FOCUS: THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
British experts want UN Rights of the Child intervention to remove the tackle from rugby
July 19th, 2017 A cautionary approach requires the removal of the tackle from school rugby as the quickest and most effective method of reducing high injury rates in youth rugby, concludes a British evidence review. The authors call on governments to protect...
Long-term PPI usage is linked to increased mortality risk
July 19th, 2017 Long-term use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), widely used as an over-the-counter treatment for heartburn, ulcers and other gastrointestinal problems, is linked to a 25% increased risk of death, compared to people taking H2 blockers, found a...
SA Law Reform Commission examines spiralling medico-legal claims
July 19th, 2017 Comment is sought by the SA Law Reform Commission on an issue paper exploring reasons for spiralling number of medico-legal claims, particularly against the state, reports Pam Saxby for Legalbrief Policy Watch. Appropriate legislation may be...
Weekly Roundup
KZN faces yet another health crisis - now urology
Thousands of vulnerable patients' lives could be at risk as an embattled KwaZulu-Natal... July 19th, 2017WHO warns oral sex is helping spread of dangerous gonorrhoea
Oral sex is producing dangerous gonorrhoea and a decline in condom use is helping it to spread, BBC... July 19th, 2017Specialist ATMs to dispense ARVs
Access to treatment will be now be made easier for people living with HIV/Aids as they will now be... July 19th, 2017DBE's policy on HIV, STIs and TB not going far enough
The Department of Basic Education’s new National Policy on HIV, STIs and TB allows learners... July 19th, 2017Upward trend in longer life expectancy slowing in the UK
A century-long rise in life expectancy in the UK has stalled since 2010 when austerity brought... July 19th, 2017Cacinogenic substance in flip-flops leads to recall
Primark has recalled thousands of pairs of flip-flops in the UK after discovering they contain a... July 19th, 2017A 'lively' year for HIV research so far
This has been a lively year for HIV research says an i-base report. Even though only one new drug... July 19th, 2017CARDIOLOGY
Contracting shingles doubles stroke and heart attack risk
Contracting shingles, a reactivation of the chickenpox virus, increases a person's risk of stroke and heart attack, according to a research letter.
According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 1 out of every 3 people in...
July 19th, 2017
CARDIOVASCULAR
New early warning test for coronary artery disease
Researchers at the University of Oxford have developed a new type of imaging test to provide an early warning of coronary artery disease, and the risk of heart attacks.
The new imaging technique can be applied as a new feature in routine...
July 19th, 2017
ENDOCRINOLOGY
Obstructive sleep apnoea plus diabetes increases risk of blindness
Research led by the University of Birmingham has discovered that patients who suffer from both type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnoea are at greater risk of developing a condition that leads to blindness within an average period of less than... July 19th, 2017GASTROENTEROLOGY
Therapeutic donor microbes remain long after faecal microbiota transplantation
Researchers say a small study offers the first proof that therapeutic donor microbes remain for months or years in patients who've undergone faecal microbiota transplantation. An Infectious Disease Advisor report says that the researchers... July 19th, 2017HAEMATOLOGY
Novel therapy acts as an antidote to blood thinner
A phase III clinical study demonstrates the safety and efficacy of idarucizumab, a novel therapy that acts as an antidote to the blood thinner dabigatran. At least 28m prescriptions for blood thinners are filled by pharmacists yearly for the... July 19th, 2017HIV/AIDS
High BMI, diabetes and elevated lipids with HIV increases NAFLD risk
Over a third of people with HIV have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the absence of hepatitis B or C, according to the results of a meta-analysis and systematic review by researchers at St Mary's Hospital, Imperial College London, GKT... July 19th, 2017Most people on ART will not experience viral rebound
British investigators have determined that a substantial proportion of people with HIV who are taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) will not experience viral rebound during their lifetime. Using data from the UK CHIC (UK Collaborative HIV Cohort)... July 19th, 2017People with HIV must use PPIs cautiously
Proton pump inhibitors should be used with caution in people with HIV, researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston say, after finding that people who received long-term treatment for... July 19th, 2017HOSPITAL MEDICINE
Infection spreads despite practising perfect hand hygiene
Even if hospital workers practise theoretically perfect hand hygiene, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can still spread among babies in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The research was led by a Drexel University... July 19th, 2017INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Most difficult C. difficile cases becoming more common
A US study has found evidence that the most difficult C. difficile intestinal infection cases, known as multiple recurring C. difficile infections (mrCDI), are rapidly becoming more common. Intestinal infection with the bacterium Clostridium... July 19th, 2017NEUROLOGY
Sleep problems may be an early sign of Alzheimer's
Poor sleep may be a sign that people who are otherwise healthy may be more at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life than people who do not have sleep problems, according to a study. Researchers have found a link between sleep... July 19th, 2017PAEDIATRICS
High levels of serotonin found in infants who died of SIDS
Blood samples from infants who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) had high levels of serotonin, a chemical that carries signals along and between nerves, according to a study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. The... July 19th, 2017PHARMACOLOGY
OTC medication could benefit multiple sclerosis patients
Treatment options currently are limited for people suffering from secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. However, an Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) pilot study suggests over-the-counter antioxidant lipoic acid holds promise for... July 19th, 2017SPORT & EXERCISE MEDICINE
Soccer beats swimming and cycling for bone development in boys
Playing soccer can significantly improve bone development in adolescent boys after one-year's training, compared to swimming, cycling and non-sport playing, University of Exeter research shows.
Adolescence is the key period for bone development,...
July 19th, 2017
