RECENT NEWS

The Department of Health has announced three appointments to its senior team.

A three-year follow-up study has shown that an alternate treatment for obstructed arteries in the leg may be warranted. The results are from a clinical trial comparing primary nitinol stent implantation with balloon angioplasty. This examination of the study provides a long-term assessment of the two procedures, which is favorable for the primary stent.

Earlier diagnosis of a rare condition and better coordinated care will help improve the quality of life for people with rare diseases and their families, according to the first ever UK plan on rare diseases, published for consultation by the Department of Health. The consultation document recommends using specialist centres to make exact diagnosis – this will make sure people are treated earlier and in some cases this could save lives.

A family of proteins named after Popeye play an essential role in allowing the heart to respond to stress, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The finding could help scientists develop new treatments for abnormal heart rhythms.

A new report, published by Age UK and the National Osteoporosis Society, says that thousands of hospital admissions for falls and fractures among older people could be prevented by better, more integrated care. Almost 90,000 hospital admissions a year are currently caused by falls and fractures – primarily in older people.

A new prospective cohort study among 42,659 participants suggests that coffee consumption may be linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

A comment authored by two Royal College of Physicians' special advisers on alcohol, Sir Ian Gilmore and Dr Nick Sheron, and colleagues from the British Society of Gastroenterology, provides the latest projections on alcohol-related deaths in England and Wales over the next two decades.

Trailblazing nurses who have advanced frontline care are to be recognised in a national awards ceremony. Welch Allyn is seeking nurses to be nominated for their ‘Pioneers of Care Award’, which will be presented at the Florence Nightingale Museum on 15 June, 2012.

A potential new blood thinning treatment to prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation (a common form of irregular heartbeat) could have fewer dangerous sideeffects than the traditional treatment, warfarin.

A new focus on improving care for children and young people will be unveiled later this year, Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, has announced. The Children’s and Young People’s outcomes strategy will focus the health service on improving health results for children, including those needing primary, hospital and urgent care, and children with long-term conditions.

A new family of proteins which regulate the human body’s hypoxic response to low levels of oxygen has been discovered by scientists at Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary, University of London and The University of Nottingham.

A major University study which led to long-term reductions in the number of antibiotic prescriptions byWelsh GPs could see ‘unnecessary’ prescriptions cut by 1.6 million per year, if replicated across the UK.

If there is a difference in blood pressure between a patient’s right and left arm, they may be at greater risk of dying from heart and circulatory disease, according to a new study.

Cancer Research Technology, the commercial arm of Cancer Research UK, has launched Acublate, a spin-out company which will develop a nextgeneration High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) surgery device to treat a range of solid tumour types.

Patients’ ratings of hospitals tally with objective measures of the hospital’s performance, according to an independent study published in Archives of Internal Medicine. Since 2008, patients have been able to post comments on and rate hospitals using the NHS Choices website, in the same way as they might rate a hotel on Tripadvisor.

Perioperative practitioners are being urged to submit their applications for this year’s Hilda Winifred Mears Award to be in with a chance of winning £1,000 towards a trip overseas as a medical volunteer.

A study has found new evidence for a link between the body clock hormone melatonin and type 2 diabetes. The study found that people who carry rare genetic mutations in the receptor for melatonin have a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes.

The Government has launched a national cancer campaign to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer. Featuring real GPs, the Be Clear on Cancer bowel cancer campaign encourages people who have had blood in their stools or loose stools for more than three weeks to see their doctor.

Statistics show heart attack death rates dropped dramatically in the early years of the new millennium, falling by more than half.

General Electric (GE) has invested in Check- Cap, a developer of an ingestible imaging capsule that may help detect colorectal cancer. The investment is being made through the GE healthymagination Fund, an equity fund that makes investments in highly promising healthcare technology companies.