FOCUS: THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
Coronavirus: 'Promising new treatments must be explored immediately'
February 12th, 2020 The major effort in coping with the new coronavirus has been around isolation etc (short-term) and finding a vaccine (long-term), but international experts argue in The Lancet that there are other promising treatments that should be explored...
Western Cape Health gets its nose bloodied over 'stolen' broken armchairs
February 12th, 2020 A vindictive, protracted and costly campaign by Western Cape Health against three young doctors for “unlawfully removing two blue chairs with the intent to permanently deprive Tygerberg Hospital of its possessions” is at last over, writes...NEWS RELEASE
Icon Oncology appoints Anthony Pedersen as new head
Anthony Pedersen has been appointed as new CEO to value-based-healthcare company Icon Oncology Holdings. Anthony assumed his role on 1 January...
February 12th, 2020
BREAKING NEWS
Calls for aggressive China-style containment amid sobering WHO warning
With coronavirus deaths now exceeding 1,100 and the World Health Organisation — not an organisation inclined to hyperbole — saying that it is a... February 12th, 2020WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Med schemes regulator reinstates senior official suspended for alleged corruption
The medical schemes regulator has reinstated one of the six senior officials it suspended for alleged corruption and maladministration last year,... February 12th, 2020Mediclinic's North West acquisition cleared by the courts
Private hospital group Mediclinic has announced that it has won its appeal against the Competition Tribunal’s prohibition of its proposed... February 12th, 2020DA denied site inspection at Addington Hospital
The Democratic Alliance (DA) reports that it was denied access to Addington Hospital by KZN Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu on Thursday of last... February 12th, 2020UK hospital's 'witch-hunt' for whistleblower criticised
A UK hospital has been widely criticised for its “witch-hunt” in an attempt to find out the identity of a whistleblower. The Guardian reports... February 12th, 2020Refurbishment of Rustenburg hospital urgently needed
Plans have been put in place to refurbish some of the old buildings at the Shimankana Tabane Hospital in Rustenburg. The Times reports that this is... February 12th, 2020Voyeur UK doctor struck off medical register
A UK anaesthetist Dr Jonathan Fielden has been "erased" from the medical register with immediate effect at a tribunal after pleading guilty to a... February 12th, 2020CARDIOLOGY
IV drugs can rapidly restore normal heart rhythm without sedation, shocks
Electrical and intravenous drug cardioversion were equally efficacious in treating acute atrial fibrillation, found a large, randomised controlled... February 12th, 2020DERMATOLOGY
FDA study finds sunscreen's active ingredients readily absorbed in bloodstream
The active chemicals in sunscreens can readily soak into the bloodstream, found a US Food and Drug Administration pilot study.
Scientists at the...
February 12th, 2020
EPIDEMIOLOGY
Quantifying the intensity of the coronavirus outbreak and its pandemic potential
A number of groups have estimated R0 for the new coronavirus, meaning that it will die out. But scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences... February 12th, 2020HIV/AIDS
Questions over PrEP safety during pregnancy should not prevent treatment
Unanswered questions about the safety of taking PrEP during pregnancy and breastfeeding should not be allowed to stand in the way of access to PrEP... February 12th, 2020Malawi/SA Study highlights need for better management of TB and HIV co-infection
A study from South Africa and Malawi highlights the urgent need for better management of people with TB and HIV co-infection, reports Aidsmap. It... February 12th, 2020Unexplained low bone mineral density in HIV patients
The risk of fragility fractures is increased among people living with HIV, according to research. Aidsmap reports that this increased risk... February 12th, 2020INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Long-term effectiveness of shortened DR-TB treatment regimen
Results from an International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union)-led observational study show that a nine-month shortened... February 12th, 2020NUTRITION
Moderate egg consumption not tied to risk of heart disease
Moderate egg intake, which is about one egg per day in most people, does not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease or mortality even if people...
February 12th, 2020
PHARMACOLOGY
Yale study adds to evidence of diabetes drug's link to heart risk
Rosiglitazone was associated with a 33% increased risk of a composite cardiovascular event (heart attack, heart failure, cardiovascular and...
February 12th, 2020
PSYCHOLOGY
40-nation survey finds that almost three out of four unhappy with breast size
The majority of women worldwide may be dissatisfied with the size of their breasts, found a 40-nation study. The authors note that this has...
February 12th, 2020