II facilities, an Oregon Health & Science University study has found.
Lung-transplant patients' long term survival improves with cyclosporine inhalation solution - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Data presented for the first time today at the 25th Annual Meeting and Scientific Session of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) show that cyclosporine inhalation solution (CyIS) significantly improves long-term survival in lung-transplant patients compared to placebo. The data, which include 10-month follow-up statistics on patients originally enrolled in the pivotal study of CyIS, show that, with a median total follow-up of 53.3 months, CyIS-treated patients demonstrated a continued survival advantage over placebo-treated patients. Treatment with CyIS was associated with a 69 percent decrease in risk of death compared to placebo.
Liver may be source of 'good' cholesterol - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Research in mice suggests that the liver may produce most of the body's "good" cholesterol, an unexpected finding that might one day help scientists develop new treatments to raise levels of this heart-protecting molecule in humans.
People Tend to Sleep More on holidays to Offset Workday Sleep Deficit - Yahoo! Japan and INTAGE Joint Research - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Tokyo (JCNN) - Japanese marketing research company INTAGE and Yahoo! Japan jointly announced the results of their latest joint survey on sleep and health on April 7. From March 24 to 28, the two companies conducted an Internet survey of 521 office workers in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
Marburg haemorrhagic fever, Angola - 205 cases, 180 deaths, 6 cases in Zaire Province - Medical News Today 09/04/05
As of 7 April, 205 cases of Marburg haemorrhagic fever have been reported in Angola. Of these, 180 have died. Zaire Province has reported its first 6 cases, bringing the number of affected provinces to seven, all concentrated in the north-western part of the country.
RCGP annual lecture discusses service and betrayal of Asian doctors in NHS, UK - Medical News Today 09/04/05
A lecture given at the Royal College of General Practitioners' (RCGP) Spring Meeting in Blackpool this weekend will look at the role of Asian doctors in the NHS - past, present and future.
Review of HIVNET 012 study - Institute of Medicine news - Medical News Today 09/04/05
A Ugandan drug trial's findings that the AIDS medication nevirapine is effective and safe in preventing HIV transmission from mother to unborn child during birth were well-supported, according to a new, independent analysis by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. The IOM's analysis of the design and methodology of the 1997 drug study in Uganda, called HIVNET 012, determined that policy-makers and other scientists can rely on the resulting data and conclusions, despite some flaws in record keeping and procedural issues.
With a WNK and a smile, blood pressure is under control - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Familial hyperkalemic hypertension (FHHt) is a disease caused by mutations in 2 genes called WNK1 and WNK4. Patients have elevated blood pressure and high levels of potassium in their blood.
Vaccines get a boost from IL-7 - enhances immune cell responses - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Hope for controlling chronic diseases like cancer and HIV relies on development of useful vaccines that boost immune responses.
Structure of Gastrointestinal Prokinetic Compound in Beer Identified - Suntory, University of Shizuoka, and Others - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Tokyo (JCNN) - Suntory announced on April 6 that the company has identified the structure of two gastrointestinal prokinetic compounds in beer, which were first isolated in 2004.
Tired Eyes - USC Health Sciences - Medical News Today 09/04/05
While technological advancements during the last several years have resulted in more conveniences and efficiencies at home and work, the reliance upon computers and TV screens may be taking a toll on our eyes.
World's First Retinol-contaning Nanocapsule - Rohto Pharmaceutical, LTT Bio-Pharma - Medical News Today 09/04/05
Tokyo (JCNN) - Rohto Pharmaceutical (TSE: 4527) announced on April 6 that, in collaboration with LTT Bio-Pharma, a Tokyo-based bio venture, the company has successfully developed the world's first nanocapsule that has contained retinol.
'Apocalypse' of AIDS Orphans Next Big Challenge for African HIV/AIDS Fight, U.N. Envoy Stephen Lewis Says - Medical News Today 08/04/05
Sub-Saharan Africa's "apocalypse of orphans" -- more than 20 million AIDS orphans are predicted to live in the region by 2010 -- is expected to be the region's next challenge in the fight against HIV/AIDS, U.N. Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis said in an interview on Monday, the Kitchener-Waterloo Record reports. Although an estimated one million people in the region now have access to low-cost antiretroviral drugs, the world is "just now beginning to respond" to the growing number of children in sub-Saharan Africa who have lost one or both parents to AIDS-related causes, Lewis said. "These kids are not just hungry and aren't in school because they can't afford school fees. They're not just isolated and living in desperate circumstances. They're traumatized. They've watched their parents die," Lewis added. UNICEF Canada CEO David Agnew agreed that more attention needs to be paid to African AIDS orphans. He noted that 95% of such orphans receive no financial support beyond their own extended families (Kelly, Kitchener-Waterloo Record, 4/5).
Asthmatics naturally deficient in antiviral immunity, report scientists - Medical News Today 08/04/05
Asthmatics produce lower levels of a type of immune cell protein needed to fight off infection from colds and other viruses, scientists have discovered.
Health Resources Must Go To Patients, Not Administration, Australian Medical Association - Medical News Today 08/04/05
AMA (Australian Medical Association) President, Dr Bill Glasson, said today that reports of Government changes to the health system seemed to have the priorities all wrong.
Exposed: Tobacco Companies Efforts to Influence Industry Privatisation, The Lancet - Medical News Today 08/04/05
A paper in this week's issue of The Lancet highlights how two tobacco companies attempted to influence plans to privatise the state-owned tobacco industry in Moldova.
Belgium doctors treating critically ill infants favour legalising euthanasia - Medical News Today 08/04/05
Most paediatricians in Flanders, Belgium, favour the legalisation of lethal drugs to end the life of some critically ill babies and infants, concludes a study in this week's issue of The Lancet.
NIH Director Zerhouni Says He Will Seek Changes in New Conflict-of-Interest Rules, USA - Medical News Today 08/04/05
NIH Director Elias Zerhouni on Wednesday at a... Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee hearing said that he will seek to alter the agency's new conflict-of-interest rules because it is "very clear" that a provision requiring employees to divest health-related stock would have a "deleterious impact" on NIH, the Baltimore Sun reports (Baer, Baltimore Sun, 4/7). Under the rules, NIH employees will be barred from entering outside consulting agreements with pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, health insurers and health care providers. The guidelines also will mandate that about 6,000 top NIH employees cannot hold stock in pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies and require current stockholders in the group to sell their shares. NIH Deputy Director Raynard Kington recently said that the agency's 1,300 temporary research fellows can continue to hold biomedical stocks. He said the fellows still will be required to disclose their financial information to NIH on an annual basis. Kington added that the fellows, who can work at NIH for as long as four years, will be examined on "case-by-case analyses" to prevent conflicts of interest. In addition, permanent staff will be given an additional six months -- until Oct. 3 -- to divest their biomedical holdings, Kington wrote in a memo. Other agency employees must divest by the same date any holdings of health-related stocks that exceed $15,000 in value for a particular company. NIH officials said they do not plan to change the policy's provision on accepting consulting fees from companies. The new policy, announced Feb. 1 by Zerhouni, is scheduled to become final this month (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 4/4).
Children Risk HIV Infection Through Contaminated Instruments, Breastmilk at Hospitals in South African Province, Study Says - Medical News Today 08/04
Blood-stained medical instruments and "mix-ups" with breastmilk in some public hospitals in South Africa's Free State province are increasing the risk that children might contract HIV in the health care setting, according to a study presented at a press conference on Tuesday,... Reuters reports (Apps, Reuters, 4/5). Researchers from Stellenbosch University, the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa, the Medical Research Council and the Centre for AIDS, Development Research and Evaluation studied 4,000 women and their children at 25 Free State public hospitals, three community health centers and 54 primary health care clinics from April 2004 to July 2004. According to the study, 17.5% of the instruments used for maternity and pediatric patients had visible blood on them and 24% of the instruments were contaminated with blood not visible to the human eye, the SAPA/Cape Times reports. In addition, 24.6% of dental instruments were contaminated with blood. The study also reported that 92% of HIV-positive women at the clinics breastfed their children -- 60% of them for more than a year. HIV can be transmitted through breastmilk. Bottles of breastmilk in the hospitals also were labeled by cot numbers, not the name of the infant, which allowed milk to be fed to the wrong infant if the cot was moved, according to the study. "Results show there is very poor cleaning of the environment in the labor and maternity areas and in dental facilities -- and the same is true for the baby and neonatal areas," the study says. The Free State Department of Health and the Nelson Mandela Foundation provided funding for the study, according to the SAPA/Times. Reaction, Recommendations
NIH Officials Criticize Federal Stem Cell Policy at Senate Committee Hearing, USA - Medical News Today 08/04/05
NIH officials on Wednesday in written and oral testimony before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies "broke with a tradition of deference to top administration officials" and criticized the Bush administration's restrictions on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research, the... Washington Post reports (Weiss, Washington Post, 4/7). President Bush on Aug. 9, 2001, announced that federally funded human embryonic stem cell research would be limited to stem cell lines created on or before that date (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 3/25). "From a purely scientific standpoint, more stem cell lines may well be helpful," NIH Director Elias Zerhouni said at the hearing (CQ HealthBeat, 4/6). However, Zerhouni said he was not advocating for a policy change regarding embryonic stem cell research and acknowledged that the research raises "moral concerns" for some people, the New York Times reports (Gay Stolberg, New York Times, 4/7). Several other NIH officials were "more direct" in their opposition to Bush's policy, the Baltimore Sun reports (Baer, Baltimore Sun, 4/7). "Progress has been delayed by the limited number of cell lines," Elizabeth Nabel, director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, wrote in her testimony, adding, "The NIH has ceded leadership in this field." James Battey, director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and former head of NIH's task force on stem cells, said several embryonic stem cell lines recently developed in Chicago show biomedical potential. "The state of the science is moving very, very rapidly," Battey said, adding, "These cell lines, however, were all created after Aug. 9, 2001, and are therefore ineligible for federal funding" (Washington Post, 4/7).
Over 500,000 Women Die Annually From Preventable Pregnancy-Related Causes, WHO - Medical News Today 08/04/05
Approximately 530,000 women worldwide die annually from preventable pregnancy- and childbirth-related causes, according to a... World Health Organization report released on Thursday for World Health Day, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. The report, titled "World Health Report 2005: Make Every Mother and Child Count," condemns the maternal deaths and criticizes the fact that seven million infants die annually worldwide within four weeks after birth, mainly from preventable causes. According to the report, a lack of medical care in developing countries contributes to the deaths of women of childbearing age and children. Fewer than two-thirds of women in developing countries -- and less than one-third of women in the world's poorest countries -- give birth with the aid of qualified assistance, the report says (AFP/Yahoo! News, 4/6). Worldwide, one woman every minute dies in pregnancy or childbirth, and 20 children under age five die each minute, for a total of 11 million deaths annually, according to the report. The primary causes of death for children under age five include pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, measles, HIV/AIDS and neonatal ailments, according to the report (BBC News, 4/7). As part of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, countries have pledged to reduce maternal mortality by 75% and child mortality by 67% by 2015, Xinhuanet reports. However, the WHO report shows that current trends mean some areas will not achieve the goals for 150 years, senior WHO official Denis Aitken said, adding, "We must not let that happen" (Xinhuanet, 4/7).
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Common Among Refugees in Western Countries, The Lancet - Medical News Today 08/04/05
Refugees settled in western countries could be about ten times more likely to have posttraumatic stress disorder than general populations in those countries, suggests a study published in this week's issue of The Lancet.
People with Peanut Allergy at Risk of Allergic Reaction to Lupin Flour - Medical News Today 08/04/05
A report in this week's issue of The Lancet concludes that adults and children with an allergy to peanuts could also be allergic to lupin flour - a substance that is used in some European countries as a potential replacement for soya flour. Food manufacturers in these countries are using it in certain specialty breads, bakery goods and catering foods, and a small number of these are finding their way into the UK. The authors suggest that people with a peanut allergy should avoid all products containing lupin flour until they can be specifically tested to see if they are susceptible.
Risk factors for a common knee injury among athletes - Medical News Today 08/04/05
The US Army, Navy and Air Force academies - fierce rivals on the sports field - soon will cooperate on a $2.8-million study of risk factors for a common knee injury among athletes.
The Right to Live Gives Us a Right to Die, BMJ - Medical News Today 08/04/05
Human beings' inalienable right to life means we also have the right to die, says an editorial in this week's BMJ.
UK Approval Procedures Will Drive Research Overseas - Medical News Today 08/04/05
Approval procedures for UK research will "accelerate the migration of clinical studies to other parts of the world," warn researchers in a letter to this week's BMJ.
Unchaperoned Examinations Risk Misconduct Allegations - Medical News Today 08/04/05
Doctors who continue performing intimate examinations unchaperoned risk allegations of misconduct, warn researchers in a letter to this week's BMJ.
Expanded Initiative to Prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV Expects to Reach 200,000 Women in 7 Nations - Medical News Today 08/04/05
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation today announced a $1,250,000 partnership with Johnson & Johnson to initiate and expand programs to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV in seven developing countries. In recognition of World Health Day and its theme, “Make every mother and child count,” the partnership will support training of health care workers, the delivery of HIV counseling, testing and critical drug interventions at 200 health care delivery sites in China, India, Russia, Malawi, the Republic of Georgia, Zimbabwe and Dominican Republic. Through these efforts, the Glaser Foundation expects to reach 200,000 women a year with PMTCT services that significantly reduce a mother's chance of passing HIV to her newborn baby.
Education fears after medical schools take on too many students, UK - Medical News Today 08/04/05
Medical schools have taken on about 730 more students than planned - raising fears that jobs and clinical placements will be in short supply.
Doctors welcome fall in long-term exclusions from work, UK - Medical News Today 08/04/05
A leading consultant has welcomed an almost 50 per cent drop in long-term exclusions from work. The number includes doctors who are formally suspended or on 'gardening leave', and their absence takes a huge toll on their working lives and the NHS.
Effectiveness of anti-anemia drug in treatment of cancer patients, Study - Medical News Today 08/04/05
Erythropoietin treatment for anemia may reduce the risk for blood transfusions and improve hematologic response in cancer patients, but evidence that the treatment affects survival is inconclusive, according to a new study in the April 6 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Human genes corrected, Nature Biotechnology - Medical News Today 08/04/05
With a discovery published online this week in Nature that could herald an alternative to gene therapy, Michael Holmes and his colleagues demonstrate a new way to correct disease-causing mutations in human DNA.
Newer Imaging Techniques May Lead to Over-Treatment - Medical News Today 08/04/05
Newer imaging technologies allow physicians to visualize more of the arteries in the lungs, including detecting small blood clots not previously seen, but seeing more may have little impact on the patient's outcome, a new study suggests.
RCGP's 10th National Conference: Management of Drug Users in Primary Care, UK - Medical News Today 08/04/05
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is holding its 10th National Conference on Management of Drug Users in Primary care entitled 10 Years On: Looking Back; Moving Forward.
Vitamin D enriched bread improves bone density three times better than drugs - Medical News Today 08/04/05
Elderly patients who ate vitamin D-fortified bread for a period of one year exhibit better bone mineral density maintenance than that produced by taking bone-building drugs such as bisphosphonates.
Lung cancer vaccine trial continues at UK's Markey Cancer Center - Medical News Today 07/04/05
Two University of Kentucky researchers continue their work with a vaccine to prevent lung cancer recurrences in patients following primary treatment of the disease.
World Health Day April 7 to Focus on Mothers, Children - Medical News Today 07/04/05
Observance of World Health Day and launch of World Health Report 2005, at the Pan American Health Organization, with Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Andrew S. Natsios, and PAHO Director Dr. Mirta Roses.
U.K. Development Aid Funding for Global HIV/AIDS Often Fails To Reach Target Populations, Committee Report Says - Medcal News Today 09/05/04
HIV/AIDS funding disbursed through the U.K.... Department for International Development often does not reach the populations that need it the most, and the department's strategy to fight HIV/AIDS on a global scale "lack[s] clarity," according to a report released on Wednesday by the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts, BBC News reports. The report, titled "Department for International Development: responding to HIV/AIDS," says that DFID spent more than $500 million on HIV/AIDS in 2002-2003 and has promised approximately $2.8 billion over the next three years, making the United Kingdom the second largest donor country of HIV/AIDS funding worldwide. However, much of the money given to global organizations is not being spent on fighting the disease, according to the report. In 2002-2003, only 4% of the department's budget allocated to multilateral bodies went to fight HIV/AIDS, the report says (BBC News, 4/5). The report says that DFID's overall response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic has been "slow" and concluded that the department's strategy for fighting the disease is "unclear" in many areas, including the balance between development and humanitarian aspects of the pandemic, London's Daily Mail reports.
Cheshire and Mersey News
A network of support - Bootle Times 07/04/05
A SINGLE mum from Bootle, whose home was devastated by fire, is the first person to benefit from a new support scheme.
Day care centre for disabled faces axe - Bootle Times 07/04/05
A DAY care centre in Waterloo for people with physical disabilities faces closure.
A one-off tragedy - or the thin end of a deadly wedge? - Chester Chronicle 08/04/05
THE grim discovery of two bodies slumped in a city centre toilet cubicle has sparked fears of a rogue batch of heroin in Chester.
Drunk mum left child alone in supermarket - Chester Chronicle 08/04/05
A MOTHER became so intoxicated that she walked out of a shop without her five-year-old son.
Turkey Twizzlers are off the menu - Chester Chronicle 08/04/05
THOUSANDS of Turkey Twizzlers will be binned this week, after Cheshire school cooks were ordered to ban them.
Call to dish dirt on dog owners - Halton Weekly News 07/04/05
ANGRY residents are urging people to keep their dogs on a tight leash when it comes to the spread of unsightly dog muck across the borough.
Fear school food pledge is poll hype - Halton Weekly News 07/04/05
CELEBRITY chef Jamie Oliver has whipped up a frenzy of activity that looks set to revolutionise school meals as part of his televised Feed Me Better campaign.
Smoke free vow - Crosby Herald 07/04/05
SOUTH Sefton Primary Care Trust has pledged to become totally smokefree.
Disciplinary action threat for smokers - Crosby Herald 07/04/05
COUNCIL workers face disciplinary action if caught smoking during their working day.
'Abolish barren meals' - Ormskirk Advertiser 31/03/05
SCHOOL dinners in West Lancashire have been likened to the nutritionally barren meals TV chef Jamie Oliver is trying to abolish.
Care home worker caught in sting - Southport Visiter 01/04/05
A REST home worker narrowly avoided jail yesterday after she stole cash from a 94-year-old resident.
Greater Manchester News
The eyes have it - Bury Times 09/04/05
EDDIE Davies went into hospital for an operation to correct his failing eyesight . . . and ended up working as a nurse helping similar patients.
Breastfeeding mum's world record bid - Bolton Evening News 09/04/05
NEW mothers in Bolton are being asked to try to help break a world record.
Body of serial killer Harold Shipman is cremated - Bolton Evening News 09/04/05
SERIAL killer Harold Shipman's body has been cremated, the mortuary which has been holding it has confirmed.
Two men in fight for life - Bolton Evening News 09/04/05
TWO men have been left fighting for their lives after being found suffering from head injuries in separate incidents.
Staff nurse runs holiday race to help raise 2,000 - Bury Times 08/04/05
KIND-hearted staff at Fairfield Hospital have helped to raise nearly £2,000 for the hospital's Medical Investigations Unit.
Doctor's 'ban' is extended 18 months - Bury Times 08/04/05
A FAMILY doctor at a Prestwich health centre has been suspended for a further 18 months amid allegations that he obtained £400 by deception by charging for medical examinations of patients in his care.
Bolton will spend more on IVF - Bolton Evening News 08/04/05
BOLTON may be forced to spend more on fertility treatment when a new health report is implemented.
The price of love, sex and promiscuity - Bolton Evening News 08/04/05
AS cases of sexually transmitted diseases soar across the UK - including a 1,000 per cent rise in chlamydia in Bolton - Karen Stephen looks at the attitude to safe sex in the town and focuses on The Parallel, an holistic health centre for young people aged 11 to 19.
Cure for cancers 'in five years' - Bolton Evening News 08/04/05
Scientists in Manchester say a cure for all types of cancer could be available on the NHS within five years.
Flesh-eating threat of hospital superbug - Manchester Evening News 08/04/05
A STUDY found an "alarming" number of cases of MRSA causing a condition that destroys skin and muscle and can lead to lost limbs or death.
Cannabis gran's election challenge - Manchester Evening News 10/04/05
A GRANDMOTHER who was spared jail after cooking up treats laced with cannabis for friends and neighbours plans to stand against House of Commons leader Peter Hain in the election, it has emerged.
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