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Community MRSA is re-emergence of 1950's pandemic

This "re-equipping and re-emergence" of a clone that caused a pandemic 40-50 years ago could mean that community acquired MRSA will spread faster and be more widespread than previously expected, warns an international team of researchers who have been studying the bacteria.

3 Apr 2005

Sea floor may yield disease cures

On Monday, the Harbor Branch drug discovery group will begin a 2-week expedition to explore the Straits of Florida in search of organisms that produce chemicals with the potential to cure diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's.

3 Apr 2005

Political point-scoring over policies to control MRSA confuses real issue

Political point-scoring over policies to control MRSA (meticillin-resistant Staphlococcus aureus) confuses cleanliness with the real failure in UK hospitals - poor hand hygiene and inadequate use of gloves, states an editorial in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

3 Apr 2005

Novel protein marker for early diagnosis of kidney failure

Researchers have found a novel protein marker that can give a rapid and early diagnosis of kidney failure in children undergoing heart surgery, reporting their results in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

3 Apr 2005

Directly observed therapy effective against drug resistant tuberculosis

Directly observed therapy (DOTS) - the main strategy for tuberculosis control - can rapidly reduce the transmission and incidence of the drug resistant form of the disease, concludes a study published in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

3 Apr 2005

Sexual behaviour alone doesn’t explain the differences in STIs among ethnic groups

Patterns of sexual lifestyles and sexually transmitted infections (STI) vary among ethnic groups in Great Britain, concludes a study in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

3 Apr 2005

Wolfowitz is the wrong choice for the World Bank

The nomination of Paul Wolfowitz to head the World Bank is the wrong choice and should be rejected, says an editorial in this week's BMJ.

3 Apr 2005

Not enough evidence that multivitamins prevent infections in the elderly

Role of multivitamins and mineral supplements in preventing infections in elderly people: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials BMJ Online First.

3 Apr 2005

British hospitals need clinical ethicists

"We need to introduce clinical ethicists in hospitals in the United Kingdom," says a researcher in medical ethics in this week's BMJ.

3 Apr 2005

The facts on prenatal care

The nine months of pregnancy come complete with a rich folklore, from guessing at a baby’s sex by the expectant mother’s shape to home remedies for morning sickness. Along with these ageless stories and advice, women also face a variety of recommendations from the modern world of medicine on how best to take care of themselves during pregnancy.

3 Apr 2005

Public morally obliged to take part in scientific research

John Harris, Professor of Bioethics at the Institute of Medicine, Law and Bioethics at the University of Manchester, and a leading ethicist, in an article in the Journal of Medical Ethics says the public has a moral obligation to support and take part in scientific research.

From The University of Manchester 3 Apr 2005

Late developers more at risk from sexually transmitted disease

Researchers at the Academic Unit of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, UK, have found that late developers may run a higher risk of infection than sexually mature younger teens.

From The University of Manchester 3 Apr 2005

Winning triggers violence in sport

Research reported in Injury Prevention on rugby in the Welsh capital city Cardiff, have found that it is winning, not losing, that triggers violence at sports events. Their findings are based on the numbers of people requiring emergency medical treatment for assault at the time of international rugby and football matches in one capital city.

3 Apr 2005

First UK cases of previously rare disease reported in gay men

A previously rare disease has been reported for the first time in the UK, Lymphograunuloma venereum (LGV) is a genital/anogenital bacterial infection caused by a particularly invasive strain of Chlamydia trachomatis.

3 Apr 2005

Aspirin safer than Warfarin for treating blocked arteries

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have shown for the first time that aspirin works as well as warfarin in reducing blood clotting. Until now doctors have lacked good evidence for choosing one therapy over the other.

30 Mar 2005

New drug approved for treating endometriosis

Drug manufacturer Pfizer announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given approval for the release of depo-subQ provera 104 to be prescribed for the management of pain associated with endometriosis, a gynecological condition that affects one in ten women of reproductive age.

30 Mar 2005

Parents drugs, alcohol and tobacco use harm their children's futures

A white paper - Family Matters: Substance Abuse and the American Family - released by The National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, says parents who use illegal drugs, abuse alcohol and use tobacco put half the nation's children - more than 35 million of them - at greater risk of substance abuse and of physical and mental illnesses.

30 Mar 2005

Discovery of the enzyme that destroys cartilage in inflammatory arthritis

A Melbourne-led team of scientists has discovered the enzyme that destroys cartilage in inflammatory arthritis, offering new hope to sufferers of this painful condition.

30 Mar 2005

Electroacupuncture can lower blood pressure

Dr. John C. Longhurst, director of the Susan Samueli Centre for Integrative Medicine at UC Irvine ,and researchers, have found that acupuncture using low levels of electrical stimulation can lower elevations in blood pressure by as much as 50 percent.

30 Mar 2005

Construction will enable pSivida to increase BrachySil production

Global nanotechnology company pSivida Limited has announced that it's UK manufacturing partner, Atomising Systems Ltd ("ASL"), has reached a key milestone in the manufacture of BrachySil, its lead product, by completing construction of a state of the art dedicated cleanroom facility to GMP specifications at its Sheffield plant in the United Kingdom. ASL is a world leader in high temperature atomising technology.

30 Mar 2005