Doctors warn of the dangers of Internet-bought drugs
... using the search engine Google. Severn and Fraser warn that some drug therapies sold on the internet may be counterfeit. They add that even if the actual drug is on sale, it may interact with other treatments being taken by the patient and could have side effects. They conclude: "The expansion of the i...Defining the limits of computerized physician order entry systems
.... DSS (Decision Support Systems) is designed to warn physicians about possible errors and/or provide useful guidelines to prescribing, including reminders about needed laboratory tests when certain drugs are prescribed. Often, however, DSS produces obvious and annoying reminders, false alarms, or usele...Tuberculosis must be tackled among socially excluded groups
...ackled effectively among socially excluded groups, warn experts in this week's BMJ. Tuberculosis can infect anyone, but predominantly affects the poor, write Alistair Story and colleagues. In London, where over 40% of all cases in the UK in 2004 were reported, rates of tuberculosis have more than double...People who smoke light cigarettes less likely to quit
...uggest that physicians and other clinicians should warn their patients about light cigarettes during routine smoking cessation counseling, because research shows that smokers are more likely to show interest in quitting if they know that lights do not reduce health risks. In addition, the authors suggest ...4x4 drivers more likely to flout mobile phone and seat belt laws
... and other road users at increased risk of injury, warn the authors....Don't use mobile phone during storms, warn doctors
Three doctors in this week's BMJ warn of the risk of using mobile phones outdoors during stormy weather. They describe the case of a 15 year old girl who was witnessed being struck by lightning while using her mobile phone in a large park in London during stormy weather. She was successf...MRSA is a global health problem
...fessor Grundmann. In their Review the authors also warn of the threat of community acquired MRSA. Genetic changes in strains of community acquired MRSA have led to the evolution of 'fitter' strains that can combine antimicrobial resistance with transmissibility and virulence. If these strains are suffici...Cheap pedometers should no be used for public health measures, warn doctors
...blic health measures, because they are inaccurate, warn doctors in a report published ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. They base their findings on almost 1000 pedometers, tested out by 35 volunteers between 20 and 60 years of age. Each volunteer was given 30 cheap pedometers as...Summer update: Melanoma research progress suggests optimism for future cures
...shipers, melanoma is on the rise. Although doctors warn their patients to slather on sunscreen and seek cover in the shade, messages about sun safety still compete for the public's attention with magazine covers promoting that supposedly "healthy" tan look. While many other cancers are declining, melanoma...Pregnancy complications still high for women with diabetes
... study published on www.bmj.com today. They also warn that these problems will get worse as the number of young women diagnosed with type 1 and type 2 diabetes continues to rise. Researchers analysed deaths shortly after birth (perinatal mortality) and congenital anomalies in babies born to women with t...Government scheme to improve health and well-being of deprived families called into question
...alth agencies were the most effective. The authors warn that the results should be treated with caution at this early stage of Sure Start's implementation, and the scheme needs further evaluation. They point out that more families benefited than were negatively affected by the initiative. But since the p...Vitamin A deficiency linked to major intestinal surgery
...mmon symptoms of vitamin A deficiency. The authors warn that the increasing popularity of gastric banding and gastric bypass, the surgical treatments for obesity, is making vitamin A deficiency increasingly common in the developed world....Utah study shows minivans, trucks pose greater risk of backing over children in driveways
...fe play. Rear cameras and sensors are available to warn a driver that a child or other obstacle is behind a vehicle. "But there is no substitute for walking behind (or at least looking behind) your vehicle before getting in and putting the car in reverse," Mann said. The study, using medical records and...Public needs to heighten awareness of dangers of elevated TVs that are larger, heavier
...e researchers noted. "More aggressive education to warn parents about the risk of injury must be implemented so that more families will take the time to display their televisions safely," said study author Dr. Robert Todd Maxson, assistant professor of pediatric surgery at UT Southwestern and medical dire...Concern over 'aggressive' cholesterol recommendations
... side effects with no overall reduction in deaths, warn experts in this week's BMJ. The American National Cholesterol Education Program has said that people at high risk of heart disease should be treated more aggressively. By aggressively, it means that LDL-cholesterol concentrations should be lowered t...How to cut energy waste in China, India, Brazil said crucial to forestalling climate change
...on efforts, particularly in those three countries, warn experts concluding a four-year international project. Without significant gains from energy efficiency efforts, China, India and Brazil within a single human generation (by 2030) will more than double their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, re...Millennium development goals ignore health of indigenous people worldwide
...ole populations of indigenous people to disappear, warn the authors of a paper in The Lancet's series on i...the survival of indigenous communities the authors warn that the health of non-indigenous populations may also suffer. Unique knowledge about the benefits ...Study suggests new human genotype may be prone to vCJD
...ce may rekindle fears of a larger epidemic, others warn that it is important to be cautious in interpretin...uals by blood transfusion or surgery. Though they warn against over-interpreting data from only two positive cases, they conclude that these uncertainties ...New treatment for food poisoning
...ti, lead author on the paper, added: "Our findings warn about the need to revise laboratory methods currently in use to determine the susceptibility or resistance of bacteria to such drugs, so that the tests reflect better what actually happens in the body."...Early human trial shows encouraging results for H5N1 influenza vaccine
...yo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA) warn that we still do not have a highly immunogenic pandemic influenza vaccine. We do not know if these vaccines are sufficient to protect individuals in the event of an influenza pandemic, they state. They add that vaccine stockpiling options are also li...