Healthcare, The NHS, People & Training
A major trial of a vaginal microbicide has produced no evidence that its use reduces the risk of HIV infection in women. The gel, PRO 2000, is intended for use before sexual intercourse to help reduce HIV infection. It was tested in a trial involving 9,385 women in four African countries. The risk of HIV [...]
University of Sheffield researchers claim that NHS walk-in centres near railway stations are not popular with commuters and are a waste of money. A five-year pilot programme of six centres near stations in London, Newcastle, Manchester and Leeds was set up in 2004 as part of a £50m programme. But a study has found they [...]
NHS figures show that over one in five children in England start their school life overweight or obese. Shockingly this rises to 1 in 3 by the end of primary school, which makes the child approximately 11. The statistics showed that obesity levels were higher in London, the North East and West Midlands than elsewhere [...]
The Wellington woman who made national headlines last week for attempting to starve herself to death has died. Margaret Page’s refusal to eat food sparked a vigorous ethical debate. She was 60. Page, who suffered a cerebral haemorrhage 20 years ago, had refused to eat food for the past 16 days, taking only the occasional [...]
Schools, employers and GPs all have more of a role to play in mental-health care in the UK, ministers say. Investment in recent years has focused on improving treatment, but the new 10-year strategy calls for more emphasis on prevention and early intervention. In particular, it highlighted the importance of helping people back into work [...]
The government is to scale back its £12bn NHS IT system in what the Tories are calling a “massive U-turn”. Chancellor Alistair Darling said he would be delaying parts of the scheme in Wednesday’s pre-Budget Report as it was “not essential to the front line”. The move may save hundreds of millions but Mr Darling [...]
Scientists believe that worms could hold the key to why some people develop Parkinson’s Disease. Worms share 50% of their genes with humans, including those involved with inherited Parkinson’s. Dundee University researchers will study a simple worm called C. elegans to try to work out why the condition causes patient’s brain cells to die. The [...]
The dudhi also called the calabash or bottle gourd is a vine grown for its fruit, which can either be harvested young and used as a vegetable or harvested mature, dried, and used as a bottle, utensil, or pipe. For this reason, one of the calabash subspecies is known as the bottle gourd. The fresh [...]
People who smoke potent skunk are more at risk of psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia than those who use other types of cannabis, scientists suspect. According to new research, regular users double their risk of psychosis but heavy skunk users increase theirs seven-fold. UK experts have a theory it is down to skunk’s composition – [...]
The World Health Organization is changing its advice on HIV drugs, asking that they be given sooner and to breastfeeding mothers with the virus. Experts say the advice is based on the most up-to-date information available and will cut infection rates and save lives but it will mean many more people needing treatment, which will [...]