Taps behind baby infection deaths

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
24 January 2012 Last updated at 18:34 GMT The neo-natal unit at the Royal under went a deep clean Sink taps were the source of an infection which killed three babies at a Belfast hospital, the Northern Ireland health minister has confirmed.

Edwin Poots told the NI Assembly that the Pseudomonas bacteria had been traced to taps at a neo-natal unit in the Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital.

The unit was deep cleaned at the weekend after six babies were found to be infected.

A seventh case which emerged on Tuesday has now been confirmed as Pseudomonas.

That child remains very ill.

Sterile water is now to be used for nappy changing in the neo-natal unit.

"I can report that investigations so far have shown that pseudomonas bacteria have been found in a number of taps in the intensive care area of the neonatal unit in the Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital," Mr Poots told the assembly on Tuesday.

"The Trust Health Estates team are in the process of removing and replacing all taps and related pipe work in the affected area."

The health minister stressed that there was no evidence that the bacterium was in the water system.

He said the trust had taken specialist advice from England and work would be carried out over the next few weeks to ensure the environment was safe.

He said new ultraviolet light taps which kill bacteria at source would be introduced in the neo-natal unit as a result of the infection.

"The unit will only be opened once all remedial work is completed and tests show that it is safe to nurse babies in this environment," he added.

So far seven babies have been infected; three died, two recovered, one recovered but later died from unrelated causes and one has pneumonia and is potentially infected.

Mr Poots said taps in the neo-natal intensive care unit were the source of infection

Eight other babies are carrying the bacteria on their skin, but are not infected.

"The circumstances surrounding this are complex and there is considerable detective work involved," Mr Poots said.

"Our neo-natal network is managing well and well-established arrangements are in place.

"My priority is to manage the outbreak which is a complex and dynamic situation."

Earlier on Tuesday, the BBC learned that the Western Health Trust dealt with three cases of the pseudomonas infection before last Christmas.

One baby being treated in Altnagelvin's neo-natal unit died, while another made a full recovery.

A third was transferred to the Royal Victoria hospital in Belfast.

All three infants had a different strain of the infection that is currently being investigated at the Royal Maternity's neo-natal unit.

It has been confirmed that sink taps were the source of the infection at Altnagelvin.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is found widely in soil and stagnant water. It does not usually cause illness in healthy people but can pose a serious threat to people with weak immune systems.

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Health trust in Army medics plan

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
19 January 2012 Last updated at 22:31 GMT Pontefract Hospital's A&E department has been closed overnight since 1 November A health trust which shut its A&E unit in Pontefract overnight due to doctor shortages is considering using Army medics in a bid to solve the problem.

The department has been closed from 22:00 to 08:00 each day since November following the move by the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

The trust said it was looking at how Army medical staff could provide support on a temporary basis.

The night-time closure has drawn criticism from residents and MPs.

Wakefield Council's social care and health scrutiny committee met earlier to look at how the closure has affected people.

Councillor Betty Rhodes, chair of the committee, said members were "surprised" when the trust informed them of its approach to the Army.

"We found out for the first time that in order to look to reduce the gap, the trust had approached the Army to bring some medical staff in and they told us they haven't had a reply from the Army."

She added: "I actually asked them to reiterate the word in terms of the Army coming in."

Committee 'sceptical'

Ms Rhodes said the committee was "sceptical" of the trust's attempts to try to recruit doctors to enable the unit to reopen fully.

"The trust told us... they were finding it very difficult to find the middle management doctors that were necessary to provide the overnight service.

"Today we were very sceptical... because we have seen evidence other trusts, such as Mid Staffordshire, have actually resulted in their recruitment drive with a shortlist of 14 for their middle management."

In a statement, the trust said: "We have made contact with the Army and had early exploratory conversations."

A spokesperson for the trust said earlier it would reopen the unit as soon as enough doctors could be recruited to staff it safely.

The spokesperson said it was looking at a range of options based on the experience of other trusts.

"One of these options was to look at how medical staff who have been trained by the Army could provide some support on a temporary basis.

"We are in the early stages of looking at the viability of this as one of several possible options and there are no confirmed plans."

However, a Department of Health spokeswoman said there was no doctor shortage issue at Pontefract and that the MoD had told her it had received no approach from the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

'Very unusual'

Yvette Cooper, Labour MP for Pontefract and Castleford, said she welcomed any action which would mean additional doctors at the hospital, but she believed it was not a long-term solution.

"Clearly, the Army's priority is to be able to support their wounded soldiers and their personnel," she said.

"And while we want to do everything possible to get Pontefract A&E open, I think the government also needs to answer how it has come to this and why hospitals are now reliant on the Army."

Dr Richard Vautrey, deputy chairman of the British Medical Association's GPs Committee, said a hospital calling for help from Army doctors was "very, very unusual".

"We need to ask why doctors are not seeking to work at Pontefract Hospital or responding to the recruitment drive they have initiated," he said.

"There simply aren't that many Army-trained doctors sitting twiddling their thumbs," he added.

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

‘Early growth’ linked to asthma

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
20 January 2012 Last updated at 08:21 GMT Researchers studied over 5,000 children Babies who grow rapidly in the first three months of life may be more likely to develop asthma as children, say Dutch researchers.

They found "accelerated weight gain" was linked to a higher chance of symptoms such as wheezing.

The study of 5,125 children by the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam suggested no connection with earlier impaired growth in the womb.

Asthma UK said parents should keep following official baby-feeding advice.

The origins of asthma are still not fully understood, although many researchers believe there is some connection with the way the foetus develops and grows through pregnancy.

The study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine compared pregnancy and baby records measuring foetal and postnatal weight gain.

'Critical period'

The babies were then followed up at yearly intervals and their parents questioned about breathing symptoms, as the presence of these can be a reasonable indicator of whether or not a child will go on to develop full blown asthma.

They found that, compared with babies whose growth followed the normal pattern in the months after birth, babies who gained weight rapidly were 44% more likely to suffer wheezing, 22% more likely to have shortness of breath and 30% more likely to have persistent phlegm.

There was no apparent relationship between the fast-growing babies and being underweight in the womb.

Although routine foetal measurement can be imprecise, this suggested that the sudden weight gain was not necessarily the baby "catching up" from reduced growth in the womb.

Dr Liesbeth Dujits said that early infancy might be a "critical period" for asthma development.

She said: "We know that low birth weight is associated with an increased risk of asthma symptoms, but the effects of specific foetal and infant growth patterns had not been examined yet.

"Our results suggest that the relationship between infant weight gain and asthma symptoms is not due to the accelerated growth of foetal growth-restricted infants only.

"While the mechanisms underlying this are unclear, accelerated weight growth in early life might adversely affect lung growth."

Leanne Metcalf, from Asthma UK, said that while the study offered more insight into the possible development of asthma, it was too early for parents to change the way they cared for their children.

"This is an interesting preliminary study, but parents should follow existing advice from health professionals when it comes to feeding their babies in the first few months.

"We know that early life does appear to influence the risk of developing asthma later on, but there are a lot of other potential factors that have to be taken into consideration."

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Abortion clinics cleared for TV

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
21 January 2012 Last updated at 13:24 GMT Not-for-profit pregnancy clinics are already allowed to advertise on TV and radio Private clinics that charge for pregnancy services including abortions will be able to advertise on television and radio under new rules.

The Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) said there was no justification to bar clinics offering post-conception advice services (PCAS).

For-profit pregnancy centres can currently advertise in all media except television and radio.

The new regulations will take effect on 30 April.

BCAP said the adverts would be allowed as long as they were not harmful, offensive or misleading.

Pregnancy clinics that run on a not-for-profit basis are already allowed to advertise on television and radio.

'Robust protection'

A statement from BCAP said: "BCAP decided to remove the television rule, which effectively prevents commercial PCAS offering personal advice from advertising, and the radio rule which effectively prevents only PCAS with local authority or NHS approval from advertising.

Continue reading the main story

There is not going to be some sort of free-for-all saying 'come to us to get an abortion'”

End Quote Matt Wilson Committee of Advertising Practice spokesman "BCAP understood that the removal of these restrictions would allow legally available PCAS to advertise, while maintaining robust protection for general audiences through existing rules which prevent broadcast advertising from causing harm or offence."

BCAP said it held a full public consultation last year but did not receive any response from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport or the Department of Health.

Clinics that do not directly refer women for a termination will have to make that clear in their advertising under the new rules.

The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) said this was on strong public health grounds.

CAP spokesman Matt Wilson said: "There is not going to be some sort of free-for-all saying 'come to us to get an abortion'.

"They are not there to promote abortion, they have to promote an array of services. It is about being responsible, and commercial pro-life pregnancy services will now be able to advertise too."

'Desensitise seriousness'

However, Conservative MP Nadine Dorries said the move would make having a termination seem "as easy as having your lunch".

"What this is actually going to do is desensitise what abortion is and the seriousness of it," she told the Daily Mail.

"That may be great for articulate, well-educated women who know exactly what they want but the more vulnerable woman who is in emotional turmoil is going to be badly damaged.

"Broadcasters will be making profit through advertising revenue off the back of a service which ends life. It's appalling."

Both pro-life and groups which offer abortion advice say this ruling will not see a surge of advertisements on television because more abortions are carried out by groups on behalf of the NHS.

In 2010, 96% of abortions were funded by the NHS, 51% of which were carried out by independent clinics on behalf of the service.

'Right choice'

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), a pro-life group, said advertising would be dominated by groups such as the British Pregnancy Advisory Services (BPAS) and Marie Stopes as they receive funds from the NHS to carry out abortions.

The campaign group said there were not any commercial pro-life pregnancy services as all pro-life groups were charities who could not afford broadcast advertising.

The group added that "Marie Stopes and their ilk" should have to declare that they offer abortion or have a financial interest in it.

"This decision will only serve the abortion industry's money-spinning trade which hurts women through killing their unborn children," added a spokesman.

A spokeswoman for BPAS said: "Unlike anti-abortion agencies, BPAS believes that whatever decision a woman makes - be that to keep or end the pregnancy - is equally valid.

"We are a not-for-profit charity; our only interest is in a woman making the choice that is right for her."

Marie Stopes said this ruling did not affect them as it was a not-for-profit organisation.

CAP and BCAP are responsible for the self-regulation of the advertising industry under the watch of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

In 2010, the ASA rejected complaints about the first UK television advertisement by an abortion advisory organisation.

The advertising watchdog said the advert for Marie Stopes, which ran on Channel 4, did not mention or advocate abortion.

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

'Three-person IVF' moves closer

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
19 January 2012 Last updated at 12:59 GMT Almost all cells have mitochondria - shown here in green Public opinion will help decide the future of a controversial genetic technique to stop serious conditions being passed from mother to child.

It replaces defective genetic material in the egg in order to eliminate rare mitochondrial diseases.

After the consultation into "three-person IVF", ministers will decide whether to allow it in patients.

A £5.8m centre at Newcastle University, funded by the Wellcome Trust, will investigate the technique's safety.

Inherited defects

Mitochondria can be found within almost every human cell, and provide the energy they need to function.

Like the nucleus of the cell, they contain DNA, although in tiny quantities.

Approximately 1 in 5,000 babies is born with inherited defects in their mitochondrial DNA, the effects of which can be very severe, or even fatal, depending on which cells are affected.

Continue reading the main story

Every year we see hundreds of patients whose lives are seriously affected by mitochondrial disease.”

End Quote Prof Doug Turnbull, Newcastle University Scientists believe they have found a way to substitute the defective mitochondria and hopefully prevent the child from developing a disease.

They take two eggs, one from the mother and another from a donor.

The nucleus of the donor egg is removed, leaving the rest of the egg contents, including the mitochondria, and is replaced with the nucleus from the mother's egg.

The resulting embryo has properly functioning mitochondria from the donor, and should, in theory, be healthy.

This replacement is like replacing a battery and therefore has no impact on the DNA that determines other factors, such as appearance.

Even though the child would have a very limited genetic contribution from the third person, there is still opposition from some groups, who say such genetic manipulation carries risks.

Currently, a change in the law would be needed before it could be offered to patients.

'Vital that we listen'

Announcing the consultation, David Willetts, minister for universities and science, said: "Scientists have made an important and potentially life-saving discovery in the prevention of mitochondrial disease.

"However, as with all developments in cutting-edge science, it is vital that we to listen to the public's views before we consider any change in the law allowing it to be used."

It is hoped the consultation will be complete by the end of this year.

Sir Mark Walport, from the Wellcome Trust, said the technique might prevent previously incurable diseases.

"We welcome the opportunity to discuss with the public why we believe this technique is essential if we are to give families affected by these diseases the chance to have healthy children, something most of us take for granted."

Prof Doug Turnbull, from Newcastle University, added: "Every year we see hundreds of patients whose lives are seriously affected by mitochondrial disease.

"We want to make a major difference to the lives of these patients."

Groups representing patients and their families also welcomed the announcement.

Alastair Kent, from Genetic Alliance UK, said that the impact of mitochondrial disease could be "devastating".

He said: "It will be quite a long time before this is available as a clinical service, and our primary concern is to make sure the technique is safe.

"But it would be sensible and reasonable to offer it to prevent these conditions."

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Bid to stop doctor gagging orders

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
26 January 2012 Last updated at 00:00 GMT Whistle-blowing in the NHS has received a lot of attention in recent years Doctors are being told they can no longer sign contracts that contain gagging orders, in new guidance issued by the medical regulator.

The General Medical Council advice states medics should not enter contracts or deals that seek to stop them raising concerns about poor care.

The guidance also makes clear that doctors have a duty to act if they believe care is being compromised.

It is the latest in a series of attempts to encourage whistle-blowing.

Evidence has been emerging in recent years of trusts restricting the ability of staff to raise the alarm about bad practices.

Nurse Margaret Haywood was struck off in 2009 after filming examples of neglect at Brighton's Royal Sussex Hospital for a BBC Panorama programme. She has since been reinstated.

'Unacceptable'

This followed the controversy over Stafford Hospital which inspectors criticised for appalling standards of emergency care after "patients needlessly died".

Subsequent reports picked up on the lack of whistle-blowing over the years.

Ministers have produced their own policies encouraging whistle-blowing and a helpline was launched at the start of this year for staff with concerns.

The GMC guidance, which will come into effect on 12 March, is being sent to all 240,000 doctors on the medical register in the UK.

It also includes advice about when doctors should raise concerns and how to tackle any barriers that they may face.

GMC chief executive Niall Dickson said: "These clauses are totally unacceptable.

"Doctors who sign such contracts are breaking their professional obligations and are putting patients and their careers at risk."

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Pre dementia 'in men more often'

25. January 2012 last health reporter, BBC News updated at 22: 44 GMT by Michelle Roberts the risk of dementia increases with age, even though dementia is more common in women, it seems that men to higher risk of the earliest signs of the disease, according to the latest research.

It is unclear why more men avoid full-blown disease, but understand that this may be to hit key of Neurology reported dementia, archives.

Finally, also a way to stop dementia can cause, hope experts.

Investigators U.S. tracked the health of almost 1,500 older men and women of a three year period.

During this time far more men developed mild cognitive impairment - 72 in every 1,000 compared to 57 per 1,000 women.

The Mayo Clinic researchers as several factors that may distort results, such as age, education and marital status, but found that the gender difference is maintained.

You say more work is needed now to understand if and how men may be slightly prone to dementia.

Dr. Marie Janson, the Alzheimer's research, UK, said: "they show surprising results that may be more vulnerable to MCI (mild cognitive impairment) despite a reduced risk of dementia, and it is men be important to determine whether further investigation these findings can be replicated."

"Read the main story

, if we can understand why some people a greater risk for cognitive decline and dementia, we have a chance better able the condition to prevent"

End quote Dr Marie Janson Alzheimer Research UK "An important objective for the research is to determine why some people with MCI develop dementia while others do not." If we can understand why some people have a greater risk for cognitive decline and dementia, we stand a better chance to be able to prevent the condition.

"With the need for research, find 820.000 people with dementia, and one of the rapidly ageing population, new ways for the treatment and prevention which condition was never more urgent."

It may be simply that fewer people live to reach an age when more expands their dementia. It is known that on average tend to be women survive in men.

Gender difference

But some scientists believe that the difference could be explained only by gender.

Studies have shown, for example, a person gender influence how benefits can performing body and mind.

Women exercise is more associated mortality benefit, while in men, the positive effect of the exercise more is a cognitive improvement.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Kenneth Rockwood of at Dalhousie University in Canada, said: "for some men, MCI incomplete disease expression represents;" Alternatively, they resist development more dementia.

"MCI in men could look like this insight in what prevent dementia could give."

Professor Derek Hill of University College London, said: "by the time people get clinical dementia, it may well be too late to treat them."

"This study shows that MCI is a very complex mix of factors, and different types of MCI emerge and progress quite different."

"This information can be important in improving diagnostics to identify patients who benefit from current or future applications."

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Army A&E medics plan 'worrying'

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
20 January 2012 Last updated at 17:52 GMT Pontefract Hospital's A&E department has been closed overnight since 1 November A proposal to bring in Army medics to cover a shortage of doctors is "deeply worrying", MP Yvette Cooper says.

The A&E unit in Pontefract, run by Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, has been closed overnight since 1 November.

Ms Cooper, shadow home secretary and MP for Pontefract and Castleford, was backed by Hemsworth MP Jon Trickett, who said the trust should "get a grip".

The trust said the unit would reopen fully as soon as enough doctors could be recruited to staff it safely.

It said it had been advised by outside experts to seek help from the Army Medical Service, as Mid Staffordshire has already done, to provide a 24-hour service.

'Sick of words'

Ms Cooper said: "It is deeply worrying that two hospitals have now had to seek help from the Army because of the shortage of doctors."

She also called on the government to explain urgently what action ministers would take "to deliver the doctors we need".

She said 12,000 people had signed a petition to get Pontefract A&E reopened fully.

Labour MP Mr Trickett told BBC Radio Leeds that the recruitment of doctors was a "general issue" facing the NHS.

He also said there had been "not the best possible" management at the trust.

"I am sick of words, I want to see deeds now.

"The answer is for the management of the trust to get a grip and recruit the necessary staff."

'Exceptional circumstances'

The trust said it was looking at how Army medical staff could provide support on a temporary basis and considering a range of options based on the experience of other trusts.

Professor Tim Hendra, medical director at the trust, said: "These doctors would be trained medical staff that are not currently on military service but who could provide temporary support with our staffing rotas.

"We understand that this is only offered in exceptional circumstances.

"So far, we have only had some very exploratory conversations with the Army."

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Experts review vitamin D advice

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
24 January 2012 Last updated at 12:19 GMT Concerns over vitamin D deficiency - A quarter of toddlers affected

The chief medical officer for England, Dame Sally Davies, is to contact medical staff about concerns young children and some adults are not getting enough vitamin D.

Government guidelines recommend some groups, including the under-fives, should take a daily supplement.

However, recent research found that many parents and health professionals were unaware of the advice.

There has been an increase in childhood rickets over the past 15 years.

According to Dr Benjamin Jacobs, from the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, links to heart disease and some cancers are also being investigated.

Continue reading the main story

It is important to raise awareness of this issue, and I will be contacting health professionals on the need to prescribe and recommend vitamin D supplements to at-risk groups”

End Quote Dame Sally Davies Chief medical officer for England The consultant paediatrician told BBC Breakfast that the hospital saw about one severe case a month of rickets - softening of bones through lack of vitamin D in childhood.

He said: "There are many other children who have less severe problems - muscle weakness, delay in walking, bone pains - and research indicates that in many parts of the country the majority of children have a low level of vitamin D."

The Feeding for Life Foundation report, published in October last year, suggested one in four toddlers in the UK is vitamin D deficient.

However, this may be an underestimate as only vitamin D from food was included, and not any vitamin D obtained through sun exposure.

Vitamin D supplements are recommended for all people at risk of a deficiency, including all pregnant and breastfeeding women, children under five years old, people aged over 65, and people at risk of not getting enough exposure to sunlight.

Vitamin D is mainly obtained from sunlight. However, too much sun exposure increases the risk of skin cancer.

According to one recent study, nearly three-quarters of parents and more than half of health professionals are unaware of the recommendations.

The Department of Health has asked the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition to review the issue of current dietary recommendations on vitamin D.

Dame Sally Davies: "We know a significant proportion of people in the UK probably have inadequate levels of vitamin D in their blood. People at risk of vitamin D deficiency, including pregnant women and children under five, are already advised to take daily supplements.

Free supplements

"Our experts are clear - low levels of vitamin D can increase the risk of poor bone health, including rickets in young children.

"Many health professionals such as midwives, GPs and nurses give advice on supplements, and it is crucial they continue to offer this advice as part of routine consultations and ensure disadvantaged families have access to free vitamin supplements through our Healthy Start scheme.

"It is important to raise awareness of this issue, and I will be contacting health professionals on the need to prescribe and recommend vitamin D supplements to at-risk groups."

It has long been known that vitamin D prevents rickets and children were once given food supplements like cod liver oil.

However, this practice was stopped in the 1950s because it was thought unnecessary.

In the last 10 years, doctors have been seeing more cases of vitamin D deficiency, leading to a debate over the use of food supplements and concern that many medical staff are unaware of the problem.

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

'Food FRY in olive oil' heart tip

25. January 2012 stand at 00: 04 GMT by Michelle Roberts Health Reporter, BBC News fried foods food may be not bad for the heart, as long as you olive oil or sunflower to use oil, say experts.

They found no increased risk of heart disease or premature death associated with food that has been cooked in this way.

But the investigators stress that results from the study of the typical Spanish food in which these "healthy" oils in abundance, be found cooking are not for lard or other oils.

So traditional roast ups not on the agenda, reported bmj.com.

If food is fried it becomes more calorific value, because the food absorbs the fat of the oils.

And experts know that eat much food grease-laden blood pressure increase and can high cholesterol, which are risk factors for heart disease.

For the study, researchers at the Autonomous University of Madrid explored 40.757 adults about their diet.

Participants were asked about what types of food that they ate in a typical week, and how, that food was prepared and cooked.

None of the adults had been signs of heart disease at the beginning of 11-year study, but the end of the year 606 events in heart disease and 1,134 deaths.

When the researchers saw this heart events in detail she could find no connection with fried foods in the diet.

This, do you think is the kind of oil which is cooked in the food.

"The MED diet the main story of

before we all read further for the frying pan to reach you, it is important, remember that this is a study of a Mediterranean diet rather than British fish and chips"

End quote Victoria Taylor British Heart Foundation in an accompanying editorial, Professor Michael Leitzmann said of the University of Regensburg, in Germany: "together, the myth that roasts typically poorly not supported food for the heart of available evidence."

", This does not that frequent meals of fish and chips will have no effects on human health."

"The study suggests that certain aspects of the roast are relevant, used food such as such as the oil along with other aspects of nutrition."

Fresh fruit and vegetables, and fresh fish have celebrated long as is healthy, packed with low-fat, high fibre Mediterranean diet.

And many studies have shown a balanced diet, as this can cut the risk of diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Victoria Taylor, a senior heart health nutrition consultant for the British Heart Foundation, said: "before we get to all of the frying pan, it is to think that this was a study of a Mediterranean diet rather than British fish & chips important." Our diet in the United Kingdom is different from Spain so that we do not say that this result for us would be.

"Participants in this study to the unsaturated fats such as olive and sunflower roast, their food." We currently recommend swapping saturated fats as lard or butter keep palm oil for unsaturated fats as a way to your cholesterol and this study on cause for this switch.

"Regardless of the cooking methods used, means foods with high fat content a high caloric intake consumed." This can lead to weight gain and obesity, it is a risk factor for heart disease do. "A balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables and only a small amount of high fat foods, is best for a healthy heart."

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Mutant bird flu research halted

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
20 January 2012 Last updated at 23:40 GMT Almost all H5N1 human cases have been contracted through contact with live or dead poultry Scientists who created a potentially more deadly bird flu strain have temporarily stopped their research amid fears it could be used by terrorists.

In a letter published in Science and Nature, the teams call for an "international forum" to debate the risks and value of the studies.

US authorities last month asked the authors of the research to redact key details in forthcoming publications.

A government advisory panel suggested the data could be used by terrorists.

Biosecurity experts fear an altered, more contagious form of the virus could spark a pandemic deadlier than the 1918-19 Spanish flu outbreak that killed up to 40 million people.

'Right step'

The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) recommended key details be omitted from publication of the research, which sparked international furore.

"I would have preferred if this hadn't caused so much controversy, but it has happened and we can't change that," Ron Fouchier, a researcher from Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, told Science Insider.

"So I think it's the right step to make."

While the H5N1 strain of bird flu is extremely deadly when caught by humans, its impact has so far been limited because it is not easily transmissible between humans.

But the latest joint research, by Erasmus University in the Netherlands and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US, altered the strain and found it was much more easily passed between ferrets.

A senior US health official says "not everyone needs to know how to make a lethal virus"

Two scientific journals now want to publish the research - albeit in redacted form - and are trying to work out with the US government how to make the data accessible to "responsible scientists".

The World Health Organization said in a December statement that limiting access to the research would harm an agreement between its members.

The NSABB is made up of scientists and public health experts, 23 from outside the government, and 18 from within.

'Flatly false'

It cannot stop publication but makes recommendations to researchers.

The scientists' letter published on Friday argues that knowledge of more infectious strains before they mutate in nature is valuable for public health.

"More research is needed to determine how influenza viruses in nature become human pandemic threats," the statement says, "so that they can be contained before they acquire the ability to transmit from human to human, or so that appropriate countermeasures can be deployed if adaptation to humans occurs."

But some said the 60-day pause on research was not enough.

One critic of the studies, Richard Ebright, a biologist at Rutgers University, told Science Insider that the letter "includes flatly false statements" making assurances about the safety of H1N1 research labs.

Reports say that a meeting debating the research and steps forward could come during a World Health Organization meeting in February.

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

"I was never able to eat"

21. January 2012 stand 01: 54 GMT Muhammad's rare condition is assumed that impact on 12 to 15 eighteen-year-old Mohammed Miah children in the UK has never been able to eat.

While many people try less after the excesses of the festive season food, not Muhammad himself drinking tap water.

"The water be boiled or are mineral water has otherwise my stomach do not like." "My stomach is very sensitive."

A serious bowel condition means that he had to rely on artificial feeding since birth.

His meals in liquid form, protein, carbohydrate, fat, water, minerals and vitamins come during the day.

At night, a pump moves more nutrients into his stomach through a special tube.

In the past rely he has on fed intravenously, where the content of the feed to bypass the usual processes of food and digestion.

There was a particularly bad magic a few years ago, remembers Muhammad.

"My gut does no longer work at all." I could get even liquid food or water. It was a case of 'Nil by Mouth'. "That lasted several months."

Nerves failure

Intestinal pseudo-obstruction, is thought Muhammad rare disorder involving around 12 to 15 children in the United Kingdom.

The intestines lose the ability to eat, Chair or air through the gastrointestinal tract.

Doctors in Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where Muhammad was treated, believe that his special situation is caused by a failure of the nerves within the smooth muscle of the intestines, something known as hollow visceral myopathy.

But he is still a possible positive side to its State.

"Sometimes I think that I'm healthier than other people." "If you think about all those who eat junk food people... at least I get fat."

Has he ever desperate to eat a proper meal?

"We are so good my feeds now, that I have not really hungry, to be honest." And if I'm really sick I'm not feeling hunger more. "It is only normal for me."

Muhammad's doctor, Dr. Nikhil Tharpar, says more research into bowel is required

Despite his courageous stance, the condition had a great influence on Muhammad's life.

Although he is to manage his studies at Newham College and hopes to the University go to next year, he has days when his energy levels are very low and he struggles to get out of bed.

'Knife Edge'

Dr. Nikhil Tharpar, lecturer in Pediatric Gastroenterology at University College London Institute of child health, says, that it urgently necessary, intestinal conditions to understand better.

"We can control only the symptoms at the moment." The treatment is only allowed to survive patients such as Muhammad. We offer no no cure.

"But we want to look at why these developed birth defects in the first place, and some research to grow some of the missing nerves view of stem cells."

Dr. Tharpar recognises that children have a lifelong problem with intestinal pseudo-obstruction that they cannot change.

"These children are very brave, despite everything."

"they have a very poor quality of life, are each week in and outside of the hospital and suffering from severe constipation and blood clots."

"they are life often on knife edge."

Great Ormond Street Hospital in London was set recently the National Centre for diagnosis and treatment of children with the condition.

"Intestinal problems are so common," says Dr. Tharpar.

"Fifty percent of children suffer from at some point bowel problems."

To increase the efforts, awareness and money for bowel disease research, Dr. Tharpar Kilimanjaro is in February of climbing.

After many operations Muhammad energy levels would allow him not to participate in such a demanding challenge.

But he hopes that the hike and no future research have life-changing impact on him.

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Dogs ' higher Lyme disease risk "

25. January 2012 stand 00: 45 GMT by Michelle Roberts Health Reporter, BBC News ticks Lyme disease can transfer to humans

Ticks that can transmit Lyme disease may be more common in the United Kingdom as, say researchers who have found them refuge like many dogs.

Experts have suspected since some a growing problem with these little pests - rates of the disease in recent years was cringing have time that the UK has.

In the year 2010 was 953 reported cases in England and Wales.

Now, after I is samples to more than 3,500 dogs Bristol University experts suspect the problem even bigger.

14.9% Had the 3.534 pet dogs, veterinary clinics in the United Kingdom between March and October 2009 ticks checks.

"Read the main story

without significantly better monitoring and routine diagnostic tests, Lyme disease is only expected to be more often become"

End quote believe Smith researchers lead away, 2.3% turned out to be infected.

The expected prevalence of infected ticks on dogs is 0.5% or 481 infected ticks per 100,000 dogs.

This suggests that the prevalence of this Borrelia infection in the population much higher is than previously thought, British tick Immunology compare the researchers report in the journal, microbiology and infectious diseases.

Faith Smith, who led the investigation, said: "Lyme disease seems a fast-growing problem in the United Kingdom with major health and economic impact of the loss of working time and potential decline in tourism to tick hotspots."

"Without significantly better monitoring and routine diagnostic tests Lyme disease will become only likely to frequent."

"In particular future warmer winters may also be about the ticks are active seasonal while growing wild reservoir host will enable population, such as deer, extended to expand the tick population."

Easy to see

A bite by an infected tick takes between two and four weeks to show, and who have been bitten for a "Bulls Eye" type red rash appear round should look to the bite.

You may encounter, also flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, headaches and muscle and joint pain.

Left untreated, Lyme disease on the brain, heart and joints and extreme nerve damage, paralysis and blindness can result.

Ticks are very small — about the size of a poppy - and can easily be overlooked.

Found the most ticks do not wear, which is to be immediately removing the infection, but they.

You can be removed with tweezers or a hook, pulling way gently up from the skin cross.

People who develop a rash or other symptoms after a tick bite should consult their GP.

A spokesperson of health protection agency said that it was important, that people risks aware of and remain "Tick aware".

"they are out there in forest areas." She said, it's best to keep, as far as possible avoid hiking trails and long grass if you walk and to cover up the skin.

Also brushes to remove, clothing and pet coats before returning to the House in a non-attached ticks which later a feed can search.

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Depression drugs ‘causing falls’

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
19 January 2012 Last updated at 01:21 GMT Falls are the leading cause of accidental death in the over-65s Elderly people with dementia are more likely to suffer falls if they are given anti-depressants by care home staff, a study claims.

Many dementia patients also suffer from depression and drugs known as selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are frequently prescribed.

But the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology reports that the risk of injuries from falls was tripled.

The Alzheimer's Society called for more research into alternative treatments.

The risk of falls following treatment with older anti-depressants is well established, as the medication can cause side effects such as dizziness and unsteadiness.

It had been hoped that a move to newer SSRI-type drugs would reduce this problems, but the latest research, from the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, appears to show the reverse.

'Worrying'

Dr Carolyn Sterke recorded the daily drug use and records of falls in 248 nursing home residents over a two-year period.

The average age of the residents was 82, and the records suggested that 152 of them had suffered a total of 683 falls.

The consequences of falls were relatively high, with 220 resulting in injuries including hip fractures and other broken bones - and one resident died following a fall.

Continue reading the main story

More research is now needed to understand why this anti-depressant is having this effect on people with dementia and if there is an alternative treatment for depression that they could be prescribed”

End Quote Professor Clive Ballard Alzheimer's Society The risk of having an injury-causing fall was three times higher in residents taking SSRIs compared with those not taking the drug, and this risk rose further if the patient was being given sedative drugs as well.

Dr Sterke said that these risks needed to be taken into account when assessing whether anti-depressants were required.

She said: "Physicians should be cautious in prescribing SSRIs to older people with dementia, even at low doses."

Professor Clive Ballard, from the Alzheimer's Society, said it was "worrying" that such a commonly prescribed anti-depressant was causing increased risk.

He said: "It is important to highlight any aspect of care that might be causing risk to a person with dementia. We want to ensure that people with the condition are always receiving the best care possible.

"More research is now needed to understand why this anti-depressant is having this effect on people with dementia and if there is an alternative treatment for depression that they could be prescribed.

"One in three people over 65 will die with dementia yet research into the condition continues to be drastically underfunded. We must invest now.'

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Hospitals write foreign debt

25 January 2012 stand 20: 34 GMT by Jane Bradley studies producer, BBC London in total, £ 7. 6 m comes out of 33 NHS trusts in the region, since 2009

Hospitals have learned written off until 96% of what they not entitled to free NHS care are due from foreign patients, has London BBC London.

A freedom of information request showed that Newham wrote hospital trust all but 4% which it had been last year into account.

The hospital trust said that it was too heavy to costs be recovered, if foreign patients died or were failed asylum seekers.

In total, £ 7. 6 m was from 33 NHS trusts in the region since 2009 written off.

The trust is a total £ 26 m of the patients which owe £ 18. 4 m continues to actively search for.

Further wrote the main story Newham Hospital wrote from £ 345,000 from £ 358, 000Basildon and Thurrock wrote from £ 47,000 from £ 117, 000Hillingdon hospital from £ 335,000 £ 660, 000Luton and Dunstable wrote from £ 2,000 from £ 85, 000South London wrote from £ 29,000 from £ 481.000

All figures refer to 2010-11

All hospitals are required, for money owed for the treatment of these patients to restore.

The figures show that there are large differences between hospitals.

During the East London hospital trust wrote most of what it was last year due to ineligible foreign patients West Middlesex Hospital wrote only 3%.

East London hospital trust said: "there are some cases where it is not possible or is difficult, costs, such as when a patient dies failed asylum seekers or when they leave the UK."

NHS health care is free for everyone who needs treatment emergency, but bent patients, residing outside the European Union is to pay for services, with some exceptions.

"Health tourist" could someone, that specifically for free health care UK visited, or they can here already living and try to pay their invoice to avoid.

A senior doctor at a large hospital of London, who wanted to be identified, said that the problem of the outstanding debt was much higher than official figures show.

'Cannot afford to not'

"It's probably about three or four times, the figure," he said.

"These patients know someone in this country probably." "Very often they come only plane, to the first A & E Department, which deals with this kind of State and they know that they are treated, because they are very sick."

He added: "I think we can afford it?" "No, I think we can."

Among other things, Kings College have hospital from £ 343.000 last year.

A spokesman said: "we give patients enough time and opportunity, we prove that it entitled to free treatment."

"Under no circumstances treatment fees would be waived, if proof of status is not received."

Mercedes Abelando, 69, lives in South London but originally from Uruguay and not qualified for free NHS treatment, says that she was treated at the hospital while she was an illegal migrants.

Mercedes Abelando said that they could not afford to pay for treatment

She told BBC London, that they do not know that she would have to pay until after the treatment, she received an invoice for medical care.

"I went to the hospital and I told them that I not that kind of money and I could not pay," she said.

"The person who saw me at the hospital said to me: 'ok, that is good';" took the letter and I have not heard from them since.

"I was surprised, but I couldn't pay does not in any case."

Various hospital trusts, who had written off large amounts of their debts, said chasing the money often difficult when patients leave the country and sums were only written down when had exhausted all options to pursue.

There are no official figures, which some suspect to measure is a problem that is under the radar.

Some believe however, that "health tourists" there are not and are a sensational reports phenomenon.

"Read the main story

, which we cannot afford to an international health care, a free treatment for all"

Naomi Hartree, a volunteer on the project in London end quote Anne Milton Health Minister, a clinic in East London of the vulnerable populations helps such migrants and asylum seekers, health care/healthcare access, says that foreign patients are over-policed.

"We have documented many cases in which people of the hospital treatment shot have been because they are perceived to health tourists, and they are entitled to health care, people," she said.

Project London also argued that debt of foreign patients is chasing more expensive than to write it off.

Immigration powers introduced in November 2011 mean overseas patients who cannot enter debts which may be NHS £ 1,000 or more, or remain in the United Kingdom, until the debt is paid.

The Interior Ministry has said, it was still too early to see what impact it had.

In the meantime the Government access to health care studying patients NHS currently overseas.

It is expected, shall report to Minister in the next few months.

Health Minister Anne Milton said: "Hospitals meets appropriate measures to overseas recover any debt patients."

"NHS has endangered the obligation immediately everyone which life or long-term health is, but not to an international health care, we must free treatment for all,."

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Injured veterans star in play about war's lingering effects

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
22 January 2012 Last updated at 09:05 GMT The show's actors have all been injured themselves On a brightly-lit stage at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, two young men are comparing their injuries, and trading good-natured jibes. One has lost two legs, the other 'only' one.

The men are not actors, but still serving in the armed forces, and their wounds are all too real.

Marine Cassidy Little and Rifleman Daniel Shaw, an infanteer from 4 Rifles, are just two of the 30 injured or wounded servicemen and women who have joined the Bravo 22 Company project - the brainchild of theatre producer Alice Driver - to bring their experiences to the stage on Sunday.

The Two Worlds of Charlie F is probably the closest most West End audiences will get to the front-lines in Afghanistan, and the slow and painful process of recovery endured by the injured.

The characters are based on the men and women's own stories, written and produced by professionals at the theatre's Masterclass Trust.

'Amazing experience'

The language of the play is wholly authentic, with the drama of the fictional Charlie F and his comrades moving seamlessly between black humour and pathos, though rarely self-pity.

During rehearsals, the forthright orders from director Stephen Rayne are reminiscent of a sergeant major.

Rifleman Shaw, 20, volunteered to take part in the project while at Tedworth House Recovery Centre, after losing both legs to a roadside bomb in Helmand in 2009.

"The play has been an amazing experience, and I feel good doing it, but there are a few emotions that do come back on stage, and it's the same for everyone," he says.

"But it's in the past and you have to get over it. Regardless of your injuries, there's no point crying about it."

He hopes the play will help the audience understand the physical and mental impact of the soldiers' injuries, and what their families have to face.

"My mum and dad and my ex-girlfriend are coming to see it. I've explained to them what happens in the play - especially when it gets quite emotional - and I've warned them not to fret."

Captain Anna Poole, who plays a captain, says the last time she was on stage was tap-dancing at school, 23 years ago.

She, too, is matter-of-fact about her injury, after losing a leg as the result of an accident while competing for Great Britain in a luge contest in 2005.

"It is incredibly nerve-racking to go up on stage," the 34-year-old admits.

"A lot of the guys say they would rather be storming compounds back out in Afghanistan than going on stage. It's a different type of fear, but it's also great fun."

The Bravo 22 Company project does not shy away from showing the hurt and pain suffered by the injured and their families, and also deals with tough subjects such as sex post-injury or emotional estrangement when partners or relatives find it hard to cope.

Some 30 veterans are taking part in the production

"It's a very personal play, with quite raw emotions," says Capt Poole.

"It's been quite difficult to watch some of it, because you know whose girlfriend had those experiences, or which guys you've seen go through a lot of grief, when they come out of their operation and can't put on their prosthetic limbs.

"It's been a cathartic process for many of us, and the audience will struggle not to get their hankies out. "

Those taking part say they are grateful for support from the Royal British Legion, Masterclass and the MoD in letting them tell the "grittier" side of the recovery process.

"A lot of documentaries focus on the point of being injured, but what they don't show is this incredible patch in the middle when your ups and downs are astronomical," Cpt Poole says.

"I hope the play will give people a better understanding, and the knowledge that when they contribute to military charities, they are helping people like us rehabilitate - no matter where or how those injuries were sustained."

Capt Poole is due to leave the Army soon, and is studying glass-blowing - a rather different future to the one she had imagined - but one she is looking forward to with enthusiasm.

Rifleman Shaw is also looking to the future with hope, despite his life-changing injuries.

"It's just time. Everyone needs time. For myself, I woke up one morning and said - right, got no legs. What else can I do? OK, I'll do everything I can do, rather than crying about what I can't do."

'Two worlds at once'

The play is one of the first to deal with the personal consequences of the UK's two most recent wars; its title an allusion to the different worlds inhabited by the wounded, pre- and post-injury.

The Welsh playwright, Owen Sheers, began by talking to the wounded, first alone and then in groups, gathering their stories.

"It wasn't always easy for them to talk about it," said Sheers, who is also a novelist and poet, and last month became the Welsh Rugby Union's first artist-in-residence.

"Quite often I was the first person they'd told stuff to, and that was an indication of what this project meant for them, being willing to go back to some quite painful places," he said.

Playwright Owen Sheers says many of the soldiers had not spoken of their experiences before

"What a lot of wounded servicepeople struggle with is inhabiting a series of two worlds at once.

"They will lay their heads down to sleep and in an instant they will be back on the frontline, but then they'll wake up next to their wife.

"I hope the audience will get a soldier's eye-view of what it means to be injured or wounded and go through this recovery period, and be reminded of what those three letters 'war' actually mean, and how far the consequence of one person's war and wounding stretches.

"We've been involved in conflict for 10 years, yet it's very easy to live in Britain and not be aware that we are a country at war.

"I think that is irresponsible - and I think we need to be aware for all our sakes about the absolute realities of what war means."

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Stem cell excitement but way to go

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
24 January 2012 Last updated at 10:53 GMT

After more than a decade of waiting, the first results of a trial involving human embryonic stem cells have been published in a medical journal.

The Lancet reports how two women in the USA with eye disease were injected with stem cells and both apparently showed some slight improvement in vision. The company Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) says the patients are doing well four months on from the trial.

This is a significant moment because there has been so much expectation about human embryonic stem cells - which have the potential to turn into any tissue in the body.

It has been a controversial area of research in the United States. In 2001 President Bush imposed restrictions on federal funding for embryo research on moral grounds.

These were reversed by Barrack Obama in 2009.

You can read more about this area of research and about other types of stem cells here.

Julia Hawkins has Stargardt's disease

A previous trial involving spinal patients was abandoned by the US biotech firm Geron. The company said the safety trial had gone well and it had to stop the trial because of financial problems.

But the end result was that the data never made it into a peer reviewed journal.

That means the ACT trial is now the first official human embryonic stem cell trial to have reported.

One of the patients suffers from Stargardt's disease - which leads to progressive deterioration of vision. The other has age-related macular degeneration, the main cause of blindness in the developed world.

Both patients had such poor vision they were registered blind.

They both had retinal cells, derived from human embryonic stem cells, injected into the back of the eye.

After the treatment they showed some slight improvement in vision. You can read more about the trial here.

This has prompted one extraordinary newspaper headline: Once they were blind, now they see. Patients cured by stem cell 'miracle'.

I realise there is a lot of excitement about this area of research, but I would urge caution. The authors of the Lancet paper make no special claims about the study which was designed to show whether the treatment was safe.

They say: "So far, the cells seem to have transplanted into both patients without abnormal proliferation, teratoma formation, graft rejection, or other untoward pathological reactions or safety signals."

In other words the treatment did not appear to do any harm. Of particular concern was the risk of the cells forming tumours, which did not happen. This is enough to give scientists encouragement to continue the trials.

Although the study was simply designed to show safety, the researchers could not ignore the apparent slight improvement in vision of the two women.

But the authors say: "We are uncertain at this point whether any of the visual gains we have recorded were due to the transplanted cells, the use of immunosuppressive drugs, or a placebo effect."

That is crucial and shows why further larger trials are needed. As I've reported before, the European arm of this trial is being conducted at Moorfields Hospital in London.

The first British patient - a man with Stargardt's disease - was treated last week. Again, this was a safety trial rather than an attempt to improve vision.

So there is a long way to go before there's talk of miracle treatments and curing blindness.

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Forderung nach mehr Demenz Wissenschaftler

25 January 2012 stand 07: 46 GMT Prof Julie Williams said money attracts experts requires the lead scientific advisor of charity Alzheimer's more experts are Research UK required has said, to understand the causes of dementia are working.

Professor securing University Cardiff Julie Williams warns a report that Britain's dementia knowledge base in danger is, lost without funding.

The report, defeat dementia, is started on the Commons.

Prof Williams said that reach high scientists are necessary to the "colossal challenge" for the company to meet that.

The victory over dementia report is judged by a Panel chaired by BBC 5 live Shelagh Fogarty and started with Alzheimer's disease research UK patron Sir Terry Pratchett in the House of Commons.

One of the leading experts on Alzheimer's disease of UK's is one of the panellists, Prof Williams.

She said added that the problem of "Money" was done gain more experts in other fields in the field had to be.

She said: "investing in our high achieving British scientists is the only answer to dementia: our brain depend on you."

"It is clear from this report that we not enough scientists in the field of dementia it is for the company to meet the huge challenge."

"We must not only support our current world's leading scientists, but also encourage new brains in the field with new ideas and expertise to our armoury."

"We have to promote bureaucratic obstacles for the research, so that we grow the right environment for scientists."

Alzheimer Research UK estimates that the number of people with dementia in the UK approaching a million costs the economy more than £ here.

Despite the recent UK Government initiatives it says "still by default for research in cancer and heart disease dwarfed, which is not the same level of challenge for the society and the economy." means in the field

"For every scientist dementia work on six in cancer".

The charity report recommendations 14, inclusive, that a national dementia research strategy research should promote ring-fencing of resources for dementia.

Rebecca wood, Chief Executive of Alzheimer's disease research UK, said: "If we can not increase in the number of scientists working on dementia, then we today fail life 820,000 with dementia and we are powerless to avert impending increasing prevalence."

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Pressure building over NHS plans

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
24 January 2012 Last updated at 10:23 GMT By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News The health bill is working its way through Parliament Pressure is building on ministers over the NHS reforms in England after a critical report by MPs has added to the mounting concerns.

The health select committee report said the overhaul was hindering the ability of the NHS to make the savings it needs to safeguard its future.

It comes ahead of a meeting this week of medical leaders about the plans.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has again defended the reforms, saying they were "essential" for improving the NHS.

The report by MPs, which was leaked over the weekend, did not specifically look at the changes.

Instead, it was focused on how the health service was doing in meeting its savings target.

While the health budget is being protected, it has still been told to save £20bn by 2015 through improving productivity to keep pace with the rising demands linked to the ageing population and lifestyle factors, such as obesity.

'Disruption and distraction'

The MPs said there were strong concerns about the ability of the NHS to make the savings - the equivalent of 4% a year.

It said there had been too much emphasis so far on short-term cuts and "salami-slicing", instead of rethinking the way care is delivered.

And it argued there needed to be more integration with social care to stop people needing hospital treatment, which tends to be more expensive.

But it warned that in some ways the opposite was happening as councils were increasingly restricting access to services.

On the reforms, it concluded they were "complicating" the savings process because they were acting as a "disruption and distraction".

The committee is chaired by Conservative former health secretary Stephen Dorrell, who said every comment about the NHS tended at the moment to be framed by the debate about the bill.

Continue reading the main story

There is a growing sense that the critics of the NHS reforms are scenting blood.

Last year's pause had taken the sting out of the attacks and the bill was well on its way through Parliament when 2011 came to a close.

But there is now a feeling among those who have been expressing concerns about the changes that the momentum is again gathering behind them.

The decision last week by the midwives and nurses to move to "outright opposition" attracted attention - as has this report by MPs.

Ministers accused the unions of being motivated by the row over pensions.

But later this week a host of health bodies are meeting to discuss the reforms.

The majority of them are professional bodies that are focused on standards. So if they come out with a strong rejection of the plans it will get even more difficult for ministers.

Attention will then turn to the Lib Dems and whether their MPs will block the bill when it returns to the Commons.

There are no signs of that happening at the moment, but serious questions will start to be asked.

He said the need to achieve efficiency savings in the NHS was paramount, and that the bill must come second.

"The priority is to deliver more efficient care, in order to meet demands placed upon the system - and the implementation of the bill has to fit in around that," he said.

The findings have prompted critics to renew their attacks.

Last week the Royal College of Midwives and Royal College of Nursing said the bill underpinning the changes should be scrapped - joining the British Medical Association in moving to outright opposition.

Rachael Maskell, of the Unite union, said the report should be the "final nail in the coffin" for the bill.

And BMA chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum said the plans will prove harmful to patients.

"The health select committee say it's distracting - we would say it's completely unnecessary and somewhat dangerous.

"As the Health Select Committee say, it's taking everybody's mind off the real issues, which is trying to run an efficient health service, trying to make changes to the health service for the benefit of patients, and, at the same time, trying to identify savings."

Peter Carter, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said the plans will pose a threat to patient safety and the future of the NHS itself.

"We completely concur that money has to be saved. We've never disputed that, it's the way they're going about it."

'Uncertainty'

Concerns were also expressed outside of the union movement.

Professor John Appleby, chief economist of the King's Fund think tank, said: "The report should serve as a wake-up call for ministers and the NHS about the magnitude of the task ahead."

And Mike Farrar, of the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS managers, agreed.

He said there was a lot of "uncertainty" in the NHS at the moment that was dangerous.

Continue reading the main story

The legislation's not completed its passage, the Lords are making many significant and constructive suggestions, and we will take those on-board, but the principles of the bill are widely supported”

End Quote Andrew Lansley Health Secretary "The NHS faces a once-in-a-generation financial challenge that is still to be explained properly to the public," he added.

Attention will now turn to the meeting on Thursday when the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, an umbrella group of 20 organisations, and unions will discuss what to do about the plans.

The bill is still working its way through Parliament and at the weekend Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said the planned reforms must go ahead, despite the fresh criticism from MPs.

A number of major structural changes have already taken place within the health service and senior staff have started to be recruited to head up the new organisations.

Enough GPs have also come forward to set up the new management groups to cover 97% of the country.

Mr Lansley said the government's plans for modernisation were "essential if we are to put the NHS on a sustainable footing for the future".

He told the BBC: "We have to deliver more care in the right place at the right time. That means more care in the community.

"There's been support for the principles of what we're doing, including from many of the leading professional organisations.

"The legislation's not completed its passage, the Lords are making many significant and constructive suggestions, and we will take those on-board, but the principles of the bill are widely supported."

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Fears grow over NHS plans future

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
26 January 2012 Last updated at 01:23 GMT The health bill is working its way through Parliament Talks between ministers and medical leaders have taken place over concerns about changes to the NHS in England.

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, which represents 20 groups, held a meeting on Tuesday night to discuss their opposition to the plans.

A draft statement was drawn up which the BBC understands said the medical establishment could not support the overhaul plans in their current form.

However, it is unclear whether it will be signed off.

The view of the royal colleges, which are the professional bodies in the NHS that set standards in areas such as training, is seen as key in the current climate.

'Serious concerns'

Unions have already come out to say the overhaul should be scrapped, but ministers said this had been motivated by the row over pay and pensions.

This week an influential group of MPs said the changes were hindering the NHS as it attempts to make the savings it needs to safeguard patient care.

If the medical royal colleges toughen their stance, it could provide a devastating blow to the government's attempts to get its changes through parliament.

The bill underpinning the changes is due back in the Lords next month.

The meeting on Tuesday night was followed by a series of discussions between ministers and the colleges on Wednesday.

Continue reading the main story

Changes are needed and we want the NHS to be able to make them in the interests of patients”

End Quote Department of Health spokesman The BBC also understands some colleges are not convinced a hardening of their position is the right move. The Royal College of Surgeons has made it clear it would not sign up to the draft statement.

The academy, which in the autumn said it had serious concerns about the plans, particularly in the areas of accountability, competition and training, is now due to meet the three key health unions on Thursday night.

The academy confirmed it had had discussions about its "continuing concerns", but would not be making a statement at the moment.

But the government has indicated it was ready to push ahead with the changes regardless of what happens.

A Department of Health spokesman said: "There will always be some people who oppose changes to the status quo in the NHS.

"We have listened and we have made changes which have been widely welcomed including by professional bodies. But this process cannot go on forever. Changes are needed and we want the NHS to be able to make them in the interests of patients."

The developments came after the prime minister and Labour leader Ed Miliband clashed during Prime Minister's questions on Wednesday.

Mr Miliband said it was time for the bill should be scrapped.

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

UK boosts tropical disease fight

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
21 January 2012 Last updated at 09:16 GMT River blindness is a tropical disease caused by parasitic worms and carried by black flies Foreign aid for efforts to eradicate parasitic diseases which kill and disfigure millions worldwide is to rise fivefold, say ministers.

A total of £245m will be spent fighting diseases such as river blindness and bilharzia.

Such donations, coupled with free drugs from pharmaceutical companies, could help wipe out some illnesses, they predict.

A UK expert said the aim was to offer a billion treatments worldwide a year.

So-called "neglected tropical diseases" receive a tiny fraction of the funding set aside for the fight against major killers such as HIV, TB and malaria.

However, campaigners say that even a relatively small investment could transform the lives of millions of people in poorer tropical countries.

The Department for International Development, announcing the aid package, said that over the next few years, the money would protect an estimated 140 million people from these parasitic infections.

Among the prime targets are elephantiasis, a mosquito-borne parasite which leads to abnormal enlargement of the limbs and genitals, and bilharzia, spread through contaminated water, which impairs child growth, damages internal organs and can lead to death or chronic ill-health.

Continue reading the main story

British support will take the 'neglected' out of 'neglected tropical diseases' and will not just save lives, but transform lives”

End Quote Stephen O'Brien International Development Minister River blindness, the third key disease, is spread by parasitic worms and cause severe discomfort and sight loss.

Finally, Guinea worm, another water-borne infection, can leave people bedridden for months before the parasitic worm, which can grow up to 3ft (91.4cm) long, emerges.

'Debilitating pain'

There are effective drugs to either prevent or treat all of these infections, and the decision by pharmaceutical companies to supply them free of charge in affected countries means it is possible to reach many millions of people.

International Development Minister Stephen O'Brien said: "These diseases thrive on poverty and have horrendous consequences for sufferers, especially children, leaving them in debilitating pain with severe disabilities.

"The world is increasingly coming together to build on the long-standing commitment of the pharmaceutical industry to rid the world of these terrible diseases.

"British support will take the 'neglected' out of 'neglected tropical diseases' and will not just save lives but transform lives."

Professor David Molyneux, from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, a long-standing campaigner for more international funding, said he was "delighted" by the announcement.

He said: "As far as the British taxpayer is concerned, this money will offer more health to more people than anything else - it really is the most effective use of the money.

"Currently we are treating approximately 800 million people a year, and we're aiming for a billion."

Save The Children head of health Simon Wright also welcomed the move. "This is a great start for the millions of children who can't get treatment for basic illnesses which are completely unknown in rich countries.

"The British public should be proud of their role in combating these awful diseases."

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Sextuplet shock for Afghan woman

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
24 January 2012 Last updated at 16:10 GMT By Bilal Sarwary BBC News, Kabul Doctors say that the six babies - who have not been named yet - are well but under-weight An Afghan mother has given birth to six children at a hospital in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.

The woman was apparently unaware she was carrying more than one child and had not received fertility treatment.

Doctors say the mother arrived in hospital on Monday and gave birth on the same day to three boys and three girls. It was her first pregnancy.

Doctors say that having six children without fertility treatment is extremely rare.

Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world.

'Brave'

The mother, named as Sharah, 24, arrived in Mazar-e-Sharif hospital from a remote village in Balkh province.

Sharah is exhausted after the unexpected birth of her six children

Provincial Health Director Mirwais Rabi told the BBC that all six babies are well but under-weight, with one only weighing about 700g (25oz).

Mr Rabi said the sextuplets were being kept inside incubators and a special team of nurses and doctors are looking after them.

The mother is said to be in good health but exhausted.

Doctors say that had they been aware that she was carrying six children, she would have been in hospital at least several days in advance.

Sharah's story has made headlines on Afghan television and radio stations.

"She is brave, she is amazing," one resident said, "I don't know how she carried six children. The government should help her now."

A 2010 survey revealed that infant and under-fives mortality rates appeared to be decreasing.

Experts say that despite recent improvements, Afghanistan remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a pregnant woman or a young child.

One in 10 children in Afghanistan still dies before they are five years old, the survey said.

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Dangerous abortions 'on the rise'

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
19 January 2012 Last updated at 15:34 GMT The Guttmacher Institute's Gilda Sedgh on the WHO study into abortion

A rising proportion of abortions worldwide are putting women's health at risk, researchers say.

The World Health Organization study suggests global abortion rates are steady, at 28 per 1,000 women a year.

However, the proportion of the total carried out without trained clinical help rose from 44% in 1995 to 49% in 2008.

The Lancet, which carried the report, said the figures were "deeply disturbing".

Unsafe abortion is one of the main contributors to maternal death worldwide, and refers to procedures outside hospitals, clinics and surgeries, or without qualified medical supervision.

Women are more vulnerable to dangerous infection or bleeding in these environments.

Maternal mortality

In developing countries, particularly those with more restrictive abortion laws, most abortions are unsafe, with 97% of abortions in Africa described this way.

In comparison, 95% of abortions in Latin America were deemed unsafe, falling to 40% in Asia, 15% in Oceania and 9% in Europe.

Continue reading the main story

I went through an unsafe [and illegal] abortion when I was about 20 years old. I was afraid to go and tell my mother that I was pregnant. I was about to tell her when a close family friend said, "You're going to break her heart." He said there was another option. I was very scared because I didn't know anything about abortion but he told me it was going to be OK and safe. He looked for the money, because I didn't have any at that time, and paid a nurse who took me to a gynaecologist in Kisumu. I was four months pregnant.

I was not put under any anaesthetic and on the abortion bed it was such a very painful experience - though it took place in a clinic. After that I was given an injection and I slept for a while and then got up and went home. My life went back to normal but every once in a while I would have sudden pains in my stomach - for more than a year.

The pains kept coming - and with low self-esteem looking for love and acceptance I got into another relationship and got pregnant again - I was very naive and did not know much about protection. I thought another abortion would be the easier option. I was able to do my college exams - I didn't want my pregnancy to stop my career. But after a few months of relief, I then went through a lot of psychological trauma - and I hated myself and twice attempted suicide.

Kenya now permits abortion if a woman is considered at risk - and I counsel women who have had abortions and suffer psychological and physical problems. I am now pro-life.

To compile the figures - often a difficult task in countries where abortion is illegal - the researchers used surveys, official statistics and hospital records.

They concluded that while the abortion rate had fallen since 1995, that drop had now levelled off, and overall, the rise in world population meant that there were 2.2 million more abortions in 2008 compared with 2003.

In the developed world, the proportion of pregnancies ending in abortion fell from 36% in 1995 to 26% in 2008.

Countries with restrictive abortion laws did not have a corresponding decrease in abortion rate - in some cases, the reverse was true.

Professor Beverly Winikoff, from Gynuity, a New York organisation which pushes for access to safer abortion, wrote in the Lancet: "Unsafe abortion is one of the five major contributors to maternal mortality, causing one in every seven or eight maternal deaths in 2008.

"Yet, when abortion is provided with proper medical techniques and care, the risk of death is negligible and nearly 14 times lower than that of childbirth.

"The data continue to confirm what we have known for decades - that women who wish to terminate unwanted pregnancies will seek abortion at any cost, even if it is illegal or involves risk to their own lives."

Dr Richard Horton, the Lancet's editor, said: "These latest figures are deeply disturbing. The progress made in the 1990s is now in reverse.

"Condemning, stigmatising and criminalising abortion are cruel and failed strategies."

Kate Hawkins, from the Sexuality and Development Programme at the Institute of Development Studies, said: "Whether it is legal or illegal, women will seek abortions and obtain abortions.

"This study showed that in 2008, 86% of abortions took place in developing countries and that nearly half of all abortions worldwide were unsafe in 2008.

"That women continue to die in significant numbers because of unsafe abortion is a scandal and is an issue that the development sector should take seriously."

The UK Department for International Development part-funded the study, and International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell MP said it was a "tragedy" that the number of "back-street" abortions was rising.

"Women should be able to decide for themselves whether, when and how many children to have - but for many this is not a reality as they have no access to family planning.

"Over the next four years, British aid will give 10 million women access to modern contraception, which will prevent millions of unintended pregnancies."

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Deep clean for Belfast baby ward

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
21 January 2012 Last updated at 11:38 GMT Pseudomonas bacteria can cause infections in the chest, blood and urine The neo-natal ward at Belfast's Royal Jubilee Hospital is undergoing a deep clean this weekend, following the deaths of three babies from a bacterial infection.

The three infants died over a two-week period this month, having contracted the Pseudomonas infection.

A fourth baby is now being treated and all others in the unit are being tested to see if they have the infection.

The infection can live on surfaces for several days, one expert told the BBC.

Infection risk

Pseudomonas can cause breathing difficulties and tissue damage.

Three other babies at the hospital were diagnosed with the infection. Two recovered, while the other died of an unrelated cause.

It has also emerged that in December at Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry, a baby died of a different strain of the bacterial infection.

GP Dr Sarah Jarvis told BBC News the infection was a risk to "the very very young, the very very old, burns victims or cancer victims".

She said the infection can take hold in areas such as sinks and in water pipes with stagnant water. The bacteria can live for several days on surfaces but can be destroyed by vigorous hand-washing.

She urged all visitors to make use of hygiene facilities when they visited the wards, as many people unwittingly brought infections into them.

A helpline has been set up to deal with concerns

Professor Hugh Pennington, a bacteriologist from Aberdeen University, said identifying the source of the of the infection would not be easy.

"This is very, very difficult detective work basically because one has to look at all sorts of possibilities," he said.

"This is a bug which of course is very common in nature so just finding it doesn't necessarily mean that that's the cause of the problem, you know, that you've identified it."

The Department of Health in Northern Ireland said there was no evidence to link the current outbreak in the Royal Hospital with that of the incident at Altnagelvin in December.

It said all necessary control measures were put in place at the time and "the infection was eradicated".

A helpline has been set up for parents on 028 90 635 389.

The chief executive of the Belfast Health Trust earlier said a full investigation was being carried out.

However, Colm Donaghy said that the "first priority is the safety of the babies and ensuring the work that we do keeps babies safe".

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More

Plans to insure cosmetic surgery

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
20 January 2012 Last updated at 04:04 GMT By Simon Cox BBC Radio 4's The Report PIP implants contain industrial silicone but there is no evidence they pose a health risk An insurance scheme for cosmetic surgery patients could be introduced after the PIP breast implants scandal.

Sir Bruce Keogh, who is leading the government review into PIP implants, told the BBC the scheme would protect consumers.

Although there is no clear evidence PIP implants cause harm, the NHS will remove and replace those it fitted.

But patients who were treated privately are being told by most clinics they must pay for the procedure.

About 40,000 women in Britain have implants made by the French firm Poly Implant Prothese (PIP).

The 3,000 cancer patients who had them for breast reconstruction will have their implants replaced for free by the NHS for compassionate reasons to ease the concern of patients.

But that leaves thousands of women - fitted with implants that contain industrial silicone that is not supposed to be in human bodies - with no official recourse for help.

The three leading clinics which performed breast implant operations, and which would have used the PIP products, are Transform, the Harley Medical Group and Surgicare.

All three have declined to offer free replacements for their patients despite the government saying they have a moral obligation to their customers.

An insurance scheme for future cosmetic surgery patients would offer greater protection for consumers in these scenarios.

Sir Bruce Keogh, the NHS medical director, was appointed by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley in December to lead the review into PIP implants.

Protecting consumers

He told Radio 4's The Report the scheme being considered would work much like the insurance protection scheme in place in the travel industry.

"One of the things my review will be looking at will be... something like the Abta arrangement, which means that when a company runs into trouble for whatever reason, the consumer is covered," Sir Bruce said.

The Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) offers financial protection for its members and their customers should something go wrong.

Companies pay a subscription to become members of Abta, which then provides a fund for people to fall back on should there be a problem.

Sir Bruce said this model "captured the flavour of where we want to go," but said he did not want to pre-empt the recommendations from the review.

Jim Frame, professor of aesthetic plastic surgery at Anglia Ruskin University, supports an insurance system under which the patient would pay a premium but if a problem occurred with implants years after they were put in, there would be "an all-expenses paid replacement of a ruptured implant, absolutely no hassle and we do not have to worry the NHS."

Professor Frame also supports a breast implant registry which is likely to be reintroduced to record details of all operations.

A registry did exist between 1993 and 2006.

The inquiry team will meet in two weeks' time to review the data from private clinics about the failure or rupture rate of PIP implants.

Further tests are also being conducted on the industrial silicone which was used in the implants, to determine how toxic it was.

This edition of The Report was on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday, 19 January at 20:00 GMT.

Listen to the full programme via the Radio 4 website or download the programme podcast.

Source BBC

GOOGLE NEWS | BBC NEWS | NY DAILY NEWS | TRAFFIC NEWS | TECH NEWS

Read More