Friday, September 09, 2005

National and International News



One third of 14-year-olds not reading at expected level as boys fall further behind- The Guardian 09/09/05

Boys fell further behind girls in reading, the results of national tests for 14-year-olds showed yesterday, as overall improvements in English and maths still failed to meet a series of government targets set for last year.


Too much learning damaging children's play, says report - The Guardian 09/09/05

Young children are being denied the chance to play at being pirates and astronauts because they spend so much time learning to read and write, according to research published today.


Hurricane Katrina: Impact on children, UNICEF - Medical News Today 09/09/05

More than a week after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the southern coast of the United States, children continue to bear an unequal share of the suffering.


HIV/AIDS Epidemics Negatively Affecting Development Progress of African, Former Soviet Union Nations, Report Says - Medical News Today 09/09/05

HIV/AIDS has contributed to major reversals in human development in sub-Saharan Africa and some of the former Soviet Union republics, according to the... Human Development Report 2005 released on Wednesday by the U.N. Development Programme, the Los Angeles Times reports (Farley/Murphy, Los Angeles Times, 9/8). The Human Development Index ranks countries based on their residents' abilities to live long and healthy lives, become educated and have a decent standard of living. Twelve of the 18 countries that have experienced a backslide in development between 1990 and 2003 are in sub-Saharan Africa, with Southern Africa being hardest hit, the report says. South Africa dropped 35 places to 120th on the HDI, Zimbabwe has dropped 23 spots and Botswana has slid 21 places. HIV/AIDS has contributed to reversals in health, food security, education and other areas in the Southern African region, according to the report. The epidemic erodes household incomes and the social and economic infrastructure (IRIN News, 9/7). Life expectancy in Botswana has dropped 20 years since the 1970s to 36 years, while people living in Zambia are less likely to reach age 30 than a person who was born in the United Kingdom in 1840 (Zavis, AP/Boston Globe, 9/7). HIV/AIDS also has contributed to development reversals in Tajikistan, which fell 21 places on the index; Ukraine, which fell 17 places; and Russia, which fell 15 places (Los Angeles Times, 9/8). The report also says countries need to redistribute aid spending to achieve the U.N. Millennium Development Goals. According to the report, for every $1 wealthy nations spend on development aid, they spend $10 on military budgets. Annual spending on HIV/AIDS initiatives represents only three days of military spending, the report says. The Human Development Report will be presented next week at the U.N. 2005 World Summit in New York (Elliott, Guardian, 9/8).


Vaccine plan 'will save millions' - BBC Health News 09/09/05

A plan to save the lives of 10 million children in developing countries is to be launched by Chancellor Gordon Brown and his European counterparts

Brown wins $4bn vaccine pledge - The Guardian 09/09/05


Mental health study 'largest yet' - BBC Health News 09/09/05

The largest study into the mental health of Northern Ireland is to be carried out, a conference has heard.


How boys miss teacher's reprimand - BBC Health News 08/09/05

The naughty boy at primary school who continues to muck about even after being told off may have completely missed his teacher's displeasure.


Workers' strain injuries 'rising' - BBC Health News 08/09/05

The number of people suffering from work-related repetitive strain injuries is increasing, according to research.


Cash award for cancer researchers - BBC Health News 08/09/05

Scientists at Dundee University have been awarded £11m to investigate the causes of cancer and develop better treatments.


Indonesia fights polio - The Guardian 09/09/05

As a longtime health volunteer in the narrow alleys of her hillside neighbourhood, Ebon Sunarti has focused on corralling other women into the local clinic so that their toddlers could be vaccinated against a range of childhood diseases.


Shattered - The Guardian 09/09/05

Joanne Webster wonders what she might have done with her life if her brain had not been deadened for so long by childhood trauma


Making things work - The Guardian 09/09/05

In his provocative recent book Why Most Things Fail, the economist Paul Ormerod calls on planners and executives to face what he calls the last taboo in modern commercial and public policy - the predominance of failure. Companies and governments, argues Mr Ormerod, pretend that they are more successful than they are. Both public and private sectors promote planning, strategies, targets and monitoring, even though they may not work. In fact, says Mr Ormerod, these approaches are wishful thinking. In practice, human behaviour is harder to predict and the world more complicated than policy makers pretend. To succeed, says Mr Ormerod, it is better to be flexible and innovative - but even these are not guarantees of success. In the end, as his title implies, a lot of things just fail.


The Guardian profile: Louise Casey - The Guardian 09/09/05

The woman chosen by Tony Blair to put respect back into British life will soon present her strategy after being accused of an own-goal over an expletive-sprinkled speech in which she joked about binge drinking


'Cover-up' over rich and poor health gap - The Guardian 09/09/05

The government is today accused by doctors of covering up the true scale of the health gap between rich and poor in the UK.


Changes in medical profession signal end to era of white men in white coats - The Independent 09/09/05

The white male who has dominated medicine for centuries is disappearing, a study has found. The doctors of the future will be overwhelmingly female, but will still encounter discrimination at work.


'Lancet' attacks owner over arms - The Independent 09/09/05

Reed Elsevier, the publishing giant, has been denounced by one of its own journals, The Lancet, for its links to the arms trade.

Lancet calls for publisher to cut ties with international arms trade - The Guardian 09/09/05


Breaking up is hard to do - and can cause long-term harm, too - The Times 09/09/05

Heartbreak and loss can lead to poor health


Health briefs - The Times 09/09/05

Eating mushrooms might help to ward off viruses, Pennsylvania State University scientists reported at the American Chemical Society's annual conference. Mushrooms are richer in an immune-boosting antioxidant called ergothioneine than any other food. Shiitake contain the most, but even white button mushrooms have 12 times more than wheat germ (the next richest food).


Infertility treatment under the microscope - The Times 09/09/05

THE Scottish Executive said yesterday that couples faced unacceptable variations in waiting times for infertility services as a consultation on the issue was launched.


Why teenagers act like Kevin - it's the new wiring in their brains - The Times 09/09/05

CHANGES in the brain at puberty can cause the breakdown of relationships with parents, experiments have shown.

Sulky teenage Kevins 'may be autistic' - Daily Mail 08/09/05
Science throws new light on why teenage Kevin finds life so unfair - The Guardian 09/09/05
Adolescents really do suffer a brain dysfunction, for a while - The Independent 09/09/05


Can airbags save bikers as well? - The Times 09/09/05

Honda has designed the world's first airbag system for a production motorcycle, to fit Gold Wing touring bikes to reach US showrooms by spring. Set between the handlebars, it activates when crash sensors detect a severe frontal collision, creating a cushion as the rider is thrown forward on impact.


Judge spares doctor from prison - The Times 09/09/05

An Iraqi-born woman doctor who forged prescriptions so she could send medicines to her family in Baghdad was freed by a judge.


Fatal crashes spur call for crackdown on young drivers - The Times 09/09/05

After ten people die in two accidents on Britain's roads, safety campaigners demand action to halt the rising toll among teenage motorists at a time when the overall death rate is in marked decline


Review of law on sex offenders urged - The Times 09/09/05

MSPs heard a plea yesterday from the mother of a murdered schoolboy for a new law that would let communities know if a sex offender was living in their area. Margaret Ann Cummings, whose son Mark was murdered by a known sex offender in Glasgow last year, presented a 5,000-signature petition at Holyrood when she made the appeal to MSPs on the petitions committee.


Rise in step-families is leading to more stress for parents - The Telegraph 09/09/05

More than a third of parents are raising children alone or within step-families, a major study of British families shows.


Licensing laws and cheap drinks 'will boost binge culture' - The Telegraph 09/09/05

The Government's alcohol strategy is bound to fail because drink is too cheap and easily available, a public health specialist warns today.

Expert questions binge drink policy - Daily Mail 09/09/05
Government 'too close to alcohol industry' - The Guardian 09/09/05


'I think we are stronger now' - The Telegraph 08/09/05

Julie Hill was determined to walk again after a car crash left her paralysed, discovers Bryony Gordon


Donor register - still time to join the one million challenge, UK - Medical News Today 09/09/05

Just over 50,000 more "lifesavers" are needed to help the NHS Organ Donor Register reach its goal of adding one million new registrations during its 10th anniversary year.


U.S. Has Increased Global Condom Distribution in Recent Years, Targeting Mostly High-Risk Groups - Medical News Today 09/09/05

The US has bought more than one billion condoms over the past two years to help curb the spread of HIV in developing countries, but more than 60 countries still say they do not have enough condoms, the... Boston Globe reports. By the end of this year, the U.S. will have distributed 612 million condoms to Africa, Asia and Latin America, the greatest number since 1991, according to the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. Deputy U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Mark Dybul said the U.S. is "by far the largest supplier of condoms in the world." However, the U.S. recently has come under criticism for allegedly playing a role in a condom shortage in Uganda (Donnelly, Boston Globe, 9/8). U.N. Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis and other AIDS advocates last week said the Bush administration's policy of emphasizing abstinence-only prevention programs and cuts in federal funding for condoms have contributed to a condom shortage in Uganda and undermined the country's HIV/AIDS fight. Uganda needs between 120 million and 150 million condoms annually, but since October 2004 only 32 million have been distributed in the country, according to the U.S.-based Center for Health and Gender Equity, also known as CHANGE. Lewis said in a teleconference sponsored by health and human rights groups that "there is no question that the condom crisis in Uganda is being driven and exacerbated by [the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief] and by the extreme policies the administration in the United States is now pursuing." The shortage began in October 2004 when Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ordered a nationwide recall of condoms that were distributed at no cost in government health clinics under the brand name Engabu, saying they were of poor quality (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 8/30).


Brown launches vaccination campaign - Daily Mail 09/09/05

Chancellor Gordon Brown will join politicians from other donor countries to launch a four billion dollar (£2.2 billion) immunisation initiative designed to save 10 million lives in the poor world.


'Shocking' RSI figures published - Daily Mail 09/09/05

The number of people suffering from work-related repetitive strain injuries (RSI) is on the increase, according to "shocking" new research.


Health 'equality report suppressed' - Daily Mail 09/09/05

The Government has been accused of suppressing a report showing that the health gap between the rich and poor in England has continued to widen under New Labour.


'More depression research required' - Daily Mail 09/09/05

Children suffering from depression are not being treated properly because scientists do not know enough about the disorder in young people, a study has claimed.


Cancer patients face postcode lottery - Daily Mail 08/09/05

Thousands of cancer and arthritis patients and couples seeking IVF treatment across England are being denied adequate treatment because of a postcode lottery on care, a new report has claimed.


Dust chemicals 'may trigger asthma' - Daily Mail 08/09/05

The bacteria lurking in household dust may produce chemicals that trigger asthma, according to a new US study.


GP 'failed to send boy to hospital' - Daily Mail 08/09/05

A GP treating an eight-year-old boy who died of an asthma attack failed to send him to hospital early enough, a disciplinary hearing has heard.

GP 'too slow to send boy to hospital', hearing told - The Times 09/09/05


Go-ahead for 'double mother' embryo - Daily Mail 08/09/05

UK scientists have won permission to create a human embryo that will have genetic material from two mothers.

Embryo with two mothers approved - BBC Health News 08/09/05
Cloning from two mothers, UK gives the green light - Medical News Today 08/09/05
Scientists win right to create human embryo with three genetic parents - The Times 09/09/05
Scientists win right to create human embryo with three genetic parents: Graphic - The Times 09/09/05
Designer babies to wipe out diseases approved - The Telegraph 09/09/05
Pro-life lobby slams embryo plans - Daily Mail 09/09/05
Scientists given right to create baby with two genetic mothers - The Independent 09/09/05


Daily stress stops breast cancer - BBC Health News 08/09/05

High levels of daily stress may lower a woman's risk of breast cancer, researchers believe.

Daily stress may stop breast cancer: study - Reuters 09/09/05
Stress reduces risk of breast cancer by 40 pc, says study - The Telegraph 09/09/05
Stress lowers cancer risk in study - The Guardian 09/09/05
Stress can reduce breast cancer risk, researchers find - The Independent 09/09/05


MRSA 'brought back' into hospital - BBC Health News 09/09/05

A quarter of cases of MRSA bloodstream infections in hospital patients occur in patients who have just been admitted, a study shows.

Patients 'bring MRSA into hospital' - Daily Mail 09/09/05


Aids 'causes big fall' in farming - BBC Health News 08/09/05

Farming in Africa has declined at an alarming rate since the start of the Aids epidemic, scientists say.


Bed turnover 'link to infection' - BBC Health News 08/09/05

"Conveyor belt medicine" is to blame for rising rates of superbug infection in Northern Ireland's acute hospitals, according to new research.


Support to come off pills 'poor' - BBC Health News 09/09/05

Doctors are of little help when deciding whether they should continue or come off psychiatric drugs, a survey of patients shows.


Inhaler may replace insulin shots - BBC Health News 09/09/05

US health experts have recommended the approval of a form of insulin that can be inhaled rather than injected.

US advisers back Pfizer's inhaled insulin - Reuters 09/09/05
Diabetic alternative to injections - Daily Mail 08/09/05


Sexual disease clinics 'failing' - BBC Health News 08/09/05

Sexual disease clinics are failing to tackle the UK's rising cases of sex infections, warn doctors.


Formula against infertility - Medical News Today 09/09/05

"Once we have found the factors by which body cells can be re-programmed into stem cells, then therapeutic cloning might become superfluous," said Hans R. Schöler, director of the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Münster, Germany, at an international scientific symposium on stem cell research in Kobe, Japan.


Mayo Clinic develops new coma measurement system - Medical News Today 09/09/05

Mayo Clinic neurologists have created the first new, reliable and easy-to-use clinical tool in 30 years for measuring coma depth, a proposed replacement for the Glasgow Coma Scale. The new scoring system, called the FOUR (Full Outline of UnResponsiveness) Score, will be described in the October issue of Annals of Neurology, to be published online Friday, Sept. 9.


Treating mental health in general practice, Australia - Medical News Today 09/09/05

New funding to identify evidence-based mental health services - The ways that mental health is treated and managed in the general practice sector will be the focus of a new ANU research project at the Centre for Mental Health Research that has received funding today.


Spotting Strokes - Medical News Today 09/09/05

Coretta Scott King, who recently suffered a stroke, was one of the lucky ones. Her daughter realized quickly that something was wrong, and got King medical help.


Coming to grips with robot learning - Medical News Today 09/09/05

"The last decade has seen enormous advances in the design and implementation of all kinds of robot platforms," says Alois Knoll of Technische Universität München and coordinator of the ArteSImit project. "However, their abilities to 'learn' how to solve even simple tasks are still very restricted."


New surgical device for bloodless operations gets first US outing - Medical News Today 09/09/05

A new device for removing liver tumours with virtually no blood loss has been successfully used for the first time in America.


Funding for South Australian health research - Medical News Today 09/09/05

Better systems of communication between health workers caring for patients with chronic and complex illnesses will be investigated in new research funded by the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute (APCHRI), based at ANU.


Discovery that bacterium is phosphate gourmet key clue to what makes it most social of bacteria - Medical News Today 09/09/05

New research into one of the world's most social bacteria - Myxococcus xanthus, has discovered that it has a gourmet style approach to its consumption of phosphates, which provides a key clue to what makes it the most "social" of bacteria.


New research to examine at health services, Australia - Medical News Today 09/09/05

The opportunity to address the disparity of primary health care services across Australia will be investigated as part of new research funded by the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute (APHCRI) at ANU.


Obesity in kids - New research funded in W.A., Australia - Medical News Today 09/09/05

Childhood obesity is increasingly a problem for Australia, and a Perth-based research team has won funding from the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute (APHCRI) to investigate the best ways of helping parents to prevent it happening to their children.


Find us a cure for cancer - fast! Australians speak - Medical News Today 09/09/05

Australians want significantly more investment poured into finding better treatments, preventions and cures for the two leading killer diseases in Australia - cancer and heart disease.


Children being put at risk by improper seat belt use - Medical News Today 09/09/05

NSW Special Minister of State, John Della Bosca, today announced the results of new research which shows an alarming number of children are being put at risk through the improper use of seat belts and child restraints.


Subproducts resulting from disinfecting drinkable water - Medical News Today 09/09/05

The thesis, recently presented at the University of the Basque Country, centres on the treatment of drinkable water. Currently it is known that the chlorine employed as disinfectant reacts with the natural organic material present in surface water.


Johns Hopkins launches study to determine if heart angioplasty is safe in community hospitals - Medical News Today 09/09/05

Cardiologists at Johns Hopkins have launched a nationwide study of more than 16,000 patients to see if a potentially life-saving procedure called angioplasty can be safely performed in smaller, community hospitals, easing access to the therapy for patients. Researchers expect to enroll the first study patients in early fall 2005.


Analysis of Katrina's health, environmental effects to be aided by website with layers of data - Medical News Today 09/09/05

Duke University environmental scientists are amassing large overlays of Geographical Information System (GIS) data for a website that public health and environmental experts will use to assess effects of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and elsewhere in the stricken Gulf region.


Symptoms of depression may worsen heart failure - Medical News Today 09/09/05

New research suggests that depression may hasten the progression of heart disease by increasing the levels of a key protein that causes inflammation.


Study of human hair on the nanometer level - Medical News Today 09/09/05

Ohio State University researchers have just completed the first comprehensive study of human hair on the nanometer level.


Nitric oxide could extend fertility - Medical News Today 09/09/05

Researchers have found that an important chemical compound, nitric oxide, appears to slow or reverse the aging of eggs in mouse ovaries. The finding suggests nitric oxide could one day help women in their 30s and 40s remain fertile longer and increase their chances of having healthy babies, the scientists say.


Curriculum targets affect children's playtime, UK - Medical News Today 09/09/05

Young children may be missing out on 'pretend' games like pirates and spacemen due to the demands of the school curriculum, according to research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).


New drug may help cancer patients who need stem cell transplants, trial - Medical News Today 09/09/05

A new drug may help cancer patients mobilize the cells necessary to restore their blood-forming system after high-dose chemotherapy, according to results from a clinical trial at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia and at other centers across the nation.


Helping 33 million smokers quit - Medical News Today 09/09/05

An article published in the Sept 8, 2005 New England Journal of Medicine sheds new light on the $130 billion smoking cessation plan proposed in the Department of Justice suit against the tobacco companies. The tobacco cessation plan was embroiled in controversy when Department of Justice attorneys reduced the amount proposed for the smoking cessation remedy from $130 billion over 25 years to $10 billion over five years.


Emerging staph strains found to be increasingly deadly and deceptive - Medical News Today 09/09/05

A study of how the immune system reacts to strains of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria--emerging strains that sicken otherwise healthy people, or so-called "community-acquired" infections--has shown for the first time that these strains are more deadly and better at evading human immune defenses than more common S. aureus strains that originate in hospitals and other health-care settings.


A new era of hope for neglected diseases - Medical News Today 09/09/05

A dramatic sea-change in research into ten so-called "neglected diseases," such as malaria, leprosy and sleeping sickness, could result in at least eight new drugs being developed by 2010. However, lack of funding could lead to the collapse of the driving source of this promising new trend, according to an analysis in the open access journal PLoS Medicine.


APA Draws Attention to Mental Health during Suicide Prevention Week 2005 - Medical News Today 08/09/05

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) joins with the mental health community to observe Suicide Prevention Week, Sept. 4 - 10, 2005. This observance, designed as an effort to get more people connected with information and medical help, is timely as the nation works through one of the most disastrous hurricane seasons in U.S. history. During this week, both the Stop A Suicide, Today! initiative and World Suicide Prevention Day will be observed on Sept. 10.


Organisations Address Biomedical Research Misuse Threat - Medical News Today 08/09/05

The UK's three leading bioscience research funding agencies have today, 8 September 2005, published a joint policy statement on reducing the risk of the research they fund being misused for harmful purposes by terrorists or others.


BMA warns of double standards in Government anti-smoking campaign, UK - Medical News Today 08/09/05

The British Medical Association has warned that the Government's anti-smoking campaign launched today (5/9/05) smacks of double standards if it doesn't take action to protect the health of all workers from second-hand smoke.


NIAID scientists characterize the most infectious prion protein particles - Medical News Today 08/09/05

A new study of prions--apparently malformed proteins that initiate deadly brain diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans--has yielded surprising information about how the size of prions relates to their infectivity. Scientists have found that small prions are much more efficiently infectious than large ones, yet there also is a lower size limit, below which infectivity is lost.


Patient monitoring devices are facing tough times in Europe, market report - Medical News Today 08/09/05

Despite playing a crucial role in the intensive and critical care units of hospitals, patient monitoring devices are facing tough times in Europe with national governments coming under severe pressure to reduce the number of hospitals in their countries. This market is rapidly reaching maturity and future growth is increasingly becoming dependent upon the replacement of existing equipment.


BMA warns of medical academic crisis in Scotland - Medical News Today 08/09/05

The BMA this week called on the Scottish Executive to tackle the medical academic recruitment crisis that threatens to jeopardise plans to increase the number of medical students being educated in Scotland.


US clears oral AIDS drug for use overseas - Reuters 08/09/05

U.S. health officials on Thursday granted tentative approval for a generic liquid version of the AIDS drug AZT, allowing it to be used overseas under a U.S. program to fight the deadly virus.


Collagen injections help men with incontinence - Reuters 08/09/05

For men with urinary incontinence that often follows prostate surgery, injections of collagen into the area of the urinary sphincter can improve short-term bladder control, according to a new study.


China police bust fake Viagra gang - Reuters 08/09/05

Chinese police on Thursday hailed the bust of a Sino-US piracy ring making fake Viagra, but denied using arrests of Americans or other foreign nationals to publicise the fight against piracy, which the United States says China is losing.


Specialists improve breast cancer care - Reuters 08/09/05

Elderly women with breast cancer whose surgeons refer them to cancer specialists are twice as likely to be prescribed tamoxifen, a treatment recommended for preventing recurrence of the disease, a new study shows.


Drug protects kidneys of people with diabetes - Reuters 08/09/05

Kidney damage is a constant danger for people with diabetes, especially when their blood pressure is high. Now European researchers report that the addition of a drug, spironolactone, to standard blood pressure-lowering therapy for such patients helps reduce both blood pressure and the amount of albumin protein in urine, a measure of kidney impairment.


FDA asks Allergan to withdraw eye drug sales aid - Reuters 08/09/05

The Food and Drug Administration has asked Allergan Inc. to withdraw promotional material for its Lumigan eyedrops to treat glaucoma because the sales aid is misleading, according to a letter made public on Thursday.


Pregnancy sickpay cuts not discrimination-EU court - Reuters 08/09/05

Women whose salaries are cut when they use up their sick leave because of pregnancy-related complications are not the victims of sex discrimination, the EU's top court ruled on Thursday.


Cheshire and Mersey News


Brakes put on death - Maghull and Aintree Star 08/09/05

POLICE are to visit the favourite haunts of motorcyclists in East Sefton as they try to stop the rising number deaths.


Promising outlook for NHS trust debts - Ormskirk Advertiser 08/09/05

SOUTHPORT & Ormskirk Hospital Trust's chief executive has said that any debt should be recouped over the next three years.


'So relieved my son will walk again' - Ormskirk Advertiser 08/09/05

THE father of injured motor-cyclist Jon Vincent has spoken of his joy at news that his superbiker son will walk again.


Trust's future is in balance - Ormskirk Advertiser 08/09/05

THE future of Lancashire Primary Care Trusts hangs in the balance with the possible merger next year of eight PCTs into one - making it possibly the largest PCT in the country.


Jospice funding turns critical - Ormskirk Advertiser 08/09/05

FEARS are growing for the future of Ormskirk's Jospice as funding is desperately needed to keep it running.


Award winning surgeon dies - Ormskirk Advertiser 08/09/05

THE death occured on Sunday of Mr Thottapilli Jayaram (Jay) Menon, aged 58.


Doctors deliver top quality care and win 30m injection - Crosby Herald 08/0905

AN extra 30m is to be invested in primary health care across Mersey-side and Cheshire after doctors' surgeries far exceeded expectations about their performance.


Alcohol seized - Crosby Herald 08/0905

POLICE have made more than 50 seizures of alcohol from underage drinkers in the last two weekends.


'Do aid others but please do not overlook Jospice' - Formby Times 08/09/05

IMAGES of devastation are hard to ignore. News reports of starving people in Niger, the tsunami sweeping through Asia and the high profile campaign to Make Poverty History have all been met with overwhelming generosity.


A safe haven from domestic abuse - Halton Weekly News 08/09/05

ABUSED and terrified women who escape their partners to live in a Widnes refuge are being offered a tight network of support to help them rebuild their lives.


Spring bulbs bring hope for patients - Halton Weekly News 08/09/05

MORE than 100,000 bulbs will be planted in Widnes and Run-corn to launch a major cancer care project.


Abortion rates hit record high - Halton Weekly News 08/09/05

THE number of women in Halton opting to have an abortion has steadily increased and has peaked nationally, according to the latest statistics.


New container terminal a health risk, says councillor - Daily Post 08/09/05

A PLANNED £80m container terminal on the River Mersey could affect the health of children living nearby, it was claimed last night.


Chiron shareholders look for better offer - Daily Post 08/09/05

THE board and shareholders of vaccine-maker Chiron have told a potential buyer of the company to improve its 2.3bn bid.


Peace agreement close in hospital versus road row - Daily Post 08/09/05

THE row between the Royal Liverpool Hospital and Liverpool City Council over a new road scheme is close to being resolved, city councillors were told last night.


Help her now - Liverpool Echo 08/09/05

LONE mother Christina Murphy looks after her severely disabled twin boys around the clock.


We make the trams a success - Liverpool Echo 08/09/05

BACKERS of the problem-hit Merseytram scheme today promised it would not become an expensive mistake.


Cumbria and Lancashire News


Winners and losers in pub revolution - Lancaster Guardian 08/09/05

A LANCASTER pub was given permission to extend its opening hours this week, despite objections from nearby residents.


Phone helpline was useless [Letter] - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 08/09/05

ON Saturday morning, August 3, I required urgent treatment from my dentist. On phoning the surgery I was told to ring NHS Direct as my dentist was closed.


Greater Manchester News


Charity warns of smoking link to blindness - Bury Times 09/09/05

SMOKERS are twice as likely to lose their eyesight as they get older compared with non-smokers, experts are warning.


Louise pioneers bug control in north west - Bury Times 09/09/05

FAIRFIELD Hospital is leading the way in the battle against bugs with the appointment of Greater Manchester's first nurse to tackle infection control.


Fairfield campaign leader ill, but the battle goes on - Bury Times 09/09/05

THE leading campaigner fighting to protect the future of Fairfield Hospital's Special Care Baby Unit is seriously ill.


Hospital parking charges explained [Letter] - Bury Times 09/09/05

I'd like to make sure that readers are aware of the car parking charges situation if they have to visit relatives at Fairfield General Hospital over a longer period of time ('Paying to visit relatives leaves a bitter taste', Letters, September 1).


Thank-you for saving my sight - Bury Times 09/09/05

A TEENAGER who was just weeks away from going blind was saved by a chance visit to the optician.


Snack ban has merits - Bolton Evening News 09/09/05

THE response to the actions of the headmaster of a private school in Aberdeen who banned fatty snacks for 165 primary schoolchildren is interesting.


We'll keep on taking the pills - Bolton Evening News 09/09/05

PEOPLE tend to have very divided views about alternative medicine.

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