Diabetes epidemic could erase reductions in deaths & hospitalizations due to heart disease
...tic patients hospitalized with heart attacks. They warn that this upsurge in diabetic complications may end the long-term trend of progressively fewer heart attacks and heart-attack deaths in the U.S. "Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S., and the leading cause of death among people with ...Blood pressure guidelines for stroke may not be relevant to many patients
...ny patients under the care of their family doctor, warn researchers in this week's BMJ. International guidelines stress the importance of lowering blood pressure in people who have had a stroke. These guidelines are largely based on the results of the PROGRESS trial, which recruited people with stroke fro...Have targets improved performance in the English NHS?
...ensure targets are not causing problems elsewhere, warn researchers in this week's BMJ. Annual performance ratings have been published for NHS trusts in England since 2001. This process of naming and shaming gave each trust a rating from zero to three stars. Although the government has now abandoned star ...Children in the South face higher health risks
...and then defined the cholera problem." Researchers warn that the study evaluated children as a group, so the findings don't apply to any single child's risk. And overall, most American kids are quite healthy. "Generally, children in the world's developed countries are healthy," says Goldhagen. "But childr...Concerns over influence of tobacco firms in low income countries
...he agreement comes with considerable future costs, warn the authors. It binds the fund to industry sales and makes it difficult for Mexico to enact stricter controls in future. It also provides the industry with an opportunity to improve its public image. "We are concerned that this agreement is yet anoth...Worst off will be most at risk under partial smoking ban
...cially deprived areas of the country at most risk, warn doctors writing in this week's BMJ. The letter comes as MPs prepare to vote next week on Government proposals for a part-ban across England - a move which would worsen health inequalities say the authors, a Director of Public Health and colleagues wo...48 hour access target for UK sexual health clinics impossible
... Association of Sexual Health, Dr Angela Robinson, warn that "failure to deliver on this infection control measure will cost the public purse dearly in the long run." Boosting the efficiency of services, which many clinics have already done to cope with rising demand over the past decade, will simply not ...UK plans to cut street prostitution will threaten sex workers' health
...ment last week, will threaten sex workers' health, warn experts in this week's BMJ. The Home Office strategy aims to challenge the view that street prostitution is inevitable; achieve an overall reduction in street prostitution; improve the safety and quality of life of communities affected by prostitutio...Older drugs may be good stopgap treatment for malaria in Africa
... areas where resistance to both drugs is low. They warn that resistance may have increased since the studies in the review, conducted between 2002 and 2005, were completed. "It is possible that sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine may not be recommended at all for first-line treatment of any malaria in Africa in the...Penn State selected for DHS National Visualization Team
... nation's efforts to discover information that may warn officials of a terrorist attack. Penn State's RVAC will address three core challenges related to visual representation and analysis of diverse information. Researchers will develop methods for deriving and exploiting information, such as place and...Impotency drugs may be associated with increased risk of optic nerve damage
...hcare professionals prescribing these drugs should warn patients of the potential risk, say the authors. The findings are based on 76 men attending one US specialist eye clinic. Half the men had optic nerve damage, diagnosed as non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION). NAION is the most ...Robust monitoring is crucial to patient choice
...heme in England is poorly structured and variable, warn two ophthalmologists in this week's BMJ. They believe that robust monitoring of standards is urgently needed so that patients can make a truly informed choice. Under the new patient choice scheme, all primary care trusts in England were obliged from ...Link between esophageal cancer and soft drinks debunked by researchers at Yale
...is cancer for diet soda drinkers. The researchers warn that diet soft drink consumers might differ from other groups because they may engage in other unmeasured healthy behaviors. The study is published in the January 4 issue of Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI). It was hypothesized by othe...Modified Atkins diet effectively treats childhood seizures
...lized health care team. He and his colleagues also warn that the newly tested regimen should be seen only as a first step in acquainting families with the rigors of the ketogenic diet. It may also be an option for adolescents and adults, not typically offered the ketogenic diet....Indians suffer poor health services while private sector expands for foreigners
...ted, with no standardisation of quality or costs", warn the authors. The current Indian government aims to create an insurance scheme for poor families and increase health spending. Yet the share of GDP spent on health has decreased in the past two years. The government must focus on improving the healt...Heat dangers forgotten in the battle against air pollution
... (University College London) study. UCL scientists warn that amidst all the concerns over air pollution, the more basic health message of 'staying cool when the weather is hot' may be being forgotten. The study, published online in the journal Environmental Research, modelled the daily mortality rate of p...Reforming the NHS: Have we gone too far or not far enough?
...s diverted to corporations and their shareholders, warn two senior doctors in this week's BMJ. Robert Lane and Alex Paton argue that huge amounts are paid to large private firms for advice about the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs). Profits are then swollen...Women in Uganda have a higher risk of HIV infection during pregnancy
...orn infant. We believe that it would be prudent to warn women of this potential risk of HIV acquisition during pregnancy and promote safe sex or sexual abstinence where feasible." In an accompanying comment James McIntyre (University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa) states: "The authors have...Intermittent prophylaxis prevents malaria in infants
...bout a possible rebound when treatment is stopped, warn the authors. The study followed over 2,400 infants in Ghana who were given a preventive treatment for malaria or a placebo (dummy pill) when they received routine vaccinations and at 12 months of age. Preventive treatment reduced malaria by 25% and a...Scrapping health care fees in Africa could prevent over 200,000 child deaths a year
...icle, Lucy Gilson and colleagues from South Africa warn that removing user fees must be carefully managed to avoid negative impacts on the wider health system. "Fee removal must be accompanied by increased national budgets for health care to protect the quality of health care in the face of increased util...