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NHS Trusts must avoid complacency

Health Secretary John Reid today warned NHS Trusts not to be complacent about the approaching August 1 deadline for the working time directive. At a conference in Birmingham he urged all NHS Trusts to firm up the proposals they have been working on for the last two years as to how they would deliver ahead of the deadline.

5 May 2004

Substance use disorders don’t discriminate by age

Substance use disorders don’t discriminate. In fact, anyone can have a problem with prescription medication, alcohol, or illicit drugs—including adults aged 55 and older.

3 May 2004

New practice guidelines for treating fluid in the ears

Most toddlers and preschoolers will be diagnosed with fluid in their middle ears--or otitis media with effusion (OME)--at some time before school age.

3 May 2004

A test that examines facial weakness, arm weakness and speech disturbance allows paramedics to quickly and accurately identify stroke

A test that examines facial weakness, arm weakness and speech disturbance allows paramedics to quickly and accurately identify stroke, researchers report in today’s rapid access issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

30 Apr 2004

Children's Surgery International to help peruvian children with facial deformities

Approximately 100 Arequipa, Peru area children with facial deformities will be eligible to have those deformities surgically repaired free of charge by an elite medical team of American doctors and nurses who will be in Peru from May 5th to May 14th, 2004.

30 Apr 2004

Scientists have discovered a genetic cause of cleft lip and palate in mice

By watching mice “dance” and comparing the DNA of the dancers to their flat-footed siblings, scientists have discovered a genetic cause of cleft lip and palate in mice, a finding that is already being used to search for a similar genetic defect in humans.

29 Apr 2004

Researchers to create tool for diagnosing children with apraxia of speech

A new National Institutes of Health grant will enable Oregon Health & Science University researchers to create a tool for diagnosing children with apraxia of speech -- a neurologically based speech motor disorder.

27 Apr 2004

A high rate of marriage among deaf individuals can explain the increased frequency of connexin deafness in the United States

A high rate of marriage among deaf individuals can explain the increased frequency of connexin deafness in the United States and may have led to a doubling of its occurrence during the past 200 years, according to a study by hereditary deafness experts at Virginia Commonwealth University.

27 Apr 2004

John Reid emphasises importance of diversity in the NHS

Health Secretary John Reid has today reinforced the importance of cultural diversity in the NHS but also emphasised the need for tougher rules to ensure that people do not abuse NHS services.

26 Apr 2004

New use of Botox helps voice disorders

An injection that’s best known for smoothing wrinkles also helps restore the voices — and the confidence — of people with a voice disorder caused by spasms in their vocal cord muscles, a new University of Michigan study finds.

24 Apr 2004

Pierre Pettigrew outlines plan of action for health care reforms

Canadians have a "right" to know how long they have to wait to receive medical treatment, Health Minister Pierre Pettigrew said yesterday.

21 Apr 2004

Researchers use MRI to capture the intricacies of speech

A team of University of Southern California researchers has brought cutting-edge imaging tools to the study of human speech, capturing the clearest moving images of the rapid vocal movements that turn sound to language.

20 Apr 2004

Study reveals brain function of poor readers can improve

A brain imaging study has shown that, after they overcome their reading disability, the brains of formerly poor readers begin to function like the brains of good readers, showing increased activity in a part of the brain that recognizes words.

19 Apr 2004

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association announce anti-fraud efforts

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) today announced a new Anti-Fraud Strike Force comprised of top Blue Plan investigators that will work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other national, state and local law enforcement agencies to fight major insurance fraud schemes that rob consumers of millions of dollars annually.

19 Apr 2004

How to beat throat cancer

Rochesterian Jim Toole is looking forward to a warm summer filled with hearty picnic barbecues after beating throat cancer.

16 Apr 2004

Abbott Laboratories attempt to silence AIDS advocates

In a brazen attempt to silence AIDS advocates' ongoing criticism of Abbott Laboratories over its recent 400% price hike on the key AIDS drug Norvir, two prominent gay publications are buckling under pressure from Abbott to refuse to run, or significantly alter, a parody advertisement created by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) that spoofs the drug giant's media spin on their unprecedented price hike on Norvir.

16 Apr 2004

'Medicare-Approved' cards available soon

Beginning in June 2004, the Medicare discount card program will provide America's seniors and disabled Medicare beneficiaries with much-needed discounts and information on their prescription drugs. The purchasing power behind the Medicare population is expected to save beneficiaries an average of 10 to 25 percent off the retail price of most drugs.

14 Apr 2004

Autism Associations shows CDC and FDA to be negligent

National Autism Association announced Tuesday that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and some pharmaceutical companies have become a target for investigation.

14 Apr 2004

New research findings in study of Rett Syndrome

Rudolf Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute of Biomedical Research in Cambridge, MA reports in the April 6, 2004 online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that introduction of the MeCP2 protein into post-mitotic nerve cells of MeCP2 mutant mice rescues the symptoms of Rett Syndrome. This raises the possibility that neurons are functionally normal in a newborn child and that neural dysfunction manifests itself only later due to prolonged MeCP2 deficiency. If correct, therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing the onset of Rett symptoms could be initiated at birth.

7 Apr 2004

Researchers are helping car manufacturers come up with the best ‘audible icons’ to convey alerts

Researchers have subjected volunteers to the sounds of cockerels, bells, babies crying and footsteps to find out how people perceive urgency and pleasantness. The two-year EPSRC-funded project aims to find the most appropriate sounds – such as those of screeching tyres or car horns – to warn drivers of hazards on the road.

6 Apr 2004