Friday, May 26, 2006

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National News

NHS patients left in dark over post operation recuperation - The Guardian 26/05/06

Patients are routinely sent home from NHS hospitals in England without being told about the side effects of medication or danger signals to watch out for after an operation, the Healthcare Commission said yesterday.

Watchdog criticises firm behind 'elephant man' drug trials - The Guardian 26/05/06

The government's drugs watchdog yesterday criticised the company behind the disastrous Parexel drug trial which left six healthy men seriously ill, and urged caution in the use of the entire class of drug tested on the volunteers.

Drug trial firm comes under fire from regulator - The Telegraph 26/05/06
Regulators slam drug trial firm - BBC Health News 25/05/06

It's official - the British diet is getting healthier - The Guardian 26/05/06

It might be every child's favourite treat, but ice cream is officially on the slide. Yet wholemeal bread is definitely back in vogue - poised to become more popular than sliced white loaves - according to an annual survey that provides a snapshot of the nation's weekly shopping basket.

Deaths from 'dirty hospital bug' double in five years - The Independent 26/05/06

The hospital bug Clostridium difficile is causing more than twice as many deaths as it did five years ago, the first official figures show.

NHS hospitals are getting dirtier despite promises, claim patients - The Telegraph 26/05/06

R&D surge will make GSK the Microsoft of drug market - Garnier - The Independent 26/05/06

Blockbuster drugs will fuel pipeline, chief executive of pharmaceutical giant tells Julia Kollewe

NHS chief resigns after calling reforms a deceit - The Times 26/05/06

THE management crisis in the health service has worsened with the resignation of a senior director who accused ministers of “deceit over reform”.

The biggest killer by far - The Times 26/05/06

HEART disease claimed the lives of one in five men and about one in six women last year, figures indicate.

Heart disease is biggest killer - BBC Health News 25/05/06

NHS hospital staff 'leave patients to go hungry' - The Times 26/05/06

ONE in three patients who needs help eating while in hospital does not receive regular assistance, exacerbating the growing problem of malnutrition in the NHS, research has revealed.

'Five-a-day' advice being ignored - The Times 26/05/06

Most people are ignoring the Government’s message to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables each day, with one in five refusing to eat any at all, according to the latest Food Expenditure report. For the 74 per cent who are trying to eat more, the average consumption is only 3.7 portions. People spent an average of £34.31 a week on food and drink in 2004-05, but only £1.82 of this went on fruit and vegetables. Chocolate sales were up by 10 per cent

Alternative medicine and NHS resources - The Times 26/05/06

In their call for a halt to NHS funding of alternative therapies Professor Michael Baum and his colleagues are in danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater (report, May 23). While the efficacy of some treatments, such as homoeopathy, reflexology and crystal healing, may be difficult to prove, other alternative treatments have been practised safely and effectively for thousands of years and have been proven by scientific studies.

Is milk really bad for kids? - The Times 26/05/06

The report that certain schools will restrict milk intake to insipid, semi-skimmed milk is a regrettable sign of how distorted our attitude to food has become (news, May 25). The contribution food makes to obesity hinges about quantity and processing, the latter usually involving the addition of refined sugars and salt, and not the consumption of a natural product regarded as irreplaceable in most world societies.

Now Nanny bans the hard stuff - The Telegraph 26/05/06

Weighing a possible heart attack against certain pain - The Times 26/05/06

If properly informed, patients can assess the benefits of anti-inflammatory drugs

How can you run faster? Just imagine you're getting a boost - The Times 26/05/06

The key to faster running could be all in the mind, according to a study commissioned by the American Council on Exercise. Dr John Pocari, an exercise physiologist at the University of Wisconsin, measured what happens when runners think they are getting a boost from “super-oxygenated” water. His subjects ran three 5km time-trials, with half the group drinking a glass of plain bottled water and half taking what they thought was super-oxygenated water (but was, in fact, tap water) before they started. The latter group covered the distance 83 seconds faster, on average. Heart rate and blood lactate levels were the same between the groups, leading researchers to conclude that the mind plays a powerful role in helping athletes to improve.

Is this the final collapse for the rugby scrum? - The Telegraph 26/05/06

A leading surgeon has called for a ban on contested scrums in rugby union, thereby picking a fight with a cohort of very large, very strong men whose livelihoods he threatens.

Tories six points ahead as scandals rock Blair - The Telegraph 26/05/06

The Conservatives are experiencing their most sustained electoral recovery for more than 14 years as public confidence in the competence of Tony Blair's government plummets, according to a YouGov poll published in The Daily Telegraph today.

Blair starts to lose his grip as Cameron wins a vote of trust - The Telegraph 26/05/06

Prostate patients 'have needless surgery' - Daily Mail 25/05/06
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Men with prostate cancer may be undergoing needless treatments and suffering serious life-long side effects as a result, a study claims.

One cigarette 'could make you a smoker in later life' - Daily Mail 25/05/06

The compulsion to smoke after trying just one cigarette can lie dormant for three years or more, according to research out today.

Card for cut-price prescription - BBC Health News 26/05/06

People living in Wales who use a GP across the border in England will be able to claim lower-price prescriptions under a new scheme.

Trust debt 'bigger than thought' - BBC Health News 25/05/06

Health managers admitted on Thursday that the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust is more in debt than first thought.

Breast cancer deadlines 'missed' - BBC Health News 25/05/06

Almost 7,000 women in the southern and eastern health board areas missed a government deadline for breast cancer tests, it has emerged.

Private firm GP deal to be signed - BBC Health NEws 25/05/06

A private health firm has won a £5m contract to run GP services in London - one of the first of an wave of deals expected to be given the go-ahead.

Patients Feel That They Are Not Treated With Respect As Persons In The New NHS - Medical News Today 26/05/06

New research into the sustainability of public services and the responses of those who use them has revealed that while strict targets, internal markets and competition may improve output they may also make the people who use the services less trustful.

NICE Responds To Reports Of Herceptin Licence, UK - Medical News Today 25/05/06

In response to the announcement today by Roche that Herceptin has been granted a licence for use in early breast cancer, NICE Chief Executive Andrew Dillon said: “Our appraisal of the clinical and cost effectiveness of Herceptin is already underway. We are working hard to ensure our review is completed as soon as possible, and we will update our timelines on the basis of the earlier than anticipated granting of the licence as indicated by the manufacturer. We are keen to ensure that guidance is available in a matter of weeks.”

International News

'I like to be big' - The Guardian 26/05/06

If there is a 'face of child obesity', it is six-year-old, 15-stone Dzhambulat Khatokhov. Sheer size has made this boy from a poor Russian family a hero in his home town and an object of fascination in the west. Nick Paton Walsh tracks him down

Hunt for origin of HIV pandemic ends at chimpanzee colony in Cameroon - The Guardian 26/05/06

Scientists searching for the origin of HIV, the global pandemic infecting more than 40 million people, believe they have finally tracked its original source to two colonies of chimpanzees in a corner of Cameroon.

HIV origin 'found in wild chimps' - BBC Health News 25/05/06

Where death stalks the poor - The Guardian 26/05/06

Faariz Kungara knows the pain is coming when the top of her head grows warm. The heat stretches downward, past her ears, and becomes an unbearable ache, she said. From the claustrophobic confines of the gloomy, waist-high shelter that serves as her home, Kungara prays for relief.

Regular drinking cuts risk of heart attack... for men - The Independent 26/05/06

Frequent drinking is an effective way of preventing a coronary, unless you are a woman. Men who drink alcohol every day have a lower risk of heart disease than those who drink once a week or less, a study found. But for women, a weekly drink is as effective as a daily one; there is no gain from more frequent drinking. It is well known that moderate drinking protects against heart disease but most research has been done on men.

A drink a day is a hearty tonic ... but only if you ar a man - The Times 26/05/06
A daily drink 'only good for men' - BBC Health News 25/05/06
Daily tipple can bring health benefits -- for men - Reuters 25/03/06

Organs transplant girl goes home - The Times 26/05/06

Spanish doctors carried out a six-organ transplant on an 18-month-old girl who was born with cancer, a hospital in Madrid has announded. The baby, named Cristina, was sent home with her parents after the operation on March 25, which was made public this week.

Children missing out on HIV drugs - BBC Health News 25/05/06

Only one HIV-positive child in 20 in developing countries receives the treatment they need, a report by children's campaigners has found.

Nerve stimulation has long-term antidepressant effect - Reuters 25/05/06

For chronically depressed adults who find no relief with drugs or psychotherapy, an implanted pacemaker-like device that sends electrical pulses to the brain -- so called vagus nerve stimulation -- may provide long-term benefits, according to two reports this week at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting in Toronto.

Few kids with serious insect stings get needed care - Reuters 25/05/06

Most children who suffer a serious allergic reaction to an insect sting are not taken to a hospital as they should be, a large study conducted in Israel suggests.

New approach helps new moms with eating disorders - Reuters 25/05/06

Special training using video feedback can help mothers with eating disorders interact in a healthier way with their infants during mealtimes, a new study shows.

World Bank sees health aid needs at least $25 bln/yr - Reuters 25/05/06

Rich countries would have to give $25 billion to $70 billion more each year for developing nations to meet the health-care needs set out in the Millennium Development Goals, a World Bank study said on Thursday.

Poor physical performance may precede dementia - Reuters 25/05/06

Poor physical performance is associated with an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease among individuals 65 years of age or older, according to a new report. The findings suggest that diminished physical function precedes the onset of cognitive impairment.

Postpartum depression may be linked to colic - Reuters 25/05/06

Mothers who develop postpartum depression may have an increased risk of having an infant with colic and of not forming a strong bond or, attachment, with their infants, according to the results of a study by researchers in Turkey.

Patients, Be Patient: Brain Images Suggest New Therapy For Severe Depression Can Take Months To Work - Medical News Today 26/05/06

It takes time - between three and 12 months - before a new type of therapy for treatment-resistant depression starts to benefit patients, according to new preliminary brain scan research that confirms earlier observations by psychiatrists about vagal nerve stimulation. Saint Louis University, working in collaboration with Washington University School of Medicine, conducted a pilot study of brain scans of a small group of depressed patients who received vagal nerve stimulation after failing other therapies.

Exploring The Potential Of Cholesterol-lowering Drugs For Patients With Systemic Sclerosis - Medical News Today 26/05/06

Systemic sclerosis (SSc), also known as scleroderma, is an uncommon and confounding disease characterized by excessive fibrous tissue formation and vascular abnormalities. Primarily affecting the small arties, SSc decreases blood flow to the body's extremities. This can lead to Raynaud's phenomenon, a condition that causes the hands and feet to feel extremely cold and numb; ulcers on the fingers and toes; and gangrene. SSc can also restrict blood flow to internal organs, resulting in lung, kidney, and heart damage. While its cause and cure have yet to be found, SSc is generally viewed and treated as an autoimmune inflammatory disorder.

New Biomarkers For Improving Treatment Of Spondylarthritis - Medical News Today 26/05/06

Clinical trials are essential to the development of effective treatments for chronic autoimmune arthritis. For ethical, practical, and financial reasons, researchers increasingly face the challenge of achieving proof-of-concept in early-phase clinical trials of limited size, limited duration, and minimal patient risk. Analysis of tissue from the synovium, the thin membrane lining the joint space and primary target of inflammation, provides a straightforward way to meet this challenge. This approach has been used extensively, and proven valuable, in studies of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Infectious Disease Experts Offer Advice To Prevent And Treat Lyme Disease - Medical News Today 26/05/06

It's tick season, but gardeners, hikers, and others enjoying the great outdoors shouldn't let concerns about Lyme disease keep them inside. A few tips to keep ticks away, and some advice from infectious diseases doctors about Lyme disease, should help you enjoy the spring and summer weather, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), a medical professional association representing the nation's foremost experts in Lyme and other infectious diseases.

More Effective Reporting Needed On Spinal Manipulation In Children - Medical News Today 26/05/06

Few serious harmful events stemming from spinal manipulation in children have been reported compared to the number of manipulations delivered, says new University of Alberta research. The results, which are to be presented at The North American Research Conference on Complementary and Integrative Medicine held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, May 24th-27th, 2006, show the need to develop a more effective reporting system among health professions.

Innocuous Intestinal Bacteria May Be Reservoir For Resistance - Medical News Today 26/05/06

"Harmless" bacteria in the digestive tracts of dairy cows, may not be so harmless after all. They may be a reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes that can be transferred to more harmful, disease-causing bacteria, according to research presented today at the 106th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Orlando, Florida.

Revolution In The Fight Against Cancer & Viruses - Medical News Today 26/05/06

A recent scientific discovery could herald the introduction of fast, effective treatments for cancer and viruses.

Forsyth Issues Imperative For A Vaccine Against Cavities - Medical News Today 26/05/06

Researchers at The Forsyth Institute have made significant advances in research to develop a vaccine against cavities. The research team of Martin Taubman, DDS, PhD and Daniel J. Smith PhD, has discovered key molecules that can stimulate a human immune response and has successfully conducted immunization trials in animal models. The global epidemic of dental caries (cavities) highlights the growing imperative to develop a vaccine to prevent cavities.

Two Very Different Surgical Procedures Produce Same Results In Often Fatal Intestinal Disorder - Medical News Today 26/05/06

Two surgical procedures, one invasive and the other much less so, for premature infants with intestinal perforation due to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) produce virtually identical results, according to a Yale School of Medicine study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Reconstructing A Healthcare System In Iraq - Medical News Today 26/05/06

Nurses in Iraq listed building new hospitals, English language training and creating more autonomy and respect for their profession as priorities in reconstructing a healthcare system in the war ravaged country, according to a study by researchers at Yale School of Nursing.

A Gene Predisposing To Pituitary Tumors Identified - Medical News Today 26/05/06

A recent Finnish study identifies a low-penetrance gene defect which predisposes carriers to intracranial tumors called pituitary adenomas. In particular individuals carrying the gene defect are susceptible to such tumors which secrete growth hormone. Excess of growth hormone results in conditions called acromegaly and gigantism. Identification of this gene defect using DNA-chip technologies is an example how genetic research can tackle more and more demanding tasks, such as identification of predisposition genes conferring a low absolute but high relative risk. The results are published in the May 26 issue of the journal Science. The research group, lead by professor Lauri Aaltonen (University of Helsinki, Finland) and Dr Outi Vierimaa (Oulu University Hospital, Finland) providing the initial observations leading to the investigations, aimed at unravelling the genetic basis of susceptibility to pituitary adenomas. Pituitary adenomas are common benign neoplasms, accounting for approximately 15 % of intracranial tumors.

Plague Agent Helps UT Southwestern Researchers Find Novel Signaling System In Cells - Medical News Today 26/05/06

The bacterium that causes bubonic plague would seem unlikely to help medical scientists, but researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have harnessed it to uncover a new regulatory mechanism that inhibits the immune system.

Parasitic Worms Used To Fight Bowel Disease - Medical News Today 26/05/06

Although most of us cringe at the sound of the words "parasitic worms," it's a fact that some of these creatures are actually good for us.

DNA: Bacteria's Survival Ration - Medical News Today 26/05/06

Ability to feed on waste DNA can mean difference between life and death The ubiquitous bacteria E. coli rank among nature's most successful species for lots of reasons, to which biologists at the University of Southern California have added another: in a pinch, E. coli can feast on the DNA of their dead competitors. A research team led by Steven Finkel, assistant professor of molecular and computational biology in the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, had already shown that DNA is an acceptable source of nutrients for bacteria.

New Research Links Placenta Praevia Directly To Assisted Reproductive Techniques - Medical News Today 26/05/06

Norwegian researchers have found the first evidence that techniques used in assisted reproduction (ART) may be directly linked to an increase in placenta praevia - a potentially dangerous condition in which the placenta covers, or partially covers the cervix, blocking the baby's passage into the birth canal.

Enzyme Defect Leads To Hyperinsulinism - Medical News Today 26/05/06

A recent study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry confirms that mutations in an enzyme called glutamate dehydrogenase can cause congenital hyperinsulinism. The research appears as the "Paper of the Week" in the June 2 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology journal.

Low Carbohydrate Diet Did Not Increase Bone Loss, Study Finds - Medical News Today 26/05/06

A strict low-carbohydrate diet had no effect on bone loss for adults following an Adkins-type diet for weight loss, a three-month study by rheumatologists at the University of South Florida found. The clinical study was published this week in the online issue of the journal Osteoporosis International.

Low-Income Teenagers More Likely To Be Overweight Than Those In Higher-Incomes Families, Study Says - Medical News Today 25/05/06

The percentage of teenagers ages 15 to 17 who are overweight is 50% higher in low-income families than in higher-income families, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the AP/Long Island Newsday reports. For the study, Richard Miech, a sociologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and colleagues examined data from 10,800 teens ages 12 to 17 who participated in four nationally representative surveys conducted between 1971 and 2004 (Tanner, AP/Long Island Newsday, 5/23). Researchers defined low-income teens as those in families whose annual incomes did not exceed the federal poverty level and defined overweight teens as those with a body mass index in the 95th percentile (Bor, Baltimore Sun, 5/24). In the early 1970s, the study finds that about 4% of teens ages 15 to 17 in low-income families were severely overweight, compared with about 5% of those in higher-income families. However, by the early 2000s, 23% of teens ages 15 to 17 in low-income families were severely overweight, compared with about 14% of those in higher-income families, the study finds (AP/Long Island Newsday, 5/23). According to the study, low-income children have about the same obesity rates as higher-income children until age 14, after which time obesity rates increase at a much higher rate among low-income children.

Report Examines Disparities In Sickle Cell Disease Funding, Treatment - Medical News Today 25/05/06

"Sickle Cell Disease: A Question of Equity and Quality," Pediatrics: The report -- by Lauren Smith of the Boston University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, Suzette Oyeku of the Children's Hospital Boston Division of General Pediatrics, and colleagues -- looks at gaps in the equity of public and private funding for research on and in care delivery of sickle cell disease. The report also examines how a recent law -- the Sickle Cell Treatment Act of 2004 -- could affect support and treatment of the disease (Smith et al., Pediatrics, May 2006).

Don't Deny Children The Chance Of Child-effective Treatments, Say Doctors And Parents - Medical News Today 25/05/06

New treatments are normally tested on adults before they are tested on children. A paper by doctors involved in gene therapy for cystic fibrosis argues that approach could be wrong. “We could be denying children life enhancing treatment on inadequate grounds” said lead author Dr Adam Jaffe.
Link http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=43928

Cheshire and Merseyside News

City academics to join drug trial disaster inquiry - Daily Post 25/06/05

RESPECTED professors from Liverpool University are part of a group set up to investigate drug trials after disastrous tests which left six men seriously ill earlier this year..

Liverpool beats its 'quit smoking' target again - Daily Post 25/06/05

LIVERPOOL has surpassed its anti-smoking targets, encouraging hundreds more people than expected to give up cigarettes for the third year running.

We don't want toxic 'ghost ships' on our riverside - Daily Post 25/06/05

WIRRAL is tonight expected to emphatically reject any prospect of "toxic ghost ships" being dismantled on the Mersey.

Primary Care Trust merges with St Helens - Runcorn World 25/05/06

A NEW organisation will soon run Halton's GPs, dentists and various other community health services.

Health staff face upheaval - Warrington Guardian 25/05/06

MORE than 200 health workers in Stockton Heath look set to face major upheavals - including possible job losses - due to an NHS reorganisation.

Hospitals are quick to deal with patients - Midweek Advertiser 24/05/06

TRIAGE times are tops at Ormskirk Hospital. Along with its sister site at Southport, it deals with more patients within the first four hours than any other hospital in Cheshire or Merseyside.

Cumbria and Lancashire News

Mum’s plea over cancer drugs - Bolton Evening News 25/05/06

A BREAST cancer sufferer who won her fight to be given the wonder-drug Herceptin has backed plans to make more-effective drugs available to women in the early stages of the disease.

Hospital art under the hammer - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 25/04/06

A PAINTING depicting Blackburn Royal Infirmary as it awaits demolition is to go under the hammer to help raise money for a state-of-the-art heart scanner.

Herbal medicine ‘no waste of cash’ - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 25/05/06

A HERBALIST today defended complementary medicine after leading doctors called for an end to free alternative treatment on the NHS.

Nurofen killed nurse - Carlisle News & Star 25/05/06

A FORMER Carlisle nurse died after taking too much Nurofen for a stomach complaint.

Hearing difficulties website launch - Carlisle News & Star 25/05/06

A NEW website has been launched to help people with hearing difficulties in Cumbria.

Retired doctor returns to open new surgery - Carlisle News & Star 25/05/06

FUSEHILL Medical Centre was officially opened yesterday by the doctor who spent years campaigning on behalf of his patients for the new facilities.

Support is avaialable for carers - Carlisle News & Star 25/05/06

CUMBRIANS with disabled, sick or frail relatives are being urged to take advantage of new support channels ahead of the 12th annual Carers Week.

Patients moved from hazard ward - Carlisle News & Star 25/05/06

ELEVEN elderly patients at a psychiatric clinic in Carlisle are to be moved after fire chiefs ruled that their ward posed a fire hazard.

Major shake-up of NHS services - Ormskirk Advertiser 25/05/06

SIX new NHS bodies are to be formed in a major shake-up.

PCT changes win approval - Midweek Advertiser 24/05/06

Greater Manchester News

The nip and tuck tourists - Manchester Evening News 25/05/06

ROSLYN Johnson had yearned to have plastic surgery for more than a decade but couldn't afford the operation in England. Last summer the 57-year-old, from Cheadle Hulme, sold her static caravan and joined an increasing number of men and women travelling abroad for low-cost surgery.

Shoplifting doctor faces ban - Bury Times 25/05/06

A DOCTOR from Whitefield has been found to have "damaged the reputation of the medical profession" as a result of her shoplifting.

Trust boss is appointed amid controversy - Bury Times 25/05/06

THE health trust which runs Fairfield Hospital has announced that acting chairman John Jesky is to take on the role permanently.

Posted by Kieran at 10:35 am

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