Heart Disease :: Heart catheters do not benefit patients
Doctors should probably stop using pulmonary artery catheters because they do not benefit patients, say doctors from Australia in this week’s BMJ.
Care
Child Care :: Needs of families with disabled children remain largely unmet
The social and economic needs of families with a disabled child are high, but remain largely unmet, argue researchers in this week’s BMJ.More disabled children and young people live in the UK than ever before (about 770,000 according to criteria defined in the Disability Discrimination Act) and the number of children with the most severe or complex needs is also increasing, write social policy experts from the University of York.
Health :: Doctors working overseas face having licenses removed
UK doctors working for charities overseas are being removed from the lists of approved practitioners in the UK because they are unable to attend face to face appraisal, warns a GP in this week’s BMJ.This means that they cannot work as soon as they return to the UK.
Liver Transplant :: Predicting survival after liver transplant
A new model based on specific characteristics of the donor and the recipient may help predict survival after liver transplantation, according to a new study. Published in the November 2006 issue of Liver Transplantation, the official journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and the International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS), the author writes, “This model could be used to inform liver transplant candidates and their doctors what post-transplant survival would be expected when a given donor is offered and may be particularly helpful in marginal or high risk donors.”
Colorectal Cancer :: Low folate diets found to increase risk of colorectal cancer
A new study by scientists at the MUHC has revealed that a diet low in folate may increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer. Published in the scientific journal Cancer Research today, the study not only illustrates a way to prevent the disease but also provides further insight into the mechanisms of the disease, which could lead to novel therapies. Using animal models, the MUHC study is the first to demonstrate directly that diets low in folate cause colorectal cancer, and follows on the heels of earlier research by the same team that revealed how high folate diets can protect against heart disease.
Gingivitis :: Common antacids could help keep gingivitis at bay
Chemicals commonly used to treat heartburn also display fighting power against the oral bacteria linked with gum disease, according to researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center and G?teborg University in Sweden.
Autism :: Autism Summit to present latest research and treatment options
UT Southwestern Medical Center will host the North Texas Autism Summit, featuring presentations by national and local experts in autism research and treatment on Saturday, Nov. 11.
Health :: New Team Training Tool for Health Care Settings
The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Department of Defense’s military health system today released TeamSTEPPS, a new evidence-based team training and implementation toolkit that demonstrates techniques of effective communication and other teamwork skills. The new toolkit, which responds to the Institute of Medicine’s call for “interdisciplinary team training programs that incorporate proven methods for team management” to prevent medical errors, is designed to optimize team performance and outcomes across the health care delivery system.
Alzheimer’s Disease :: A century of Alzheimer’s is 100 years too many
Today marks a bittersweet anniversary for one Cambridge-based national charity, as the Alzheimer?s Research Trust marks 100 years since the discovery of the disease by the German neurologist Dr Alois Alzheimer.
Health :: Australians will have access to better, more affordable mental health care
Australians will have access to better, more affordable mental health care through new Medicare mental health items and support services costing $538 million over five years. The new MBS items for mental health will make Medicare rebates available for GPs who provide early intervention, assessment and management of patients with mental disorders as part of a GP Mental Health Care Plan.