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Drive to increase private sector health care providers could destabilise the NHS in Scotland

The warning came as doctors debated health policies on the growth of independent sector treatment centres in England which, doctors claim, is creating unnecessary competition and destabilising the viability of local NHS hospitals.

27 Jun 2005

Half of American adults believe cancer myths

A new survey has discovered the quite astonishing fact that almost half of American adults mistakenly believe that surgery can spread cancer, and more than one in four thinks that a cure for cancer exists but is being kept from the public by a profit-driven health-care industry.

27 Jun 2005

Researchers discover new molecular mechanism that may allow for stem cell-based therapies to treat eye disorders such as retinal degeneration

The finding also reveals how the retina's own stem cells can be directed to aid the growth of new cells to replace diseased or dying ones in the eye. Study results appear in the June 24 issue of the journal Science.

27 Jun 2005

New research raises the possibility that the risk of developing arsenic-related disease is not the same for everybody

Children with a particular variation in the CYT19 gene metabolize arsenic differently than adults with the same genetic variant, according to a new research report. The findings have important implications for the safety of drinking water worldwide and the use of arsenic as a cancer drug.

27 Jun 2005

Study challenges understanding of how messenger RNAs are translated into proteins

Our understanding of how messenger RNAs are translated into proteins is challenged by a new study published in the Open Access journal Journal of Biology.

27 Jun 2005

Patients in hospital are at greater risk of dying at weekends

A new report by an independent health analyst, says hospital patients are at greater risk of dying at weekends.

27 Jun 2005

British doctors question guidelines on blood pressure and cholesterol levels

A new study suggests that the thresholds for "normal" blood pressure and cholesterol levels have been set so low healthy people might be put on unnecessary medication.

27 Jun 2005

Health warnings issued at festival

Health officials in the UK have issued a health warning to festival goers at Glastonbury as they are confronted by a nightmare of mud.

27 Jun 2005

Britain heading for a 'carer crisis' as population ages

According to a new report in 30 years time one in five adults in Britain will be looking after a sick, elderly or disabled relative.

27 Jun 2005

Half a million in U.S. could die in flu pandemic

A report from the Trust for America's Health, says the United States only has 965,256 staffed hospital beds, and in the event of a pandemic, half a million Americans could die and more than 2 million could end up in the hospital with serious complications.

27 Jun 2005

Meat eaters more likely to be obese than vegetarians

A new study says that women who are vegetarians are less likely to be obese than those who eat meat.

27 Jun 2005

Tsunami leaves patients with unusual infections

According to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine, the December tsunami which left more than 200 000 people dead or missing in Asia and Africa, appears to have caused some unusual lung and sinus infections and also a paralysing brain infection.

27 Jun 2005

Marijuana activists nervous after raids

Marijuana activists in the U.S. fear that recent raids by federal agents are the beginning of an attempt by authorities to wipe out local dispensaries which provide marijuana for medical purposes.

27 Jun 2005

3 health workers arrested after hepatitis vaccine kills a schoolchild and makes 120 others ill

After a hepatitis vaccine was administered in their schools in central China, one child died and another 120 have become ill.

27 Jun 2005

Unknown factors make Scots people more prone to heart disease

The findings, which are published in the current edition of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, conclude that although successful campaigns to get Scots to live a healthier lifestyle will reduce rates of heart disease in Scotland, they will not do much to narrow the gap in heart disease rates between Scotland and England.

26 Jun 2005

Study sheds new light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of chronic wounds

A study conducted by NYU School of Medicine researchers, in collaboration with the Wound Healing Program at Columbia University, sheds new light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of chronic wounds.

26 Jun 2005

Scots outline their priorities for health in new BMA survey

Cleaner hospitals are the top priority for Scots according to the results of a poll released by the British Medical Association (BMA), Sunday 26 June 2005. However bottom of patients' list of priorities was to have a choice for where they can have an operation.

26 Jun 2005

New clue to the causes of neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), the Wellcome Trust, BBSRC - the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the EU have made an important discovery about the mechanisms underlying degenerative brain diseases.

26 Jun 2005

Expression profiles and functional analyses of Wnt-related genes in human joint disorders

The cellular signaling protein Wnt, which is involved in embryonic development and cancer, contributes to disease progression of both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

26 Jun 2005

Bishop of Manchester addresses doctors at BMA Annual Conference

In a robust address at the annual British Medical Association Conference Service, on Sunday 26th June, the Bishop of Manchester, the Right Revd. Nigel McCulloch accused the government of undermining trust between the medical profession and the public. He said:

26 Jun 2005