FOCUS: THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
Napping cuts hypertension as much as does salt and alcohol reduction
March 20th, 2019 Research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 68th Annual Scientific Session found that people who took advantage of a midday snooze were more likely to have a noticeable drop in blood pressure compared with those who didn't...
Mind the gap: National disparities in age-related health problems
March 20th, 2019 The age-related health problems of a 76-year-old in Japan and a 46-year-olds in Papua New Guinea have the same level as an ‘average’ person aged 65, with Lesotho and theCentral African Republic performing worst in Africa at 53.6 years. Four of...
Non-disclosure: Doctors should not attack medical schemes for acting
March 20th, 2019 Deception by patients of medical schemes through the non-disclosure of health information is sharply on the increase, writes Elmarie Jensen, marketing manager of Genesis Medical Scheme. When this is discovered, it 'does not behoove doctors to defame...
WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Limpopo Health MEC unrepentant about 'inexperienced' appointments
Limpopo Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba has stuck to her guns, saying she does not regret appointing “young and energetic individuals” to senior... March 20th, 2019State has until September to finalise culpable homicide case against Durban dentist
The State has until September to finalise its case in the trial of Durban dentist Anwer Jeewa who faces a charge of culpable homicide following the... March 20th, 2019French obs/gynae union threatens to halt abortions over lack of medical error insurance
A French gynaecologists’ union has threatened to halt pregnancy terminations in an attempt to force the country’s health minister to meet... March 20th, 2019New TB treatment, tested in SA, goes before FDA for approval
A promising new treatment for extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB) that was tested in South Africa has been submitted to US regulators,... March 20th, 2019Amazon removes books promising autism cures from its site
Books that promise cures for autism through potentially dangerous therapies have been quietly removed from Amazon, reports The Guardian. The removals... March 20th, 2019Widespread ignorance of links between diet and cancer — World Cancer Research Fund
Many adults fail to understand the links between diet and cancer. According to the World Cancer Research Fund survey, only 58% of baby boomers –... March 20th, 2019SA shortage of Aids drug putting lives at risk
The health of thousands of Aids patients has been placed at risk with the shortage of an antiretroviral drug affecting the country, says a Daily News... March 20th, 2019'Toxic' working environment at Tygerberg communication centre
A report by workers at the Tygerberg Hospital communication centre described the working environment as “toxic”. According to a Cape Argus... March 20th, 2019CARDIOLOGY
Pure Omega 3 reduces risk of total ischaemic events
Taking a high dose of icosapent ethyl – a pure and stable prescription form of the omega-3 fatty acid known as EPA – significantly reduces the...
March 20th, 2019
Yo-yo dieting increases heart disease risk in women
Yo-yo dieting may make it harder for women to control a variety of heart disease risk factors, according to preliminary research presented at the... March 20th, 2019HIV/AIDS
Healthcare providers challenged on failure to inform HIV patients
Healthcare providers should inform all patients with HIV they cannot transmit HIV to a sexual partner when their viral load is undetectable, argue... March 20th, 2019HIV/AIDS CONTINUED
Dolutegravir-based second-line ART outcomes
Virological response rates were excellent among patients receiving second-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) based on dolutegravir, even when regimens... March 20th, 2019INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Efficacy, safety and economic impact of shortened MDR-TB treatment
Final results from Stage 1 of the STREAM randomised clinical trial show that a 9-11-month treatment regimen is as effective in treating... March 20th, 2019NEUROLOGY
Persons with Alzheimer's disease have a higher risk of head injuries
Persons with Alzheimer’s disease have approximately 30% higher risk of head injuries, and 50% higher risk of traumatic brain injuries than persons...
March 20th, 2019
OBSTETRICS
C-sections carry much higher mortality risk in Africa
The death rate among women undergoing a caesarean to deliver a baby is about 50 times higher in Africa than in most wealthy nations, Health24 reports...
March 20th, 2019
PSYCHIATRY
OCD symptoms reduced by targeted deep brain stimulation
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) at two areas of the brain significantly reduced OCD symptoms, with significantly improved cognitive flexibility from... March 20th, 2019PAEDIATRICS
Just a cigarette a day in pregnancy doubles Sudden Infant Death risk
Smoking any cigarettes – even only one a day – during pregnancy more than doubles the risk of unexpected sudden infant death (SUID). Quitting...
March 20th, 2019
SPORT & EXERCISE MEDICINE
It's never too late to start exercising — large US study
It's truly never too late to begin exercising, research shows. Medical Xpress reports that a major study has found that even for people who were...
March 20th, 2019