Scientists identify early signs of meningitis
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British scientists said on Wednesday they have identified early signs of meningitis that could improve detection of the disease and save lives.
Leg pain, cold hands and feet and abnormal skin colour develop within 12 hours after infection—long before the more classic signs of the illness such as a rash, headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to light and impaired consciousness.
Drinking and driving still serious problem in UK
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Too many motorists drove under the influence of alcohol or drugs over Christmas, despite big campaigns about the dangers, police said on Wednesday.
During a four-week crackdown in December, 133,136 drivers underwent breath tests in England and Wales, and nearly seven percent were positive.
EU raises cash to test bird flu, extends monitoring
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The European Union warned its national governments on Wednesday not to relax their vigilance in the battle against bird flu, ordering them to maintain strict surveillance on wild birds and poultry until the end of 2006.
The EU’s current monitoring programme, set to expire at the end of this month, requires governments to keep a close watch on migratory routes of birds and areas where wild birds might enter into close contact with domestic birds, such as ponds.
Obesity in Middle Age Linked to Higher Risk of Hospitalization, Death
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Middle-age individuals without high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels but who are obese have an increased risk in older age for hospitalization or death from coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes, compared to individuals of normal weight, according to a study in the January 11 issue of JAMA.
Obesity adversely affects a large array of health outcomes, including coronary heart disease (CHD), other cardiovascular disease (CVD), and diabetes mellitus, according to background information in the article. Obesity is also associated with established cardiovascular risk factors, particularly diabetes and elevated levels of blood pressure and serum cholesterol. However, controversies persist as to whether excess weight has additional impact on CVD outcomes beyond its effects on established risk factors. Direct evidence on this issue is limited. In clinical settings, patients sometimes ask if they still need to control their weight if their blood pressure and cholesterol levels are not high. Therefore, in light of the worsening obesity epidemic, further research is warranted to examine whether obesity carries additional risks in the absence or presence of other major risk factors.
Bird flu outbreak in Turkey can be controlled: WHO
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The bird flu outbreak in Turkey, which local officials say has infected 15 people and killed 3, can be “relatively easily” controlled, a senior World Health Organisation official said on Tuesday.
Speaking by telephone from Ankara, the leader of a WHO team sent to investigate, Guenael Rodier, said: “I have a sense that what is going on in Turkey can be brought under control relatively easily.”
Merck says will vigorously fight Texas Vioxx suit
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Merck & Co. Inc. said on Tuesday it will conduct a “vigorous defense” of itself in a Vioxx product liability suit scheduled to go to trial on January 24 in Texas.
Merck said it believes evidence in the case will show that its withdrawn painkiller Vioxx did not cause the heart attack of the plaintiff, Leonel Garza Sr., who died of the attack on April 21, 2001.
Are women’s needs different from men’s?
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A cancer diagnosis can be a devastating experience for the person concerned, but for families and loved ones, who later become the primary source of support and care, it can be a stressful, life changing experience. A unique new study will explore the individual experiences of these unsung heroes and identify the support services they need.
The three year project is funded through a prestigious Australian Research Council Linkage grant, and will be led by the Gender, Culture and Health Research Unit (PsyHealth) at the University of Western Sydney, in conjunction with the Medical Psychology Research Unit at Sydney University; Westmead Hospital; The Cancer Council NSW; and Carers NSW.
Women live the longest, but the men are catching up
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In latest figures released by NSW Health, the life expectancy for babies born in NSW is up to ten years longer than their parents born a generation ago. In NSW between 1973 and 2003, life expectancy at birth steadily increased from 68.6 to 78.6 for males, and from 75.6 to 83.4 for females.
This new data is from the NSW Chief Health Officer’s Report, which is regularly updated with new information online.
Poor job satisfaction and burnout among mental health social workers
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Excessive job demands, limited scope for decision-making and unhappiness about the place of the mental health social worker (MHSW) in modern services contribute to poor job satisfaction, stress and burnout, the first national study of this professional group has found.
Published in the January 2006 issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, the researchers set out to examine the prevalence of stress, burnout and job satisfaction among MHSWs, and the factors responsible.
Psychiatric patients who smoke
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An editorial in the January 2006 issue of the Psychiatric Bulletin reviews the evidence for the effectiveness of gene-based smoking cessation packages, and asks whether they are appropriate for psychiatric patients.
It is well known that the prevalence of smoking among psychiatric patients is far higher than in the general public (70% v. 30%). Smoking in schizophrenia and depression is thought in part to be an attempt to self-medicate symptoms of the illness.
S. Korean scientists faked two papers but cloned dog
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A team led by a once heralded and now disgraced South Korean scientist faked two landmark papers on embryonic stem cells but did produce the world’s first cloned dog, an investigation panel said on Tuesday.
The panel at Seoul National University told reporters data were deliberately fabricated in papers produced by the team led by scientist Hwang Woo-suk. It described the case as scandalous.
Seasonal flu running at very low levels in Europe
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Levels of normal seasonal influenza are extremely low across Europe, despite growing worries about bird flu following three deaths in Turkey, experts said on Tuesday.
The incidence of clinical influenza was around or below baseline levels—the level generally seen in the summer—at the start of the year, according to the Dutch-based European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS).
Variety of Approaches to Genetic Counseling for Breast, Ovarian Cancer
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Mount Sinai School of Medicine is Testing Several Approaches to Counseling Women with Family or Personal Histories of Breast and/or Ovarian Cancer
The diagnosis of breast or ovarian cancer in one member of a family can have repercussions for daughters, sisters, mothers, and other relatives. The knowledge that these cancers can run in families raises questions about risk and concerns about what steps can and should be taken for prevention.
Fish Oil Reduces Airway Inflammation Caused by Exercise-Induced Asthma
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People suffering from exercise-induced asthma were able to reduce their symptoms below the threshold used to diagnose the disease by eating a diet supplemented with fish oil, according to new research findings from Indiana University reported in the January issue of the journal Chest.
The special diet reduced narrowing of the patient’s airway and enabled the person to use less asthma medication, the study showed. These and related research findings by exercise physiologist Timothy D. Mickleborough offer the prospect of combining dietary supplementation with reduced medication in a treatment that could be at least as beneficial as either in isolation. There would also be fewer of the potential side effects from medication, such as reduced effectiveness from long-term use and toxicity from some medications.
Drug Slows Severe Alzheimer’s Symptoms for One Year
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A drug used to treat symptoms of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease appears to be effective for one year, according to the results of a new multicenter study that provides additional support for the continuing effectiveness of the treatment, called Namenda®, for patients in the later stages of the disease.
“This study demonstrates that it is possible to alleviate some of the cognitive and functional losses associated with the later stages of Alzheimer’s, providing a basis for greater optimism on the part of caregivers,” says Barry Reisberg, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine, the lead investigator of the study, which is published in the January 2006 issue of the Archives of Neurology.
