UK - health news articles
Heart screening for athletes would save livesHeart screening for athletes before competition should be mandatory. The findings show that a pre-participation screening programme, which involves checking the activity of the heart during exercise, would detect more athletes at risk of sudden cardiac death and save lives, say the authors.
Rimonabant guidance for overweight and obese patientsThe UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published final guidance on the use of rimonabant for the treatment of overweight and obese patients.
Positive school environments reduce student smokingA survey of high-school children in Scotland has shown that pupils who experience positive and inclusive social environments in schools are less likely to take up smoking. The teachers who succeed in creating a positive environment in school may be responsible for their pupils staying smoke-free.
HPV vaccine Cervarix in UK's immunisation programmeThe UK's leading cervical cancer charity, Jo's Trust, has welcomed the UK's Department of Health's announcement that the HPV vaccine, Cervarix will be used in the national immunisation programme for 12/13 year olds starting in September, 2008.
Hazardous drinking is quite commonCurrent diagnostic guides divide alcohol-use disorders into two categories: alcohol abuse/harmful use and alcohol dependence. Some researchers and clinicians believe this is insufficient, that there should be a third, preceding diagnosis known as "hazardous drinking," defined as drinking more than guidelines recommend.
Non earlobe body piercing raises complicationsOne in ten adults in England have had a piercing somewhere other than their ear lobe, with a quarter experiencing complications, and one in 100 piercings resulting in a hospital admission.
Mediterranean diet reduces type 2 diabetes riskPeople who follows mediterranean diet, are having less risk to suffering from type 2 disease, revealed by researchers. The Mediterreanean diet is rich in olive oil, grains, fruits, nuts, vegetables, and fish, but low in meat, dairy products and alcohol. The study published on bmj.com.
Better Tobacco Control in UKUK Department of Health has announced certain ideas to reduce the number of people who smoke, like plain cigarette packets with no branding or logos, minimum pack sizes of 20 and a ban on the advertising of cigarette papers.
Second hand smoke increases infectious diseases risk in infantsSecond hand smoke decreases immunity in infants and thereby raises risk of infectious diseases and early hospitalization even in the first year of life in infants, revealed by researchers in the BMJ journal Tobacco Control.
Paint chemicals may harm sperms, male fertilityA new study has revealed that chemicals used in paint emulsions may damage semen quality in males, making them infertile. The results of the study have been published in the 'Occupational Environmental Medicine' journal.
Oral HRT doubles risk of blood clotsHormone replacement therapy (HRT) given in skin patches may cause fewer blood clots than HRT given orally, revealed by researchers in British Medical Journal, UK. Women who take the oral form of HRT more than double their risk of developing a blood clot.
Purple passion fruit peel reduces asthma symptomsPassion fruit peel can significantly improve the symptoms of asthma. Patients given an extract from the Purple passion fruit's peel had reduced wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath, due to anti-oxidant, anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory properties of Purple passion fruit.
Second genetic link to obesityA study of 90,000 people has uncovered new genetic variants that influence fat mass, weight and risk of obesity. The variants act in addition to the recently described variants of the FTO gene: on average, adults carrying variants in both genes are 3.8 kg (or 8.5 lb) heavier.
Drug resistant tuberculosis rising in UKThe incidence of tuberculosis in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has been on the increase with more than 8000 cases reported in 2006. In addition, resistance to antituberculosis drugs has been increasing globally.
International Cancer Genome Consortium sets sights on cancerThe International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC), which includes the Wellcome Trust and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the UK, will generate a valuable resource enabling the development of new and better ways of diagnosing, treating and preventing cancer.
Preterm babies could benefit from skin-to-skin cuddlingPreterm babies, born between 28 and 31 weeks, could benefit from skin-to-skin cuddling with their mother before and during painful procedures such as a heel lance, reported in a recent study.
Heart disease predetermined by oxygen levels in the wombThe amount of oxygen available to a baby in the womb can affect their susceptibility to developing particular diseases later in life. Research presented at the annual Society for Endocrinology BES meeting in Harrogate shows that your risk of developing cardiovascular disease can be predetermined before birth, not only by your genes, but also by their interaction with the quality of the environment you experience in the womb.
20 minutes of housework boosts mental healthA Scottish Survey reveals first time that just 20 minutes of any physical activity, including housework, in a week is enough to boost mental health. While regular exercise is known to be good for mental health, no one seems able to agree on how much, or what type of activity, is best.
Genotyping DNA may reduce unnecessary treatment for blood disorder in pregnancyA new test for identifying a mismatch between the blood of a pregnant woman and her baby is accurate, feasible, and could substantially reduce unnecessary treatment, finds a study published on bmj.com.
Pesticides may lead to Parkinson's diseaseThe association between Parkinson's disease and exposure to pesticides has been shown in patients with the neurological disorder compared with their unaffected relatives, according to a study in the online open access journal BMC Neurology.
Parents contribute to breech delivery in offspringA baby is twice as likely to be born bottom first if either or both the parents were themselves breech deliveries, according to a study published ahead of print on bmj.com. The results suggest genes are a contributing factor.
Avoid alcohol in pregnancyResponding to the release of UK's NICE antenatal guidelines for pregnant women, Mervi Jokinen of the Royal College of Midwives, UK, said: "We welcome the guidelines which are evidence based, but feel that more clarity is needed about pregnancy and alcohol.
Hormone replacement therapy increases breast cancer recurrenceA new study HABITS revealed that breast cancer survivors who took hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for peri- and postmenopausal symptoms increases disease recurrence than those who did not take HRT.
Keeping in good shape in old age is harder for womenWomen aged 65-plus find it harder than men of the same age to preserve muscle - which probably impacts on their ability to stay as strong and fit. For the first time, scientists have shown that it is more difficult for women to replace muscle that is lost naturally as they get older - because of key differences in the way their bodies react to food.
Patients choice may destabilise health services, says BMA, UKPatients deserve real choice when making decisions about their treatment, but exercising that choice may destabilise existing services, the UK BMA warns as the UK Department of Health announces changes to provision of elective hospital care from 1st April 2008 in England.
Short radiotherapy benefits breast cancer patientsA lower total dose of radiotherapy, delivered in fewer, larger treatments has been shown to be as effective as the international standard of a higher total dose delivered over a longer time to treat women with early breast cancer – according to new research published in the Lancet and Lancet Oncology today.
Better care expected from NHS IT programme, UKThe new IT systems in the NHS, UK are on course to deliver better care and an estimated £1.14 billion in savings by 2014, according to the first annual Benefits Statement published by the UK Government.
Women's labour experiences differ from expectationsA pain-free and drug-free labour may be many expectant mothers' dream but a review in the open access journal BMC Medicine reveals that reality hits hard. Most women's labour experiences differ markedly from their expectations. They are often ill-prepared for what might happen and consequently may be disappointed when the birth does not "go to plan".
BMA launches campaign to safeguard medical training, UKThe British Medical Association (BMA) launches a campaign to alert the UK government to doctors' concerns about the future of medical training. It is calling on doctors and medical students in England to e-mail their MPs about the need for budgets for their training to be ringfenced.
$1 million help to find Alzheimer's disease cureUK's best-selling author, Terry Pratchett, has pledged $1million to leading UK charity, the Alzheimer's Research Trust, in a bid to help find a cure for the devastating disease, with which he was diagnosed in December 2007.
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