Optic nerves regrowth raises hope for blind - The Guardian 7th October 2008
Scientists have found a way to regrow damaged optic nerves, raising hopes for people who have been left blind or partially sighted by injuries to the cells.
The technique, developed by a team under Zhigang He at Children's hospital in Boston, prompts severed nerves to repair themselves within weeks. The procedure is being tested on spinal cord injuries.
more fromwww.guardian.co.uk
Dr Tom Smith on the best types of sleep, cures for tinnitus, and chronic constipation - The Guardian 1st November 2008
I am exhausted at the moment by a late-night schedule of work and study. I've heard that the hours of sleep before midnight are more regenerating than those after. If so, should I alter my sleeping hours to increase my brain power?
more fromwww.guardian.co.uk
Promising rugby player Shaun Jones dies after taking tablets for acne - The Times 30th October 2008
A 14-year-old boy has died after taking a medical treatment for acne prescribed by his doctor.
Shaun Jones, of Rhydyfelin, Pontypridd, died after suffering a suspected allergic reaction to the tablets. The promising rugby player developed breathing difficulties and collapsed when he took the pills for the first time.
more fromwww.timesonline.co.uk
Doctors remove 7lb tumour from toddler - The Times 30th October 2008
A toddler from East Timor has had a tumour which weighed one third of his body weight removed by doctors in New Zealand.
The miracle surgery, performed in Wellington on the weekend, saved the life of 14-month-old Alex Gonzaga, who would have died in weeks had the 3.3kg (7.2lb) growth not been removed.
more fromwww.timesonline.co.uk
Staff shortages 'put premature babies at risk' - The Guardian 15th October 2008
The lives of premature babies are being put at risk by an acute shortage of qualified staff, the special care baby charity Bliss warned last night.
It used the Freedom of Information Act to secure data from NHS trusts showing a shortfall of 1,700 neonatal nurses, leaving premature baby units unable to provide the recommended standard of care.
more fromwww.guardian.co.uk
NHS dentists accused of unnecessary check-ups - The Times 14th October 2008
Dentists are calling patients back for routine appointments far sooner than they need to, in an effort to maximise profits, according to the Government's chief dental officer.
NHS dentists earn significantly more since new contracts were introduced in England two years ago but officials believe this could be because some are “playing the system”.
more fromwww.timesonline.co.uk
Surgeons operate on wrong patient - The Times 14th October 2008
An investigation is under way at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, West London, after surgeons operated on the wrong patient.
A woman who had been admitted for an investigative gynaecological procedure was instead taken to an operating theatre, where her gall bladder was removed by keyhole surgery.
more fromwww.timesonline.co.uk
Ministers to ban free drinks for women - The Sunday Times 12th October 2008
Bars are to be banned from offering free alcohol to women and free wine and beer tastings will be curbed under a new system of government restrictions to cut public drunkenness.
There will also be rules to limit “happy hour” offers that encourage speed drinking and soft drinks will have to be sold at the same discount during promotions. Wine in restaurants will have to be served in glasses with marked measures.
more fromwww.timesonline.co.uk
Wildlife gives early warning of 'deadly dozen' diseases spread by climate change - The Times 8th October 2008
Scientists have nicknamed them the “deadly dozen”: 12 diseases, lethal to humans and wildlife, that are increasing their geographical range.
Ebola, cholera, plague and sleeping sickness were among those identified yesterday by veterinary scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) as spreading across the planet because of climate change. The scientists said that wildlife could give an early warning of the approach of diseases and save millions of people.
more fromwww.timesonline.co.uk
Watchdog names and shames failing NHS trusts - The Telegraph 2nd October 2008
One in every 15 NHS trusts is failing financially despite a record surplus of £1.65 billion in the health service this year, a report naming the worst trusts has found.
more fromwww.telegraph.co.uk
Nigel Heaton: Consenting to organ donation is the hallmark of a caring society - The Observer 28th September 2008
To me, if a young person dies in an intensive care unit and their organs are not donated, that's a waste.
I remember the tragic case of a young man, aged about 20, who was in a road traffic accident. Not one good thing came of it. He was dead. The family were devastated and, in their grief, didn't want to entertain the prospect of organ donation. Yet when relatives do say yes, they can gain solace because there's something tangible left behind that's a marker for someone's life. A liver or kidney transplant patient will always think about their donor.
more fromwww.guardian.co.uk
Bethany needs a new liver - or else she will be dead by Christmas - The Observer 28th September 2008
Earlier this year, The Observer launched a campaign for a revolution in organ donation to transform a system that sees three Britons die every day while waiting for a transplant. This weekend 8,000 people are hoping for a life-saving transplant - many will fail to find a donor. With a report due soon on ways of changing the system, Denis Campbell reports on the heartbreaking plight of young children who spend months in hospital waiting, often in vain, for organs to become available
more fromwww.guardian.co.uk
Joanne Hill jailed for murder after drowning her four-year-old daughter - The Times 24th September 2008
A mother who drowned her disabled daughter in a bath because she was embarrassed by her cerebral palsy was jailed for life yesterday.
Joanne Hill, 32, tried to persuade her husband, Simon, to have four-year-old Naomi adopted and, when he refused, hatched a plan to murder her.
more fromwww.timesonline.co.uk
Gordon Brown hails cut in MRSA superbug infections - The Telegraph 19th September 2008
Rates of the hospital superbug MRSA have dropped by a third in a year meaning the Government target to reduce infections has been met.
more fromwww.telegraph.co.uk
Risk of emotional problems for premature babies - Times Online
Children born extremely prematurely are four times more likely to have emotional problems or behavioural disorders later in life, according to a study led by the department of psychology at the University of Warwick and Warwick Medical School.
more fromwomen.timesonline.co.uk
Annie Kelly hears from those who fear they will be targeted by government strategy to move people from incapacity benefits - The Guardian 3rd September 2008
The government is hailing its welfare reform package as a radical strategy to move people from incapacity benefits into work. But Annie Kelly hears from those rebuilding their lives who fear they will be targeted
more fromwww.guardian.co.uk
Four million unaware of heart attack risk, study shows - The Telegraph 2nd September 2008
Almost four million people in Britain could be at a high risk of heart disease without knowing it, a new study shows.
more fromwww.telegraph.co.uk
Britain is the unfairest country in the world - The Telegraph 26th August 2008
Are you better off than your parents? Will your children be better off than you? I defy anyone to say they aren’t instantly stirred by such simple but life-defining questions.
Even the most guarded, hardened Briton will eventually crack with emotion — be it heartfelt appreciation of the sacrifices made by parents, bitter regrets over talents unfulfilled, or the deep pride from seeing the achievements of children, now grown and flown.
more fromwww.telegraph.co.uk
NHS diabetes care 'still has mountain to climb', experts warn - The Telegraph 20th August 2008
The NHS still 'has a mountain to climb' in the treatment and prevention of diabetes despite Goverment boasts of good progress, experts have said.
in list: UK Health News
more fromwww.telegraph.co.uk
Government targets fostered £90,000 NHS fraud - The Telegraph 20th August 2008
A man defrauded nearly £90,000 from the NHS by working as a stop smoking adviser and signing up non-smoking strangers to exaggerate his success rates.
more fromwww.telegraph.co.uk
Notation: * = Private bookmark and comment|… = Clipping [?] | … = Public highlight [?]
