Health News from Medical News Today
|
|
12/01/2008 AVMA Revises Policy On Ear Cropping And Tail Docking The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Executive Board voted to strengthen association policy on two practices common in certain breeds of dogs-ear cropping and tail docking. The revised AVMA policy states: "The AVMA opposes ear cropping and tail docking of dogs when done solely for cosmetic purposes. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 SAC Report Has Important Role To Play In Climate Change Policy Says Task Force Work carried out by the Scottish Agricultural College on the options and cost implications of carbon budgeting for agriculture and land use has a key role to play in future climate change policy decisions, the industry-wide Climate Change Task Force said today. The work was commissioned to help inform members of the independent Committee on Climate Change. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 World Congress Against The Sexual Exploitation Of Children And Adolescents Comes To A Close In Brazil The sexual exploitation of children is not inevitable. That was the message coming out of Rio de Janeiro today where 137 governments have been meeting with children, international organizations, NGOs and private sector companies. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Stereotactic Breast Biopsy Made Easy With Mammomat Inspiration Siemens Healthcare has introduced its new biopsy unit to the market, enhancing the Mammomat Inspiration digital mammography platform with stereotactic breast biopsy. The digital system with basic functions for screening has been on the market since the end of 2007. Since then, it has been installed in countless hospitals and private practices worldwide. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 NPA Guide To Practice Based Commissioning - Update One year on from the Practice Based Commissioning Week organised by the pharmacy bodies in 2007, the NPA is releasing an update of its Guide to PBC, which includes a step-by-step guide to engagement. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Marked Improvement In Body Image, Physical Stamina, Post-Surgical Pectus Patients Report Patients who have had the common chest wall deformity known as pectus excavatum corrected report improved body image and ability to exercise, according to a study published December in the journal Pediatrics. The study, conducted at 11 North American hospitals, involved telephone interviews of more than 200 patients between the ages of 8 and 21 who had pectus excavatum surgery. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 High Levels Of Prenatal Smoking Exposure Affect Sleep Patterns In Preterm Neonates A study in the Dec. 1 issue of the journal Sleep is the first to show that high levels of prenatal smoking exposure strongly modify sleep patterns in preterm neonates, which places infants at a higher risk for developmental difficulties that could persist throughout early and middle childhood. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Over 5 Chlamydia Tests A Day Since Clamelle Launch Customers have already begun to use the NPA Chlamydia Test and Treat service since Clamelle (OTC Azithromycin) was officially launched as a Pharmacy medicine earlier this month. Between 5 and 10 tests a day are being received by GLG Laboratories, the NPA partner in this service. 70% of NPA members are now signed up to provide the NPA service. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Study Shows How Shift Workers Can Improve Job Performance And Implement A Realistic Sleep Schedule A study in the Dec. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that the use of light exposure therapy, dark sunglasses and a strict sleep schedule can help night-shift workers create a "compromise circadian phase position," which may result in increased performance and alertness during night shifts while still allowing adequate nighttime sleep on days off. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Students Invited To London Lecture - The British Psychological Society The impact of size zero media ideals on body image is just one of the fascinating topics up for discussion by local students at The British Psychological Society's upcoming student lecture on Tuesday 9 December 2008. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Persistent Pollutant May Promote Obesity Tributyltin, a ubiquitous pollutant that has a potent effect on gene activity, could be promoting obesity, according to an article in the December issue of BioScience. The chemical is used in antifouling paints for boats, as a wood and textile preservative, and as a pesticide on high-value food crops, among many other applications. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Rabid Bat In Baldwin County Prompts Reminders To Immunize Pets - Alabama Department Of Public Health The diagnosis of a rabid bat in the Fairhope area in Baldwin County has prompted public officials to encourage pet owners to be sure their dogs and cats are vaccinated against the fatal disease. "We do not believe that there was a human exposure in this case," said Charlotte Plumb, Environmental Supervisor with the Baldwin County Health Department. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 MRI Shows New Types Of Injuries In Young Gymnasts Adolescent gymnasts are developing a wide variety of arm, wrist and hand injuries that are beyond the scope of previously described gymnastic-related trauma, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Breast Cancer Treatment Offers Better Outcome To Women With Implants Women with early-stage breast cancer who have undergone breast augmentation may be treated successfully with a partial-breast radiation treatment called brachytherapy, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 New Treatment Eliminates Heel Pain Caused By Plantar Fasciitis Combining an ultrasound-guided technique with steroid injection is 95 percent effective at relieving the common and painful foot problem called plantar fasciitis, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Bariatric Surgery May Resolve Liver Disease Obesity is a growing epidemic in the U.S. with a significant increase in prevalence from 15 percent to 32.9 percent from 1980 to 2004. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an emerging problem related to the obesity epidemic, becoming one of the most common causes of liver disease in the nation. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 AAAAI: Long-lasting Cold Symptoms May Be Sinusitis If your stuffy nose and headache last for more than two weeks, it may be more serious than a cold. Winter is prime season for sinusitis, as the condition most often results from the common cold. Allergy sufferers are also more likely to develop sinusitis. An estimated 31 million Americans develop sinusitis each year, leading to 18 million physician visits and $5. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Antibiotics: Single Largest Class Of Drugs Causing Liver Injury Antibiotics are the single largest class of agents that cause idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI), reports a new study in Gastroenterology, an official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. DILI is the most common cause of death from acute liver failure and accounts for approximately 13 percent of cases of acute liver failure in the U.S. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Lower Childhood IQ Associated With Higher Risk Of Adult Mental Disorders Researchers have hypothesized that people with lower IQs may have a higher risk of adult mental disorders, but few studies have looked at the relationship between low childhood IQ and psychiatric disorders later in life. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Improving Occupational Safety And Health Worldwide - International Conference To Be Held In Dresden In January 2009 Enormous differences exist worldwide in the protection of workers' safety and health. How these differences might be reduced will be the subject of an international strategy conference to be held from 28 to 30 January 2009 at the Academy Dresden of the DGUV. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Exercise Helps Prevent Age-Related Brain Changes In Older Adults Older adults who exercise regularly show increased cerebral blood flow and a greater number of small blood vessels in the brain, according to findings presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Newly Reported HIV Cases On The Rise In Europe The HIV epidemic remains of major public health importance in Europe, with evidence of increasing transmission of HIV in several countries. Case reporting data from 2007 shows that the number of newly reported cases in Europe continues to rise. Between 2000 and 2007, the rate of HIV infection has almost doubled, from 40 per million population to 76/million. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Brain Waves Show Sound Processing Abnormalities In Autistic Children Abnormalities in auditory and language processing may be evaluated in children with autism spectrum disorder by using magnetoencephalography (MEG), according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). "Using MEG, we can record the tiny magnetic fields associated with electrical brain activity," said Timothy Roberts, Ph.D. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Cambridge Laboratories Announces Launch Of XENAZINE(R) (Tetrabenazine) In The US Cambridge Laboratories Group Limited ("Cambridge"), the privately-owned specialty pharmaceutical company, today announces that XENAZINE(R) (tetrabenazine), the first and only product approved for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington's disease, has been launched in the US. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 MRI Machines May Damage Cochlear Implants Patients with cochlear implants may want to steer clear of certain magnetic imaging devices, such as 3T MRI machines, because the machines can demagnetize the patient's implant, according to new research published in the December 2008 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. A cochlear implant is an electronic device that restores partial hearing to the deaf. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Prostate Cancer Promotes The Growth Of New Nerves And The Branching Axons That Carry Their Messages Prostate cancer - and perhaps other cancers - promotes the growth of new nerves and the branching axons that carry their messages, a finding associated with more aggressive tumors, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in the first report of the phenomenon that appears today in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 American College Of Physicians Recommends Routine HIV Screening For All Patients On World AIDS Day, the American College of Physicians (ACP) is giving doctors a call-to-action to routinely encourage HIV screening to all of their patients older than 13 years. This new practice guideline appears on the Annals of Internal Medicine Web site at http://www.annals.org. HIV affects more than one million people in the United States. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Acrobot And Alliance Medical In CT Scan Partnership To Improve Surgery Acrobot, the medical devices company specialising in computer assisted orthopaedic surgical navigation, and Alliance Medical part of the largest pan-European medical imaging company in Europe, supporting more than 400 hospitals and clinics in the UK, today announce they have entered into a partnership which will help improve surgical outcomes through the provision of advanced imaging techniques. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Researchers Learn That Some 'Good Cholesterol' Isn't Good Enough If you think your levels of "good cholesterol" are good enough, a new study published in the December 2008 issue of The FASEB Journal suggests that you may want to think again. In the report, researchers from the University of Chicago challenge the conventional wisdom that simply having high levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and low levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) is necessary for good heath. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Merck Serono: European Commission Approves Erbitux For 1st-Line Use In Head And Neck Cancer Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, announced today that it has received approval from the European Commission to extend the use of its targeted therapy Erbitux® (cetuximab) to include 1st-line treatment of patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Combining Targeted Therapy Drugs May Treat Previously Resistant Tumors A team of cancer researchers from several Boston academic medical centers has discovered a potential treatment for a group of tumors that have resisted previous targeted therapy approaches. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Hospital Legal Liability Insurance Reforms Have Led To Improvements In Patient Safety, UK A major reform of the way that NHS hospitals pay for legal liability insurance has led to improvements in patient safety, according to research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Offering discounts on insurance premiums to hospitals that meet certain targets has led to falls in MRSA infection rates. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Doctors Often Skip Health Behavior Conversations With Teens Although national health guidelines call for physicians to discuss topics such as substance use, safety and nutrition with adolescents, new research suggests that these talks do not occur as often as they should. "The guidelines say that adolescents should have an annual visit that provides screening and guidance about high-risk health behaviors," said lead study author Sally Adams, R.N., Ph.D. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Younger Alcoholic Men At Risk For Osteoporosis Low bone mass, or osteoporosis, is a known consequence of alcoholism, especially in older alcoholics. However, a new study shows that younger male alcoholics are also at increased risk for osteoporosis. People with osteoporosis, no matter what the cause, are at an increased risk for fractures and poor fracture healing. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Donor Lungs Made To Breathe Outside Body - International Breakthrough For Transplant Team At Wythenshawe Hospital, South Manchester, England The transplant team at University Hospital of South Manchester (UHSM) have successfully transplanted the UK's first patient using donor lungs that have been made to breathe outside the body. This is the first time this has been undertaken anywhere in the world outside Sweden and means up 25% more patients could benefit from lung transplants every year. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Study Unmasks How Ovarian Tumors Evade Immune System Scientists at Johns Hopkins have determined how the characteristic shedding of fatty substances, or lipids, by ovarian tumors allows the cancer to evade the body's immune system, leaving the disease to spread unchecked. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Hospitals Lincolnshire Working Towards Screening All Elective Patients For MRSA, England Hospitals in Lincolnshire are taking a pro-active approach to battling infections by screening patients for MRSA on admission. At the moment, the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust screens patients for MRSA who are admitted as an emergency and other groups dependant upon the types of procedures to be undertaken. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Childhood Vaccines Cause Financial Burden To Many Health Care Providers The costs that health care providers are charged and reimbursed for childhood vaccines vary widely, and the high cost of some immunizations is leading to significant financial strain for some physicians, according to a pair of new studies from the University of Michigan Health System. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 New E-rostering Software Helps Lincolnshire Hospitals Work More Efficiently And Cost-effectively Hospitals in Lincolnshire are finding new ways to work more efficiently and cost-effectively- with the introduction of a new e-Rostering system. The electronic rostering system will prepare rotas for all staff groups working in all wards and departments in Lincolnshire's hospitals. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Brain's Magnetic Fields Reveal Language Delays In Autism Faint magnetic signals from brain activity in children with autism show that those children process sound and language differently from non-autistic children. Identifying and classifying these brain response patterns may allow researchers to more accurately diagnose autism and possibly aid in developing more effective treatments for the developmental disorder. Timing appears to be crucial. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 The Government Of Canada Procures IMVAMUNE(R) Smallpox Vaccine For The Country's Biological Preparedness Following a Request for Proposal issued in 2007 with the intent to procure an MVA-based, third generation smallpox vaccine, Public Works and Government Services Canada, on behalf of the Canadian Department of National Defence, has awarded a contract to Bavarian Nordic for the delivery of IMVAMUNE®. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 £2.5 Million Research Project To Improve The Care Of Older People Is Launched At Nottingham University Hospitals, England A public meeting is being held on Monday 1 December which will mark the launch of a £2.5 million research project at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH), designed to improve the care of older people locally and across the NHS. The research team is made up of doctors, nurses, therapists, academics and voluntary sector workers based at NUH and the University of Nottingham. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 New Study Indicates Smallpox Vaccination Effective For Decades Although naturally occurring smallpox was eradicated in 1977, there is concern that bioterrorists might obtain smallpox from a laboratory and release it into the population. Under such circumstances, the supply of smallpox vaccine may be insufficient for universal administration. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 New Brit Pacs View Available Via An Internet Download Complete With Training And Support Today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, BRIT Systems introduced a powerful new DICOM Viewer that is downloaded and supported over the Internet. The viewer's user-friendly design coupled with a go-live module that includes training and support will enable users to quickly include BRIT PACS View as an integral component of their DICOM imaging environment. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Brit Systems Introduces Stand-Alone Voice Recognition, Dictation And Transcription Module BRIT Systems introduces BRIT Speak, a stand-alone dictation, transcription, report distribution and optional voice recognition solution that uses the latest Web technologies. BRIT Speak provides real-time workflow across a virtual environment with minimal user intervention and is available with the company's Roentgen RIS and Roentgen Works remote reading solution. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Brit Systems Implements Next-Generation, Web-Based Technology In Roentgen Works Remote Reading Solution BRIT Systems announced today the release of a next-generation, Web-based technology platform for the Roentgen Works remote reading solution. Roentgen Works, a workflow solution that enables radiology groups of all sizes to provide outsourced radiology reading services, was launched earlier this year. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Programme Halves Hip Or Knee Replacement Patients' Time In Hospital, West Suffolk Hospital, England Patients who have undergone a hip or knee replacement at West Suffolk Hospital have spoken out to praise on a unique programme which has halved the time they spend in hospital. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 MicroRNA Blocker Prevented Heart Failure In Mice An international team of scientists from universities and private industry has discovered that a tiny scrap of genetic material called microRNA-21 (miR-21) regulates gene signalling pathways that are active in heart failure and a new experimental drug was able to silence these pathways and prevent heart failure in mice. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Konica Minolta Introduces Drypro 873 Laser Imager For Consistent Mammography Imaging Konica Minolta Medical Imaging USA announced today the release of the DRYPRO 873 laser imager, one of the fastest, most compact imagers available today. Engineered for unparallel image stability, the DRYPRO 873 boasts a higher silver ion capacity, an automatic density control function and automatic calibration to produce sharp, stable images. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Konica Minolta Introduces Ergonomic, Upright Flat Panel Digital Radiography System At RSNA 2008 Konica Minolta Medical Imaging introduced the FlexDR, an upright, flat panel digital radiography system at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). The FDA-cleared FlexDR features an Amorphous Silicon (aSi) and Cesium Iodide (CsI) receptor that boasts ultra-high detective quantum efficiency (DQE) for high-quality images even with minimum X-ray exposure. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 New Advances In The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Inherited And Acquired Blistering Skin Diseases More than 220 clinicians, researchers and allied health professionals from Guy's and St Thomas' and King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts and King's College London came together for a Biomedical Forum to hear about the advances being made in the understanding of blistering skin diseases at the three organisations and how these will translate to improved patient care. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Regius Digital Imaging Suite Delivers Digital Radiography In A Cost Effective Solution In response to hospitals' need for a digital X-ray environment that is flexible, efficient, and cost-effective, Konica Minolta is showcasing the REGIUS Digital Imaging Suite at the 94th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Autopilot Revolutionizes CR By Automating Image Processing For Consistency And Quality This week at the 94th Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), Konica Minolta is highlighting the ImagePilot CR System with AutoPilot Image Processing. AutoPilot is a patented, innovative technique that optimizes image quality while eliminating the need to define and select image processing parameters for each body part and orientation. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 New NPS Patient Resource On Infective Endocarditis, Australia Health professionals can now access a new information leaflet explaining recent changes to infective endocarditis guidelines, which has been developed by the National Prescribing Service Ltd (NPS) for consumers. In July 2008, Therapeutic Guidelines published revised guidelines for the use of antibiotic prophylaxis for preventing infective endocarditis. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 EFSA Recommends Lower MRLs For Several Active Substances Used In Pesticides - Europe EFSA has recommended lower Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs)[1] for several active substances used in pesticides which the European Commission considered could have possible safety concerns for human health. The risk assessment conducted by EFSA on these substances will support risk managers in reassessing these MRLs in order to protect human health. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 New Pain Management Training Boosts Patient Care, Royal Australian College Of General Practitioners The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) SA & NT Faculty is launching the SA Chapter of Pain Management, which will form part of the RACGP's 'Faculty of Specific Interest'. This is an initiative of the RACGP to recognise GPs who develop and practise special skills to enhance their provision of whole-person care to their patients. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Healthcare Agreements A Welcome Boost To Medical Workforce's Future, Australia Medical Deans have welcomed the investment in the education and training of Australia's future health workforce, agreed to yesterday at the Council of Australian Government meeting in Canberra. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 IPAC And AFMC Aim To Improve Health Care Delivery To First Nations, Inuit And Métis Peoples On December 1st 2008, the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada (IPAC) and the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) will launch four key documents that aim to improve health care delivery to First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples by implementing Indigenous health curriculum at Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 BUPA'S The New Name In Home Healthcare The UK's most experienced home healthcare provider, Clinovia, is changing its name to make the range of services that it provides clearer to customers and patients. From 1 December 2008 the company, which provides comprehensive home healthcare for more than 9,500 NHS patients a month with a wide range of medical and chronic conditions, will be known as Bupa Home Healthcare. Read more at this website... 12/01/2008 Pharmaceuticals Sector Interim Report: European Commission Attacks Practices That Prevent Competition From Generic Drugs The European Commission's 426 page Interim Report on the Pharmaceutical Sector (the "Report") , which was released on 24 November, makes no specific allegations of anticompetitive behaviour against particular companies but sets out in considerable detail how originators and generic manufacturers inter-connect within a highly regulated commercial environment. Read more at this website... |
