Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Another 15 Minutes ... Health News from Fade 5th - 8th May 2007
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Another 15 Minutes ... Health News from Fade 2nd May 2007
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
New Section
National News
New Story
New Story
New Story
New Story
War veteran is denied sight drug - BBC Health News 1st May 2007
A war veteran who cares for his disabled wife has been refused drugs which could stop him from going blind. Dennis Devier, 84, from Henley, is already blind in one eye but needs a course of the treatment Lucentis to stop him losing his sight completely.
New Section
International News
New Story
New Story
Drinking 'fuels growth of tumour' - BBC Health News 1st May 2007
Drinking just two alcoholic drinks a day when you have breast cancer fuels the growth of tumours, a study says. It has long-been known alcohol increases the risk of developing cancer but the effect of drinking once cancer is present is less established.
New Section
Cheshire and Merseyside News
New Story
New Story
Vital health meeting tonight - Warrington Guardian 1st May 2007
HUNDREDS of protestors are expected at the Parr Hall tonight, Tuesday for a crunch health meeting. The evening is the biggest of the consultation events to take place to discuss plans to change how the health service runs in Warrington. Health bosses want large supermarkets to replace traditional GP surgeries.
New Section
Cumbria and Lancashire News
New Story
Health bosses go ‘on the road’ - Lancashire Telegraph 1st May 2007
NHS bosses from across the North West will descend on Nelson tomorrow. Board members from NHS North West, the regional strategic health authority, will meet at East Lancashire Primary Care Trust's headquarters at Kenyon Road, on the Lomeshaye Estate.
New Section
Greater Manchester News
New Story
New Story
Search must go on for cure to genetic diseases - The Bolton News 1st May 2007
TRAGIC Tommy D'Attore was only in this world for just three months before he died but he brought his parents and brother and sister boundless love. The tiny baby suffered from a rare genetic disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) for which there is no cure.
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.
New Section
National News
British scientists are to launch the world's first clinical trials of a controversial gene therapy to cure childhood blindness. Researchers will test the treatment on volunteers with a rare inherited form of blindness, in which a single defective gene causes the retina to degenerate and eventually stop working as the child grows up.
Additional Story
Doctors seek to cure blind patients by injecting eye with genes - The Times 2nd May 2007
Additional Story
Doctors test gene transplant to restore sight - The Telegraph 2nd May 2007
Additional Story
Additional Story
New Story
Additional Story
Doctors seek to cure blind patients by injecting eye with genes - The Times 2nd May 2007
Additional Story
Doctors test gene transplant to restore sight - The Telegraph 2nd May 2007
Additional Story
Additional Story
New Story
A sector lacking confidence, timid in its vision and ambition, poorly understood by the public, and widely considered to provide low-quality and unsafe services. This blunt verdict on adult social care has been delivered to ministers by Dame Denise Platt, chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection, who was asked to review the status of the sector and consider how it might be raised. Her recipe: a liberal injection of "imagination, excitement and enthusiasm".
New Story
New Story
Locking away people who have committed no crime and can derive no benefit from treatment will make nobody safer.
New Story
New Story
Britain stands out for its litter, and its streets are notably foul. But that's nothing new - the country has long been a pigsty
Additional Story
Additional Story
New Story
Additional Story
Additional Story
New Story
Further to the letters on rights and responsibilities in mental-health care (May 1), this is a complex area and there is considerable diversity of opinion. The Royal College of Psychiatrists fully supports a multi-professional approach. The particular amendment to the mental-health bill discussed yesterday relates solely to who is qualified to make the medical recommendation which is required before a patient can have their liberty removed on the grounds of mental disorder. European case law has determined that this task can only be undertaken by a registered medical practitioner. Psychiatrists are the only mental-health professionals so qualified.
New Story
New Story
You are behind a pioneering social enterprise company that will bring health services to Wandsworth prison. Why? I have studied prison health since the 1990s and observed the whole paradox of poor healthcare inside prison and better care outside in the NHS. Everything hurts more in prison, so good healthcare is vital.
New Story
New Story
Changing Faces has had some notable victories in supporting people with facial disfigurements. But its founder says today's obsession with looks makes its work more important than ever. By Alison Benjamin
New Story
Patricia Hewitt came to the Commons yesterday to tell us why the computer system for junior doctors went berserk last week. She failed. Sadly, I believe that at some point the Health Secretary herself also began to malfunction. She was wearing a giant fabric peach-coloured flower on her lapel. Apparently, I am told that in mid-statement it began to beep. This was supposed to send a signal to an emergency call-out engineer
New Story
Left-handed women are at a higher risk of dying, particularly from cancer and circulatory diseases, a study has suggested. Numerous reports have associated left-handedness with various disorders and, in general, a shorter life span, according to a report by Dutch researchers in the journal Epidemiology.
New Story
New Story
Patricia Hewitt agreeing that it is acceptable for NHS trusts to refuse surgery to the obese and smokers (report, April 30) sounds like a stealth form of punishment for those whose willpower is not strong enough to resist the temptations to overeat or smoke.
New Story
New Story
The cost of watching TV in hospital has shot up by more than 70 per cent for pensioners. The firm that provides bedside TVs and phones has scrapped the special rate of £1.70 a day for the over-65s. They must now pay the full £2.90 -a rise of £1.20.
New Story
New Story
For anyone who struggles to get a good night's rest, it could be a dream come true. Scientists have invented a technique which they say could help trigger deep sleep in the most chronic insomniac.
New Story
New Story
Every Tuesday, Britain's leading nutritionist, Jane Clarke, explains how to eat your way to health. This week she discusses how to treat low sodium levels and the benefits of cider vinegar: I have been diagnosed with hyponatremia, a lack of sodium. It seems so odd when everyone else is being told they have too much salt in their diet. What do you suggest?
New Story
New Story
Around 8,000 patients a year have surgery for 'watery' eye, a condition where the eyes stream because of a blockage in the tear drainage system. A new procedure means patients may no longer be left with a facial scar. Here, Helen Jackson, 43, a trainee teacher who lives with her husband Billy, 48, and their two children in Bury, Lancashire, tells ANGELA BROOKS about her experience, while her surgeon explains the procedure
New Story
New Story
Alan Parsons is the man behind best-selling Seventies rock concept band The Alan Parsons Project which released ten albums, selling around 45 million copies. After spending most of his life in the UK, in 2000 he moved to Santa Barbara, California with his second wife Lisa and her two teenage daughters Tabitha and Brittni. Alan, 58, also has two grown-up sons, Jeremy and Daniel from his first marriage.
New Story
New Story
One of the UK's five homeopathic hospitals, The Royal London, is under threat of closure because of funding cuts. Professor Michael Baum, professor emeritus of surgery at University College London, explains why he won't miss it: Many people swear by homeopathy. It is a popular dinner party topic of the Hampstead set, of which I am a member. My friends - otherwise educated, cultured people - say it can help them recover from a cold in just seven days. Yes, I reply, and left alone it would take a whole week.
New Story
New Story
MPs are to debate growing concerns over failings in NHS maternity services. It comes ahead of a BBC Panorama programme which shows the pressure hospitals are under and claims wards are buckling under a midwife shortage.
Additional Story
Additional Story
New Story
Women who have their first child by caesarean are more likely to have placenta-related problems in their second pregnancy, research suggests.
New Story
New Story
Breastfeeding newborn babies lying down may boost the chances of success, UK research suggests. A study of 40 mothers breastfeeding in different positions found that babies' natural reflexes kicked in more easily when the mothers were lying down.
New Story
New Story
Deaths from severe heart attacks after hospital admission have nearly halved in six years, a study shows. The international team, which studied 44,372 patients in 14 countries, found that death rates fell from 8.4% to 4.5% between 1999 and 2006.
New Story
New Story
Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt should lose her job after security concerns were raised about a junior doctor job application website, the Tories say. The Medical Training Application Service (MTAS) site was suspended last week after two separate lapses.
New Story
New Story
Healthy older people who take regular aspirin to prevent stroke may actually be increasing their risk. In the past 25 years the number of strokes associated with blood-thinning drugs such as aspirin or warfarin has risen seven-fold, a UK study found.
New Story
New Story
An estimated 600,000 people in England are poised to quit smoking when the smoking ban comes into force in July. Follow our panel of readers as they attempt to kick the habit.
New Story
New Story
Three-quarters of emergency admissions for asthma in England could have been avoided, a report argues. The charity Asthma UK said better guidance to help patients manage their conditions could save the NHS in England £43.7 million a year.
New Story
War veteran is denied sight drug - BBC Health News 1st May 2007
A war veteran who cares for his disabled wife has been refused drugs which could stop him from going blind. Dennis Devier, 84, from Henley, is already blind in one eye but needs a course of the treatment Lucentis to stop him losing his sight completely.
New Section
International News
New Story
A pregnant 17-year-old in state care in Ireland began a court battle yesterday to be allowed to travel to England for an abortion, as the country's failure to resolve the ambiguities in its abortion laws threatened to erupt into a constitutional crisis.
New Story
New Story
Brain scans of Gulf war veterans have revealed neurological differences that may be caused by exposure to toxic chemicals such as nerve agents and pesticides used during the conflict. The study of veterans from the first Gulf war, which began after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, found that two regions of the brain involved in memory and thinking were smaller among those apparently most affected by Gulf war syndrome illnesses. The same personnel also fared worse in simple tests of cognitive ability.
New Story
New Story
The standard of health of Aborigines lags almost 100 years behind that of other Australians, with some indigenous people still suffering from leprosy, rheumatic heart disease and tuberculosis, according to a report written for the World Health Organisation. Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, who make up about 2.5% of Australia's population, live on average 17 years less than their fellow citizens. The average age of death for Aboriginal men in parts of New South Wales is 33, the report said.
New Story
New Story
The pace of life in cities is getting faster, a study shows. Psychologists have measured the speed at which people walk and found a 10 per cent increase in the past decade. Ten years ago, a US psychologist, Robert Levine, showed that walking speed provides a reliable measure of the pace of life in a city. Since then, that pace has speeded up, the study - from 32 countries - reveals.
New Story
New Story
Eating soup with a meal could be the answer to the obesity crisis, according to scientists in the US. People who fill their stomachs with soup at the start of a meal eat less overall, research shows, and rather than piling on the pounds, the addition of the extra course can actually help people lose weight.
New Story
New Story
Obese British teenagers will have to spear wallabies, trap lizards and skin snakes when they go hunting with Aborigines in a new BBC reality television show. Drawing on 40,000 years of knowledge, Aborigines will teach 10 overweight young Britons how to survive on bush tucker in the series Fat Teens Can't Hunt.
New Story
New Story
A slice of cherry pie a day may help stave off heart disease, research has found. The fruit also lowers cholesterol levels and may reduce the risk of diabetes. The darker the cherry the better, as the health effect comes from the pigment responsible for their red colour.
New Story
New Story
A daily spray that eases the symptoms of hay fever and tackles the painful problem of red and itchy eyes could be on sale later this year. The good news is that the steroid can provide rapid relief from the allergy that blights the lives of one in four Britons each summer.
New Story
Drinking 'fuels growth of tumour' - BBC Health News 1st May 2007
Drinking just two alcoholic drinks a day when you have breast cancer fuels the growth of tumours, a study says. It has long-been known alcohol increases the risk of developing cancer but the effect of drinking once cancer is present is less established.
New Section
Cheshire and Merseyside News
New Story
A DOCTOR has denied possessing a CS gas canister and drugs. Fabrizio Equizi, 41, a GP at Claremont medical centre in Maghull, was before Liverpool crown court yesterday.
New Story
Vital health meeting tonight - Warrington Guardian 1st May 2007
HUNDREDS of protestors are expected at the Parr Hall tonight, Tuesday for a crunch health meeting. The evening is the biggest of the consultation events to take place to discuss plans to change how the health service runs in Warrington. Health bosses want large supermarkets to replace traditional GP surgeries.
New Section
Cumbria and Lancashire News
New Story
Health bosses go ‘on the road’ - Lancashire Telegraph 1st May 2007
NHS bosses from across the North West will descend on Nelson tomorrow. Board members from NHS North West, the regional strategic health authority, will meet at East Lancashire Primary Care Trust's headquarters at Kenyon Road, on the Lomeshaye Estate.
New Section
Greater Manchester News
New Story
SOME of Manchester's poorest children may not be seeing a dentist often enough because of confusion about a new appointments system. Under new guidelines, youngsters with the worst teeth and poor diets are now entitled to check-ups four times a year.
New Story
New Story
NEARLY 5,000 people have quit smoking while being treated at the Royal Bolton Hospital in a bid to cut lung cancer rates in the area. A specialist stop smoking service has been helping smokers for more than three years - encouraging both in and outpatients to give up.
New Story
New Story
BOLTON has some of the lowest rates of hospital admission because of asthma in the North-west. The number of people living in the borough who are admitted to hospital because of attacks or other problems is just three per cent above the national standardised average.
New Story
New Story
THERE is still a lot of work to do, but the results of the efforts of Bolton's specialist stop smoking team are encouraging. Almost 5,000 people have kicked the habit while being treated at the Royal Bolton Hospital over the past three years.
New Story
Search must go on for cure to genetic diseases - The Bolton News 1st May 2007
TRAGIC Tommy D'Attore was only in this world for just three months before he died but he brought his parents and brother and sister boundless love. The tiny baby suffered from a rare genetic disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) for which there is no cure.
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.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Another 15 Minutes ... Health News from Fade 1st May 2007
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
New Section
National News
STEPHEN CRAGG (Legislation update, April 24) looked at how the High Court dealt with a dispute about the best living arrangements for an older person who did not have the mental capacity to decide for herself where to live. In this case, the court stepped in to prevent a relative overruling a decision made by a local authority. However, Age Concern encounters many situations where it is by no means clear that local authorities or the NHS are acting in the best interests of an older person by insisting that they enter a care home. In such cases it may be relatives that need the support of the legal system.
Additional Story
Alzheimer's eviction 'breaches human rights' - The Telegraph 1st May 2007
THE clock is ticking for organisations that still hold paper-based files: if they do not digitise their records by October they will be in breach of the Data Protection Act (DPA). Although most large organisations have computer-based systems in place for dealing with new data, Computing (April 26) reports that many will still be in possession of a lot of paper-based information.
New Story
New Story
New Story
New Story
New Story
New Story
The number of Britons who develop the most serious form of malaria is on the increase, official figures show. Data from the Health Protection Agency show there were 1,758 cases of malaria reported in UK travellers in 2006 - eight of which were fatal.
Scientists at the University of Dundee believe they may be a step closer to finding out why some people get cancer. Researchers have found that people who carry a variant of a specific gene are less likely to develop lung cancer.
New Story
Hope for sex-boost slimming pill - BBC Health News 30th April 2007
Scientists are developing a pill which could boost women's libido and reduce their appetite. The hormone-releasing pill has so far only been given to female monkeys and shrews who displayed more mating behaviour and ate less.
International News
New Story
China miners risk deadly disease - BBC Health News 30th April 2007
Thousands of miners and cement workers in China are dying each year from breathing in coal and cement dust, state media reports. The lung disease known as "black lung" or pneumoconiosis accounts for three quarters of all occupational deaths, health officials said.
Cheshire and Merseyside News
New Story
New Story
Crunch health meetings due - Warrington Guardian 30th April 2007
The final public meetings over the controversial changes to doctor's surgeries are due tonight and tomorrow.
Cumbria and Lancashire News
HOSPITAL staff in Cumbria are holding a series of events to mark national Breastfeeding Awareness Week next month. Sessions will be held at the Cumberland Infirmary, West Cumberland Hospital and Penrith Birthing Unit from May 13-19.
New Story
A breath of fresh air for patients - Lancashire Telegraph 30th April 2007
A GROUNDBREAKING project providing a breath of fresh air for people with lung complaints has been named one of Europe's best health initiatives. More than 200 patients, mainly suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, have been given a new lease of life by the pioneering rehab service.
Greater Manchester News
New Story
'Poor care' turns asthma into crisis - Manchester Evening News 1st May 2007
PEOPLE from Oldham who suffer from asthma are almost twice as likely to need emergency hospital care as patients from the rest of England, according to a pressure group.
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.
New Section
National News
Tony Blair poured scorn yesterday on a proposal advanced by Gordon Brown's close political allies for putting the NHS under the control of an independent board free from day-to-day ministerial interference.
Additional Story
New Story
Additional Story
Blair dismisses Brown’s NHS management plan - The Times 1st May 2007
Additional Story
Additional Story
Additional Story
Additional Story
New Story
People who regularly take aspirin to ward off strokes in later life could be doing themselves more harm than good, according to a new study. Researchers have found that the proportion of people over 75 who have suffered bleeding strokes has jumped ten-fold in the past 25 years, reflecting the increased use of antithrombotic drugs such as aspirin and warfarin.
New Story
New Story
Scandal-hit healthcare software group iSoft said yesterday talks with potential buyers are at an advanced stage and hinted it may pull itself out of the red this year. Negotiations with its banks over long-term funding are continuing. It has used £49m of a £93m overdraft facility that runs out on November 14.
New Story
New Story
Would your child know what to do if a friend was choking, or had fallen off their bike? Lucy Atkins reports on a scheme that takes 10-year-olds into casualty to learn how to avoid accidents and save lives
New Story
New Story
One of the active chemicals in cannabis inhibits psychotic symptoms in people with schizophrenia, according to a study which compared it with a leading anti-psychotic drug. Although the finding could lead to new treatments for schizophrenia, scientists think it may also explain why cases of cannabis-induced psychosis are apparently on the rise.
Additional Story
How cannabis holds an unlikely way to treat schizophrenia - The Times 1st May 2007
Additional Story
Even a small amount of cannabis 'triggers psychotic episodes' warn doctors - Daily Mail 30th April 2007
Additional Story
New Story
Additional Story
How cannabis holds an unlikely way to treat schizophrenia - The Times 1st May 2007
Additional Story
Even a small amount of cannabis 'triggers psychotic episodes' warn doctors - Daily Mail 30th April 2007
Additional Story
New Story
If there is one lesson policymakers in England could learn from Scotland, it would be how to reform the Mental Health Act (Letters, April 27). The Scottish Act 2003 was broadly supported by all professional groups, patients, their families and the public. It protects patients' human rights without compromising on public safety.
New Story
New Story
Enforcement teams reported total compliance yesterday as the smoking ban ushered in a fresh era for Northern Ireland. Environmental health officers patrolled pubs and restaurants to check for any immediate breach of the prohibition.
Additional Story
Ban comes in with puff of smoke - BBC Health News 30th April 2007
New Story
Additional Story
Ban comes in with puff of smoke - BBC Health News 30th April 2007
New Story
THE NHS needs to ship in scores of managers to help to overhaul services, offer patient choice, implement new financial systems and support clinical staff, according to the NHS Confederation. The confederation has produced a nifty booklet of facts about managers to support its claim. It says that, contrary to popular belief, there are more beds than managers, five times more, and that not all managers are grey-suited men; 59 per cent are women and judging by the photographs, they favour black clothing.
New Story
New Story
STEPHEN CRAGG (Legislation update, April 24) looked at how the High Court dealt with a dispute about the best living arrangements for an older person who did not have the mental capacity to decide for herself where to live. In this case, the court stepped in to prevent a relative overruling a decision made by a local authority. However, Age Concern encounters many situations where it is by no means clear that local authorities or the NHS are acting in the best interests of an older person by insisting that they enter a care home. In such cases it may be relatives that need the support of the legal system.
Additional Story
Alzheimer's eviction 'breaches human rights' - The Telegraph 1st May 2007
THE clock is ticking for organisations that still hold paper-based files: if they do not digitise their records by October they will be in breach of the Data Protection Act (DPA). Although most large organisations have computer-based systems in place for dealing with new data, Computing (April 26) reports that many will still be in possession of a lot of paper-based information.
New Story
Ten years ago today the British electorate voted for life to change. Not just politics: life. It is sometimes difficult to remember the gloom that had built up over 18 years: some changes had been necessary, some disastrous, but what drove many to vote pellmell for change was the toxic attitude of government. Every ministerial statement breathed disdain for us: just close your eyes and remember the voice of Brian Mawhinney . . .
New Story
New Story
JONATHAN WARREN head of healthcare at HMP Pentonville, on the FACTER X project, which trains prison officers and nurses to deal with inmates suffering from mental illness
New Story
New Story
HOLY water is at best divine and at worse completely innocuous. After all, what harm can it possibly do? Plenty, according to Gillian Hodgson, an infection control nurse at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
New Story
New Story
LOOKING for punters? You could have a go with some tried and tested sales techniques such as flashing the cash. Building (April 27) reports that, faced with flagging enthusiasm for private finance initiatives (PFI), a Bristol hospital is trying to pique the interest of bidders by offering to pay some of their costs.
New Story
New Story
YOU can shift the blame, but changing the way that local government works is no easy task, Local Government Chronicle (April 26) reports. First up: Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire county councils have withdrawn from the Department of Health’s (DoH) shared services project — NHS Shared Business Services — fearful of breaking EU procurement laws.
New Story
New Story
Incorporating pistachios into the diet can significantly reduce cholesterol and help to prevent narrowing of the arteries, research suggests. Nuts have a reputation as being salty, fatty and high in calories. In fact, they contain protein, fibre and in many cases their fats are of the healthy type.
Additional Story
New Story
Additional Story
New Story
Doctors often diagnose too quickly, under the pressure of time and overwork — and get it wrong. In a new book Dr Jerome Groopman explains how you can help them to get it right
New Story
New Story
TOO much “time, effort and ingenuity” are required to access information on health and social care services, according to research by the Picker Institute. The charity asked parents of autistic children and people suffering from multiple sclerosis and diabetes, among others, to shop for information.
New Story
A Second World War veteran who is blind in one eye and cares for his disabled wife has been denied NHS funding for a drug that could stop him losing his sight completely. Dennis Devier was told his case was not exceptional, and was forced to spend £8,000 of savings he had planned to use for nursing care on private treatment to stop him going blind.
Additional Story
War vet faces blindness and his disabled wife a care home after NHS drug rationing - Daily Mail 1st May 2007
New Story
Additional Story
War vet faces blindness and his disabled wife a care home after NHS drug rationing - Daily Mail 1st May 2007
New Story
A grown-up woman is feeling guilty about asking her mother, who was a war refugee, not to smother her with constant attention. Lesley Garner has some advice
New Story
New Story
The national scandal of the Medical Training Application Service and Modernising Medical Careers has become deeper and more unforgivable.
New Story
New Story
Getting eight hours' sleep a night has long been seen as one of the keys to a healthy and happy life. But for most of us the figure is little more than an ideal, with the average worker losing two and a half years of sleep over the course of their career, according to a survey.
New Story
As many as 40 per cent of women in the UK are said to suffer from flagging libido at any one time. Female sexual dysfunction can wreak havoc in even the most loving relationships. It is an extremely complex problem with a variety of possible causes, including illness, the menopause, weight gain, poor nutrition, stress and psychological factors.
New Story
American bullfrogs could hold the key to eliminating the MRSA superbug from hospital wards, scientists said today. Researchers at St Andrews University have developed a novel treatment which kills the infection. One of its key ingredients is ranalexin, a protein secreted by the Rana species of bullfrogs.
Additional Story
Potential MRSA cure in bullfrogs - BBC Health News 30th April 2007
New Story
Additional Story
Potential MRSA cure in bullfrogs - BBC Health News 30th April 2007
New Story
Too few seriously ill children are receiving palliative care in their final weeks, a study suggests. A team from Great Ormond Street Hospital found the number dying in intensive care has increased over the last decade.
New Story
More than one in three gay men with HIV have unprotected sex, a survey says. The University College London poll of 2,640 men in Manchester, Brighton and London also revealed a fifth of gay men without HIV do the same.
New Story
The number of Britons who develop the most serious form of malaria is on the increase, official figures show. Data from the Health Protection Agency show there were 1,758 cases of malaria reported in UK travellers in 2006 - eight of which were fatal.
Scientists at the University of Dundee believe they may be a step closer to finding out why some people get cancer. Researchers have found that people who carry a variant of a specific gene are less likely to develop lung cancer.
New Story
Scientists are developing a pill which could boost women's libido and reduce their appetite. The hormone-releasing pill has so far only been given to female monkeys and shrews who displayed more mating behaviour and ate less.
Those who suffer from runny noses and itchy eyes at this time of year will welcome news that GlaxoSmithKline, the world's second largest pharmaceutical company, has had its allergy nasal spray approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
New Story
New Story
Whether you prefer skinny or whipped, with an extra shot of caffeine or a pump of syrup, your favourite beverage probably contains more calories, fat and sugar than you imagine. Britons once favoured plain coffee or tea, but we've developed a love of gourmet drinks such as lattes and spiced teas - all bad news for our waistlines.
New Story
New Story
A test has been designed which can show if people of normal weight are at an increased risk of heart disease because they are carrying "hidden" fat. Developed by South Korean researchers, it checks blood-flow via a cuff on the ankle or arm.
New Story
China miners risk deadly disease - BBC Health News 30th April 2007
Thousands of miners and cement workers in China are dying each year from breathing in coal and cement dust, state media reports. The lung disease known as "black lung" or pneumoconiosis accounts for three quarters of all occupational deaths, health officials said.
New Story
LAST week, Urgent Care 24’s contract was extended by Primary Care Trust directors for six months. While some voiced concerns that Merseyside’s 1m patients will continue to rely on UC24 for their round-the-clock care until April, 2008, the service’s staff saw the extension as a vote of confidence.
New Story
New Story
MERSEYSIDE medics have been called up to support British troops in Afghanistan. A team of 85 NHS personnel will take charge of the field hospital in Camp Bastion, the main base in lawless Helmand provence.
New Story
Crunch health meetings due - Warrington Guardian 30th April 2007
The final public meetings over the controversial changes to doctor's surgeries are due tonight and tomorrow.
HEALTH bosses fear moves to reorganise where patients go for specialist operations could see Cumbrians travelling further for care. Under plans to create a new regional group, they fear Cumbrians – who have traditionally been referred to the north east for heart bypass and other specialist procedures – could end up being sent to Manchester.
New Story
New Story
HOSPITAL staff in Cumbria are holding a series of events to mark national Breastfeeding Awareness Week next month. Sessions will be held at the Cumberland Infirmary, West Cumberland Hospital and Penrith Birthing Unit from May 13-19.
A breath of fresh air for patients - Lancashire Telegraph 30th April 2007
A GROUNDBREAKING project providing a breath of fresh air for people with lung complaints has been named one of Europe's best health initiatives. More than 200 patients, mainly suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, have been given a new lease of life by the pioneering rehab service.
New Story
'Poor care' turns asthma into crisis - Manchester Evening News 1st May 2007
PEOPLE from Oldham who suffer from asthma are almost twice as likely to need emergency hospital care as patients from the rest of England, according to a pressure group.
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.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Another 15 Minutes...Health News form Fade 30th April 2007
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
New Section
National News
Tony Blair will mark his decade in office this week with "big regrets" at his inability to move more quickly to reform Britain's public services, one of his closest cabinet allies has claimed.
Additional Story
New Story
The rate of new mothers suffering postnatal depression has doubled to 20 per cent. The rise is being blamed on the distressing experiences suffered by many women during labour at overstretched NHS maternity units all over the country.
More than half of English dentists have closed their doors to NHS patients, a survey reveals. The research found 51 per cent of dentists were only taking on patients if they agreed to go private.
Smokers can no longer light up in bars across Northern Ireland as the new smoking ban has come into force. It is now illegal to smoke in workplaces, most enclosed public spaces and on public transport. The ban will be enforced by local councils.
An 83-year-old woman with Alzheimer's disease is at the centre of a landmark legal case to be heard by Law Lords. The woman, known only as YL, is threatened with eviction from the private care home she lives in.
Kieron Norton is a bright intelligent young boy. He loves taking pictures and reading books. But six-year-old Kieron has cerebral palsy and has to rely on others to do even the simplest of things.
New Story
In a series focusing on medical specialisms, the BBC News website meets nurse Kate Latus. Her work in London in nuclear medicine involves the use of radioactive material to create images of the body and treat disease.
Complaints about helpline NHS Direct have risen by 50% since the end of 2006 as it struggles to answer calls and offer speedy advice, its figures show. In March the 24-hour health helpline had 1.89 complaints for every 10,000 calls - over twice the target level - after four successive monthly rises.
Teaching, health and consumer groups have written to the government urging it to tighten up the rules on food adverts that target children. They said a revised code for non-broadcast adverts, such as those on the internet, did not go far enough.
The "great majority" of hospitals which were in serious deficit last year have improved their position, Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt says. She told Sky's Sunday Live that fewer than 10% of hospitals still had serious debts and the NHS overall would be "in balance".
It was not until Jay Fletcher first had sex that she realised there was something wrong - the pain was excruciating. Friends and family said a little pain was not unusual the first time, but 17-year-old Jay knew this was different.
Porters, cleaners and other ancillary health workers are threatening strike action after talks with employers ended without agreement. Their unions are unhappy with the government's decision to stagger a 2.5% pay rise, which they say reduces the value of the award to 1.9%.
New Story
Experts clash on powerline safety - BBC Health News 27th April 2007
Experts have clashed over whether or not it is safe to build houses and schools near powerlines. The government had asked them to look at cutting exposure to emissions from the lines - but they could not agree if there should be a ban on new builds.
New Section
International News
New Story
New Story
Mental stimulation and drug treatment could help people with degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's recover their memories, a study says. Scientists found mice with a similar condition to Alzheimer's were able to regain memories of tasks they had previously been taught.
New Story
New Story
Pain drugs dementia hope dashed - BBC Health News 27th April 2007
Commonly used painkillers which had been thought to prevent Alzheimer's have no effect, research suggests. Aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) did not protect memory or prevent dementia, two US studies found.
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.
New Section
National News
Tony Blair will mark his decade in office this week with "big regrets" at his inability to move more quickly to reform Britain's public services, one of his closest cabinet allies has claimed.
Additional Story
Labour's Scottish health policy may provide UK blueprint - The Guardian 30th April 2007
Additional Story
Blair regrets early wasted years - The Telegraph 30th Apil 2007
Additional Story
Recognise NHS success, says Blair - BBC Health News 30th April 2007
Additional Story
Blair regrets early wasted years - The Telegraph 30th Apil 2007
Additional Story
Recognise NHS success, says Blair - BBC Health News 30th April 2007
New Story
A new breed of genetically modified crops could provide cheap drugs and vaccines for the developing world. Only one problem: what if they get into the food chain? Environment correspondent David Adam reports on 'pharming', the new GM front line
New Story
New Story
What's the first thing you did when you arrived in the office this morning? Before even checking your email or launching into a 10-minute rant on how two-day weekends just aren't long enough, you probably made yourself a cup of tea. Around 165m cups of tea will be consumed today in the UK, accounting for 40% of the nation's fluid intake. Given our long working-hours culture, that means an awful lot of tea is drunk in the office. And according to dietician Dr Carrie Ruxton, who has studied the impact on health of the consumption of black tea, this is no bad thing.
New Story
New Story
ISoft, the troubled software developer at the heart of the NHS's multibillion pound IT upgrade, said this morning that talks over a possible takeover have reached an "advanced" stage.
New Story
New Story
Four in 10 black and Asian people in Britain live in poverty, twice the rate among white people, research has revealed. Despite improving academic performance and qualifications, they still face prejudice in job interviews and are paid lower wages than their white counterparts.
Additional Story
Ethnic minorities 'have double poverty rate' - Daily Mail 29th April 2007
New Story
Additional Story
Ethnic minorities 'have double poverty rate' - Daily Mail 29th April 2007
New Story
Dentists may have to pay back millions of pounds to the NHS because they have failed to reach their targets in the first year of a new contract. Some dentists face repayments of tens of thousands of pounds, and in a few cases more than £100,000. The impact on dental practices will be even greater because their income next year will be reduced, and it is feared that the problems may lead to even more dentists leaving the NHS.
New Story
New Story
Nobody disputes that what a woman eats in pregnancy can affect her baby. But research shows that mothers who want to give their offspring the best chance in life need to start preparing long before the bump appears. There is growing evidence that how young women eat and behave can affect the health of any children they go on to have – and possibly the health of future generations, too.
New Story
New Story
Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary, said yesterday that it was "perfectly legitimate" for NHS trusts to refuse some treatments to heavy smokers or patients who are obese. The Health Secretary said it was 'perfectly legitimate' for NHS trusts to refuse some treatments to heavy smokers or patients who are obese Miss Hewitt defended the right of doctors and managers to draw up local guidelines on treatment after a survey revealed that some trusts are already banning operations.
Additional Story
Millions too fat for NHS surgery - Daily Mail 30th April 2007
New Story
Additional Story
Millions too fat for NHS surgery - Daily Mail 30th April 2007
New Story
The rate of new mothers suffering postnatal depression has doubled to 20 per cent. The rise is being blamed on the distressing experiences suffered by many women during labour at overstretched NHS maternity units all over the country.
More than half of English dentists have closed their doors to NHS patients, a survey reveals. The research found 51 per cent of dentists were only taking on patients if they agreed to go private.
Smokers can no longer light up in bars across Northern Ireland as the new smoking ban has come into force. It is now illegal to smoke in workplaces, most enclosed public spaces and on public transport. The ban will be enforced by local councils.
An 83-year-old woman with Alzheimer's disease is at the centre of a landmark legal case to be heard by Law Lords. The woman, known only as YL, is threatened with eviction from the private care home she lives in.
Kieron Norton is a bright intelligent young boy. He loves taking pictures and reading books. But six-year-old Kieron has cerebral palsy and has to rely on others to do even the simplest of things.
New Story
In a series focusing on medical specialisms, the BBC News website meets nurse Kate Latus. Her work in London in nuclear medicine involves the use of radioactive material to create images of the body and treat disease.
Complaints about helpline NHS Direct have risen by 50% since the end of 2006 as it struggles to answer calls and offer speedy advice, its figures show. In March the 24-hour health helpline had 1.89 complaints for every 10,000 calls - over twice the target level - after four successive monthly rises.
Teaching, health and consumer groups have written to the government urging it to tighten up the rules on food adverts that target children. They said a revised code for non-broadcast adverts, such as those on the internet, did not go far enough.
The "great majority" of hospitals which were in serious deficit last year have improved their position, Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt says. She told Sky's Sunday Live that fewer than 10% of hospitals still had serious debts and the NHS overall would be "in balance".
It was not until Jay Fletcher first had sex that she realised there was something wrong - the pain was excruciating. Friends and family said a little pain was not unusual the first time, but 17-year-old Jay knew this was different.
Porters, cleaners and other ancillary health workers are threatening strike action after talks with employers ended without agreement. Their unions are unhappy with the government's decision to stagger a 2.5% pay rise, which they say reduces the value of the award to 1.9%.
New Story
Experts clash on powerline safety - BBC Health News 27th April 2007
Experts have clashed over whether or not it is safe to build houses and schools near powerlines. The government had asked them to look at cutting exposure to emissions from the lines - but they could not agree if there should be a ban on new builds.
New Section
International News
New Story
American scientists have discovered an "exercise pill" that switches on a gene that tells cells to burn fat. The un-named drug, which is in the early stages of development, could offer an answer to the obesity crisis. Researchers who have tested it in mice say that it prevented the mice putting on weight even when they were fed a high-fat diet. The drug triggers the same fat burning process that occurs during exercise, even when the mice are not active. By kickstarting the metabolism, more calories are burnt than are consumed.
Additional Story
Additional Story
Slimming pill that persuades body to burn fat - The Times 30th April 2007
Additional Story
'Gym pill' trips fat-burning gene - BBC Health News 29th April 2007
Additional Story
'Gym pill' trips fat-burning gene - BBC Health News 29th April 2007
New Story
Mental stimulation and drug treatment could help people with degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's recover their memories, a study says. Scientists found mice with a similar condition to Alzheimer's were able to regain memories of tasks they had previously been taught.
New Story
An escalation in violence in Somalia has left many too frightened to seek treatment for cholera, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres has warned. It says there could be a "humanitarian crisis" as people flee fighting between Ethiopian-backed troops and Islamist insurgents in the capital Mogadishu.
New Story
Pain drugs dementia hope dashed - BBC Health News 27th April 2007
Commonly used painkillers which had been thought to prevent Alzheimer's have no effect, research suggests. Aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) did not protect memory or prevent dementia, two US studies found.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)