Contents
Click on content link below to go to the news from that section: this will open a web page if you receive this by email
National News
As the World Health Organisation confirms two new deaths from bird flu in Indonesia, a small London-based Aim-quoted company claims to have developed a hand gel that kills the H5N1 virus within 30 seconds.
British patients may have received bone grafts from contaminated body parts stolen in the US, a government health agency said yesterday. An investigation by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency identified 77 pieces of bone that were imported into the UK last year from Biomedical Tissue Services.
The UK has too few specialist doctors in sports and exercise medicine to be able to cope with the injuries that could occur at the 2012 Olympics, leading physicians warn today.
Services for children and families often exclude fathers, argues Barry Knight
There is a dear Italian man whom I sometimes encounter leading a shuffling spaniel around the copse. He used to be the maître d' of the Talk of the Town. Now he's retired and is the sole carer for his wife, who has multiple myeloma. Since my husband died of the same bone-marrow cancer, we have much to talk about. Maria, fortunately, is not in too much pain, but she is weak from the chemotherapy tablets, they are at the mercy of the NHS, tests take a long time, drugs are rationed according to what can be afforded and they are not deemed badly off enough to require help at home.
From the moment Brendan Barber gets up this morning to make his annual address, this year's TUC conference promises to be the year the unions bite back at New Labour. Today's agenda is dominated by tough resolutions on fighting privatisation and cuts in the NHS, Whitehall, schools, and also taking a tough line on protecting pensions.
Outwardly Sally Slater has all the youthful ebullience of a carefree girl approaching her first teenage birthday. But that celebration on Friday has only been made possible by a remarkable stroke of luck. Beating inside her is what was once the heart of a 49-year-old woman.
Scientists have taken a big step towards a new generation of antibiotics by designing compounds that stop bacteria "talking to each other", thwarting their ability to spread infection. The revolutionary approach renders bacteria benign rather than killing them off, and comes as many antibiotics are losing their potency against pathogens which have developed drug resistance.
Sainsbury's is to back a new initiative to tackle the increasing problem of childhood obesity.
Women are being bullied into having caesarean sections, despite the risks to mother and child
Only "a living human being and what resembles ... a living human being" can sensibly be thought of as a person - so thought the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. It is the inability of those in Persistent Vegetative States (PVS) to respond like other humans that drives debates about who can decide whether they are kept alive. But remarkable brain scans of a woman stuck in this terrible condition last week revealed new ways in which some such patients do resemble other people. The 23 year-old had shown no awareness for over a year, yet when doctors asked her to imagine situations - such as walking around her house - her cerebral electrical activity mirrored that in healthy people having the same thoughts, suggesting she may have an active mental life.
Hospitals are being overwhelmed by large numbers of obese people asking for radical surgery to reduce their appetites, with doctors turning away patients because the queues are so long.
People aged or more are encountering difficulties in buying travel insurance, according to a report published by Holiday Which? magazine.
Patient claims a vaginal operation by a leading surgeon left her disfigured
Victims of one of the worst medical disasters in the history of the NHS, the infection of thousands of haemophiliacs and others with blood carrying HIV, have been offered a new compensation package totalling £400,000 - a sum that represents just over £1,000 per victim.
Polly Miller had been married just five weeks when, on holiday in Bali, a bomb killed her husband Dan and left her with horrific burns. She tells Craig McLean how she got her life back
From 2008, cookery classes will be offered to all secondary schoolchildren
The media is slowly cranking into gear for the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, but the anthrax scares that followed soon afterwards have largely been forgotten. Five years later, the crime still remains unsolved.
Just when you thought you knew what it took to give a good interview - smart suit, smart hair, smart answers - oral health experts come along and give you something else to worry about: teeth. To coincide with Oral Hygiene month during September, Colgate are advising graduates attending their first job interviews to make their pearly whites sparkle.
Unfairly maligned as smelly, difficult to cook and riddled with potentially throat-lacerating bones, at one time it seemed that Britons had fallen irrevocably out of love with fresh fish as a culinary staple.
Unfairly maligned as smelly, difficult to cook and riddled with potentially throat-lacerating bones, at one time it seemed that Britons had fallen irrevocably out of love with fresh fish as a culinary staple.
Many positive results produced by the kits are false, says new report
The price of cocaine, ecstasy, cannabis and other drugs is at an all-time low, clearly indicating that efforts to stem the spread of illegal drugs on Britain's streets are failing.
Nearly six months on from the introduction of major reforms to the dental system in England and Wales, the struggle to find NHS treatment has got harder.
Mad honey disease is among the rarest afflictions in the world, but it appears to be on the increase.
A binge-drinking culture in the City among highly paid lawyers, bankers and other workers has seen death rates there from alcohol-related causes climb to triple the national average.
A total of 147 babies and children suffered potentially fatal blood infections last year after contracting MRSA in NHS hospitals.
NHS patients have been implanted with potentially contaminated pieces of bone from a batch stolen from dead Americans, including the veteran broadcaster Alistair Cooke.
More doctors are needed in Scotland to cope with an influx of Eastern European immigrants, the British Medical Association has said.
An alert over poisonous Scottish mussels on sale at Asda, Morrisons and Tesco supermarkets was issued by the Food Standards Agency last night.
A CURE for food allergies is expected within the next decade, researchers studying allergens, the cause of the trouble, told a conference yesterday.
Many restaurants bin more healthy food than they sell as customers choose chips over lettuce
Baywatch star David Hasselhoff, 54, says he’s given up the booze — but he’s still a workaholic
In recent Which? tests of car seats, the following came out on top:
(for children under 3)
Who needs car seats?
BEING prepared for a shock may only make things worse, say psychologists, who report that people who anticipate a disturbing event such as loss or violence are more likely to suffer post-traumatic stress disorder than those who have it come upon them suddenly.
The Government last night faced the threat of a winter of public sector strikes involving NHS staff and civil servants as unions demanded the reversal of New Labour policies.
Lung specialists have given a warning that a "super strain" of tuberculosis could take hold in Britain unless the National Health Service is compelled to increase funding of TB clinics.
Nearly 150 babies and children last year suffered potentially fatal blood infections after contracting the MRSA superbug in NHS hospitals, Government research reveals.
I am 21 and have suffered migraines for nine years. They began with puberty. I don't drink alcohol often, nor eat a lot of red meat. I also cut out dairy for six months - at first this helped, but no longer. I stick to the rules yet still get them, with tight, knotted shoulders and neck, and severe pain behind the left eye. What can be causing them?
The National Association for the Care and Rehabilitation of Offenders (Nacro) will this week call on police and councils to show "realistic understanding" when dealing with care-in-the-community patients.
Gordon Brown and other candidates for the Labour leadership must agree to scrap the Blairite NHS reforms to stop the Tories winning the next election, the head of Britain’s biggest union said yesterday
While the start of the new school term is a stressful experience for every parent, one group in particular has been suffering this week — those whose children are obese.
A cure for allergies that affects millions including asthma and hayfever will be available within the next few years, experts have revealed.
Scientists have discovered a potential reason to explain why the H5N1 strain of bird flu is so much more deadly to people than standard human flus.
Plans to reorganise hospital services across mid and west Wales may be stalled because of fierce opposition from the public.
The vast majority of bar staff in Scotland believe their workplaces are healthier since the introduction of the smoking ban, according to a new survey.
The move to treat more people outside hospitals will be under threat if a key NHS reform is expanded, doctors say.
Key planks of Tony Blair's reform agenda for schools, hospitals and other services are set to come under fire from trade unions at the TUC Congress.
There are not enough doctors specialising in sports medicine to meet the level of demand created by the UK hosting the 2012 Olympics, medics say.
Hospital bosses in Wakefield are to meet a grieving mother who alleges doctors failed diagnose a tumour growing down her son's
Researchers believe that they have found how the body protects itself against diseases like Alzheimer's.
The government should make it illegal for internet sites to incite or advise people on how to commit suicide, a charity says.
Thousands of staff at south-west England's biggest hospital have taken part in a march and rally against planned cutbacks.
Food allergies could be virtually eradicated in 10 years, according to scientists at a major conference.
Trade union leaders have accused the government of forcing through ill- conceived NHS reforms.
The elderly are at risk of accidentally harming themselves by taking potentially lethal mixtures of medicines, an expert says.
A senior surgeon at a County Durham hospital has appeared in court charged with the manslaughter of a patient who had attempted suicide.
Pupils in Scotland are set to benefit from a £30m investment drive to provide a healthier environment in schools.
Teenagers take less account than adults of people's feelings and, often, even fail to think about their own, according to a UCL neuroscientist. The results, presented at the BA Festival of Science today, show that teenagers hardly use the area of the brain that is involved in thinking about other people's emotions and thoughts, when considering a course of action.
Over 75% of GPs are more confident in managing COPD now than they were two years ago, potentially due to NICE guidelines and the QOF. However, disappointingly 40% only feel they can stabilise rather than improve the health of their patient, according to a survey of 400 GPs throughout the UK.(1)
Patients with long-term conditions will soon be able to manage their diabetes or heart disease when they pop to the shops thanks to a new breed of 'expert pharmacists', Health Minister Andy Burnham announced today.
Commenting on the announcement today by the Department of Health 'Government moves to curb number of ineffective treatments in the NHS', Professor Mayur Lakhani, RCGP Chairman, said: "This move is new and uncharted territory for NICE but one which we believe is very necessary for the NHS. It is essential that money is used for treatments that work and that scarce resources are not used to fund ineffective treatments.
International News
WATCH out if your doctor has great confidence in his or her abilities. The higher they rank themselves — particularly in specialised areas — the worse they are likely to perform, reports a survey of more than 2,000 physicians by Toronto University in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
HEART on your sleeve? Now you can get the whole shirt, thanks to European scientists who have created a top that monitors your cardiac activity.
THREE or four short, quick walks a day may offer a much better way to keep your blood pressure healthy than going to the gym, claims a study by Indiana University.
A new drug to treat premature ejaculation is safe and effective, even for men worst affected by the condition, experts said today.
A week after graduating from high school, Katherine Coit had brain surgery to remove an abnormal tangle of blood vessels that were bleeding in her brain.
Mayo Clinic virologists have discovered that a specific human protein is essential for HIV to integrate into the human genome. Their findings show that when HIV inserts itself into a chromosome, a key step that enables it to establish a "safe haven," it requires a specific protein -- LEDGF/p75 (p75). This protein forms a molecular tether between chromosomes and HIV's integrating protein (integrase). If the connection can be disrupted in the future, it might lead to new therapy for HIV or safer methods of gene therapy. The details appear today in the journal Science.
“Alzheimer's is a disease of old age,” Dr. Christian Haass, Professor at the Ludwig Maximilian University Munich said at the Berlin conference. In 1992, he succeeded in showing that the insoluble protein fragments that are deposited in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, the so-called amyloid beta, are continually formed in the brain throughout life and are part of the normal aging process. The scientist is convinced that all people, if they lived long enough, would fall ill with this severe degenerative disorder of the brain.
A hundred years ago, the psychiatrist and brain researcher described the first patient with a severe dementia accompanied by the massive loss of nerve cells (neurons). At that time, the disease later named after him was still rare. Alzheimer saw only two cases in his research career, as Dr. Christian Haass, Professor at the Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany, said during the International Conference on Neurodegenerative Diseases held in the Max Delbrück Communications Center (MDC.C) in Berlin.
This study from Italy investigated the association of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) and renal scarring. It has been shown that children with a febrile urinary tract infection (UTI) and no VUR may have evidence of renal defects when imaged with scintigraphic studies. Therefore, it has been postulated that VUR is a weak predictor of renal defects.
Resection of intrahepatic and suprahepatic inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombi associated with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) can be surgically demanding procedures that can involve multidisciplinary surgical teams. One aspect of the procedure that is approached with trepidation is the actual removal of the vena cava tumor thrombus, which is often done as a “blind” element of the operation. Here, Lowentritt and colleagues describe a very useful surgical adjunct to vena cava thrombectomy, using a flexible cystoscope to perform venacavoscopy, to assist in ensuring complete tumor removal.
Researchers are giving people a tan in a bid to find a treatment for sunburn.
UCLA scientists have discovered that infants who possess a specific immune gene that too closely resembles their mothers' are more likely to develop schizophrenia later in life. Reported in the October issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, the study suggests that the genetic match may increase fetal susceptibility to schizophrenia, particularly in females.
One child in 2,000 in the United States has a misshapen head resulting from a birth defect in which the bones of the skull prematurely close. The condition, called craniosynostosis, can constrict growth of the child's brain and lead to vision problems. An improved treatment option at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian gives surgeons greater control in reshaping the skull.
People who wish to stop smoking can significantly increase their chances of success by using medications such as bupropion, nicotine patch, gum, or an inhaler, according to a new report by researchers at the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center.
It's a noisy world. And exposure to loud noises is one of the most common causes of hearing loss. An estimated one-third of Americans older than age 60 have some degree of hearing loss.
If your big toe is a big pain, a visit to the doctor may be in order.
If you think you are the only one who experiences involuntary urine loss, think again. It's one of the most common problems, particularly in the menopausal years. Overall, it's twice as common in women as in men.
New data published today at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress show that a new treatment approach for asthma, budesonide/formoterol Maintenance And Reliever Therapy (Symbicort SMART™), is more effective than fixed doses of either budesonide/formoterol or salmeterol/fluticasone (Seretide™) plus reliever medication in reducing all forms of exacerbations.(1)
Researchers in Houston, Texas have found two bacterial muscle infections common in tropical countries becoming more frequent occurrences along with the emergence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA), according to a study published in the Oct. 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.
Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists have completed the first draft of the genetic code for breast and colon cancers. Their report, published online in the September 7 issue of Science Express, identifies close to 200 mutated genes, now linked to these cancers, most of which were not previously recognized as associated with tumor initiation, growth, spread or control.
The University of Cincinnati (UC) has received $2.4 million to study whether environmental toxicants can stimulate the body's natural defense system to cause additional damage in people with chronic lung diseases.
MSF launches national tour of interactive exhibit to raise awareness of plight of refugees and internally displaced persons
The largest study ever to analyze the hearing of women on hormone-replacement therapy has found that women who take the most common form of HRT have a hearing loss of 10 to 30 percent more compared to similar women who have not had the therapy. The results are being published on-line this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The genes responsible for an inherited form of Alzheimer's disease play a direct role within cells that has largely been overlooked, according to a report in the September 8, 2006 issue of the journal Cell, published by Cell Press. The findings suggest that there may be an additional dimension to the irreversible neurodegenerative disorder, which potentially suggests a new avenue for the pursuit of therapies, the researchers said.
Cocaine, in concentrations commonly sold on the street, causes the abnormal buildup of primitive proteins in heart muscle - a process causing heart enlargement that can ultimately lead to sudden death, report researchers at the University of South Florida College of Medicine and James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital.
The bacteria responsible for the plague and some forms of food poisoning "paralyze" the immune system of their hosts in an unexpected way, according to a new study in the September 8, 2006 issue of the journal Cell, published by Cell Press.
Sinovac Biotech Ltd. (Sinovac) (Amex: SVA) announced that its paper of clinical trial results, named 'Safety and immunogenicity of an inactivated adjuvanted whole-virion influenza A (H5N1) vaccine: a phase I randomized controlled trail", was published as an online article for The Lancet today.
Low-dose orlistat (60 mg) along with a reduced-calorie diet provides meaningful weight loss and improves cholesterol and blood pressure levels in overweight and obese individuals, according to findings presented today at the 2006 International Congress on Obesity (ICO) in Sydney, Australia.
A team of investigators led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital announces that improvements in the treatment of the childhood brain cancer medulloblastoma have significantly increased the rate of survival of children with this disease.
Research evidence shows that appropriate exposure to natural and artificial light in hospitals and clinics is critical to the health and well-being of patients and staff.
Cheshire and Merseyside News
A GRIEVING family are waiting for a report into a father's death, nine months after he died following a care home fall
HALTON'S Primary Care Trust (PCT) holds its annual general meeting this month.
PLAN for our future! That's the plea to politicians this week from Halton cancer campaigners as the NHS Cancer Plan for England runs out in 2010.
Greater Manchester News
A PENSIONER fighting to save wards at her local hospital will today discover if the pressure group she leads has won its case - or whether she will face a crippling legal bill.
FRAUD officers swooped on two catering workers suspected of stealing from Manchester Royal Infirmary.
TWO local MPs are backing a scheme led by young patients at Christie Hospital, known as "The Christie Crew" to end discrimination by pubs and clubs against young cancer patients.
HEALTH chiefs in Bolton have welcomed plans to launch a "shop a smoker" hotline when the national smoking ban is introduced next summer.
