Health News

A diet low in saturated fat 'will not prevent heart disease or prolong life'

Date: Mar-06-2014
Eating foods that contain saturated fat is thought to increase blood cholesterol levels, which can increase the risk of heart disease. As a result, health professionals recommend following a diet low in saturated fat to reduce this risk. But a leading US cardiovascular scientist says that adopting such a diet does not curb heart disease or prolong life.In an editorial recently published in the BMJ journal Open Heart, Dr.

New terms used for trainee doctors stump nurses and patients

Date: Mar-06-2014
Nurses and patients are struggling to identify qualified doctors or to grade their seniority from their generic name badges, finds a survey of one hospital in England, published online in BMJ Quality & Safety.The findings prompt the researchers to call for a review of currently used terminology, deployed since the Modernisation of Medical Careers initiative in 2009, which revamped the length of training and introduced a range of new job titles.

New "wilful neglect" offence needed for healthcare sector, say lawyers

Date: Mar-06-2014
A new criminal offence of "wilful neglect" is needed for individuals and organisations in the healthcare sector, to send out a clear message that appalling care warrants public censure and sanction, say leading lawyers in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety.Existing regulation is not up to the job, argue Professors Karen Yeung of The Dickson Poon School of Law, King's College London, and Jeremy Horder of the Department of Law at the London School of Economics.

Investigational drug may increase survival for some patients with advanced melanoma

Date: Mar-06-2014
An experimental drug aimed at restoring the immune system's ability to spot and attack cancer halted cancer progression or shrank tumors in patients with advanced melanoma, according to a multisite, early-phase clinical trial at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and 11 other institutions. All patients had experienced disease progression despite prior systemic therapies, and most had received two or more prior treatments.Patients who showed responses to the drug, nivolumab (anti-PD-1; BMS-936558; MDX-1106; ONO-4538), survived for an average 16.8 months following initiation of treatment.

Colorectal cancer: the risk factors, symptoms and importance of screening

Date: Mar-05-2014
According to the American Cancer Society, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is around 1 in 20. But according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 20 million adults in the US who have never had the recommended screening for the disease, putting them at higher risk of dying from a preventable condition.Are you aware of the symptoms associated with colorectal cancer? Do you know what you can do to reduce your risk of developing the disease? Are you aware of the current colorectal cancer screening guidelines?

Too much protein in middle age 'as bad as smoking'

Date: Mar-05-2014
Two new studies conclude that low protein intake may hold the key to a long and healthy life, at least until old age. They also emphasize the need to examine not only calories when deciding what constitutes a healthy diet, but also where those calories come from - such as whether protein is animal or plant-based.Another key finding is the suggestion that while a high-protein diet may in the short term help people lose weight and body fat, in the long term it may harm health and reduce lifespan.Both studies are published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Community-based care helpful for schizophrenia in low-income countries

Date: Mar-05-2014
A combination of community- and facility-based treatment for schizophrenia is modestly more effective than facility-based care alone, according to new research published in The Lancet.The study reports the results of the first randomized trial to test community-based care for people with schizophrenia in a low-income country - in this case, India.In low- and middle-income countries, there is an absence of the clinical and social services for schizophrenia patients that - in high-income countries - are coordinated by specialist community-based multidisciplinary teams.

Research benefits surgeons making decisions on how to help their patients breathe easier

Date: Mar-05-2014
A more accurate and successful, yet complex approach used in designing an airplane is now taking off in the health care industry. The end result is helping patients with pulmonary disorders breathe easier, as well as their surgeons in considering novel treatment approaches.

eyeforpharma Conference and Exhibition, March 18-20th, Barcelona

Date: Mar-05-2014
eyeforpharma have announced that only a limited number of conference passes now remain for the Barcelona 2014 Conference & Exhibition (March 18-20th, CCIB, Barcelona, Spain). With over 1000 attendees set to attend Barcelona 2014 is the world's largest and most influential focused forum to unite commercial pharma executives. Conference Director, Lucy Fisher stated, '2014 is set to be a record breaking event. We already have more pharma delegates, speakers and exhibitors than ever before'.

Researchers use Lumosity to identify early cognitive impairment in cirrhosis patients

Date: Mar-05-2014
A new study from the University of Washington has found that performance on Lumosity games can distinguish between patients with cirrhosis of the liver, pre-cirrhotic patients, and healthy controls. The study used Lumosity games as psychometric tests to detect subtle cognitive impairments in patients with cirrhosis. The study is published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.