RECENT NEWS

Researchers at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester, who last year identified a major pathway leading to brain cell death in mice, have used an orally-administered compound to block the pathway, and prevented neurodegeneration in the mice.

Professor Darzi, director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London, will head up the new clinically-led London Health Commission, which will conduct an evidence-based investigation into healthcare provision and resources for Londoners.

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) is to chair an independent review of the implementation of the Working Time Directive (WTD), Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced.

Digoxin, a drug commonly used to treat heart conditions, was associated with a 72% higher rate of death among adults with newly diagnosed systolic heart failure, according to a Kaiser Permanente study that appears in an online issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Scientists have discovered a natural temperature sensor in one of the bacteria that cause meningitis and blood poisoning, which allows them to evade the body’s immune response leading to life-threatening infections.

A new toolkit from the Royal College of Physicians aims to improve the care of cancer patients admitted to hospital as an emergency with medical problems due to their cancer or their treatment.

The health regulator, the Care Quality Commission, is to be given greater independence to ensure it can act ‘fearlessly’ as the nation's chief whistleblower on health, Jeremy Hunt Health Secretary has announced.

Obese children have blood vessel damage and insulin resistance that are precursors to atherosclerosis and diabetes, reveals research by Dr Norman Mangner presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2013.

The NHS will struggle to meet its target of delivering £20 billion in productivity improvements by 2015 according to The King's Fund's latest quarterly monitoring report.

An investigational vaccine appears to be well tolerated and effective against the most common strain of norovirus, reducing the main symptoms of the infection, which include vomiting and/or diarrhoea.

The latest National Hip Fracture Database report finds that care for patients with hip fracture is improving. More patients are receiving surgery within 48 hours of admission than in 2012 and almost all patients (94%) are receiving a falls assessment before being discharged from hospital.

Patients will be able to see their GP seven days a week and out of office hours under new proposals set out by the Prime Minister. The move will make it easier for people see their family doctor from 8 am to 8 pm, seven days a week.

Opening this year’s Infection Prevention conference, Infection Prevention Society president Julie Storr emphasised that infection prevention and control is about saving lives – a key element in achieving this will be the use of patient safety and implementation science, which can help delegates translate evidence into practice and deliver service improvement.

Thousands more cancer patients in England will receive life-extending drugs recommend by their doctor due to an extra £400 million invested in the Cancer Drugs Fund, David Cameron has announced.

New research on the most commonly used anaesthetic drug could help to unravel a long-standing mystery about how it induces a pain-free, sleep-like state.

Researchers at Marie Curie Cancer Care, the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian, have reported that only 20% of non-cancer patients are receiving palliative care before dying.

Liver function tests (LFTs) result in many false positive results for each case of disease detected, and are not an efficient way to diagnose liver disease.

Three UK research councils are to invest £25 m in research and equipment to support the development of regenerative medicine therapies for a range of applications, including Parkinson’s disease, cardiovascular disease, wound and musculoskeletal repair, eye disorders and deafness.

The latest figures from Public Health England show that 8,751 tuberculosis (TB) cases were reported in the UK in 2012, slightly lower than the 8,963 cases reported in 2011.

The Focused Ultrasound Foundation and Royal Philips have entered into a public-private collaboration with The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.