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Scientists' fears force review of new restrictions on MRI scanners - The Guardian 29/06/06
Scientists who fear new EU safety rules may severely restrict the use of MRI scanners in hospitals have forced the government and European commission to urgently review measures due to take effect in less than two years.
Cancer women get screening error apology - The Guardian 29/06/06
A health authority apologised yesterday after 18 women were diagnosed with breast cancer after being told they did not have the disease. Essex strategic health authority (SHA) admitted that a catalogue of problems had led to a "serious service failure" at the breast screening unit at St Margaret's hospital in Epping.
Apology over breast unit failures - BBC Health News 28/06/06
Smokers and alcoholics 'should pay for operations' - The Guardian 29/06/06
Smokers who need heart bypasses and alcoholics who need liver transplants should not get them free on the NHS, according to four out of 10 hospital doctors. A quarter of those questioned in a survey also believe obese patients should not be given free anti-obesity drugs or receive free orthopaedic treatments.
Look into my eyes, look deep into my eyes ... - The Guardian 29/06/06
After 10 weeks closely observing a canteen, researchers from Newcastle University have discovered something significant about human nature. They found that customers, when asked to pay for drinks via an "honesty box", were much more likely to lob in the right amount of change if there was a poster with a pair of staring eyes on it above the box. It seems that at some primal level, even a picture of a watching human is enough to stir the conscience. Ever alert to the chance of optimising ways of increasing the amount of honour and altruism in this crazy world of ours, we offer some other suitable sites for sightings.
Big Brother eyes 'boost honesty' - BBC Health News 28/06/06
Poster Of Eyes Makes People More Honest - Medical News Today 28/06/06
Michael Cross: Thinking small could be beautiful for Britain's IT - The Guardian 29/06/06
Every working day, the government spends about £20 million on information technology. As an item on the public spending bill, that's not huge - little more than 1%. But as it is more than anyone else in the country lays out on computers, and shows no sign of decreasing, it is worth asking what the spending is for.
Anti-obesity drug to target food cravings - The Guardian 29/06/06
A drug that could revolutionise the treatment of obesity and diabetes by blocking the receptors that control appetite and metabolism was launched in the UK yesterday.
Britain gets fat-busting drug that cuts weight by a tenth - The Times 29/06/06
On sale today, daily pill that helps to cut weight by 10pc - The Telegraph 29/06/06
Obesity pill to be made available on NHS - Daily Mail 28/06/06
NHS turns away failed asylum seekers with cancer - The Guardian 29/06/06
Cancer patients and women about to give birth who have been denied asylum in the UK are being refused care by NHS hospitals unless they can pay thousands of pounds for their treatment, it is revealed today. Asylum seekers are vulnerable and usually destitute, says a report from the Refugee Council, which says the failure to treat people who are at risk of dying is a breach of the human rights enshrined in the NHS core principles.
Most graduating nurses 'have no job' - The Independent 29/06/06
The vast majority of student nurses graduating this summer have no job to go to, according to a survey reported by the BBC.
'Lack of jobs' for trainee nurses - BBC Health News 29/06/06
Twenty cash-hit NHS trusts may axe consultants - The Independent 29/06/06
At least 20 NHS trusts are considering making consultants redundant as they struggle to contain multi-million-pound deficits, it has been claimed.
Doctors get tough as cutbacks spread to their ranks - The Times 29/06/06
Care homes to be given hotel-style star ratings - The Times 29/06/06
CARE homes for elderly and disabled people are to be given hotel-style rankings so that residents and their relatives know what standard of service to expect.
'Firms put patients at risk by refusing to publish research' - The Times 29/06/06
PATIENTS’ lives are being put at risk because drug companies cannot be trusted to publish unbiased clinical research, according to a leading scientist. He also says that they are citing “commercial sensitivity” to hold back negative findings.
Transparency urged in drug trials - BBC Health News 28/06/06
Terminally ill call on the BMA to stand firm - The Times 29/06/06
FORTY terminally ill patients have appealed to the British Medical Association not to change its stance on mercy killing as doctors prepare for a key vote on the issue at the BMA’s annual meeting.
Doctors review euthanasia stance - BBC Health News 28/06/06
Assisted Dying: Should It Be Legal? - Medical News Today 28/06/06High blood pressure? Beta blockers are not the only answer - The Times 29/06/06
A24-year-old reader from Surrey, who is a postgraduate scientist, is concerned at having had three consecutive blood pressure readings of 190/100. Comprehensive routine tests were normal. At what stage should a diagnosis of essential hypertension be made?
Beta-blockers Should Not Be First Line Treatment For Hypertension - Medical News Today 28/06/06
Gym bans 21-stone man for being 'unfit' - The Telegraph 29/06/06
A 21-stone man was turned away by a council gym because he was too "unfit" to exercise.
View from the surgery - The Telegraph 29/06/06
Continuing our cut-out-and-keep guide to all your health fears today.
Why medicine makes us feel worse - The Telegraph 29/06/06
Yesterday's headlines warning of risks attached to continuing use of beta-blockers to treat high blood pressure will have alarmed a good proportion of the estimated two million patients affected, as well as the thousands of people taking these drugs for other conditions.
Tap water as healthy and far cheaper than bottled, says watchdog - The Telegraph 29/06/06
People who insist on buying bottled water on health grounds are wasting their money, a watchdog said yesterday.
Vote to curb private sector in the NHS - The Telegraph 29/06/06
Doctors voted resoundingly against any further involvement of the private sector in NHS health care and sent a strong message to the Government that its reforms were not working.
Mother to have ‘designer twins’ after screening for fatal gene - Daily Mail 28/06/06
A physiotherapist is to have ‘designer twins’ after becoming one of the first British women to undergo a revolutionary new type of genetic screening.
Scandal of dead bodies left on hospital ward in funding crisis - Daily Mail 28/06/06
Dead bodies are being left on hospital wards overnight because of a shortage of night porters to move them to a mortuary, it emerged tonight.
NHS mobile devices 'not secure' - BBC Health News 28/06/06
The NHS is failing to use adequate security on portable data storage devices, according to a survey.
Genes screen to spot cancer risk - BBC Health News 28/06/06
Scientists have developed a test to find out which groups of people are more likely to develop bowel cancer.
About 100 jobs to go at hospital - BBC Health News 28/06/06
The trust manages Southampton General Hospital A hospital trust has announced it is axing about 100 jobs and closing 140 beds as a result of improvements it is making to patient services.
Help needed for older deafblind - BBC Health News 28/06/06
Older people who lose both sight and hearing risk becoming isolated unless more support is provided, according to a leading charity.
NHS green light for prostate drug - BBC Health News 28/06/06
A drug that can extend the lives of men with advanced prostate cancer has been approved for widespread NHS use.
Hospital pays for patient 'error' - BBC Health News 28/06/06
A hospital has agreed to pay a five figure compensation fee to a widow who claimed her 59-year-old husband was killed by a diagnosis error.
Cancer victims 'denied insurance' - BBC Health News 28/06/06
The insurance industry unfairly penalises people with cancer, charity Cancerbackup has claimed.
Flora advert complaint is upheld - BBC Health News 28/06/06
A complaint relating to health claims made about Flora margarine has been upheld by the advertising watchdog.
Health trust plans 500 job cuts - BBC Health News 28/06/06
Up to 500 job cuts have been proposed at hospitals in Hertfordshire in order to help make £18m of savings.
New Strategy More Sensitive At Detecting Cervical Cancer Than Smear Test - Medical News Today 28/06/06
A new strategy could replace conventional smear tests as the initial screening test for cervical cancer in young women, say researchers in the July issue of The Lancet Oncology.
Women With Urodynamic Stress Incontinence Are More Likely To Leak With Coughing, While Those With Detrusor Overactivity Are More Likely To Leak With V - Medical News Today 28/06/06
Valsalva (VLPP) and cough (CLPP) leak point pressures have been used for evaluating urinary incontinence in women. The relationship between these leak point pressures and stress urinary incontinence and detrusor overactivity is not known. Drs. Singha, Nallaswany and Arunkalaivnan from Birmingham, United Kingdom performed a prospective study to evaluate this relationship.
RCGP Response To The Healthcare Commission Report On COPD - Medical News Today 28/06/06
The RCGP welcomes this report from the Healthcare Commission. The College agrees that there needs to be a step change in NHS policy and GPs and practice nurses have a central role in driving up standards. The report highlights improvements in diagnosis and care made through the Quality and Outcomes Framework by primary care.
How Nurses Are The Key To Solving The NHS Burden Of Lung Disease, UK
NICE Guidance Set To Improve Services For Patients With Brain & Other CNS Tumours, UK - Medical News Today 28/06/06
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Collaborating Centre for Cancer (NCC-C) have today launched guidance which aims to improve delivery of services for patients with brain and other central nervous system (CNS) tumours in England and Wales.
International News
Ultrasound to treat war wounds - BBC Health News 28/06/06
The US military plans a portable device that uses focused sound waves to treat troops bleeding internally from wounds sustained on the battlefield.
200,000 Americans Are HIV Positive And Don't Know It - Medical News Today 28/06/06
About 200,000 Americans are infected with HIV and don't know it, 850,000 to 950,000 Americans are HIV positive, and 40,000 people are newly infected each year in the USA, says the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If these figures are accurate, it means that about one quarter of all Americans who are HIV positive don't know it.
All Work And No Play: New Study Shows That, In The Long Run, Virtue Is Regretted More Than Vice - Medical News Today 28/06/06
The older we get, the more we regret not having more fun, says new study in the September issue of the Journal of Consumer Research. Researchers from Columbia University show that choosing work over play leads to regrets about having missed out on the pleasures of life. Over time, these regrets intensify, while guilt about indulging tends to fade.
FDA Approves Three Generic Versions Of Merck Statin Zocor - Medical News Today 28/06/06
On Friday, the first day after Merck's loss of patent exclusivity for the statin Zocor, FDA approved three generic versions of the drug, the Wall Street Journal reports. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals for the next 180 days will have exclusive rights to sell generic Zocor, generically known as simvastatin.
New Study Reveals Pork Rivals Chicken In Terms Of Leanness - Medical News Today 28/06/06
Pork. The Other White Meat® is one of the most recognized advertising slogans ever created, and new research announced today solidifies this well-known description with scientific backing.
Pesticides Exposure Associated With Parkinson's Disease - Medical News Today 28/06/06
In the first large-scale, prospective study to examine possible links between chronic, low-dose exposure to pesticides and Parkinson's disease (PD), researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have shown that individuals reporting exposure to pesticides had a 70 percent higher incidence of PD than those not reporting exposure. No increased risk of PD was found from reported exposure to other occupational hazards, including asbestos, coal or stone dust, chemicals, acids, or solvents. The study will appear in the July issue of Annals of Neurology and also appears online via Wiley Interscience (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/).
BBC News Examines Practice Of 'Breast Ironing' On Adolescent Girls In Cameroon - Medical News Today 28/06/06
BBC News on Friday examined the practice of "breast ironing" -- which some mothers do to their daughters in Cameroon in an attempt to prevent sexual advances of boys and men -- and a recently launched campaign to curb the practice.
For Men With Prostate Cancer, Treatment Information Fails To Address Fears - Medical News Today 28/06/06
Men with prostate cancer make emotionally driven treatment decisions influenced by anecdote and misconception rather than consideration of clinical trial evidence, according to a new study. Published in the August 1, 2006 issue of CANCER
Cell Phone Emissions Excite The Brain Cortex - Medical News Today 28/06/06
Electromagnetic fields from cell phones excite the brain cortex adjacent to it, with potential implications for individuals with epilepsy, or other neurological conditions. This finding is published in Annals of Neurology, a journal by John Wiley & Sons. The article is also available online via Wiley Interscience
Carnegie Mellon, USDA Report That Fe-TAML® Catalysts Degrade Estrogenic Compounds - Medical News Today 28/06/06
Scientists from Carnegie Mellon University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have found that a rapid, environmentally friendly catalytic process involving Fe-TAML® activators and hydrogen peroxide breaks down two types of estrogenic compounds. These natural and synthetic compounds can mimic or block the activities of hormones in wildlife and humans, which may disrupt the normal functions of the endocrine system and impair development. They could also contaminate drinking water.
Race May Be Risk Factor For Insulin Resistance - Medical News Today 28/06/06
Black women - even if their weight is normal- may be at increased risk for insulin resistance, a condition associated with diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart vessel disease, according to new research by Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
New Strategy More Sensitive At Detecting Cervical Cancer Than Smear Test - Medical News Today 28/06/06
A new strategy could replace conventional smear tests as the initial screening test for cervical cancer in young women, say researchers in the July issue of The Lancet Oncology.
Report Examines How HIV/AIDS Affects Women - Medical News Today 28/06/06
Women and HIV," National Women's Health Resource Center: This issue of the National Women's Health Report examines the challenges women face in protecting themselves from contracting HIV/AIDS, including difficulties in negotiating condom use. The issue also examines women's HIV/AIDS treatment-seeking behaviors and how the virus affects pregnancy. Physical and psychological differences between how men and women are affected by HIV/AIDS also are identified (NWHRC release, 6/22).
New Test Predicts Spread Of Kidney Tumours - Medical News Today 28/06/06
A simple, inexpensive, and reliable test can identify kidney tumours that are most likely to spread to the rest of the body, according to researchers in the July issue of The Lancet Oncology. The test, which identifies tumours that contain the protein IMP3, "could therefore also be used to effectively target individuals who would most likely benefit from additional treatment", says Zhong Jiang, University of Massachusetts, USA.
Mushrooms As Good An Antioxidant Source As More Colorful Veggies - Medical News Today 28/06/06
Portabella and crimini mushrooms rank with carrots, green beans, red peppers and broccoli as good sources of dietary antioxidants, Penn State researchers say.
FDA Approves Sale Of Protease Inhibitor - Medical News Today 28/06/06
FDA on Friday gave accelerated approval to Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Tibotec's application for sale and marketing of its experimental protease inhibitor TMC114, which will be sold under the brand name Prezista, for use by HIV-positive people who are resistant to first-line drugs, the Newark Star-Ledger reports (May, Newark Star-Ledger, 6/24).
New UF Tool Measures Heart Implant Patients' Anxiety - Medical News Today 28/06/06
Implantable heart devices are the treatment of choice for patients with potentially life-threatening irregular heartbeats. But the thought of receiving a high-energy shock to restore normal cardiac rhythm can strike fear in their hearts nonetheless.
Alzheimer's Pathology Related To Episodic Memory In Those Without Dementia - Medical News Today 28/06/06
Alzheimer's pathology can appear in the brains of older men and women without dementia or mild cognitive impairment. The pathology is related to loss of episodic memory, according to a new study published in the June 27, 2006, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Coffee Intake Linked To Lower Diabetes Risk - Medical News Today 28/06/06
Drinking coffee, especially when it is decaffeinated, may be associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a report in the June 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
HIV/AIDS Aggravates Chronic Hunger Despite Better Harvests In Southern Africa
The United Nations World Food Programme warned today that despite better harvests across southern Africa, more than three million people would remain short of food because of chronic vulnerability caused by grinding poverty and the world's highest rates of HIV/AIDS.
Study Finds Hydration Lacking In Older Adults - Medical News Today 28/06/06
The American Journal of Nursing has released its latest article in their "A New Look at the Old" Series: Oral Hydration in Older Adults: Greater awareness is needed in preventing, recognizing, and treating dehydration. Janet Mentes, PhD, APRN, BC
Bacteria, Beware: New Finding About E Coli Could Block Infections, Lead To Better Treatments - Medical News Today 28/06/06
A newly discovered receptor in a strain of Escherichia coli can be blocked to avert infection, a finding that might aid in developing better therapies to treat bacterial infections resulting in food poisoning, diarrhea or plague.
Stanford Researcher Links Hot Flashes To Insomnia - Medical News Today 28/06/06
Millions of women experience menopause each year, and many find themselves having to cope with a plethora of unpleasant symptoms. Hot flashes, headaches and mood swings all come with the territory and, for some women, so does
Obesity In Prostate Cancer Patients Predicts Cancer Recurrence And Progression - Medical News Today 28/06/06
Obesity in a patient is an independent predictor of whether localized prostate cancer will progress following radiotherapy treatment, say researchers at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Botswana AIDS scheme saves lives but virus spreads - Reuters 29/06/06
Three years ago Mmameja Gafiwe was wasting away from the virus that causes AIDS in a desolate mining town in Botswana's Kalahari desert.
CDC warns of measles risk with travel to World Cup - Reuters 29/06/06
Americans traveling to the World Cup soccer matches in Germany should be aware that nearly 1,200 cases of measles have been reported in a region that includes 3 of the 12 host cities, according to an advisory issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
U.N. blames AIDS for southern Africa food shortages - Reuters 29/06/06
The relentless toll of HIV/AIDS means southern Africa faces more food shortages this year, with some 3 million people in need of aid despite improved harvests, the U.N. World Food Programme said on Wednesday.
Physical activity helps reduce blood pressure - Reuters 29/06/06
Findings from a new study using 24-hour blood pressure monitoring confirm that physical activity reduces blood pressure in patients with high blood pressure, even when they're taking medications to address this problem.
Untreated aneurysms don't often cause distress - Reuters 29/06/06
Patients who have small brain aneurysms that are not amenable to surgical treatment usually experience no major psychosocial consequences, according to a report in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. However, closer follow-up is needed for the few patients who may have high anxiety levels.
Wyeth: contraceptive delayed but FDA-approvable - Reuters 28/06/06
Wyeth on Wednesday said U.S. regulators would not approve its experimental low-dose oral contraceptive Lybrel, designed to eliminate a woman's monthly period, until certain concerns are addressed.
FDA clears Bristol-Myers leukemia drug - Reuters 28/06/06
A new Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. pill won U.S. approval for fighting two types of leukemia in patients running out of treatment options, the company said on Wednesday.
Vitamins failed to slow mental decline in study - Reuters 28/06/06
Vitamin therapy failed to slow the mental decline of older people who have high levels of an amino acid that has been associated with cognitive disorders, according to a new clinical trial.
Emotional factors may contribute to stuttering - Reuters 28/06/06
Preschoolers who stutter may have more difficulty controlling their emotions than other children their age, a study has found -- suggesting that emotional factors contribute to the speech disorder.
Superbug outbreaks linked to unlicensed tattooing - Reuters 28/06/06
People who get tattoos from unlicensed sources are at risk of developing a drug-resistant bacterial skin infection, federal health officials warn.
China "professional" wet nurse feeds moral outrage - Reuters 28/06/06
The case of a poor mother from the Chinese countryside hired to breastfeed an affluent city-dweller's baby has stoked controversy over the ethics of the ancient practice of wet nursing.
Cheshire and Merseyside News
Nursing homes in drugs scandal - Daily Post 29/06/06
NEARLY half of nursing homes across Merseyside do not administer medication properly to their vulnerable elderly residents, it emerged last night.
Doctors reunited after 50 years in medicine - Daily Post 28/06/06
Larry Neild looks at the planned reunion of Liverpool medical students who qualified in 1956
Coma woman stranded in Turkey is flown back home to UK - Daily Post 28/06/06
A CRITICALLY ill woman stranded in Turkey because of an insurance wrangle is back in the UK.
Dilemma of rapidly falling birth rates - Daily Post 28/06/06
Deborah James looks at the continuing predicaments which are facing parents, teachers and education officials alike in Liverpool
Brave cancer patient in teenage ward bid - Crewe Chronicle 28/06/06
A SOUTH Cheshire man battling with cancer is being backed by big-hearted townspeople.
Drug addicts should get their heroin - Warrington Guardian 28/06/06
HEROIN addicts across Cheshire should have access to the drug they crave for use in special NHS clinics. Medical prescription of heroin could break the link with criminal drug suppliers, save lives and reduce harm to the rest of society.
Patients to receive new choice - Northwich Guardian 28/06/06
MORE choice is being offered to the residents of central Cheshire who require orthopaedic surgery.
Cumbria and Lancashire News
Is maternity unit safe - Carlisle News & Star 28/06/06
CAMPAIGNERS were yesterday given the strongest indication yet that the West Cumberland Hospital’s maternity unit could be safe.
Smoking ban for all hospital grounds - Carlisle News & Star 28/06/06
SMOKING will be banned from north Cumbria’s main hospitals and their grounds from September 1 this year.
Centre for children set to open - Carlisle eNews & Star 27/06/06
CUMBRIA’S first rural children’s centre opens in the Eden Valley today.
Council set to reject plans - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 28/06/06
BURNLEY Council will tonight be asked to reject outright the controversial hospital plans.
‘Blue light’ battle hope - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 28/06/06
HEALTH Secretary Patricia Hewitt could step in to halt plans to axe Burnley General Hospital's blue light A&E services, the leader of Burnley Council has said after meeting her.
Music is the right medicine - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 28/06/06
THE wards at Burnley General Hospital are now alive with the sound of music after college students bought CD players for patients.
A kiss could kill my baby - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 28/06/06
A HEARTBROKEN mum today told how a kiss could kill her bubble' baby son after he was born without an immune system.
Youngsters are at risk from brain damage - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 28/06/06
THE Lancashire Evening Telegraph's GP columnist today warned that children under 10 risk serious brain damage if they go on dangerous drink binges.
Massive rise in A&E admissions for drink kids - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 28/06/06
‘Body left on hospital bed for four days’ - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 28/06/06
A WIDOW whose husband's body was kept on a hospital bed for four days today hit out at health bosses for telling staff to leave corpses on wards.
Greater Manchester News
Town hall hope of cash for elderly - Bolton Evening News 28/06/06
COUNCIL bosses in Bury are hoping to receive more than £800,000 to provide extended support to older people in the community.
Winter heating grants up for grabs - Bolton Evening News 28/06/06
WINTER may seem many months away but people in Bolton are being urged to apply for heating grants now.
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