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*** NEW *** view all news stories in the Patient UK Newspaper
Health news stories selected by our editors
08/08/2008 - Beijing heat 'could clear minds' (BBC)
Hot, humid conditions may actually improve athletic performance at the Olympics, research suggests.
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08/08/2008 - Flu pandemic tops risk register (BBC)
A National Risk Register commissioned by the prime minister cites a flu pandemic as the gravest threat to security.
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08/08/2008 - 'Sausage dog' gene blindness clue (BBC)
A genetic mutation in dachshunds could help uncover the roots of some inherited forms of blindness in humans, say scientists.
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08/08/2008 - Big heart secrets 'aid athletes' (BBC)
A study of top rowers finds how a naturally-produced hormone can actually make their hearts bigger and more powerful.
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08/08/2008 - Fertility treatments 'no benefit' (BBC)
Two commonly used treatments for fertility problems do not work, a large UK study shows.
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07/08/2008 - Hormone patch for schizophrenia (NHS Choices)
NHS comment on a report that scientists had found giving women with schizophrenia oestrogen made them less likely to report suffering hallucinations or delusions [more research required].
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07/08/2008 - Drug deaths 'double in a decade' (BBC)
The number of drug-related deaths in Scotland has doubled in the past 10 years, according to new figures.
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07/08/2008 - Major health research group forms (BBC)
Five London medical centres join forces to become Europe's largest academic-health science partnership.
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07/08/2008 - Broccoli and diabetes (NHS Choices)
NHS comment on a report that broccoli might reverse the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels [Optimal blood sugar control through diet and medication remains the best option for people with diabetes, and broccoli should be considered only as part of a healthy diet].
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07/08/2008 - Scientists discover people who can 'hear' what they see (BBC)
US scientists have discovered people who can "hear" what they see.
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07/08/2008 - A colour-changing crystal on a solider's uniform could show if they have a brain injury (BBC)
A colour-changing crystal attached to a soldier's uniform could help doctors decide if they might need treatment for a brain injury, researchers say.
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07/08/2008 - Organic produce is no better for you than food grown with pesticides, new research claims (Daily Mail)
Organic produce has no better nutritional content than food grown with the use of conventional pesticides and chemicals, claim researchers.
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07/08/2008 - Mother outraged after NHS only agrees to fix hearing in one ear of her deaf daughter (Daily Mail)
An angry mother and local GP has accused health managers of operating a postcode lottery because they will fund only one cochlear implant for her profoundly deaf child.
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07/08/2008 - Maggot secretions could provide drug that can kill 12 strains of deadly superbug MRSA (Daily Mail)
Green bottle maggots could provide doctors with a powerful new drug against MRSA, a study has found.The drug, named Seraticin, can also combat the C difficile stomach bug, lab tests show.
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07/08/2008 - Killer bout of salmonella linked to ready-made sandwiches (Daily Mail)
A salmonella outbreak which may be linked to ready-made sandwiches has struck down 80 people, killing one, it has emerged.
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07/08/2008 - Hope for end to rejection drugs (BBC)
Scientists develop procedure which may help transplant patients avoid the need to take anti-rejection drugs.
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07/08/2008 - Row over NHS kidney drug decision (BBC)
Patients with advanced kidney cancer will be denied four treatments on the NHS under proposals from the government drugs advisory body.
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07/08/2008 - Results of C.diff review expected (BBC)
An independent review of Scotland's worst outbreak of Clostridium difficile is to be published later on Thursday.
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07/08/2008 - The pill that lets dieters eat what they like (The Independent)
A pill which may "lock in" the benefits of dieting, allowing dieters to return to normal eating without putting on weight, has been discovered by scientists.
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07/08/2008 - Salmonella outbreak warning (The Independent)
Food safety experts were last night trying to trace the source of an outbreak of a new strain of salmonella that has spread throughout the British Isles.
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07/08/2008 - Parents warned over measles epidemic (The Independent)
A stark warning about the dangers of measles is to be sent to the parents of three million unvaccinated children in an unprecedented move to increase uptake of the MMR vaccination, the Government will announce today.
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06/08/2008 - Endometriosis enzyme (NHS Choices)
'A painful womb condition that affects around two million British women may be triggered by an out-of-control enzyme', the Daily Mail reported. It said that scientists claim the findings of a study co...
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06/08/2008 - Oily fish and memory (NHS Choices)
'Three oily fish meals a week can cut memory loss by 25%', reported the Daily Mail. It said researchers found that eating oily fish (baked or steamed, not fried) can reduce the harmful brain lesions that can cause Alzheimer's disease. The research involved looking at brain...
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06/08/2008 - Clue to cause of womb condition (BBC)
Scientists have identified a possible cause of the painful womb condition endometriosis.
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06/08/2008 - Return to work 'good for health' (BBC)
Most people with health problems can be helped back to work with the right type of support, new research suggests.
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06/08/2008 - Hospitals 'infested with vermin' (BBC)
The cleanliness of most NHS hospitals in England is threatened by frequent invasions of rats, fleas, bedbugs, flies and cockroaches, claims a report.
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06/08/2008 - Chlamydia drug over-the-counter (BBC)
The first antibiotic to be available from pharmacists without a prescription has been approved for chlamydia.
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06/08/2008 - Broccoli may undo diabetes damage (BBC)
Eating broccoli could reverse the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels, research suggests.
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06/08/2008 - Pill taken before sex would prevent transmission of HIV (The Independent)
Scientists are developing a pill to be taken before sex that would stop transmission of HIV. In the latest development in the battle against the global epidemic which claimed two million lives last year, researchers are investigating whether drugs used to treat the disease might be harnessed to p...
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06/08/2008 - Cupping: On your marks (The Independent)
When I was asked to try out "cupping" at a London clinic yesterday, I had no idea what to expect. How is it done? Would it hurt? Judging by the pictures in the press this week of an Olympic swimmer sporting painful-looking suction marks left by the Chinese treatment, it appeared so.
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05/08/2008 - Ethical dilemma (BBC)
Should a baby be risked to save her sister? [Diamond Blackfan Anaemia]
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05/08/2008 - 'DIY' machine saves girl with kidney failure (BBC)
A baby dying from kidney failure was saved when her doctor designed and built her a dialysis machine from scratch in his garage.
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05/08/2008 - Review after baby's stroke missed (BBC)
An NHS Trust is to review its care procedures after a baby suffered a stroke that went undiagnosed for more than a week.
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05/08/2008 - Could your ipod wreck your hearing? (Daily Mail)
Like many of his generation, Tom Wilkinson spent much of his teens and early 20s immersed in the 100-plus decibel surroundings of nightclubs and gigs.
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05/08/2008 - Now fatty fish helps reduce memory loss (The Scotsman)
EATING tuna and other fatty fish may help to prevent memory loss and reduce the risk of stroke, researchers said yesterday.
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05/08/2008 - Hormone eases psychotic symptoms (BBC)
A hormone patch may protect women with schizophrenia or other severe mental illnesses from psychotic feelings.
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05/08/2008 - Human malaria jab tests nearing (BBC)
Successful animal experiments have given the green light for trials of a new type of malaria vaccine in humans.
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05/08/2008 - HIV vaccine 'allows drug breaks' (BBC)
Scientists are testing a vaccine designed to give HIV patients a prolonged break from their regular medication.
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05/08/2008 - Vitamin C 'slows cancer growth' (BBC)
An injection of a high dose of vitamin C may be able to hold back the advance of cancers, US scientists say.
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05/08/2008 - Treatment to cut cholesterol 'should begin in childhood' (The Independent)
Treatment to lower cholesterol should begin in childhood in order to maximise its efficacy at preventing heart disease, specialists say.
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05/08/2008 - Crunch time for peanut allergies (The Independent)
Why the peanut? That is the mystery. What is it about this humble legume that causes humans to react so powerfully? The distressing answer is that no one knows.
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04/08/2008 - Man sues after cancer test mix up (BBC)
A man begins legal action against an NHS hospital trust after he was wrongly told he did not have signs of prostate cancer.
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04/08/2008 - Parents to get child weight data (BBC)
Children's weight measurements taken at schools in England are set to be sent automatically to their parents.
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04/08/2008 - Drug restriction 'hits patients' (BBC)
Patients claim they have been left in pain following a decision to make it harder to get the drug coproxamol.
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04/08/2008 - Dramatic portrayals of heart attacks might put people at risk (BBC)
The overly dramatic way television and film portray heart attacks may be to blame for some people overlooking real life symptoms, says a charity.
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04/08/2008 - Child flu jabs 'protect everyone' (BBC)
Vaccinating children against flu would prevent the spread of the virus and cut deaths in older people, research suggests.
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04/08/2008 - Learning disability sex campaign (BBC)
A campaign highlighting the rights of people with learning disabilities to sex and relationships is being launched.
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04/08/2008 - UK Africans 'need more HIV help' (BBC)
More effort is needed to spread HIV prevention messages among African men and women now living in the UK, claim researchers.
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