National and International News
Chocs away as young New Puritans shun vice and frown on fun - The Observer 17/07/05
Rachel Evans thinks smoking should be outlawed in bars, chocolate vending-machines banned in schools and four-wheel drive vehicles barred from cities. If this 25-year-old had her way, police officers would be given the power to tick off pregnant women puffing on cigarettes.
'Lorenzo's oil, which my father and stepmother invented, was vindicated' - The Observer 17/07/05
The carabinieri came in a small car, the lady mayor in an orange silk suit and the TV people in convoy. By 10am, our garden was filled with journalists, cameras and uniformed men, all expecting my brother and me to hold an impromptu press conference.
In brief - The Observer 17/07/05
Parents who do not allow their children to have the MMR vaccine believe that measles, mumps and rubella are less serious diseases than parents whose children have been vaccinated, a report reveals today. And parents of children who go unvaccinated are more likely to believe there is a link between the vaccine and autism and bowel disorders.
Beware victim mentality, say psychiatrists - The Observer 17/07/05
The key to coping with the London bombings is not therapy, mental health experts insist, but talking to friends. Jo Revill reports
Hospitals 'failing' mothers who want to breastfeed - The Observer 17/07/05
Huge differences in the amount of support new mothers receive when they start breastfeeding are to be revealed in a study this week. It shows the north of England as far more 'baby-friendly' than the south, writes Jo Revill.
Farewell Debs, your legacy will live on - The Observer 17/07/05
The Lord Chancellor pays a heartfelt tribute to his friend Deborah Hutton, who died on Friday after writing an inspirational book about her cancer
New report slams NHS managers for 'hazardous' maternity care - The Observer 17/07/05
Health chief's damning assessment of maternity units backs Observer findings on cleanliness, safety and care
Babies and mothers 'at risk' in UK hospitals - The Independent 17/07/05
Official alert on deadly baby units - The Sunday Times 17/07/05
Safety failings in maternity care uncovered by health inspectors - The Telegraph 17/07/05
The health gap - and how to bridge it - The Observer 17/07/05
Two months ago, The Observer launched a campaign aimed at highlighting the problems surrounding childbirth in Britain, and investigating what could be done to improve it. We were becoming increasingly aware of the gap between what women expected from their birth, and the kind of care they were actually receiving.
Young, fit and unhealthy: 'weekend hedonists' bingeing to an early grave - The Independent 17/07/05
They are toned, tanned and - to the naked eye at least - addicted to the sort of health-conscious life style promoted by Madonna or Sting.
Hospital investors 'will make healthy returns' - The Sunday Times 17/07/05
INVESTORS who are poised to pump more than €1.5 billion into building new private hospitals will reap double-digit growth within five years, according to financial experts.
Cauliflower ear cured with splints - The Sunday Times 17/07/05
FOR rugby players and boxers they are either a badge of honour or an ugly reminder of the most bruising encounters of their sporting careers.
Nursing homes fail to learn lessons of Rosepark blaze - The Sunday Times 17/07/05
JOHN LAPPIN vividly remembers the overheard conversation at the newsagents on the worst day of his life. “It’s terrible, there are so many dead,” the woman behind the counter was saying to a customer.
MRSA floored by new secret weapon — lino - The Sunday Times 17/07/05
THE TOWN of Kirkcaldy was once synonymous worldwide with the production of linoleum, but the advent of laminate flooring and the fashion for polished boards led the industry into almost terminal decline.
Five-year surgery wait for patients - The Sunday Times 17/07/05
THOUSANDS of patients are being forced to wait up to five years to be treated in Scottish hospitals.
Abortion lobby in campaign to expose pro-life doctors - The Sunday Times 17/07/05
ABORTION groups are launching a campaign to name doctors who refuse to help women seeking terminations. Marie Stopes International, Britain’s largest chain of abortion clinics outside the National Health Service, wants lists displayed in GP surgeries stating whether individual doctors are prepared to refer women for the procedure, writes Sarah-Kate Templeton.
It's hard to swallow but vitamins can be dangerous - The Sunday Times 17/07/05
Dietary supplements are seen by millions who take them as a sort of health insurance but as the EU cracks down on their use some experts are warning the curbs are not enough, writes Lesley Thomas
Safety fears over 'nano' anti-ageing cosmetics - The Sunday Times 17/07/05
THE cosmetics giant L’Oréal is marketing a range of skin treatments containing tiny “nano” particles, despite concerns about their possible long-term effects on the human body.
Doctors' surgeries to offer jobs help - The Sunday Times 17/07/05
DOCTORS are to allow government job advisers into their surgeries for the first time in an attempt to push the long-term sick back to work, writes Jonathon Carr-Brown.
Alcohol fuels rise in violent crime - The Sunday Times 17/07/05
HOME OFFICE figures to be published this week will show that violent crime has continued to rise despite a pledge by Charles Clarke, the home secretary, to make it his “number one priority” to curb it.
Nurses fight weight test for children - The Sunday Times 17/07/05
NURSES are opposing government plans to measure and weigh primary school children annually. They say the tests would be “an invasion of pupils’ privacy”.
Fiona: The NHS Delivers the Best Care - The Mirror 16/07/05
OVER the past two weeks I've seen the NHS at its best, courtesy of the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford.
Hospital sent letters to wrong woman for four years - The Telegraph 17/07/05
Diane Garfield was bemused to receive a letter from her local hospital in 2001 inviting her for an out-patient appointment with a cardiologist. She had attend-ed the hospital the previous year with an ear infection, but had not thought that anything was wrong with her heart.
Parents still worried about autism - Daily Mail 17/07/05
Parents who do not allow their children to have the MMR vaccine believe that measles, mumps and rubella are less serious diseases than parents whose children have been vaccinated.
Launch pad: The leisure sector trainer - The Guardian 16/07/05
The training of sales staff in the leisure sector has until now largely been limited to the private sector - one of my company's aims is to bring the publicly owned leisure centres up to the same level in a bid to get more people taking exercise.
Public-sector jobs axed as Brown keeps budget pledge - The Guardian 16/07/05
The growth in the number of government employees slowed sharply over the past year as civil service and public corporation jobs were axed, official data showed yesterday.
Child abuse expert struck off - The Guardian 16/07/05
The reputation of child abuse expert Sir Roy Meadow was in tatters last night after he was struck off the medical register for evidence he gave during the Sally Clark child murders trial.
Meadow is struck off by the GMC for giving misleading evidence - The Independent 16/07/05
Meadow struck off for misleading the Sally Clark trial - The Times 16/07/05
GMC strikes off Meadow for 'abusing position' in cot death trial - The Telegraph 16/07/05
Sir Roy Meadow struck off by GMC - BBC Health News 15/07/05
Baby deaths doctor struck off - Daily Mail 15/07/05
Meadow struck off over baby deaths evidence - Daily Mail 15/07/05
Call for review of witnesses' role - Daily Mail 15/07/05
Meadow ruling 'risk to witnesses' - BBC Health News 16/07/05
Doctors will fear testifying - The Times 16/07/05
Meadow ruling 'risk to witnesses'
An ill-judged case - The Observer 17/07/05
Study suggests link between eating red meat and Crohn's disease - The Guardian 16/07/05
Scientists have been asked to investigate a possible link between eating meat and Crohn's disease, a debilitating illness affecting 100,000 Britons.
Andy Darling: Fit for nothing - The Guardian 16/07/05
Most home fitness gear ends up gathering dust in a corner of the living room, unused and unloved. But it doesn't have to be that way, says Andy Darling
Natural health therapist Emma Mitchell answers your questions - The Guardian 16/07/05
My son has got into the habit of waking at 4am. Why does he wake at exactly the same time?
Nikki Duffy: Wonder stuff - The Guardian 16/07/05
Some of the ingredients used by our chefs aren't exactly store cupboard staples. But don't fret if you 're wondering how to get hold of Philip Howard's girolles or what else you can do with Paul Kitching's bee pollen - Nikki Duffy will point you in the right direction
Jobs Editorial News - The Guardian 16/07/05
Physio crisis: Hundreds of newly qualified physiotherapy graduates are facing the misery of unemployment, according to a survey published by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. The survey of 2,100 students graduating from NHS funded physiotherapy courses this year reveals that three quarters have no job to go to this summer, despite over 90% having made attempts to find an NHS post.
'Obeez City' is set to exercise gaming generation - The Independent 16/07/05
She's pumped, she's primed and she's ready to help burn off some calories. Sadly, she's not real.
When it comes to sex, men are eternal optimists and romantic at heart - The Independent 16/07/05
Men say they are as romantic as women but expect to sleep with more partners, according to the biggest online survey of sexual attitudes and gender differences. The results of a survey of 250,000 men and women who completed a detailed psychological questionnaire reveal that many male and female stereotypes are deep-seated and biological.
A difficult pill to swallow - The Times 16/07/05
Many of us are confused about the new European rules on vitamins andminerals - we need supplementary information
Men on the brain - The Times 16/07/05
Breakthroughs, tips and trends WHY does God seem always to talk in booming masculine tones? Sheffield University brain scientists may have the answer: the voices we hear in our heads tend to be male, because they are easier for us to imagine.
The next generation - The Times 16/07/05
The young guns: the next crop of scientific stars It is often said that scientists' best work is done in their youth. Einstein produced eight of his most important papers in 1905 when he was a stripling of 26. If you can spot ground-breaking, original work undertaken by young scientists today, there's a good chance that you will identify, encourage and inspire the science leaders of the future.
Junk medicine: the pharmaceutical company's view - The Times 16/07/05
Why have we grown horns? Not long ago I went to London looking forward to a constructive debate on health at an event organised by the Institute of Ideas and co-sponsored by my employer, Pfizer. I made the return journey feeling bruised and rubbing my temple to check for protruding red horns.
Dr Copperfield: inside the mind of a GP - The Times 16/07/05
It's no more Pills-R-Us Sticky eyes? Burning when you pass water? So that's gentle cleansing with moist cotton wool and gallons of cranberry juice, respectively. Followed, if unsuccessful, by an interminable delay on the telephone, a battle for an appointment and an unhappy, uncomfortable half-hour sitting gungy-eyed or cross-legged in the waiting room. Because the definitive treatment for conjunctivitis or cystitis means antibiotics. And antibiotics mean your GP.
My pregnancy: Gabby Logan: goodbye and wish me luck - The Times 16/07/05
Twins have last word The nursery is finished, the house is as clean and tidy, the pram has arrived, the hospital bag has been packed for a few weeks and I have had my last facial, and haircut and colour. If I was perfect I would have my hair cut and coloured the day before the twins arrive. My hairdresser told me about one lady having contractions while her colour was taking and she calmly carried on reading OK! magazine.
Hi, I'm in charge now - The Times 16/07/05
A noisy, selfish, demanding stranger enters your life - and you think it will bring you closer as a couple? Think again
Risk: take it in hand - The Times 16/07/05
We all feel more vulnerable now, but how real are the dangers to our safety, asks Simon Crompton
Agony aunt: Irma Kurtz - The Times 16/07/05
I am 35 and have a beautiful son who will be three years old next December. Last November I lost my husband of ten years in a road accident. He was caring, loving and sincere. I miss him terribly but I know that I have to get on with things as best I can, especially for my son. I hate being on my own. I have family and many friends, but they can't be there for me all the time. I don't want a full-blown relationship, just a companion: someone with whom I can go shopping, someone to laugh with, cry with, and someone to cuddle up to. I have met a couple of guys but they seem to be interested in only one thing: sex. Not that I don't like sex, but I am beginning to think that most men are selfish. I had one of the best in my late husband. I loved him so much.
Get over it: party pooper - The Times 16/07/05
I can never enjoy my own parties. I become angsty and nervous, putting all my guests on edge. What can I do?
Spas: Peak practice - The Times 16/07/05
Stunning scenery, healthy walks and a life coach to listen to your problems - is there a nicer way to give your head a break?
Bodylicious: exfoliators - The Times 16/07/05
Victoria Riedl, the beauty editor of In-Style magazine, picks the best exfoliators that are gentle on your skin
Lunchtime fix: Eve Lom facial - The Times 16/07/05
Most of us these days are exposed to a cocktail of environmental nasties, such as exhaust fumes or air conditioning, that congest our skin and leave our pores blocked.
Sex matters with Dr Thomas Stuttaford and Suzi Godson - The Times 16/07/05
I was married for ten years to a man who had little interest in sex. We're divorced but my self-esteem is still low. Is he abnormal or is there something wrong with me?
The new spin doctor - The Times 16/07/05
She stripped to her pants to make a point about negative body image but Radio 1 agony aunt Letitia Scobie-Dalrymple insists she's just like everyone else - only prettier
He poo-poos toilet training - The Times 16/07/05
My three-year-old son has been toilet trained for six months and is happy to sit on the lavatory to pee, but he insists on wearing a nappy when he needs to poo. On many occasions I have refused to put him in a nappy, sitting him on the toilet instead, but he becomes upset and ends up holding it in until bedtime when he wears a nappy. Can you advise me?
Over the counter: Hydrocortisone 1% cream - The Times 16/07/05
Brands HC45, Lanacort.
It works for me: craniosacral therapy - The Times 16/07/05
Emma Mahony meets a mother who believes she found a swift cure for her son's frequent colic pains
Eco-worrier: flushing out water wasters - The Times 16/07/05
I've spotted the man next door using his hose on the garden in spite of a ban in our area. I don't want to be a nosy neighbour, but should I report him?
Home remedies: nettle stings for rheumatic pain - The Times 16/07/05
Can you relieve rheumatic/arthritic pain by stinging with nettles the parts of your body that are affected? Some of our readers believe that you can. Douglas Rolph, who has been pulling nettles with his bare hands for more than 40 years while gardening, says that after the first few times you become immune to the painful sting. He says that he feels only a slight tingling and that his arthritic knuckles are normal size and don't ache. Mrs M.Wilson agrees. She recommends picking a small bunch of nettles in spring before they flower and gently applying to a painful joint with a light whipping movement until you are tingling. She says that it will itch for the next three days but the pain will decrease.
Scoop! Healthy ice-cream - The Times 16/07/05
Can you keep on licking without feeling guilty? Yes says Nick Wyke, but choose the good stuff with lots of fruit and top quality ingredients
How to cheat at eating: tuna salad - The Times 16/07/05
Woulda ... MARKS & SPENCER TUNA NIÇOISE SALAD Fat 48g per pack Salt 3.6g Price £3.29 per 510g pack Verdict This looks and tastes delicious, and there's not an E number in sight. New potatoes make up a fifth of the ingredients and there's a generous serving of tuna and olives. It's the tastiest of the three varieties, but it's packed with calories and fat, and provides almost two-thirds of the maximum daily recommended salt intake. Either indulge occasionally or do as it says on the pack and make it last for two meals. 610 calories per pack
At your table: water - The Times 16/07/05
The Times nutritionist taps into a liquid asset
Crouching grannies, hidden tigers - The Times 16/07/05
Falls are the biggest cause of accidental deaths in older people in Britain, but gentle t'ai chi movements can save lives
Take me to your lido - The Times 16/07/05
Open-air public pools have been getting a face-lift. Fran Yeoman dips into what's on offer
Not just anybody: Michael Vaughan, 30 - The Times 16/07/05
Batman for ever. England cricket captain Michael Vaughan says being a dad is his biggest test
Sorted: cycling gear - The Times 16/07/05
Nifty two-wheel drive. What's the fastest way to navigate a city? Phillip Ingham, of the British Olympic cycling team, saddles up
Crossing the fitness line - The Times 16/07/05
The London Olympics will boost school sport, but how do we avoid game-over when kids leave?
Free meals for poor pupils over summer - The Times 16/07/05
EAST Renfrewshire Council is to provide free school meals during the summer holidays for about 120 eligible children.
NHS computers buckle under wave of e-mails - The Times 16/07/05
NHS computer systems across a whole county became choked up after an office worker mistakenly e-mailed her request for a new chair to 5,000 colleagues.
Email jams hospital computer system - Daily Mail 15/07/05
NHS Jam Over Chair - The Mirror 16/07/05
New scare as chicken disease prompts EU ban on exports - The Times 16/07/05
AN OUTBREAK of a bird disease that can wipe out entire flocks was confirmed by the Government last night, fuelling a new scare in the countryside.
Poultry trade hit by disease - The Telegraph 16/07/05
Money can't buy you love, but it can mean that you have a more active sex life - The Times 16/07/05
Higher incomes are linked in a new survey with raised libido for men and women
0870 helplines number makes millions for state agencies - The Telegraph 16/07/05
Government agencies are making millions of pounds every year by encouraging the public to call expensive 0870 helplines, a Daily Telegraph investigation has found.
Liver disease caused by alcohol has doubled - The Telegraph 16/07/05
Excessive drinking has caused cases of alcoholic liver disease to nearly double in less than 10 years, at a cost to the health service in England of more than £71 million in a year, Government figures show.
Axe for 512m 'streetwise' careers unit - The Telegraph 16/07/05
The 512 million-a-year advice service for teenagers is to be disbanded because of its failure to provide them with good careers education, the Government will announce on Monday.
Consultants urged to back beds plan - Daily Mail 15/07/05
Ireland's Tanaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney has said she was confident hospital consultants would back plans to provide 1,000 more beds by building private hospitals in the grounds of public health facilities.
'We need a Jamie Oliver of the gym' - Daily Mail 15/07/05
It's time to put PE on the school menu with a Jamie Oliver of the Gym in charge, it has been claimed.
Computer games 'improve your child's health' - Daily Mail 15/07/05
For years, children have been warned that playing video games is bad for their health.
Sweetener's 'link to cancer' denied - Daily Mail 15/07/05
The artificial sweetener aspartame, which is used in 6,000 diet food and pharmaceutical products, has been linked to cancer.
Hospital bosses face sack over MRSA - Daily Mail 15/07/05
Hospital bosses could be sacked if they fail to get a grip on the hospital superbug MRSA and similar infections under proposals published by the Government.
Nearly third of primary pupils have tried smoking - Daily Mail 15/07/05
Nearly a third of primary school children have tried smoking, a study suggests.
'I didn't want my brother to suffer' - BBC Health News 16/07/05
A Cardiff University study has found people receiving organs from living donors often want to be sure their loved ones really want to go ahead.
Grapefruit heals stomach ulcers - BBC Health News 16/07/05
Grapefruit extract can help to heal stomach ulcers, research suggests.
Transplant patients' donor unease - BBC Health News 16/07/05
People receiving kidneys from living donors have concerns the donors really want to go ahead with the procedure.
Abuses over HIV 'rife' in Russia - BBC Health News 15/07/05
HIV-positive Russian women and their children face widespread discrimination and abuse, Human Rights Watch reports.
Prostate cancer 'priority' call - BBC Health News 15/07/05
Prostate cancer patients are demanding the disease is given a higher priority by the government and the NHS.
My scan helped find four cancers - BBC Health News 15/07/05
Jacky Merrison has good reason to be grateful to the breast cancer screening programme - it has saved her life four times over.
Gut problem link to baby weaning - BBC Health News 15/07/05
Delaying the introduction of cereal-based foods into a child's diet could help avoid later gut problems, say University of Colorado scientists.
Scientists find gene defect link to heart disease - Reuters 17/07/05
Five generations of a family in Dallas, Texas have helped scientists discover a genetic mutation that causes a common birth defect and contributes to heart disease in adults.
Clinton takes cheap AIDS drugs to African children - Reuters 17/07/05
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton hopes his foundation will help treat more than 60,000 children suffering from HIV/AIDS as part of a plan to fight the disease in poor countries, he said on Sunday.
Rat race Hong Kong comes to terms with depression - Reuters 17/07/05
Very few people in Hong Kong recognized depression as an illness until the end of 2003 when popular television actress Victoria Lam openly admitted her condition, which had by then destroyed her career.
More scandals possible after BALCO, scientist says - Reuters 16/07/05
The scientist whose laboratory helped unravel the BALCO doping scandal that brought global attention to the use of drugs in sport fears there may be more scandals.
FDA approves Cyberonics depression device - Reuters 16/07/05
A stopwatch-sized device that uses electrical impulses to treat chronic depression won U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, Cyberonics CYBX> said on Friday.
Silicone breast implants may be contaminated-study - Reuters 15/07/05
Five cases of fungal contamination of saline-filled breast implants were likely caused by poor infection control measures during the implant procedures and in the operating room, according to a report.
Being smart no guarantee to happiness in old age - Reuters 15/07/05
Being intelligent is no guarantee of a happy old age, researchers said on Friday.
Antidepressant efficacy may be overblown-experts - Reuters 15/07/05
Antidepressants, for the most part, do not provide meaningful benefit, two investigators in the UK argue in a report in the British Medical Journal this week, having reviewed published medical evidence on antidepressant efficacy.
Drug combo ups breast cancer survival-study - Reuters 15/07/05
The combination of the anti-cancer drugs Herceptin and Taxotere appears to work better than Taxotere alone in women with advanced breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast, research shows. Moreover, there is little added toxicity when Herceptin is given.
Healing touch, music, aids heart surgery patients - Reuters 15/07/05
People who learned about relaxed breathing and received soothing touch and music before heart surgery were more likely to be alive 6 months after the procedure, suggesting that these additional steps help speed recovery, according to a study released today.
U.S. probes deaths of patients using pain patches - Reuters 15/07/05
U.S. regulators are investigating reports of deaths of patients who were using pain patches that contain the narcotic fentanyl, the Food and Drug Administration said on Friday.
Asthma gene variants may cut risk of brain cancer - Reuters 15/07/05
New research suggests that gene variants, which are known to raise the risk of asthma, decrease the risk of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a common type of brain cancer that is rapidly fatal.
Asthma, Allergies May Reduce Risk of Brain Cancer - Medical News Today 16/07/05
Gene variants tied to melanoma risk - Reuters 15/07/05
In a Mediterranean population typically at low risk for developing melanoma, carriers of mutations in the pigmentation gene MC1R are at increased risk of developing the skin cancer and having it progress, a study hints.
17-year study confirms that lead in the soil descends slowly - Medical News Today 17/07/05
In a 17-year experiment on Vermont's Camel's Hump, three Dartmouth researchers find that lead moves very slowly though the soil. Using the highly accurate technique of isotopic analysis for the first time at this field site, the researchers traced several varieties of lead with different atomic weights.
Blocking the effects of interleukin-1 will prevent brain damage, new research - Medical News Today 17/07/05
Doctors know that the body's natural response to injury - inflammation - can do more harm than good when it comes to the brain.
Aspartame safety questions. Links to leukaemia? - Medical News Today 17/07/05
A new study in Italy has raised questions about a possible link between the artificial sweetener Aspartame and some forms of leukaemia. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has announced that it is to review the evidence ‘as a matter of high priority'. Aspartame is found in many low calorie drinks and foodstuffs.
JAMA article focuses on commercial filming of patients in hospitals - Medical News Today 17/07/05
From daytime dramas to television news, the public has long been fascinated by matters of science and health. In recent years, the increasing popularity of reality-based television and health programs has given rise to concern about the ethical and legal issues with regard to privacy and confidentiality when filming patients for commercial purposes.
New 'mighty mice' research brings muscle growth closer to reality - Medical News Today 17/07/05
The Johns Hopkins scientists who first created "mighty mice" by genetically engineering animals with a missing growth regulator called myostatin have now created a second group of mice whose genetic makeup shows it's possible to get the same effect by blocking the gene for myostatin, rather than entirely knocking it out.
Immunology experiment aboard historic shuttle mission - Medical News Today 17/07/05
If the space shuttle Columbia lifts off from Kennedy Space Center July 20, 1999, as planned, many Americans may recall the day 30 years ago that Apollo 11 astronauts first walked on the moon.
FDA approves St Jude safety trial for second part of three-part HIV vaccine - Medical News Today 17/07/05
St Jude Children's Research Hospital has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin testing another part of its HIV vaccine regimen. The hospital will now begin Phase I clinical trials for the second part of a three-tiered HIV vaccine designed to protect against diverse forms of the AIDS virus.
Researchers locate tumor-suppressor gene in fruit flies that controls cell production, death - Medical News Today 17/07/05
UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas researchers have discovered a tumor-suppressor gene that, in fruit flies, simultaneously restricts cell proliferation and promotes cell death, a process that may also play an important role in the genesis of cancer in humans.
Quantum dot DNA test - Medical News Today 17/07/05
Indiana University researchers have shown how to identify tens of thousands of genes all at once by using tiny semiconductor crystals that dazzle in ultraviolet light.
Hypertension Therapy Prevents Heart Failure Among Elderly - Medical News Today 17/07/05
Treatment with a low-dose diuretic cuts by half the chance that an older person with high systolic blood pressure will develop heart failure, according to results from a National Institutes of Health (NIH) trial. Those who had already had a heart attack experienced an even greater benefit--their chance of developing heart failure dropped by 80 percent.
New bone marrow transplantation technique promises safer, more effective cancer treatments - Medical News Today 17/07/05
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center have devised a safer, more effective strategy for bone marrow transplantation that does not require the use of drugs that globally suppress the immune system. A report on the new technique, demonstrated in mice, appears in the July 16 issue of Science.
Asthma, allergies may reduce risk of brain cancer - Medical News Today 17/07/05
Having asthma, hay fever or another allergic condition may reduce the risk of developing one fatal form of brain cancer, a new study suggests.
Combining Angiostatin with Radiation Enhances Anti-Cancer Effects of Each - Medical News Today 17/07/05
Adding low doses of angiostatin -- a naturally produced substance that inhibits the formation of new blood vessels -- to standard radiation therapy dramatically improves the response to cancer treatment in animal models without increasing toxicity, report researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center, Harvard Medical School and Northwestern University in the July 16 issue of Nature.
Emory researchers discover novel mechanism of how anthrax impairs immunity - Medical News Today 17/07/05
In the first study of its kind, researchers led by Bali Pulendran, PhD, at the Emory Vaccine Center and the Yerkes National Primate Research Center have shown that anthrax lethal factor (LF) impairs the function of dendritic cells and thereby compromises the immune system's ability to fight the microbe. The findings, which appear in the July 17 issue of Nature, have implications for developing more effective anthrax therapies and guiding researchers in better controlling detrimental immune responses, such as in autoimmune diseases and organ rejection following transplant surgeries.
Beyond genes - Lipid helps cell wall protein fold into proper shape - Medical News Today 17/07/05
A protein that provides a vital passage through a bacterium's outer cell wall will misfold and malfunction if that wall is built of the 'wrong' material, scientists at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston report in a finding that has long-term implications for understanding diseases caused by misfolded proteins such as cystic fibrosis, Alzheimer's disease, and mad cow disease.
UCLA chemists create nano valve - Medical News Today 17/07/05
UCLA chemists have created the first nano valve that can be opened and closed at will to trap and release molecules. The discovery, federally funded by the National Science Foundation, will be published July 19 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Monkeypox mystery: New research may explain why 2003 outbreak in the US wasn't deadly - Medical News Today 17/07/05
An outbreak of 72 cases of monkeypox in the United States during the summer of 2003 didn't produce a single fatality, even though the disease usually kills 10 percent of those infected.
Watching the birth and death of exotic molecules - Medical News Today 17/07/05
Researchers film a chemical reaction and confirm a theory - Researchers from Korea, Italy, France and the ESRF have just observed how a molecule changes structure after being hit with a short flash of laser light. Thanks to very intense pulses of X-rays from the synchrotron and novel data analysis, they were able to confirm a long standing hypothesis regarding the evolution of this molecule. The results are published in Science Express of 14 July.
Nanion shrinks electrophysiology to pocket size - Medical News Today 16/07/05
While the classical patch-clamp technique is the gold standard for ion channel investigations, it is a labour-intensive method performed only by skilled scientists. It hence fails to meet the requirements of pharmaceutical drug testing in regards to cost and time employed per data point.
The synapse is a shotgun - New model challenges textbook definition - Medical News Today 16/07/05
Researchers have constructed a new detailed map of the three-dimensional terrain of a synapse -- the junction between neurons which are critical for communication in the brain and nervous system. The "nano-map," which shows the tiny spines and valleys resolved at nanometer scale, or one-billionth of a meter, has already proven its worth in changing scientists' views of the synaptic landscape.
Experts Discuss Use Of Human Stem Cells In Ape And Monkey Brains - Medical News Today 15/07/05
An expert panel of stem cell scientists, primatologists, philosophers and lawyers has concluded that experiments implanting, or grafting, human stem cells into non-human primate brains could unintentionally shift the moral ground between humans and other primates. Writing in the July 15 issue of Science, the panel reports its recommendations for minimizing the chances that experiments with human stem cells could change the cognitive and emotional capabilities -- and hence the "moral status" -- of the animals.
Alternating rise and fall of SCF - NIPA levels act as switch regulating cell division - Medical News Today 15/07/05
NIPA is part of a molecular complex that triggers degradation of cyclin B1 during the cell's 'resting' phase, but allows it to accumulate as the cell gets ready to divide Cells control mitosis (cell division) by assembling a biochemical switch to block it or by disassembling the switch to trigger it, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Technical University of Munich.
Researchers Discover Tumor Product That Suppresses Immune - Medical News Today 16/07/05
A product produced by lung cancer tumors fuels the cells that suppress immune function in patients and may be a target for Celebrex therapy, giving oncologists another weapon to fight cancer, according to a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center.
VIRA 38 Production Capacity Increased to Meet the Needs of Bird Flu Afflicted Nations - Medical News Today 16/07/05
PRB Pharmaceuticals and Lee's Pharmaceuticals announced today that they have stepped up production capacity of VIRA 38. "As we move closer to the emergence of an influenza pandemic, we find personal stockpiling of VIRA 38 becoming more widespread," said Dr. Charles Hensley, Chairman and CEO of PRB Pharmaceuticals. "In life or death situations, people tend to take matters into their own hands rather than relying on government institutions."
Bid to improve diabetes services for South Asians in Britain - Medical News Today 15/07/05
Cultural and language barriers may be hindering the treatment of South Asians with diabetes, recently published findings from a University of Edinburgh study show. South Asians are four times more likely than the rest of the UK population to have the condition. A follow up study has now begun into finding our how communication barriers could be overcome in medical consultation.
New thrombosis drug is less effective and more expensive than the existing drug - Medical News Today 16/07/05
A new drug used for the treatment of Essential Thrombocythemia (ET) is less effective and more expensive than the drug it is designed to replace, according to a Medical Research Council (MRC) funded study by Professor Tony Green of the University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke's hospital. The finding could save the government up to 22 million pounds every year on treatment of the disease.
Tulane pioneers novel ovarian cancer treatment - Medical News Today 16/07/05
The Tulane University Section of Hematology and Medical Oncology is investigating a novel treatment for ovarian cancer by using intravenous Ontak to deplete harmful cells that inhibit the body's natural immune response to fight cancer. Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cancer killer of women in the United States.
An Affair of The Heart - New Research Highlights Potential Clue In Search For Fatal Gender Difference - Medical News Today 16/07/05
Each year, over 8 million women die of heart disease and strokes - New research points to female oestrogen receptor as a potential key to minimising fatal heart disturbances for women.
Men continue to have normal life after radiation for prostate cancer - Medical News Today 16/07/05
Men receiving radiation therapy to combat early-stage prostate cancer are still able to achieve an erection and face a low rate of incontinence one year following treatment, according to a new study published in the July 15, 2005 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.
GMC Council agree changes to complaint handling, UK - Medical News Today 16/07/05
Complaints about doctors are to be referred back to NHS employers by the GMC where there is no question about the doctor's fitness to practise. This will ensure that complaints are investigated by the appropriate organisation.
Study Clarifies LInk Between Contact with Tap Water and Trihalomethane Exposure - Medical News Today 16/07/05
Skin contact with and inhalation of trihalomethanes (THMs) result in significantly higher blood and exhaled breath concentrations than simply drinking the same tap water, according to a study published today in the July issue of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives. THMs are chemical compounds that form as the result of a reaction between chlorine and natural organic matter in tap water. Elevated levels of THMs have been associated with cancer and adverse reproductive outcomes.
Teaching adults effective parenting skills best tool to treat children with serious conduct problems - Medical News Today 16/07/05
Training adults to have more effective parenting skills is the most potent tool available and should remain the standard of care in treating preadolescent children with serious conduct behavior problems.
London explosions 7 July 2005 - HPA information about health concerns - Medical News Today 16/07/05
The Health Protection Agency would like to express their deepest sympathies to the victims and the families of those involved in these terrible events in London.
Recovery Month PSAs Highlight Success of Alcohol and Drug Treatment - Medical News Today 15/07/05
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today unveiled television and radio public service announcements (PSAs) to be used as part of the 16 th annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month observance in September. Recovery Month spotlights the need for alcohol and drug abuse treatment and recovery, and honors both those in recovery and treatment providers.
MAC Treatment Can Cause Ocular Toxicity - Medical News Today 15/07/05
Ethambutol, a vital component of multidrug regimens for Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) lung disease, can cause ocular toxicity if taken on a daily basis, according to a study in the second issue for July 2005 of the American Thoracic Society's peer-reviewed journal. Writing in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the researchers recommended monthly visual acuity and color discrimination testing for patients taking doses of the drug greater than 15 to 20 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, those who receive the medication for longer than 2 months, and patients with renal insufficiency since the compound is cleared by the kidneys.
UF study finds cell mutations that lead to apoptosis may contribute to aging in mammals - Medical News Today 15/07/05
A University of Florida study has found that mutations in the mitochondria caused by obesity and lack of exercise -- not oxidative stress from free radicals -- may be a key factor in the aging process.
Commitment from Gambian government to prevent female circumcision - Medical News Today 15/07/05
Adriana Kaplan, an Anthropologist at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, has achieved a commitment from the Minister of Health and the Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia to draw up a joint plan to prevent female genital mutilation in the country. The move comes after a proposal was drawn up for an alternative ritual procedure that enables female circumcision to be avoided. The proposal was made while maintaining respect and sensitivity towards Gambian culture.
Vitamin D Repletion Regimen For Cystic Fibrosis Patients Did Not Work- Medical News Today 15/07/05
The recently published vitamin D repletion regimen suggested by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Consensus Panel on Bone Health for replacing the vitamin in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients has been called by researchers who tested it "strikingly ineffective." Out of 66 adults with CF, only 5 patients who had been treated with 50,000 international units of the vitamin per week for eight weeks had their serum levels corrected to the recommended degree.
Kidney donors need to talk - Medical News Today 15/07/05
Recipients of kidneys from living people are reluctant to accept them before discussions with their donors Recipients of kidneys from living people are reluctant to accept them before discussions with their donors, new Cardiff University research has shown.
Key To Potential Vaccine For COPD Bacteria - Medical News Today 15/07/05
Researchers believe that the acquisition and reasonably quick clearance of a bacterial strain called Moraxella catarrhalis from the lungs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients results in long-lasting, strain-specific protection from reacquisition and has important implications for vaccine development. The investigators assessed 104 adults with COPD for 81 months. They said that bacteria cause many of the exacerbations which characterize the disease and that such organisms, through chronic colonization, contribute to the airway inflammation that is the hallmark of the disease.
Cats suffer as childhood asthma cases rise - Medical News Today 15/07/05
We would never have thought that animals, such as pet cats, could suffer because of the rise in the number of childhood asthma cases. According to Hercy Lord, cats are being abandoned in large numbers.
Researchers find potential celebrex target in lung cancer - Medical News Today 15/07/05
A product produced by lung cancer tumors fuels the cells that suppress immune function in patients and may be a target for Celebrex therapy, giving oncologists another weapon to fight cancer, according to a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center.
Small Businesses in S Africa Should Encourage Employees To Undergo HIV Testing, Editorial Says - Medical News Today 15/07/05
New data estimating that at least 6.29 million people in South Africa are HIV-positive "ought to re-emphasize the serious nature of the pandemic," a... Business Day editorial says (Business Day, 7/12). A study recently released by the country's Department of Health showed that between 6.29 million and 6.57 million people in South Africa likely are HIV-positive, compared with an estimated 5.6 million people in December 2003. The health department's new figures differ from a May study by Statistics South Africa that estimated 4.5 million South Africans are HIV-positive (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 7/12). The difference between the health department and Statistics SA figures "is less significant than the fact that both numbers are showing marked increases, despite almost a decade of intense public information campaigns," the editorial says. The prospect of testing HIV-positive is frightening, even when people know that the diagnosis is "not a death sentence," the editorial says, adding that promoting HIV testing "has to have a collective grassroots feel about it" and "must be firmly felt in the home and on the factory floor, not at the level of political discussion." Therefore, small businesses should find ways to encourage their employees to get tested for HIV because "it is in their own interests to tap into the campaign," the editorial says (Business Day, 7/12).
Cheshire and Mersey News
Meadow fate - Daily Post 15/07/05
THE Disciplinary Panel considering the fate of eminent paediatrician Professor Sir Roy Meadow continued its deliberations yesterday.
Act on superbugs or face the sack - Daily Post 15/07/05
HOSPITAL managers will be sacked from next April if they fail to tackle the "superbug" crisis, the Department of Health pledged yesterday.
Get out there and nab some smokers - Liverpool Echo 15/07/05
NURSES are being told to leave their wards to police hospital grounds in search of secret smokers.
Calls for hospital to answer phone pleas - Chester Chronicle 15/07/05
CAMPAIGNERS are urging the Countess of Chester Hospital to scrap a ban on mobile phones.
Cumbria and Lancashire News
Valium storm - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 15/07/05
A DOCTOR has quit the NHS after health bosses launched an inquiry into her treatment of patients on stress-relieving valium.
Review staffing to save money [Letter] - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 15/07/05
FURTHER to the article (LET, July 4) re overspending of budget by East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, may I ask if the trust have interviewed the nine senior managers yet and either downgraded them or finished their contracts?
Greater Manchester News
Charity cycle for Christie - Manchester Evening News 17/07/05
MORE than 4500 cyclists set off for the coast on Sunday for the Manchester to Blackpool bike ride.
Now we can put seven years of hell behind us - Manchester Evening News 16/07/05
THE family of Sally Clark has welcomed the decision to have Professor Sir Roy Meadow struck off the medical register for serious professional misconduct over evidence he gave in a child murders trial.
Agony of teeth blunder mother - Manchester Evening News 15/07/05
A WOMAN has been left disabled after a hospital sent her home with her false teeth stuck in her throat.
Nursing home sting - Manchester Evening News 15/07/05
MORE than a dozen immigrant workers were arrested in a raid on a Stockport nursing home.
Daughter's fury as patients swelter in 100 degrees heat - Manchester Evening News 15/07/05
PATIENTS on a hospital ward in Rochdale have been sweltering in temperatures of over 100F, it has been claimed.
NHS is safe in patients' hands [Letter] - Bolton Evening News 15/07/05
OVER many years I have had the privilege to witness the Royal Bolton Hospital's very high standards of care, both as a patient and also visiting family and friends.
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