Monday, September 04, 2006

Contents

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National News


New setback for NHS computer - The Observer 03/09/06

The troubled multi-billion-pound NHS computer system suffered a fresh blow last night when it emerged that two-thirds of the hospital trusts due to have installed an electronic patient administration system for booking appointments with consultants by the end of October will not meet the deadline.


One 'problem family' costs £250,000 a year - The Observer 03/09/06

Problem families whose members commit crime, live on benefits and have poor health cost the state £250,000 a year each, research for the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit has found.


Seven magic mushrooms - The Guardian 02/08/09

Fungi aren't just an ingredient for omelettes, risottos or the traditional weekend fry-up - they also have super medicinal qualities. Jacqui Ripley reports


On the breadline - The Guardian 02/08/09

As the National Minimum Wage is set to rise, Hsiao-Hung Pai investigates the realities of working long hours for basic pay at a leading pizza restaurant chain in central London


Labour's £2bn army of consultants - The Guardian 02/08/09

The annual bill for Whitehall consultants advising government departments is running at more than £2.2bn, an investigation by the Guardian reveals today.


Natural remedy for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease - The Guardian 02/09/06

About nine months ago I was diagnosed with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, and I suffer from stomach pains, heartburn and a sore throat. I have been prescribed medications and told to avoid alcohol and coffee. My symptoms have disappeared, but my GP told me it is likely I will need to take tablets for the rest of my life. I am only 37 and don't like that idea. I would prefer to take a natural alternative.


Charlie had it all to live for - but he chose to die - The Independent 03/09/06

The gifted 28-year-old could do anything - except beat depression. Now the Government's 'happiness tsar' is calling for more help for people like Charlie


What is going on in Harley Street? - The Independent 03/09/06

Brighter teeth! Bigger breasts! Ageless skin! You'll find them all here in the capital of cosmetic surgery. But who's who behind the closed doors?


Tests for death leap father - The Independent 03/09/06

The lawyer for John Hogan, accused of murdering his six-year-old son Liam on a family holiday in Crete, is preparing this week to have a psychiatrist examine him in an attempt to prove that he was mentally not responsible for his actions.


Arrogant surgeons 'risk another Bristol babies scandal' - The Sunday Times 03/09/06

ARROGANCE and complacency among doctors could lead to another medical disaster on the scale of the Bristol babies scandal, the Royal College of Surgeons has warned.


Diabetic died after long hospital delay - The Times 02/09/06

A DIABETIC mother of two died after waiting 22 hours to see a senior doctor at a hospital in Nottinghamshire.


Parenting test for IVF is scrapped - The Times 02/09/06

A review of fertility laws has removed doctors' assessments of patients' suitability for treatment


Low vitamin E linked to asthma - The Times 02/09/06

A diet with plenty of vitamin E during pregnancy could help to reduce the risk of asthma in children, a study has shown.

Low vitamin E linked to asthma - BBC Health News 02/09/06

Mothers' Vitamin E Deficiency Linked To Asthma In Kids - Medical News Today 02/09/06


Public contracts need not leave you suffering like iSoft - The Times 02/09/06

INVESTORS seeking an example of how a few public sector contracts can hamper a business need look no further than iSoft. As poorly patients go, the NHS sub-contractor has plenty of justification for bed space.


Speak up and call the shots - The Times 02/09/06

Can the way that you talk hold the key to health, wealth and happiness? Rebecca Ley went to a voice coach to find out


Health firms paid for four times the total of NHS patients treated - The Telegraph 03/09/06

Medical centres operated by private health companies are treating as few as a quarter of the National Health Service patients they have been paid to handle. In the worst cases, they have been operating at just 25 per cent and 27 per cent of capacity, figures obtained by The Sunday Telegraph reveal.


Public sector pension liabilities soar by £50bn - The Telegraph 03/09/06

The total cost to taxpayers of funding the pensions of civil servants, teachers, judges and other public workers has rocketed by more than £50bn in just one year, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.


Tax cuts, yes, but first reform public services - The Telegraph 03/09/06

The virtues of tax cutting have returned to the political debate with a vengeance.


Nish Joshi's Q & A - The Telegraph 03/09/06

I'm young (18), fit and healthy, but I have high blood pressure and chest pain. The doctor says these are nothing to worry about, but I am worried. I don't want to take medication as it doesn't seem to work. I also have lower back pain when I go to bed but I don't know the cause so I can't prevent it.


The Maverick: Survival of the fittest, not the most incompetent - The Telegraph 03/09/06

If you work in the private sector, you know that we live in an age of oppressive compliance, regulation and corporate governance.


Vitamin D call for Asian children - BBC Health News 03/09/06

All Asian children under the age of two should get vitamin D supplements, according to scientists.


Choice 'confuses cancer patients' - BBC Health News 02/09/06

Cancer patients can often feel baffled when offered a choice of treatments, a study has suggested.


Public 'expect too much from NHS' - BBC Health News 02/09/06

The public's expectations of the NHS far outstrips what the health service can deliver, research suggests.


Surgeon charged over man's death - BBC Health News 01/09/06

A surgeon has been charged with the manslaughter of a patient at a County Durham hospital.


Court orders cancer drug rethink - BBC Health News 01/09/06

A health trust has been ordered to look again at its decision to deny a patient a potentially life-prolonging drug.


Menopause alternative remedy fear - BBC Health News 01/09/06

Women who swap hormone replacement therapy for alternative therapies to treat menopause symptoms risk harming themselves, doctors say.


Hospital debt prompts leave plea - BBC Health News 01/09/06

Staff at Musgrove Park hospital in Taunton have been asked to volunteer a day's unpaid leave to help save money.


Hospital vigil over 800 job cuts - BBC Health News 01/09/06

Dozens of hospital workers have staged a candlelit vigil outside an NHS trust in protest over 800 redundancies.


Many Medical Students Unprepared For Skilled Prescribing - Medical News Today 03/09/06

Many medical students are unprepared for skilled prescribing, warn doctors in this week's BMJ.


Testing To Be Carried Out For Unauthorised GM Rice In UK From USA - Medical News Today 03/09/06

The Food Standards Agency will ensure that testing and monitoring will be carried out on consignments of American long grain rice in the UK. This follows the statement by the US authorities that trace amounts of GM rice have been found in a sample of rice in the US.


Walkers Withdraws Batches Of Salt And Vinegar Squares, UK - Medical News Today 03/09/06

Walkers Snack Foods Ltd has withdrawn certain batches of its own brand Salt and Vinegar Squares, due to packaging errors resulting in incorrect labelling information.


NHS Confederation Comments On Review Of Diagnostic Services By The Healthcare Commission, UK - Medical News Today 03/09/06

Dr Gill Morgan, chief executive of the NHS Confederation which represents over 90 per cent of NHS organisations, said: “This seems a very fair assessment by the Healthcare Commission. There have been overall improvements but it is clear that problems remain. It is only by further reducing waits for diagnostic services that we will meet the 18-week target.



International News


Fears of 'extreme' TB strain - The Observer 03/09/06

New drug-resistant infection is 'nightmare' say health experts


Early baby trapped in France by EU loophole - The Telegraph 03/09/06

When Clair Cresswell went on holiday to France at 32 weeks pregnant she thought she had all eventualities covered.


Copycat heart pill stopped at the US border - The Guardian 02/08/09

An American judge has halted large consignments from Canada into the US of a copycat version of Plavix, the heart pill which has become the world's second biggest selling drug.


Gene therapy rids men of cancer - BBC Health News 01/09/06

Two men have been cleared of deadly skin cancer using genetically modified versions of their own immune cells.


Dysphagia In Stroke: Development Of A Standard Method To Examine Swallowing Recovery - Medical News Today 03/09/06

Dysphagia, a disorder of swallowing, is associated with increased morbidity and mortality following stroke.


Monocular Patching In Subjects With Right-hemisphere Stroke Affects Perceptual-attentional Bias - Medical News Today 03/09/06

Spatial neglect (a failure to notice or respond to a stimulus on the opposite side of space from a brain injury) often happens after a stroke and may predict loss of independence.


Treatability Of Different Components Of Aphasia-Insights From A Case Study - Medical News Today 03/09/06

We studied the effects of an intensive poststroke phonological rehabilitation program on speech/language production in a subject with alexia and aphasia. In a single-subject design context, we studied whether treatment improved phonological processing, reading, and generalization to untreated behaviors.


Does Motor Lateralization Have Implications For Stroke Rehabilitation? - Medical News Today 03/09/06

This article describes current findings on the usefulness of dominance retraining strategies in poststroke patients with dominant-arm hemiplegia.


Clinical And Cognitive Predictors Of Swallowing Recovery In Stroke - Medical News Today 03/09/06

Scientists examined whether the location of brain damage, neurocognitive deficits, and/or the number of clinical features identified during a swallowing study affected stroke patients' swallowing outcomes.


Obesity In Men Linked To Infertility - Medical News Today 03/09/06

Men with increased body mass index (BMI) were significantly more likely to be infertile than normal-weight men, according to research conducted at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), one of the National Institutes of Health.


Fish Fatty Acids May Prevent More Sudden Deaths Than Defibrillators - Medical News Today 03/09/06

Omega-3 fatty acids may prevent more sudden deaths than automated external defibrillators in homes and public places or implanted defibrillators, according to the results of a new study.


New Approaches To Managing Depression - Medical News Today 03/09/06

Most people who seek help for depression first visit their primary care doctors. So these professionals, along with mental health professionals and insurers, have been looking for ways to better identify and treat depression in the primary care setting, reports the September issue of the Harvard Mental Health Letter.


Model Of Internal Clocks Reveals How Jet Lag Disrupts The System - Medical News Today 03/09/06

Symptoms of extreme jet lag may result from the body overshooting as it tries to adjust to particularly large leaps forward in time, suggests new research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst that models circadian rhythms in rats. To transition smoothly to a different time zone, the researchers recommend advancing in chunks of not more than four hours, thus allowing the body's clocks to remain coordinated. The work also has implications for rotational shift workers, such as nurses and airline attendants, as some shifts will be much harder for the body to adjust to than others.


Juices May Reduce Alzheimer's Disease Risk - Medical News Today 03/09/06

In a large epidemiological study, researchers found that people who drank three or more servings of fruit and vegetable juices per week had a 76 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than those who drank juice less than once per week.


Pediatricians Not Doing Enough To Stop Parental Smoking - Medical News Today 03/09/06

Parental smoking is a pediatrician's business, experts say, yet many are reluctant to tell parents to stop smoking and offer little support for efforts to quit, a new study suggests.


Sister, Can You Spare A Million? Study Says Chest Pain Toll In Women Is More Than Physical - Medical News Today 03/09/06

Considering both direct and indirect costs, the financial burden on a woman who has chest pain and blocked coronary arteries may total more than $1 million during her lifetime. But even a woman who suffers from angina without an obstruction can expect her condition to take a toll in the neighborhood of $800,000, according to a report in the Aug. 29 issue of Circulation.


More Gym Classes Don't Mean More Exercise - Medical News Today 03/09/06

As childhood obesity has increased, many states are increasing their physical education (PE) requirements. Yet, increasing time spent in gym class does not appear to increase overall physical activity or prevent childhood obesity, according to a new Cornell study.


WHO Goodwill Ambassador Highlights Devastating Impact Of Obstetric Fistula On Women And Girls - Medical News Today 03/09/06

The World Health Organization (WHO) Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and supermodel Liya Kebede has highlighted the plight of millions of women and girls living with obstetric fistula. Speaking at the launch of the WHO manual: Obstetric Fistula: Guiding Principles for Clinical Management and Programme Development, Ms Kebede said the most marginalized and impoverished groups of women and girls are most affected by the condition because of complications during pregnancy.


Increasing Helmet Use Promoted As An Effective Method Of Reducing Road Injuries And Deaths - Medical News Today 03/09/06

Each year about 1.2 million people die as a result of road traffic crashes, and millions more are injured or disabled. Most of the deaths are preventable. In many low-income and middle-income countries, users of two-wheelers - particularly motorcyclists - make up more than 50% of those injured or killed on the roads. Head injuries are the main cause of death and disability among motorcycle users, and the costs of head injuries are high because they frequently require specialized medical care or long-term rehabilitation.


15 European Countries Approve Use Of Relenza® In Prevention Of Influenza A And B - Medical News Today 02/09/06

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) today announces that it has received approval from European Regulators in 15 EU countries for use of its anti-viral Relenza ® (zanamivir for inhalation) in the prevention (prophylaxis) of influenza A and B in adults and children 5 years of age and above.


Positive Results From Phase II Trial Of Rituxan In Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis - Medical News Today 02/09/06

Genentech, Inc. (NYSE: DNA) and Biogen Idec, Inc. (Nasdaq: BIIB) announced today that a Phase II study of Rituxan® (Rituximab) for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) met its primary endpoint. The study of 104 patients showed a statistically significant reduction in the total number of gadolinium enhancing T1 lesions observed on serial MRI scans of the brain at weeks 12, 16, 20 and 24 in the Rituxan-treated group compared to placebo. Genentech and Biogen Idec will continue to analyze the study results and will submit the data for presentation at an upcoming medical meeting.


Influence Of Intensive Phonomotor Rehabilitation On Apraxia Of Speech - Medical News Today 02/09/06

This rehabilitation study investigated the effects of an intensive phonomotor rehabilitation program on a 73-year-old male, 11 years poststroke, who exhibited apraxia of speech and aphasia. In the context of a single-subject design, research questions asked if treatment would improve phoneme production and generalize to repetition of multisyllabic words, words of increasing length, discourse, and measures of self-report.


Relationships Between Upper-limb Functional Limitation And Self-reported Disability 3 Months After Stroke - Medical News Today 02/09/06

We explored the relationship between upper-limb (UL) motor functional limitations and self-reported disability in a group of stroke patients with hemiparesis. Our goal was to evaluate the relationships among impairment, functional limitation, and perceived disability assessments used in the Very Early Constraint Treatment for Recovery from Stroke clinical trial. Our results suggest that high scores on tests cannot be used as proxies for full recovery of everyday UL use on the affected side. Instead, they indicate that excellent motor recovery measured by functional limitation and impairment scales was not equivalent to restore everyday use. These findings help to further describe the relationship between measured components of UL motor function and self-reported UL use in real life.


A Telerehabilitation Approach To Delivery Of Constraint-induced Movement Therapy - Medical News Today 02/09/06

We have developed Auto-CITE, a computer workstation that delivers the training component of poststroke upper-limb constraint-induced (CI) therapy, better know as CI therapy, which can potentially be used in the clinic or home without the need for direct supervision from a therapist.


Effects Of Two Treatments For Aprosodia Secondary To Acquired Brain Injury - Medical News Today 02/09/06

Expressive aprosodia, caused by right-hemisphere brain damage, is the inability to change one's voice to express common emotions like joy, anger, and sadness. This study investigated two treatments for expressive aprosodia: cognitive-linguistic and imitative.


Word-retrieval Treatment In Aphasia: Effects Of Sentence Context - Medical News Today 02/09/06

We evaluated a sentence-based procedure for improving word retrieval in two poststroke individuals with contrasting forms of aphasia. Treatment incorporated sentence production in which we removed target words, requiring participants to spontaneously retrieve them.


Female Urethral Strictures Can Be Successfully Managed With Urethral Dilation And Long-Term Clean Intermittent Catheterization - Medical News Today 02/09/06

Drs. Smith, Ferlise and Rovner from Philadelphia, PA and Charleston, SC retrospectively reviewed their series of seven women with urethral strictures who were managed by urethral dilation followed by clean intermittent catheterization (CISC). These seven women had a mean age of 41 years (range 22-67).


Animal-assisted Therapy For Persons With Aphasia: A Pilot Study - Medical News Today 02/09/06

We explored the effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) for poststroke aphasia. Three men received one semester of traditional therapy followed by another of AAT. While both therapies effectively met treatment goals, no significant differences existed between test results following traditional therapy and AAT.


Mood Swings And Depression Appear To Be Related To Cardiovascular Disease In The General Population - Medical News Today 02/09/06

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and affective disorders are both very prevalent in the general population. However, it is unclear on a population level if the prevalence of different subtypes of affective disorders like unipolar major depression or dysthymia is different in individuals with specific CVDs.


Is A Hormone (aldosterone) The Key To Anxiety? - Medical News Today 02/09/06

Animal studies have suggested a relationship between corticosteroids and anxiety. Pilot investigation by a group of Italian researchers headed by Nicoletta Sonino (Univeristy of Padova) suggests that aldosterone may play an important role in fear and anxiety also in humans.



Cheshire and Merseyside News


NW health chief bows out with warning over NHS - Daily Post 01/09/06

THE director of public health in the North West used his final hours in the job yesterday to attack the way the NHS was being run.


'University ageist' rap by consultant - Liverpool Echo 01/09/06

A LEADING hospital consultant has criticised Liverpool university as "ageist" for not appointing a Professor of Geriatrics.



Cumbria and Lancashire News


Blood specialists face hospitals axe - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 02/09/06

A DEDICATED team of specialists who take patients' blood in hospital is facing the axe to save cash.


Cancer mum Amanda welcomes drug move - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 01/09/06

BREAST cancer patient Amanda D'argue, who won her fight to receive the wonder drug Herceptin, has welcomed the decision for all women to get the same treatment.


Boss of new health trust is named - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 01/09/06

THE boss of East Lancashire's new health authority has been named.


Nurses to do work of waitresses - Lancashire Evening Telegraph 01/09/06

A CANTEEN is to be closed overnight and nine waitresses are to be axed as part of the latest round of cost-cutting by hospital bosses.



Greater Manchester News


Ruth Kelly's shift at the local deli - Bolton Evening News 02/09/06

SHE is not the sort of person you would expect to see serving at a local supermarket - so it was no suprise shoppers did a double take when they saw Cabinet Minister Ruth Kelly serving up pies and pizzas.


Healh chiefs' probe after meningitis death of toddler - Bolton Evening News 02/09/06

A TWO-year-old boy died of meningitis just hours after his mother was told on the phone by an emergency doctor to give him Calpol and send him to bed.


Elderly patients must get what they deserve - Bolton Evening News 01/09/06

IT is terrible in this day and age that older hospital patients are being put at risk of suffering from malnutrition.


When abortion is a lifestyle choice - Bolton Evening News 01/09/06

THE decision whether or not to have an abortion is always a difficult one. Can you support a baby? Can you kill something that is growing inside you? The concerns are many.


Plea over patients' notes - Bolton Evening News 01/09/06

CONFIDENTIAL patient notes and NHS correspondence were in a delivery van stolen from outside a doctor's surgery in Bolton.


Hospital acts on food fears - Bolton Evening News 01/09/06

HEALTH bosses in Bolton have drawn up guidelines to make sure that pensioners do not suffer from malnutrition.



Keeping town’s young healthy - Bolton Evening News 01/09/06

SPORTS centres and youth clubs in Bolton are to offer teenagers health advice and information as part of a pilot programme to get more adolescents interested in their own health.


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