Desford Medical Centre

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2008 FLU CAMPAIGN

Its that time again!!

If you are 65 years old and over or have a chronic condition such as diabetes, ischaemic heart disease, COPD, poorly controlled asthma or are immunosupressed you are eligible for a flu jab. (If you are unsure then please ring the surgery)

If you are eliglible for a flu jab then please book in to our special flu clinics. We are holding most on week days but there is also a drop in Saturday morning session on October 18th between 10am and 12noon.

The flu jabs are available from September 30th 2008

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

Change to GP dispensing opposed

Patients oppose plans to reduce the ability of rural GPs in England to provide drugs directly to their patients, a poll suggests.

Children 'risking liver disease'

Excessive drinking by children is causing a health time bomb, with record levels of liver disease in the under-30s, a charity warns.

Light-wave implant hope for deaf

An implant which works by firing infrared light into the inner ear is being investigated by US researchers.

'Superglue' brain op for toddler

The parents of a 17-month-old girl tell how surgeons used glue to seal tiny brain blood vessels that threatened her life.

Asbestos victims win 'test case'

Asbestos-related cancer victims and their families have won an important test case over access to compensation.

Hairspray linked to birth defect

Boys born to women exposed to hairspray in the workplace may have a higher risk of being born with a genital defect.

Hospital bug fine plan 'unfair'

The government's plan to fine hospitals for not hitting Clostridium difficile targets is unfair, experts say.

Detention units 'fail on health'

Children held in UK detention centres are not getting the medical care they need, a leading medical journal warns.

Cholera outbreak strikes Zimbabwe

The death toll from a cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe nears 300 as the water and sanitation situation "worsens", the UN says.

About face! How babies in their buggies benefit from eye contact.

The direction a child is facing in their pram could affect their development and stress levels, a study suggests.

Yahoo Health

Pill as good as chemo on lung cancer, but costlier (AP)

AP - Some advanced lung cancer patients already treated with chemotherapy might be able to skip some of the bad side effects of another series of chemo by taking a pill instead, a study suggests. An international study showed patients on Iressa, an expensive, newer targeted treatment, survived about as long as those on another course of chemotherapy.

HIV tests not yet as routine as cholesterol checks (AP)

AP - Two years after the government urged making HIV tests as common as cholesterol checks, there are small gains but still one in five people infected with the AIDS virus doesn't know it, scientists said Thursday.

Astronauts venture out for spacewalk No. 2 (AP)

This image provided by NASA shows astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper anchored to a Canadarm2 mobile foot restraint as she participates in the mission's first session of extravehicular activity Tuesday Nov. 18, 2008 as construction and maintenance continues on the International Space Station. (AP Photo/NASA)

AP - Astronauts ventured back outside the international space station to perform more repair work on a jammed joint Thursday and promised to keep a tight grip on all their tools so nothing would get away this time.

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

Fourteen-year-old D'Zhana Simmons (L) of South Carolina, who survived without a heart for nearly four months, walks with her mother, Twolla Anderson (R) as they enter a news conference at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center in Miami November 19, 2008. Simmons was kept alive by a custom-built artificial blood pumping device until she was able to have a heart transplant. (Joe Skipper/Reuters)

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."

Study: Banning fast-food TV ads could dent obesity (AP)

AP - A little less "I'm Lovin' It" could put a significant dent in the problem of childhood obesity, suggests a new study that attempts to measure the effect of TV fast-food ads.

Obese have right to 2 airline seats: Canada court (Reuters)

Reuters - Obese people have the right to two seats for the price of one on flights within Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Thursday.

Pfizer drops bid to sell Viagra over the counter in Europe (AFP)

Pfizer has dropped its bid to market its potency pill Viagra over the counter in Europe, the US pharmaceutical giant announced Thursday.(AFP/HO/File)

AFP - Pfizer has dropped its bid to market its potency pill Viagra over the counter in Europe, the US pharmaceutical giant announced Thursday.

Clinical Trials Update: Nov. 21, 2008 (HealthDay)

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

Health Tip: Signs That a Child May Be Autistic (HealthDay)

HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Autism is a childhood developmental disorder that has no cure. Autistic children have problems with social interaction, communication, and may engage in repetitive behaviors.

Weight-Alzheimer link different for men and women (Reuters)

Reuters - Women who are heavy in their middle years are at greater risk of Alzheimer's disease, especially if they have large waists. However, for men, being underweight during that period of life actually increases the likelihood of developing the degenerative brain disease, researchers report in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

MedPage Today

Children of Centenarians May Follow in Parents' Footsteps

BOSTON (MedPage Today) -- Children of centenarians live longer, with better profiles for myocardial infarction or stroke, than age-matched peers whose parents have average life spans, researchers reported here.

With Boxed Warning, Oral Eltrombopag Okayed by FDA for Chronic ITP

PHILADELPHIA (MedPage Today) -- The FDA has approved oral eltrombopag (Promacta) for refractory chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), the drug's maker announced.

ASRM: Adoption of Single Embryo IVF Transfer Still Slow in U.S.

SAN FRANCISCO (MedPage Today) -- Although multiple rather than single embryo transfer for in-vitro fertilization is less expensive in the short run, the risk of costly complications is much greater, calculated a CDC researcher.

Esophageal Pressure Used to Guide Ventilation in Acute Lung Injury

BOSTON (MedPage Today) -- A ventilator strategy using esophageal pressures to estimate transpulmonary pressure significantly improved oxygenation and respiratory-system compliance among critically ill patients, a pilot study found.

An Egg a Day Raises Risk of Diabetes

BOSTON (MedPage Today) -- People who eat eggs every day may substantially increase their risk of type 2 diabetes, researchers here said.

Hib Incidence Holds Steady Despite Vaccine Shortage

ATLANTA --There has been no significant increase in the incidence of invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) in young children since a vaccine shortage necessitated deferral of the Hib booster last year, according to a CDC analysis.

FDA Advisers Recommend Refractory AFib Indication for RF Ablation Catheter

GAITHERSBURG, Md. (MedPage Today) -- An RF ablation catheter was unanimously recommended by a nine-member FDA advisory panel for the added indication of drug-refractory symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Bone Loss in Breast Cancer Therapy May Involve More Than Drugs

MAYWOOD, Ill. (MedPage Today) -- When assessing bone loss in postmenopausal breast cancer patients, clinicians should look beyond the effects of aromatase inhibitors and other therapies, researchers here said.

FDA Approves Rufinamide for Severe Epilepsy

ROCKVILLE, Md. (MedPage Today) -- The FDA has approved rufinamide (Banzel) as an adjunctive therapy for seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy.

ASRM: Preimplantation Genetic Screening Reduces Recurrent Pregnancy Loss in IVF

SAN FRANCISCO (MedPage Today) -- Screening embryos for chromosomal abnormalities before implantation can significantly reduce miscarriage rates in women with idiopathic recurrent pregnancy loss, according to the largest study to date in this population.

Daily Mail

Irritable, tired, low sex drive? You could be one of the 840,000 males hitting the MANOPAUSE

One in five males over 65 may be suffering from the 'male menopause'. So why is the medical profession so reluctant to diagnose it?

Down to a tea ... From immune boosters to detoxing, which herbal infusion is right for you?

As research shows that three cups of green tea a day for eight weeks may lower blood pressure and shrink fat cells, we reveal which infusion is the best for tackling your health issues.

Forget fitness gyms and diets - we've WALKED off a stone

Meet three people who prove that one hour a day of the simplest exercise can lead to weight loss, without changing diet.

Should we loosen up with these joint-care supplements?

DR ELLIE CANNON answers the questions she's most often asked about the huge range of natural supplements on the market to help to relieve joint pain.

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.

My babies are named Faith and Hope: Exclusive interview with British teenager set to be world's youngest mother of Siamese twins

A teenager is set to make medical history this week by becoming the world's youngest mother of Siamese twins. Laura Williams, 18, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, will give birth to Faith and Hope by caesarean section this week.

Doctors warn schoolgirl addict to 'stop drinking Red Bull or you will die'

A girl of 13 who drank up to 50 energy drinks a week has been warned to beat her addiction or risk a heart attack.

Girl, 5, now able to 'shine' after epilepsy surgery removes half her brain

A five-year-old girl who suffered from severe epilepsy has been transformed by an operation that removed half her brain. Two years after the surgery, her mother Jessica Nelson said: ‘She just shines.’

Teachers should 'tell jokes and give children lessons in making friends'

Teachers should tell jokes and show children how to make friends in order to get the best out of them at school, a new book recommends.

Scientists are a step closer to creating 'elixir of life'

The secrets of eternal youth are being unlocked by scientists. Experiments show that an enzyme called telomerase could be the key ingredient in an 'elixir of life'.

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