FOCUS: THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
Doctors plead for resolution of North West Health crisis
April 25th, 2018 Doctors in North West Province have broken their silence over the ongoing health crisis in the province, calling for urgent intervention to resolve the impasse which is placing millions of lives at risk. Meanwhile, the army has been deployed to end...
London summit pledges $4.1bn to eradicate malaria
April 25th, 2018 The worldwide resurgence of malaria, which kills half a million people a year, has sparked philanthropists, business leaders and ministers from donor and malaria-affected countries to pledge $4.1bn to drive research and innovation and improve access...
Motsoaledi ends port testing for listeriosis, despite more deaths and infections
April 25th, 2018 The death toll from South Africa's listeriosis outbreak has reached 199, with 50 new infections reported since the recall of implicated products on 4 March. Despite this, port health officials have been ordered to stop testing imported chicken...Weekly Roundup
Disbelief after PE nurses are disciplined for helping patients
Two nurses who assisted with a volunteer campaign to help cancer patients up seven flights of... April 25th, 2018World's first total male genital transplant
A team of US doctors has successfully carried out the world's first total transplant of a penis and... April 25th, 2018Zimbabwe backtracks on the firing of nurses
Nurses in Zimbabwe have scored a major victory with the government hiring a number of unemployed... April 25th, 2018First national TB prevalence survey enters second leg
South Africa’s first National Tuberculosis (TB) Prevalence Survey has entered its second leg as... April 25th, 2018Zuma's new 'baby mama' asked to resign from health NGO
Nonkanyiso Conco, the 24-year-old who recently gave birth to Jacob Zuma’s baby, has resigned from... April 25th, 2018'Alarming' rise in nurses' sick leave applications in Gauteng
Sick leave applications for staff in Gauteng state hospitals have risen "alarmingly"‚ from R161m... April 25th, 2018Joburg EMS personnel attacked on a 'weekly basis'
The City of Johannesburg's Emergency Management Services says it is concerned about attacks on its... April 25th, 2018Africa's first robotic neurosurgery visualisation technology now operational
Africa’s first ZEISS KINEVO 900, an advanced robotic visualisation system used to guide the most... April 25th, 2018KZN Health breaks pap smear world record
The KwaZulu-Natal Health Department smashed an unusual record at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital... April 25th, 2018No action against Limpopo Health officials involved in dodgy tender
Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha has been accused of not acting on a report that could have led to... April 25th, 2018SAHPRA backlog fee 'inappropriate' – legal expert
Recent statements by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), the successor... April 25th, 2018Limpopo community fights to keep HIV/Aids healthcare centre open
The community of Moutse in Limpopo has written to the Health Ombudsman and the Human Rights... April 25th, 2018UK and SA-based genetics company receives coveted UK awards
DNAFit Life Sciences Ltd, the leading UK-headquartered and South African operations-based genetics... April 25th, 2018Staff return to work at Tehmba Hospital after a two-day strike
After two days of being left to cope without meals, clean gowns and bedding, patients at Themba... April 25th, 2018UK govt's 'hostile environment' discourages migrants from seeking treatment
The UK government’s immigration strategy is a risk to public health as the "hostile environment"... April 25th, 2018ADDICTION
Medical marijuana could increase drug use risk
A study finds that people who use medical marijuana have higher rates of medical and non-medical prescription drug use – including pain relievers.
Rather than being at lower risk, people who use medical marijuana may be at higher risk for...
April 25th, 2018
ANAESTHESIOLOGY
No evidence that anaesthesia before 3-years impacts on child's IQ
A Mayo Clinic study finds no evidence that children given anaesthesia before their third birthdays have lower IQs than those who did not have it. A more complex picture emerges among people who had anaesthesia several times as small children:... April 25th, 2018CLINICAL PRACTICE
Traditional methods for testing BP no longer adequate — study
Traditional methods of testing for high-blood pressure are no longer adequate and risk missing vital health signs, which can lead to premature death, a study co-led by University College London (UCL) has found. The research, the largest ever cohort...
April 25th, 2018
ENDOCRINOLOGY
Artificial pancreas better controls blood sugar levels
Use of an artificial pancreas is associated with better control of blood sugar levels for people with type 1 diabetes compared with standard treatment, finds a review of the available evidence. The findings show that artificial pancreas treatment... April 25th, 2018GYNAECOLOGY
Greater risk of toxic shock syndrome from menstrual cups
Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) has long-been associated with tampon use, but a study claims that menstrual cups could pose an even greater risk. The Independent reports that favoured for their economical and eco-friendly properties, menstrual cups have... April 25th, 2018Worrying connection between feminine hygiene products and infection
A Canadian study found that women who use vaginal hygiene products are three times more likely to experience some type of infection.
Vaginal hygiene products have been used by 95% of Canadian women, but they likely do more harm than good,...
April 25th, 2018
HEPATOLOGY
Faecal transplant produces sustained improvements in cognitive and clinical outcomes
A single treatment using an optimised, targeted form of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) produces sustained clinical and cognitive improvements, according to the results of a long-term follow-up of patients with liver cirrhosis and hepatic... April 25th, 2018HIV/AIDS
Puzzle over whether HIV accelerates cancer progression
Although people living with HIV may be diagnosed with cancer at an earlier stage because they get more consistent care than the general population, it is also possible that a higher likelihood of late cancer diagnosis among people with HIV is an... April 25th, 2018TAF only superior to TDF when used with a boosting agent
The benefits of tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) over tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) may have been overstated, according to the results of a meta-analysis. It was only when used in an antiretroviral therapy regimen containing a boosting agent that... April 25th, 2018NUTRITION
Sugar consumption in pregnancy linked to poorer childhood cognition
A study has determined that poorer childhood cognition occurred, particularly in memory and learning, when pregnant women or their offspring consumed greater quantities of sugar. Substituting diet soda for sugar-sweetened versions during pregnancy...
April 25th, 2018
ONCOLOGY
Immunotherapy and chemo drug combo increases lung cancer survival rates
The immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, when combined with chemotherapy, doubles survival in patients with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSNSCLC) lacking genetic changes in the EGFR or ALK genes, when compared to chemotherapy alone,... April 25th, 2018Investigational drug safely and effectively treats RET-driven cancers
A phase I, first-in-human study led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre reveals for the first time, an investigational drug that is effective and safe for patients with cancers caused by an alteration in the receptor tyrosine kinase... April 25th, 2018