The Gables Surgery

News:

NHS Days (MSW)

01 Nov - 01 Dec
Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Lung cancer is known as the “invisible” or “forgotten” disease but lung cancer is a stark reality for more than 37,000 new patients in the UK every year – that’s one every 15 minutes.

BBC Health

Windpipe transplant breakthrough

Surgeons in Spain claim a major breakthrough by giving a woman a new windpipe with tissue grown from her own stem cells.

Deal reached on NHS drug prices

The government has struck a deal on the cost of drugs which should save the NHS in the UK £400m a year.

Nurses warn over needle injuries

Nurses are calling for safer needles to be used after a poll suggested nearly half have been accidentally jabbed.

Lung disease diagnosis confusion

Most GPs have difficulty differentiating chronic severe lung disease from asthma, a survey finds.

C.diff 'a factor in more deaths'

C.difficile infection is a greater contributory factor to deaths in Scottish hospitals than currently recorded, an expert warns.

Technology to eradicate malaria

Emerging technologies could boost supplies of essential plant-based drugs to combat and ultimately help eradicate malaria, says a report.

Baby P doctor 'deeply affected'

A doctor accused of failing to spot Baby P's injuries during an examination says she has been "deeply affected" by his death.

Anthrax found on teacher's drums

A teacher tells an anthrax death inquiry she had not "thought deeply" about the risks of importing drums.

Drug-resistant ward bug concern

Hospitals need to be vigilant against an emerging drug-resistant bacterium, warn infection control experts.

What a way to go. British toilet habits revealed

Reading, chatting and texting are among the favourite activities of Britons on the toilet, a survey suggests.

Yahoo Health

Teen lives 4 months with no heart, leaves hospital (AP)

AP - D'Zhana Simmons says she felt like a "fake person" for 118 days when she had no heart beating in her chest. "But I know that I really was here," the 14-year-old said, "and I did live without a heart."

Insurers make pitch for health coverage mandate (AP)

AP - The health insurance industry said Wednesday it will support a national health care overhaul that requires them to accept all customers, regardless of pre-existing medical conditions but in return it wants lawmakers to mandate that everyone buy coverage.

Surgeon who did first US heart transplant dies (AP)

In this photo released by L.VAD Technology Inc., Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz is shown in New York in 1968. Dr. Kantrowitz, who performed the first human heart transplant in the United States in 1967 also pioneered development of mechanical devices to prolong the life of patients with heart failure, died in Ann Arbor, Mich., Friday, Nov. 14, 2008. He was 90. (AP Photo/L.VAD Technology Inc.)

AP - Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz, a cardiac surgeon who performed the nation's first human heart transplant and who also developed lifesaving medical implants, has died. He was 90. Kantrowitz died Friday in Ann Arbor of complications from heart failure, said his wife, Jean Kantrowitz.

Doctors transplant windpipe with stem cells (AP)

Undated file picture of 30-year old Colombian female recipient Claudia Castillo, taken at the Hospital clinic of Barcelona. The pioneering transplant of a windpipe stripped of its cells and seeded with recipient stem cells has given Castillo a new lease on life, according to a study released Wednesday.(AFP/LANCET PRESS OFFICE)

AP - Doctors have given a woman a new windpipe with tissue grown from her own stem cells, eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs. "This technique has great promise," said Dr. Eric Genden, who did a similar transplant in 2005 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. That operation used both donor and recipient tissue. Only a handful of windpipe, or trachea, transplants have ever been done.

Ginkgo fails to prevent Alzheimer's in large study (AP)

AP - The dietary supplement ginkgo, long promoted as an aid to memory, didn't help prevent dementia and Alzheimer's disease in the longest and largest test of the extract in older Americans. "We don't think it has a future as a powerful anti-dementia drug," said Dr. Steven DeKosky of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, who led the federally funded study.

Medicare wants limits for weight loss surgery (Reuters)

Reuters - Medicare, the U.S. government's largest payer of health care, said on Monday it does not plan to cover weight-loss surgery in diabetic patients who are not dangerously overweight, saying there is not enough evidence to show it can improve their health.

Counseling on alcohol key to teens' sexual health (Reuters)

Reuters - When health care providers are talking with adolescents about sexual health, alcohol must be a part of the conversation, conclude two researchers from the UK based on a survey of boys' and girls' attitudes about sexual relationships.

Clinical Trials Update: Nov. 17, 2008 (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch:

Health Tip: Is Your Child More Prone to Ear Infections? (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Ear infections are common in children, and may occur for a variety of reasons.

Growth Hormone Boost May Not Slow Alzheimer's (HealthDay)

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A compound that boosts growth hormone levels in Alzheimer's patients may not slow the disease, new research suggests.

MedPage Today

Obama Taps Daschle for HHS Post in Cabinet

WASHINGTON --Tom Daschle, a former Senator from South Dakota who served as Democratic leader in the Senate, is President-elect Barack Obama's choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Genetic Screening Offers Little Help for Diabetes Prediction

BOSTON (MedPage Today) -- Screening for gene variants associated with type 2 diabetes does not add much to conventional risk factors in identifying patients likely to develop the disorder, results of two studies showed.

Acute Kidney Injury Predisposes Elderly to Organ Failure

MINNEAPOLIS (MedPage Today) -- Older adults who suffer an acute injury to the kidneys -- from trauma, surgery, or illness -- are at dramatically increased risk of later end stage renal disease (ESRD).

Early Therapy Saves HIV Babies

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (MedPage Today) -- For infants with HIV, early anti-retroviral therapy reduces mortality, treatment failure, and disease progression, researchers here said.

Smoking During Pregnancy May Induce Arterial Damage in Offspring

UTRECHT, The Netherlands (MedPage Today) -- Mothers or fathers who smoke during pregnancy may create lasting vascular damage for their children, researchers here found.

AACR: Exercise and Poor Sleep Combine as Odd Cancer Risk

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- Although exercise has generally been found to prevent cancer, combining it with poor sleep may be a risk factor, a researcher said here.

Medicare Proposes Coverage of Bariatric Surgery for Morbidly Obese Diabetics

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- Medicare is planning to cover bariatric surgery for morbidly obese patients with type 2 diabetes.

AACR: Broccoli May Help Prevent Lung Cancer in Smokers

WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) -- Among current and former smokers, consuming broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables may reduce the risk of developing lung cancer, a case-control study showed.

CTS: Sequential Erlotinib Therapy Influences Progression-Free Survival in NSCLC

CHICAGO (MedPage Today) -- Progression-free survival among non-small-cell lung cancer patients improved if they were treated with erlotinib (Tarceva) in a sequential treatment strategy as opposed to use of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor as a second-line therapy.

Airway Transplant Shows Potential of Stem Cells for Tissue Engineering

BARCELONA (MedPage Today) -- A tissue-engineered airway, using autologous stem cells, has restored lung function and quality of life for a 30-year-old mother of two who suffered from tuberculosis.

Daily Mail

Cannabis 'could stop dementia in its tracks'

Cannabis may help keep Alzheimer's disease at bay. In experiments, a marijuana-based medicine triggered the formation of new brain cells and cut inflammation linked to dementia.

Smoker's friend: How broccoli and cabbages may offer 'special cancer protection' to heavy smokers

Broccoli and similar vegetables appear to offer special protection from cancer for smokers.

How three cups of green tea a day can help you lose weight - even if you keep eating junk food

Three cups of green tea a day could help keep obesity at bay, scientists claim.

GPs 'are focusing on patients who bring in bonuses', claims Civitas report

Family doctors are playing the system at the expense of patients' lives to earn performance bonuses, a report claims.

Having a big brother 'cuts your chances of children'

Whether you idolise or resent him, there's no doubt a big brother can really shape your childhood. But it seems an elder sibling's influence can have a much more profound effect in later life.

Ginkgo herb is 'no help' against Alzheimer's disease

A Chinese herb claimed to improve memory and mental sharpness does not prevent Alzheimer's disease, scientists have found.

New superbug version of E.coli found on British dairy farm

A new superbug version of E.coli which could trigger life-threatening infections has been found on a dairy farm. It is the first time it has been discovered in this country.

WORLD MEDICAL FIRST: British doctors grow woman's transplant organ from scratch using her own stem cells

A mother of two has become the first person in the world to undergo a whole organ transplant grown from her own stem cells. The British scientists are hailing a new dawn in transplant surgery.

Health alert over sunbed worshippers who are now injecting themselves with illegal tanning drug

Sun-lovers starved of the real thing are putting their health at risk by injecting themselves with an illegal tanning drug.

Health experts demand review into wrinkle fillers as patients report facial paralysis and severe allergic reactions

Health experts have ordered an urgent review into the use of injectable fillers amid reports of facial paralysis, disfigurement and severe allergic reactions.

NHS Days (MSW)

BBC Health

Yahoo Health

MedPage Today

Daily Mail

Welcome to the Gables Surgery

Online Services

Practice Information