Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

New drive to recruit more NHS staff from underprivileged backgrounds

Research shows that 74% of the medical school population come from the highest three social classes, although just 38% of the working age population is from this background. Asian ethnic groups are under-represented in applicants to nursing courses, and there is evidence that black and ethnic minority applicants have difficulty in securing course places.

10 Aug 2004

Premature babies, better to delay where possible, to minimise brain damage

Findings from a UK-led international trial, funded by the Medical Research Council, confirm that premature babies across Europe are being delivered at the right time to save their lives, but preventing brain damage by optimising delivery time is still a challenge.

9 Aug 2004

Alterations in a tumor suppressor gene called p53 are more prevalent in breast cancer of African-American women than white women

Ethnic differences in the incidence and mortality rates of breast cancer are noted in the United States and worldwide. In the U.S., the most apparent differences are seen between African-American and white women. African-American women have lower incidence rates of the disease, but have higher mortality rates. Moreover, African-American women present at a younger age and with more aggressive disease.

9 Aug 2004

Novel treatment of patients with high cholesterol focus of national meeting

Implications of recent lipid-lowering clinical trials and the specific changes to the NCEP guidelines will be the focus of discussion by Neil J. Stone, M.D., professor of clinical medicine of the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University.

6 Aug 2004

Bush administration is depriving millions access to life-saving generic drugs

AIDS Healthcare Foundation, has commended the World Health Organization (WHO) for their leadership and sincere interest in ensuring the safety of generic HIV/AIDS drugs in the developing world.

6 Aug 2004

To prevent heart attack, stroke, amputation, and death, National “PAD Coalition” is formed

Vascular Disease Foundation spearheads new national, multidisciplinary organization to educate patients, clinicians on peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

6 Aug 2004

Single, uniform standard of care for performing laser eye surgery procedures

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced a new policy providing a single, uniform standard of care throughout the Department for performing laser eye surgery procedures.

5 Aug 2004

Approval of Cymbalta for treatment of major depressive disorder

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Cymbalta® (duloxetine HCl; pronounced SIM-BALL-TA), judging it a safe and effective treatment for major depressive disorder, Eli Lilly and Company have announced.

5 Aug 2004

New gene-silencing technique

A new gene-silencing technique that takes place in the nucleus of human cells, has been demonstrated by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and the VA San Diego Healthcare System.

5 Aug 2004

Pilot program made first-year medical students more sensitive to older people

Creating art with older "teammates" made first-year medical students more sensitive to older people, according to results of the Vital Visionaries Collaboration (VV), a pilot program developed by the National Institute on Aging in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, MD.

5 Aug 2004

Call for action following Healthcare Commission report

Cancer information charity CancerBACUP is calling for action following today's Healthcare Commission report, which highlights particular concerns about patient information and the lack of patient involvement in their treatment and care.

5 Aug 2004

ATS receives US $10.7 million in orders from one of the world's largest medical device companies

ATS Automation Tooling Systems has announced it has recently received a total of US $10.7 million (CDN $14.2 million) in orders from one of the world's largest manufacturers of self-use medical diagnostic systems.

5 Aug 2004

25% of young men tested positive for a sexually transmitted infection (STI)

25% of young men attending a new community sexual health clinic, run by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in the heart of Brixton, have tested positive for a sexually transmitted infection (STI).

5 Aug 2004

As medicine targets personal DNA profiles, researchers examine ethics and patient experiences

Researchers at the University of York are beginning a major study into the ethical and personal issues raised by a potential revolution in healthcare, which could incorporate individualised medical care – pharmacogenetics - into clinical practice.

5 Aug 2004

ASTRO and ACS join to promote cancer survivorship

As part of an initiative to give back to the cancer communities in the cities visited during its annual scientific meetings, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology is partnering with the Atlanta chapter of the American Cancer Society to raise awareness of cancer survivorship.

5 Aug 2004

Physicians treating blacks more often reported that they lacked sufficient access to major health care resources

If you are a black Medicare patient in the United States, you are more likely than a white Medicare patient to be treated by a primary care physician who reports being unable to provide consistently high-quality medical care to all patients.

5 Aug 2004

Coping programs for adolescent children of HIV-infected parents help teens develop into productive young adults

UCLA AIDS Institute scientists have found that coping programs for adolescent children of HIV-infected parents help teens develop into productive young adults while saving taxpayers significant expenses in government services.

3 Aug 2004

How to avoid MRSA infection

Staph bacteria are not uncommon in health care settings. In fact, they account for a large number of hospital-related infections each year.

3 Aug 2004

Half of women over 55 don't discuss osteoporosis with their doctors

A recent survey of 376 women age 55 and over found fewer than half of them discuss osteoporosis prevention therapies with their healthcare providers, yet this bone crippling disease is one of the major reasons women eventually lose their independence and enter nursing homes.

3 Aug 2004

The NHS is effectively being privatised

The NHS is effectively being privatised – broken up into hundreds of competing companies with an independent regulator overseeing the system according to Professor Allyson Pollock of UCL's School of Public Policy.

3 Aug 2004