FOCUS: THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
High Court rejects gynae's appeal against 5-year's jail for deadly negligence
April 24th, 2019 The Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) has confirmed the conviction and sentence of five years direct imprisonment for Dr Danie van der Walt, a gynaecologist who caused the death of a woman in labour through negligence. The Health Professions Council...
Misdiagnosis of multiple sclerosis found to be common
April 24th, 2019 The misdiagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) was almost 20% in a US study, which found that of the people misdiagnosed, many received MS treatment for four years before receiving the right diagnosis. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a widespread...
First malaria vaccination for children launched in Malawi
April 24th, 2019 Malawi will begin immunising young children against malaria this week, in a landmark large-scale pilot programme of the first vaccine to give partial protection against the disease, the World Health Organisation said. Although the vaccine...
ADVERTORIAL
Non-Executive Director from South Africa. The Medical Protection Society
We are the world’s leading member-owned, not-for-profit organisation protecting the careers, reputations and financial security of doctors,...
April 17th, 2019
WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Measles cases in the US jump nearly 20% in 2019
The number of confirmed cases of measles in the US this year jumped by nearly 20% in the week ending 11 April, in the country’s second-worst... April 24th, 2019Reinstated KZN doctor remains in limbo
Ten months after he was fired from his job, Ngwelezana Hospital’s head of surgery returned to work on Monday of last week, but there was no place... April 24th, 2019Merck's kidney cancer therapy approved ahead of expectations
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Merck & Co Inc’s cancer therapy, Keytruda, as part of a combination therapy for previously... April 24th, 2019FDA approves AbbVie's plaque psoriasis drug
AbbVie Inc has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration approved its Skyrizi drug as a treatment for plaque psoriasis at a time when its... April 24th, 2019Two Ghanaian health tech start-ups win top international awards
Ghana’s long unsung health tech sector is getting global validation with two of its most promising start-ups being named among five winners for one... April 24th, 2019Gauteng community healthcare workers strike over permanent jobs
About 500 community healthcare workers who are contractual employees of Gauteng Health blocked Johannesburg city streets last week, demanding that... April 24th, 2019Nurse faces criminal charges after performing 'back-yard abortion'
The Far East Rand Hospital in Springs, Gauteng, has laid criminal charges against a nurse who performed an illegal abortion while off duty, reports... April 24th, 2019Eastern Cape Health probes video showing drunk employee at work
The Eastern Cape Health Department is investigating a video clip purportedly showing an intoxicated man attempting to serve patients seeking medical... April 24th, 2019Mobile health application launched in SADC region
SAfAids, a regional information dissemination organisation focusing on sexual and reproductive health, has launched a mobile health application to... April 24th, 2019GENETICS
Now a reference library of DNA mutation 'fingerprints'
Scientists from King College London and Cambridge University have developed a comprehensive catalogue of DNA mutation ‘fingerprints’ that could...
April 24th, 2019
HIV/AIDS
Scientists identify rare, paradoxical response to ART
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is usually very effective at suppressing HIV in the body, allowing a person's immune system to recover by preventing the... April 24th, 2019Rifapentine plus isoniazid non-inferior to isoniazid in HIV related TB
For prevention of tuberculosis (TB) in people with HIV, a single month regimen of rifapentine plus isoniazid was non-inferior to 9 months of... April 24th, 2019INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Glecaprevir/pibrentasvir hepatitis C treatment found safe and highly effective
Once-daily combination pills that can treat all genotypes of hepatitis C infection are curing almost everyone who completes a course of treatment,... April 24th, 2019First validated prognostic proteomic signatures
South African TB Vaccine Initiative (SATVI) authors Drs Adam Penn-Nicholson, Stanley Kimbung Mbandi, Michelle Fisher, Professors Mark Hatherill and... April 24th, 2019NEUROSCIENCE
Scientists restore some functions of pig brain hours after death
Circulation and cellular activity were restored in a pig's brain four hours after its death, a finding that challenges long-held assumptions about... April 24th, 2019NUTRITION
Replacing red meat with plant proteins protects against CVD — first meta-analysis
Diets that replaced red meat with healthy plant proteins led to decreases in risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a study from...
April 24th, 2019
Supplementation with creatine may improve brain function in vegetarians
Vegetarians who take the dietary supplement creatine may enjoy improved brain function, according to a study. The research was presented at the... April 24th, 2019OBSTETRICS
Additional routine ultrasounds benefit mothers and babies — POP study
Offering universal late pregnancy ultrasounds at 36 weeks’ gestation eliminates undiagnosed breech presentation of babies, lowers the rate of...
April 24th, 2019
ONCOLOGY
South Africa's black population also faces significant melanoma risk
Melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer previously thought to affect mainly white people, has been found to pose a significant threat also to...
April 24th, 2019