Welcome to the Podcast of Another 15 Minutes, Health News from the Fade Library. Full links to the articles detailed can be found at www (dot) fade the blog 2 (dot) blogspot (dot)com
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National News
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Maternity cash cut amid boom in birthrate, say midwives - The Guardian 9th January 2007
The NHS is responding to a boom in the birthrate by cutting spending on maternity services, the Royal College of Midwives said yesterday after a survey of more than 100 heads of midwifery in hospital trusts across Britain. It found two-thirds of maternity units were understaffed and most were trying to save money by employing fewer qualified midwives and taking on maternity support workers instead.
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More wicked stepmother than Cinderella - The Telegraph 9th January 2007
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Maternity cuts 'a risk to care' - BBC Health News 8th January 2007
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Double trouble? - The Guardian 9th January 2007
At a time when our every purchase seems to be swamped with environmental or ethical implications, a further shopping dilemma is on the horizon: whether to purchase cloned milk and meat. The US food regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recently declared meat and milk from cloned cattle, pigs and goats to be safe for human consumption, pushing such products a step closer to the supermarket shelf.
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Off the streets and into the classroom - The Guardian 9th January 2007
Perhaps January is the cruellest month for people living on the streets, especially those who have just emerged from a week at a Christmas scheme run by homeless charities. It is not just the abrupt switch back from guaranteed warmth, food, companionship and a safe place to sleep to the horrors of an indigent outdoor existence. For many of these homeless people, according to the charity Crisis, a new year spells the end once again of educational opportunity.
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'No limit to their achievements' - The Guardian 9th January 2007
A new website aims to show that young people with epilepsy no longer need be held back from achieving their goals and enjoying life
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Comicbook aims to reduce fears of children with cancer - The Guardian 9th January 2007
A health charity has launched a comic-style book designed to help reduce the fears of children with cancer and explain the treatments they face. The book, produced by cancerbackup, is called Peppermint Ward. It is aimed at six-to-nine-year-olds and follows the story of Sam, a football-mad boy, through his diagnosis and treatment for cancer in his leg.
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Researchers see bias in private-funded studies - The Guardian 9th January 2007
Research into the health benefits of drinks including fizzy pop, juices and milk may be severely biased in favour of food industry funders, American doctors say today. A survey of research on the nutritional value of drinks found that studies funded entirely by food and drink companies were approximately eight times more likely to produce results favourable to their funders, compared with studies which had no industry funding. The findings threaten to revive the row which started in the pharmaceutical industry about how independent scientists can be when they receive funding from a commercial source. The authors of the review of research conclude: "Industry funding of nutrition-related scientific articles may bias conclusions in favour of sponsors' products, with potentially significant implications for public health."
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NHS watchdog rules out Alzheimer's U-turn - The Guardian 9th January 2007
The head of the NHS drug watchdog said it would not be forced into approving medicines it had doubts over yesterday as the body came under fresh pressure over the use of a controversial Alzheimer's treatment. Andrew Dillon, chief executive of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice), said it was right to rule that the drugs cost too much and do not work well for most Alzheimer's patients and warned that having to fight a legal battle would tie up time and resources that should be spent ensuring the NHS gets treatments that are value for money.
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Dying woman begged for food, inquest told - The Guardian 9th January 2007
A 91-year-old grandmother left in hospital for four days without food or fluids had begged to be given a beetroot sandwich, some macaroni cheese and a cup of tea shortly before she died, an inquest heard yesterday. The family of Olive Nockels, a former school matron from Holt, Norfolk, say she had asked them if she could have something to eat and drink, although this is disputed by doctors and nurses at the Norfolk and Norwich University hospital.
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Doctors 'left elderly stroke victim to starve to death' - The Times 9th January 2007
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Widower wins payout after 7-year NHS battle - The Independent 9th January 2007
A man whose wife died when doctors failed to diagnose her illness correctly has won a claim for negligence after a seven-year battle with an NHS trust. Robert Eastaff faced denials, obfuscation and delaying tactics in his efforts to discover why his wife, Anna, died, aged 60, in Barnet Hospital, north London in what his lawyers described as an "extreme but not unusual" case.
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The Big Question: Will the new mental health Bill make Britain a safer place? - The Independent 9th January 2007
The House of Lords began detailed consideration yesterday of the Mental Health Bill, published in November, which would introduce tough new laws to control mentally ill people. The Bill was proposed eight years ago by the former health secretary Frank Dobson, after the case of Michael Stone, a drug addict suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, who murdered Lin Russell and her daughter Megan, 6, and severely injured Megan's sister, Josie, 9, on a country lane in Kent in 1996 after it was suggested doctors had discharged him because he was "untreatable".
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Lords consider mental health laws - BBC Health News 8th January 2007
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Jabs for farmers to combat bird flu - The Times 9th January 2007
Thousands of poultry workers are to be offered free influenza jabs in an attempt to stop new forms of bird flu emerging. More than 60,000 farmers, vets and others who have close contact with poultry will be eligible for vaccinations against seasonal human flu.
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Jabs for poultry workers to beat bird flu - The Telegraph 9th January 2007
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Poultry workers to get flu jabs - BBC Health News 8th January 2007
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Mother was wrongly labelled risk to child - The Times 9th January 2007
A Norfolk mother was wrongly labelled a potential child abuser and had her unborn son placed on the at-risk register by overzealous social workers. The mother said that the error had “torn her family apart”, and her parents accused the local authority of running its child protection system like “Communist Russia”.
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Dyslexia in school - The Times 9th January 2007
I’m delighted that the former Education Secretary Ruth Kelly had the courage to concede that state education is failing dyslexic children, by choosing to pay for her own child’s private education. As dyslexia co-ordinator at the Royal College of Art, I have screened more than 400 students for dyslexia over the past five years. During that time I have lost count of the number of times that I have heard state-schooled students say that their schooling utterly failed them. This is in marked contrast to their privately educated peers, aware, yes, that they have learning differences but also clear and confident about their strengths and considerable abilities, reflected in their examination results.
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NHS needs clear direction - The Times 9th January 2007
WHAT’S wrong with the NHS? Quite a lot, according to a man who was shortlisted to lead it. And most of its problems lie in the way it is managed. Ian Smith, who last year was pipped to the post of NHS chief executive by David Nicholson, says in Health Service Journal (Jan 4) that the direction and culture of the NHS are all wrong.
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What the year will hold for the public sector - The Times 9th January 2007
It is customary in January for public sector journals to stare at the tea leaves and decide what the year will hold
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Is Britain prepared for the Big One? (No) - The Telegraph 9th January 2007
'War games' have exposed serious flaws in government plans for fighting a deadly influenza pandemic, reports Roger Highfield. The first cases appeared in Glasgow in May. During the following months the influenza virus killed a quarter of a million people in Britain. Worldwide, the death toll was about 50 million. One doctor said it was "the most vicious type of pneumonia that has ever been seen".
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Lifeclass:'My husband is hooked on porn' - The Telegraph 9th January 2007
Your marriage is stable and happy – and then you discover your partner is visiting erotic websites. Why does he do it and how should you react
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Food industry insists its health labels are clear - The Telegraph 9th January 2007
The food industry yesterday hit back at claims that its preferred method of labelling was too difficult for consumers to understand. Leading supermarket chains said half of shoppers already used the labels easily and accurately.
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Policeman was not told he had MS - The Telegraph 9th January 2007
Doctors kept secret from a policeman the fact that he was suffering from multiple sclerosis for almost a decade. Pc Gary Dimmock, 42, has received an out-of-court settlement of more than £10,000 from the East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, whom he accused of "playing God".
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My son was just TWO yet he had testicular cancer - and the cure could kill him - Daily Mail 8th January 2007
Testicular cancer is a disease usually associated with adulthood yet, as Amanda and Alastair Boyd discovered, children can also suffer from it. Their son Kirk was diagnosed with the disease when he was just two - and the harrowing treatment he then underwent nearly killed him.
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How I struggled with tinnitus - Daily Mail 8th January 2007
First The Bill's Graham Cole struggled with the nightmare of tinnitus. Then the actor was told by his doctor: You will go totally deaf: Late at night, actor Graham Cole was kept awake by a persistent, rhythmic and increasingly loud 'whooshing' sound in his ears. When his two young children were in the back of the car, their chatter was drowned out by the ever-present racket in his head.
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Scan that can show you're drinking too much - Daily Mail 8th January 2007
A new five-minute scan can warn drinkers if they are in danger of developing serious liver disease. The breakthrough comes as rising numbers of people fall ill to liver disease, with widespread ignorance of the risks. Until now, damage could be accurately tested only by sticking a biopsy needle into the liver through the stomach wall.
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Cold snap will raise bird flu risk warns vet - Daily Mail 8th January 2007
A cold snap predicted for February could bring bird flu to Britain, one of the country's leading vets has warned. Fred Landeg, deputy chief veterinary officer, said plunging temperatures predicted for February could drive wild birds carrying the disease westwards and into the UK.
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Test that could save hundreds of babies - Daily Mail 8th January 2007
A new test for pregnant women could save the lives of hundreds of unborn children each year, say scientists. A team from University College London has found the presence of a particular protein may act as an early warning sign that women will go on to develop pre-eclampsia.
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No evidence organic food is better for our health, says Minister - Daily Mail 8th January 2007
Highly-priced organic food is no better for us than conventionally-grown farm produce, a Minister claimed. Environment Secretary David Miliband said consumers who opted for chemical-free, naturally-produced food did so as a 'lifestyle choice' rather than because science had proved it was healthier.
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Courage of girl squash champion with artificial legs - Daily Mail 7th January 2007
At the age of ten, Alice Harvey has already forged a reputation as a tough opponent on the squash court. She regularly beats older players ... many of whom don't even realise that this remarkable competitor has artificial legs.
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Cartoons to aid autistic children - BBC Health News 8th January 2007
A project that has helped a small group of autistic children understand more about human emotions is being launched nationwide. The project uses cartoons narrated by the actor Stephen Fry to help teach the youngsters about facial expressions.
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Hormone balance clue to bulimia - BBC Health News 8th January 2007
The binge-eating disorder bulimia may, in some cases, be linked to a sex hormone imbalance, research suggests. Bulimia is normally viewed as a mental condition and treated with psychological therapies.
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Experts warn against organ trade - BBC Health News 8th January 2007
A transplant surgeon has warned against selling body parts, after a report suggested organs are for sale online. The Sun newspaper claims people are selling organs such as kidneys, parts of their liver, and the corneas from their eyes, online to raise money.
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International News
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Tea is good for the heart - but adding milk to it wipes out the benefits, say researchers - The Guardian 9th January 2007
Tea drinkers enjoy some protection against heart disease. But the benefits are completely wiped out if, like most of the British population, they add milk, researchers reveal today. Tea has long been thought to have health benefits for the heart and in the prevention of cancer. But researchers from Germany, writing in the European Heart Journal, suggest that their findings about milk ought to lead to an urgent reassessment of the effect of tea on cancer prevention.
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Tea, but no milk, please: How to beat heart disease - The Independent 9th January 2007
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Study says milk in tea ruins health benefits - The Telegraph 9th January 2007
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A cuppa can help you heart - if you skip the milk - Daily Mail 8th January 2007
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New medical research - The Times 9th January 2007
One woman in five attending sexually transmitted disease clinics has a potentially damaging infection called trichomoniasis. Her partner is also likely to have it, but without any symptoms, says a North Carolina University report. The study of 3,836 women, in Clinical Infectious Diseases (Jan 1), says that nearly three quarters of their male sexual partners had a symptomless infection, which in women can cause pelvic inflammatory disease and may facilitate the spread of HIV.
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Folic acid might help to combat Alzheimer's - Daily Mail 8th January 2007
The risk of developing Alzheimer's might be lowered by the consumption of a higher level of folic acid through diet and supplements, say researchers. A study of around 1,000 elderly people found that those with higher than normal levels of the B vitamin are less likely to suffer mental deterioration.
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Pill health risk is five times higher for obese women - Daily Mail 8th January 2007
Obese women who take the Pill are five times more likely to develop life-threatening blood clots, research suggests. The additional risk is much higher than previously thought and could lead to a tightening of guidelines for prescribing oral contraceptives.
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Stem cell breakthrough that could end the storm - Daily Mail 7th January 2007
A major breakthrough in stem cell science could quell the controversy surrounding the cutting-edge medical research, it was revealed. Scientists have shown for the first time that amniotic fluid is a rich source of stem cells, suggesting the powerful cells can be ethically harvested.
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Hope over tumour fighting therapy - BBC Health News 8th January 2007
Scientists believe they have found a way to block the supply of nutrients to cancer tumours. Researchers mimicked the action of blood cells known as platelets by creating tiny nanoparticles to create clots to stop blood getting to tumours.
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Hormone balance clue to bulimia - BBC Health News 8th January 2007
The binge-eating disorder bulimia may, in some cases, be linked to a sex hormone imbalance, research suggests. Bulimia is normally viewed as a mental condition and treated with psychological therapies.
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Winfrey offers students HIV tests - BBC Health News 7th January 2007
US chat show host Oprah Winfrey has offered the students at her new school in South Africa free HIV tests and treatment if it is needed. To set an example, the 53-year-old underwent an HIV test herself.
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Cheshire and Merseyside News
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Thousands of teens on anti-depressants - Daily Post 9th January 2007
MORE than 5,000 anti- depressant prescriptions have been issued for children under 16 in Merseyside and Cheshire in the past year, the Daily Post can reveal. The Prescription and Pricing Authority has revealed that 5,222 anti-depressant items were handed out to under-16s in the region last year.
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Why I’m ’father’ to young Aids orphans - Daily Post 9th January 2007
DIRK Kuyt has never been to Nepal. But in a newly built house in a small village in the country which lies at the foot of the Himalayas there are eight young AIDS sufferers who call the Liverpool star "father".
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Protein breakthrough in cancer fight - Daily Post 9th January 2007
SCIENTISTS have made what could be a major breakthrough in the fight against cancer. A team at the University of Liverpool discovered how a protective shield which the immune system creates to surround and isolate cancerous tumours is broken down.
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Anthrax all-clear for Welsh Streets - Daily Post 8th January 2007
LIVERPOOL’S terraced Welsh Streets have been declared free of anthrax deposits, clearing the way for demolition work to start in 2008. Investigators took a series of soil samples from under the streets, which were built on top of a tannery which closed in 1853, off Park Road, Toxteth.
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Cumbria and Lancashire News
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X-rays consigned to the past - Chorley Citizen 8th January 2007
Hospitals are set to display a brand new image as X-ray film is consigned to the past. A £13million project to create a digital imaging system, which will help speed up diagnosis and treatment for patients, has been launched at Chorley Hospital.
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Greater Manchester News
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Hospital in £12m boost - The Bolton News 8th January 2007
THE Royal Bolton Hospital is to get a £12 million a year boost as part of a major expansion to its services. The cash will turn around the once-ailing hospital, making it one of the leading hospitals in Greater Manchester.
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Heart team will get an extra role - The Bolton News 8th January 2007
BOLTON has been chosen as one of just three places in Greater Manchester where complex and life-saving heart operations will be carried out. Currently, patients needing complex pacemakers or other small devices fitted, such as defibrilators, must travel to Wythenshawe Hospital or Manchester Royal Infirmary.
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More pupils should have healthy future - The Bolton News 8th January 2007
HEALTH bosses are encouraging schools in Bolton to improve the wellbeing of their pupils in a bid to tackle childhood obesity. A total of 40 schools in the borough have already achieved healthy schools status - which means they boost health eating and increase physical activity - and 124 are already involved in the programme.
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Public asked over hospital’s future - The Bolton News 8th January 2007
A SERIES of meetings has been organised to gauge public attitudes about plans to turn the Royal Bolton Hospital into a Foundation Trust. Hospital bosses want to apply for Foundation Trust status, which would give staff, patients and members of the public more say in the running of the hospital and give it the opportunity to borrow and invest money without having to seek permission from the Department of Health.
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Killer disease exercise is held at Arena - The Bolton News 8th January 2007
HEALTH professionals in in the region have prepared themselves for a potential mass infection of a killer disease. They staged a mock outbreak of Legionella at Bolton Arena.
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Helping the young cope with loss - Altrincham Messenger 8th January 2007
A FAMILY charity in Altrincham is hoping to make a big difference' to the community by helping children coping with bereavement. Family Contact Line, on Mayors Road, which has offered advice and counselling to families since it first opened over 30 years ago, will soon be launching a new child bereavement service.
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Offering sanctuary from domestic abuse - Altrincham Messenger 8th January 2007
FOR victims of domestic violence the home can be anything but a sanctuary and they can feel they have no option other than to get out. But a major initiative being piloted in Trafford aims to tackle this problem by giving people the choice to stay in the knowledge they are safe and secure.
Full links to the articles detailed can be found at www(dot) fade the blog 2 (dot)blogspot (dot)com, This has been a Podcast of Another 15 Minutes ... Health News from the Fade Library.
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