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National News
A prescription-only pill with a high success rate in helping people to quit smoking is to become available on the NHS after a decision yesterday by the government's drugs watchdog. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence gave draft approval for the health service to provide varenicline, which is manufactured by Pfizer under the brand name Champix. Trials showed the twice-daily pill provided relief from cravings and withdrawal symptoms experienced by smokers in the weeks after quitting.
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NHS pill will curb smoker’s craving – and satisfaction from a cigarette - The Times 31st May 2007
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NHS to pay for £163 drug to help smokers quit - The Telegraph 31st May 2007
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Anti-smoking 'wonder pill' to be given on the NHS - Daily Mail 30th May 2007
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Stop-smoking drug approved on NHS - BBC Health News 30th May 2007
The IT consultancy group blocking a rescue takeover of NHS software supplier iSoft yesterday claimed it was in exploratory talks with the cash-strapped firm and its lending banks over ways to "underpin its long-term financial stability". Computer Sciences Corporation - by far iSoft's biggest customer, deploying its software through the government's £6.2bn NHS IT upgrade - refused to give its consent this week to an agreed all-share takeover offer from a much smaller Australian group, IBA Health.
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iSoft customer defends its veto on takeover - The Telegraph 31st May 2007
Stress experienced by a woman during pregnancy may affect her unborn baby as early as 17 weeks after conception, with potentially harmful effects on brain and development, according to new research. The study is the first to show that unborn babies are exposed to their mother's stress hormones at such an early stage in pregnancy.
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Babies in womb feel mothers’ anxiety at only four months - The Times 31st May 2007
Britain's leading fertility expert condemned the IVF industry yesterday, saying that it had been corrupted by money and that doctors were exploiting women who were desperate to get pregnant. Speaking at the Guardian Hay festival, Robert Winston also accused the fertility watchdog, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, of failing to protect women and giving consistently poor information to couples.
Zoe Williams is not qualified to advise pregnant women on their dietary habits and some of her comments are misleading (Stuff and nonsense? G2, May 29). To correct some of her misconceptions about food microbiology and safety: 1. Pasteurisation has substantially reduced morbidity and mortality attributable to foodborne disease in the UK since its introduction for milk, including that for cheese manufacture. "Starter cultures" are introduced after pasteurisation, but are carefully selected non-pathogenic microorganisms, essential for fermentation of milk to produce cheese.
Government statistics ignored thousands of cases of Clostridium difficile, a potentially deadly virus, and misrepresented the threat that it posed, a report by a Conservative MP has claimed. More than 25,000 cases, about one in six, were unreported by the Government because it only logged cases relating to patients aged over 65, according to Grant Shapps. A further 32,707 cases in Scotland and Wales were not reported to the Health Protection Agency because it covered only England. “This investigation reveals that the number of C-Diff cases in Britain’s hospitals has been dramatically underestimated,” Mr Shapps said.
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Big rise in deaths from 'superbug' - The Telegraph 31st May 2007
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At least 8,000 superbug cases the Whitehall figures ignore - Daily Mail 31st May 2007
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GlaxoSmithKline mounted a vigorous defence of Avandia, its diabetes drug, yesterday after the company’s shares hit a two-year low amid safety fears. In a letter to The Lancet medical journal, Ronald Krall, GlaxoSmithKline’s medical director, said that data from long-term, large-scale trials of Avandia had indicated that the risk of heart attack associated with the drug was similar to two other commonly used generic diabetes medicines, metformin and sulfonylurea.
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The bigger they are, the bigger the side-effects - The Times 31st May 2007
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The bigger they are, the bigger the side-effects - The Times 31st May 2007
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Imagine, if you will, the following scene. Two tramps are sitting happily on an Embankment bench. “What’s that you’re drinking, Mick?” “F*** off, Jim. It’s Tennent’s Super. Get your own.” Jim leans over and points to the new government health warning on the side of the can. “Now it says here that this can of lager contains five units of alcohol and the recommended safe limit for adult males is merely three to four units a day. I do believe that you’ve had 24 units this morning already.”
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A 62-year-old ex-serviceman, who served for 30 years in an armoured regiment, asks if his back problems could be the result of his army service. He wonders about this even though he was fortunate enough to serve at a time when his active service was confined to Cyprus, Aden and Northern Ireland and he didn’t suffer any injury that might account for it.
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If you've ever been tempted by diets that promise you'll be bikini-fit in a fortnight or lose seven pounds in seven days, read on. Crash diets don't work - although you may lose weight while you're on the diet, the odds are that you'll regain not only the weight you lost but even more once you revert to normal eating.
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If you're looking to get in shape for the beach this summer and want to try something slightly more challenging that is motivating, demanding and you're quite happy being told what to do, then "boot camp" training sessions could be just for you. As the name suggests, boot camp is an outdoor military-style fitness training workout. This style of training is becoming an extremely popular way to stay fit and will appeal to all walks of life. It is certainly not for the faint-hearted, as it takes place outside all year round in all weathers. Sessions, in parks and open spaces, usually last an hour and are designed to provide a full body workout, increasing muscular strength, heart and lung fitness.
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Cases of listeria have leapt 80 per cent this year with 25 deaths including a baby, according to health chiefs. There are concerns that levels of the food poisoning bug – which can be spread by mice – are likely to increase further with moves to fortnightly waste collections.
A man nearly died after being bitten by his family’s pet hamster. The 50-year-old victim suffered an extreme allergic reaction and went into anaphylactic shock, which causes serious breathing problems.
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Hamster bite puts man in hospital - BBC Health News 30th May 2007
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Overweight prisoners are to get free personal trainers whilst they are in jail to stop them being bullied. Prison bosses are anxious obese inmates are being 'socially excluded' because they cannot exercise with other inmates.
Some of the benefits claimed by makers of an anti-obesity drug may not be justified, experts said today. Rimonabant, which was launched in the UK last year, has been described as the "new wonder slimming drug", with trials showing it helps obese people shed excess pounds.
Last month scientists announced they’d found the gene that puts one in six of us at increased risk of obesity.
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Using pesticides raises the risk of Parkinson's by 40%, scientists warn - Daily Mail 29th May 2007
Gardeners have been warned that using pesticides increases the risk of developing Parkinson's disease by more than 40 per cent. An EU-funded study - one of the biggest of its kind - confirms suspicions that chemicals found in everyday products are doing untold damage to health.
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Anyone who has ever sprained an ankle or dislocated a shoulder will know the sinking feeling of dread at having to visit a big inner city A&E department. But what if instead you could visit a local nurse-led minor injuries unit and get an X-ray which can be examined by a radiologist based elsewhere?
A robot is being taken into schools to study how it could help children with learning difficulties or autism to form relationships and learn social skills. Kaspar, a robot who looks like a young boy, is being taken into Herts schools.
About 10% of beds are to be cut across four Greater Manchester hospitals to help an NHS trust balance its books. Staff at the Pennine Acute Trust were told of the plans to cut 221 of its 2,279 beds at a meeting on Tuesday.
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A public inquiry into a second runway at Stansted Airport began on Wednesday, beginning months of evidence presented for and against the proposal. The current emphasis on climate change means that many environmental campaigners will focus on the additional carbon dioxide which the runway may generate.
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Reforms of the drugs pricing system may cost the NHS money, an economist says. The Office of Fair Trading has proposed the cost of drugs to the NHS should be based on health impact, rather than the cost to manufacturers as happens now.
The Conservatives are best placed to carry on Tony Blair's public service reforms, the shadow chancellor says. George Osborne claimed Gordon Brown, the next prime minister, had "abandoned the centre ground of public service reform to the Conservative Party".
A mother from Kent claims her baby son could have been caused serious harm after being given the wrong prescription by a hospital doctor. Four-month-old Joshua was referred to accident and emergency suffering from suspected oral thrush - but he was prescribed an antimalarial medicine.
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Design win for Alzheimer's tool - BBC Health News 29th May 2007
An online screensaver and social network for people with Alzheimer's and their carers has won a Microsoft-led software design prize. "Memories are made of this" was designed by Said Dajani, website manager for the Alzheimer's Society.
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International News
Premature births are becoming more common, even among women traditionally regarded as being at low risk. The greatest risks have always been among women who are poor, badly educated, and either younger or older than average. But there is a growing trend of preterm births among low-risk women. Researchers have looked at changes in the preterm rate in all low-risk women in Australia who gave birth over a ten-year period, and the births of more than 2½ million babies were analysed.
For millions around the world yoga is a source of relaxation and spiritual sustenance. Not so for the Indian Government, which has worked itself into a furious twist over efforts by American entrepreneurs – including an Indian-born celebrity “yogi” – to patent the ancient practice. Indian officials announced yesterday that they would lodge official complaints with US authorities over hundreds of yoga-related patents, copyrights and trademarks that have been issued in recent years.
Proposals for a European organ donor card, to tackle record waiting lists for transplants, emerged yesterday after figures showed that ten people died every day while waiting for a transplant in Europe. The proposals from the European Commission did not go far enough for the British Medical Association, which urged a system of presumed consent so that organs could be used from all potential donors unless an individual had opted out.
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EU-wide organ donor card proposed - BBC Health News 30th May 2007
Russia has banned the export of medical specimens after the country's spy agency allegedly uncovered a Western plot to manufacture a biological weapon that would make Russians sterile. In a decree that appeared to reflect the Russian state's growing suspicion of all things Western, the Federal Customs Service forbade the shipment of all human blood, hair, DNA and bone marrow out of the country.
Japan's demographic gloom lifted slightly yesterday as figures indicated the first rise in the country's birth rate after six consecutive years of decline. Japan is burdened by a rapidly aging population caused by the extraordinary longevity of its people and the reluctance of the young to have children.
China will risk the wrath of the country's 350 million smokers today by declaring the site of the Beijing Olympics a smoke-free zone. Anywhere else the decision would hardly raise an eyebrow, but in China - home to a third of the world's smokers and its largest tobacco industry - the decision has been controversial and subject to unusually public debate. The World Health Organisation estimates that a million Chinese die every year from smoking-related illnesses.
Women are being warned that taking iron pills during pregnancy could do them more harm than good. Unless a pregnant woman is anaemic, say doctors, extra iron could cause her to develop high blood pressure, which in turn may lead to her baby being born smaller.
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Women warned on iron 'overdose' - BBC Health News 30th May 2007
A simple jab could help treat heart disease in millions of people and reduce the need for pain relief, scientists claim. The new treatment, which is currently undergoing trials, improves heart function and increases the quality of life for people with severe heart disease.
India health officials are alarmed by the growing numbers of pregnant women infected with HIV/Aids in the key states of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Bihar. The northern states are among India's most backward, with huge populations but poor literacy and health services.
A chemical found in chocolate, tea, grapes and blueberries can improve the memory of mice, research suggests. The Salk Institute study could lead to further tests to see if epicatechin also works on humans.
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President George W Bush has asked the US Congress to set aside $30bn (£15bn) over five years for the global fight against HIV/Aids. He said the sum would double the current US commitment and provide treatment for 2.5 million people.
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US officials have begun a worldwide search for people who may have come into contact with a man infected with a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis. They say crew and passengers on the same flights as the man, from Atlanta to Paris and from Prague to Montreal this month, should be checked.
Zheng Xiaoyu used to be one of the most trusted men in China. He was in charge of making sure his country's food and drugs did not kill anyone. But, on Tuesday morning in Beijing, a court found that he had failed - badly.
Europe's food and drink industry could face new regulations if it does not try harder to tackle obesity, the European Commission has warned. Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said Europe needed healthier food and stronger advertising codes.
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'Opt out' HIV testing launched - BBC Health News 30th May 2007
Countries with HIV epidemics should carry out HIV tests on everyone attending health centres unless they 'opt out', say experts Issuing new guidance, the World Health Organisation said 200 million people could benefit from the policy.
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Cheshire and Merseyside News
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SOUTHPORT and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust has been named among the top performers for the sixth year running. Figures released for the ‘40 Top Hospitals programme’ reveal that patients treated at one of the top hospitals are safer and less likely to pick up hospital acquired infections such as MRSA.
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A HOSPICE has been offered an 11th-hour rescue package – a month after the ECHO revealed it faced closure. St Joseph’s in Ormskirk has been approached by a businessman who read the ECHO’s report on its plight, and has persuaded trustees to give him time to put a deal together.
A LIVERPOOL supermarket worker saved a shopper’s life after she suffered a heart attack. Iceland shelf-stacker Jeanette Mahdi used first aid she learned 16 years ago, because her son had a heart condition, to give Philomena Rhodes cardiac massage. Grandmother Mrs Rhodes, 61, from Speke, is recovering in hospital after collapsing in nearby Ethel Austin in Central Parade, Speke.
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HEALTH experts were today carrying out more tests for the bird flu outbreak that infected two people from St Helens. The pair were released from hospital over the weekend after catching the disease at a small-holding in north Wales. Experts said it was very difficult for the “mild” H7N2 strain to pass from person to person.
VOTERS in an online poll were against plans to move GPs' surgeries under one roof in Knutsford. More than 75% of readers who took part said the practices in Toft Road, Manchester Road and Annandale should stay put.
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Victory! - Health chiefs to rip up plans - Warrington Guardian May 30th May 2007
HEALTH chiefs have ripped up their plans to build five super health centres in the town and have given doctors the chance to decide what happens next. Following a massive public outcry, including a 20,000-strong petition, bosses have backed down from their plans to concentrate health services in five super centres - which would have resulted in traditional GP surgeries being scrapped.
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Cumbria and Lancashire News
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FIVE new state-of-the-art ultrasound scanners for antenatal screening have been delivered to the Cumberland Infirmary and the West Cumberland Hospital.
UNION leaders believe proposed hospital red-undancies have evolved into a battle of "staff versus cash". Unison and The Royal College of Nursing have teamed up to make the comments in an open letter to Jo Cubbon, the chief executive of East Lanca-shire Hospitals NHS Trust. Trust bosses propose to lay off 60 workers and redeploy 67. Matrons, physiothera-pists and midwifery managers are facing the axe, alongside hospital admin-istrative and support staff.
BLOOD donors in East Lancashire could help the NHS with a 25,000 donation target by the end of June. The plea has been issued by the National Blood Service as it announced a new set of dates when blood donor medics will be touring the area. While an estimated five per of the population regularly give blood, 15 per cent of that total is lost every year due to ill health or retirement.
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HEALTH chiefs in East Lancashire are drawing up an action plan which will help them to meet tough new Department of Health waiting list targets. Health trusts have been told that before the end of next year they must treat all patients within 18 weeks of a referral being made by GPs - which is far tougher than current waiting list targets.
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TALKS were taking place today in a bid to avert strike action at a mental health hospital over night shift rotas. Nearly 100 staff are involved in a dispute between Unison and management at Whalley-based Calderstones Hospital NHS Trust.
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Staff claims cost health trust £33k in legal fees - Lancashire Telegraph 30th May 2007
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Better breast cancer screening pledge - Blackpool Citizen 30th May 2007
A health authority in Fylde and Wyre has promised to improve its act after figures revealed it was one of the worst in the country for breast cancer screening. The North Lancashire Primary Care Trust (PCT), which covers both boroughs, is the fourth worst PCT in the country for providing screenings inside the recommended target time of three years, according to the findings of a survey.
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Greater Manchester News
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A NEW support group for people with arthritis has been launched in Bolton. The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) has set up a volunteer network in the North-west. Volunteers met at the Royal Bolton Hospital to learn how they can provide support for others in the area living with the condition.
A GROUP of GPs have slammed the move to extend an online medical records scheme which is being piloted in the borough. The four family doctors have raised serious security concerns about the system, which allows private patient records to be accessed by dozens of health professionals rather than just an individual GP.
AFTER ten years of treating local youngsters, Dr Pat Walker swapped the corridors of the Royal Bolton Hospital for a poverty stricken facility in Malawi. The consultant paediatrician is now back at work in Bolton, but has been deeply touched by her experiences at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre.
About 10% of beds are to be cut across four Greater Manchester hospitals to help an NHS trust balance its books. Staff at the Pennine Acute Trust were told of the plans to cut 221 of its 2,279 beds at a meeting on Tuesday.
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Bid to put fluoride in water - Manchester Evening News 30th May 2007
FOUR schemes for adding fluoride to tap water across Greater Manchester are being considered. Health bosses have asked United Utilities to price up four options for the highly controversial scheme to improve the region's terrible dental health. They argue adding fluoride to the water supply could help improve dental health - it strengthens tooth enamel. But some anti-fluoride campaigners claim it is potentially dangerous mass medication.
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.
