Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Screening for prostate cancer may not reduce risk of death

Screening men for prostate cancer may not reduce their risk for dying, according to a new study in the January 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

9 Jan 2006

The effectiveness of screening for prostate cancer

A screening test for prostate cancer that measures prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels does not improve survival, researchers at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Connecticut Healthcare System and Yale School of Medicine report in the January 9 Archives of Internal Medicine.

9 Jan 2006

Expert slashes hospital waiting times

Day surgery waiting times at South Tyneside District Hospital in the North East of England have been slashed from nine months to three weeks as a result of a business improvement technique developed by the University of Sunderland.

6 Jan 2006

Data establishes safety profile of new GlaxoSmithKline rotavirus vaccine candidate

Data from one of the largest infant vaccine trials ever conducted, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), showed GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) rotavirus vaccine candidate as effective against rotavirus disease (rotavirus gastroenteritis) in the first year of life. Rotavirus is the leading recognized cause of diarrhea-related illness and death among infants and young children.

6 Jan 2006

Visions of primary care in 2015

The forthcoming white paper on health and community services in England will affect all of our futures, so the British Medical Journal asked some people with an interest in general practice to predict the future.

6 Jan 2006

Gulf War Syndrome more prevalent in first Persian Gulf War veterans

Comparing veterans deployed in the first Persian Gulf War and veterans deployed elsewhere at the same time has revealed veterans who served in the Persian Gulf have nearly twice the prevalence of chronic multi-symptom illness (CMI), a cluster of symptoms similar to a set of conditions often called Gulf War Syndrome.

5 Jan 2006

New breast cancer drug Femara will save lives

Following the results of a worldwide study, U.S. regulators have given approval for the use of the drug Femara for women with early breast cancer directly after they have had surgery.

29 Dec 2005

Micro-gyroscopes could detect, monitor and provide therapy guidance on cancer

A vibrating disc no bigger than a speck of dust could help to diagnose and monitor common types of cancer and provide specialists with information about the most appropriate therapy.

22 Dec 2005

Urgent call to save lives of 30 million under fives over next decade

Unprecedented opportunity to reduce child mortality in poorest countries must not be missed

15 Dec 2005

Dramatic changes in new CPR guidelines will simplify lifesaving measures

New emergency care guidelines include dramatic changes to CPR and emphasis on chest compressions, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, co-author of the 2005 Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC).

15 Dec 2005

Aussies get $185m injection to fight bird flu

Australians will be reassured by a government boost of $185 million to improve the country's ability to deal with major health emergencies.

11 Dec 2005

Nothing changes - health aid still fails for the poorest

A study by the World Bank into the impact of health programmes aimed at helping the poorest people in developing countries, warns they are more likely to benefit the wealthier groups in their society.

11 Dec 2005

New anti-clotting treatment

Volunteers at the Jack and Linda Gill Heart Institute at the University of Kentucky were the first ever to receive a new anti-clotting therapy.

7 Dec 2005

Reimbursement structures across Europe create challenges for orthopaedic braces and supports manufacturers

A rapidly ageing population, the increasing trend toward non-invasive treatments and better disease management strategies are driving the demand for orthopaedic braces and supports in Europe.

7 Dec 2005

Analysis of the regulatory hurdles in European Diagnostics

In a move aimed at harmonising diagnostics regulations, the European parliament amended the medical devices directive (MDD) of 1993 to bring in the IVD directive (98/79/EC) in 1998.

6 Dec 2005

More mums would stick with breastfeeding if they had more support

The perfectly natural procedure of breast feeding does not always come that easy to every mum and babe.

6 Dec 2005

Where does billions for HIV/AIDS in Africa go? conference aims to find out

African scientists have united with others involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS at a conference in the Nigerian capital, to pool the latest information and ideas.

5 Dec 2005

Lay people can effectively use defibrillators to save the lives of cardiac arrest victims

The first large-scale study to see whether trained volunteers and lay people can use defibrillators to save the lives of cardiac arrest (CA) victims has concluded that their use by lay people is safe, and if the response time can be shortened to within eight minutes there is the potential to save the lives of 15 out of 100 people who collapse suddenly with CA.

5 Dec 2005

First study to demonstrate the elimination of a racial/ethnic disparity in health and healthcare

Community-based case managers are much more effective than traditional government outreach and enrollment programs in obtaining insurance coverage for uninsured Latino children, according to a study authored by a physician at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

5 Dec 2005

Fast-tracked screening for Chlamydia in UK

Young women asking for the morning-after pill at pharmacies will be offered fast-tracked screening for Chlamydia, the UK's most common sexually transmitted infection, in a University of Manchester study.

From The University of Manchester 2 Dec 2005