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Right-to-life case doctors backed by British Government

The British Government has directly intervened in a right-to-life case being heard at the Court of Appeal with a message to judges that giving patients the right to demand life-prolonging treatment would have "very serious implications" for the National Health Service (NHS).

18 May 2005

Many foreign nurses want to quit NHS

A poll of 400 foreign nurses carried out by the King's Fund and the Royal College of Nursing, has found that four in 10 want to leave Britain, and because they feel undervalued compared with their British colleagues there is a real possibility that thousands of nurses from overseas could quit the NHS in London.

18 May 2005

Two out of three Americans with type-2 diabetes do not have their disease under control

According to a new survey two out of three Americans with type-2 diabetes do not have their disease under control and are putting themselves at risk of early deaths from stroke, heart attack or kidney failure as well as blindness and limb loss.

18 May 2005

Patients with type 2 diabetes who participate in group education programs require less medication

Group-based education resulted in improved diabetes control as reflected by blood glucose levels and patients’ knowledge of diabetes. Evidence also suggested that participants in diabetes group education programs may reduce their blood pressure and body weight and increase self-empowerment, quality of life, self-management skills and treatment satisfaction.

18 May 2005

Obese people incorrectly diagnosed with asthma

Clinical tests carried out by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research indicate obese people may be incorrectly being diagnosed and treated for asthma when in fact the reason for shortness of breath may be related to the extra weight they carry.

18 May 2005

Integrated approach to child survival achieving important results

An integrated approach to child survival designed to deliver a package of lifesaving health services for children in hard to reach communities has shown remarkable results, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman announced at the World Health Assembly.

18 May 2005

Cameras and MP3 players are fun, but the next wave of add-ons for cell phones and laptops may help users keep track of their health

A University of Florida engineer has built a working prototype for a small, portable system that can monitor a person’s breathing and heart rate automatically via wireless signal, with no need for cords or plugs. The goal is to make it easy for people to check their own vital signs, and then transmit them in real time to medical personnel through a cell phone or Internet connection, all with little more than a press of a button.

18 May 2005

Older adults with insomnia report falling asleep faster with Ramelteon

Results from a Phase 3 clinical study presented at the 2005 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Geriatrics Society showed that bedtime administration of ramelteon, an investigational compound currently under review for the treatment of insomnia, significantly reduced time to fall asleep in older adults with chronic insomnia. Additionally, no rebound insomnia or withdrawal effects were observed.

18 May 2005

Hydroxycitric acid slows glucose uptake, cuts insulin peaks

In this obesity-obsessed world, the dream ingredient must be something that tastes good enough to be a condiment or flavoring and yet somehow helps us keep our weight down. Consider hydroxycitric acid (HCA), known variously as Brindle berry or Malabar tamarind, which is used in Indian and Thai food as a condiment and flavoring agent.

18 May 2005

Impact of oral contraceptives not immediately reversible after discontinuation

Hormonal changes induced by oral contraceptives (OC) are not immediately reversible after discontinuation of use, according to new research issued today at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) Fourteenth Annual Meeting and Clinical Congress.

18 May 2005

Metabolic syndrome linked to testosterone deficiency

Among men studied, those with a history of diabetes, hypertension or hyperlipidemia have a higher prevalence of hypogonadism, according to new research issued today at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) Fourteenth Annual Meeting and Clinical Congress.

18 May 2005

North American women receiving inadequate vitamin D

Vitamin D inadequacy may be overlooked by clinicans thus leading to inadequate vitamin D supplementation in patients with osteoporosis, according to new research issued today at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) Fourteenth Annual Meeting and Clinical Congress.

18 May 2005

Only 34% of polling stations accessible to disabled people

Sixty-six per cent of polling stations surveyed failed a basic access test for disabled people, according to Scope’s Polls Apart campaign, which tested the accessibility of polling stations and postal voting in the General Election earlier this month.

18 May 2005

EraGen Biosciences and Bayer announce agreements for new cystic fibrosis (CF) assay

EraGen Biosciences, a rapidly growing molecular diagnostics company and Bayer HealthCare LLC, Diagnostics Division, announced today that EraGen has licensed its patented MultiCode-PLx® System to Bayer HealthCare in an exclusive worldwide agreement for Cystic Fibrosis.

18 May 2005

Global project to combat parasites that cause cancer and infection in millions

Many cancers are associated with infections (for example cervical cancer is linked to the human papilloma virus) but there is no stronger link between a human malignancy and a parasitic infection than that between cancer of the bile ducts and a liver fluke called Opisthorchis viverrini.

18 May 2005

Nutritional composition of a mother’s breast milk may depend not just on her diet - but on her genes

“It is well known that genes control the nutrient levels in cow’s milk” said Richard B. Weinberg, M.D. “But until now, no one has considered how genes might affect human breast milk. This is the first study to demonstrate a genetic effect on human lactation.” The results were presented today at Digestive Disease Week 2005 in Chicago, Ill.

18 May 2005

New combination vaccine effective against plague

Plague, a bacterium that ravaged Europe in the Middle Ages and is today one of the most feared potential agents of bio-terrorism, may have met its match, according to Wake Forest University School of Medicine scientists.

18 May 2005

Australia to establish a national clinical trials register

For the first time, medical researchers, doctors and the general public will have information about clinical trials happening across the country in all areas of health, with the announcement of a national on-line register of all types of clinical trials.

18 May 2005

Concurrent radiation, chemo, followed by surgery lengthens lung cancer patients' survival

Patients whose lung cancer has spread to the lymph nodes have a better chance of long-term survival if they receive combined modality therapy, such as concurrent radiation and chemotherapy followed by surgery, according to a study that Loyola University Health System’s Dr. Kathy S. Albain presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.

18 May 2005

Advanced breast cancer drug appears effective on multiple targets

An experimental breast cancer drug that simultaneously attacks five tumor targets has halted progression of the disease in a clinical trial for patients with advanced disease.

18 May 2005