FOCUS: THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
Corruption feeding frenzy involving R2.2bn of pandemic relief funds
July 29th, 2020 More than R2.2bn of emergency COVID-19 funds have been stolen in a corruption feeding frenzy, the news embarrassingly emerging just as the International Monetary Fund has agreed to a further R70bn in relief, writes MedicalBrief. More than 90...
COVID-19 transmission – The global misuse of data
July 29th, 2020 Decisions on COVID-19 made by governments and the World Health Organization may literally be life-or-death and yet political leaders have made avoidable errors and misused ‘scientific data’, respected medical scientist Professor Robin Wood...
A new gold standard? Sputum testing provides higher rate of COVID-19 detection
July 29th, 2020 Sputum testing detected the RNA of the virus that causes COVID-19 at significantly higher rates than oropharyngeal swab testing, the current gold standard, found a systematic review and meta-analysis from Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Early and...CORONAVIRUS
Asian patients and palliative cancer patients at higher COVID-19 mortality risk — King's College
Cancer patients of Asian ethnicity or who were receiving palliative treatment for cancer were also... July 29th, 2020Coronavirus antibodies decay dramatically after mild illness
A small study by University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers shows that in people with... July 29th, 2020Blood test may identify which COVID-19 patients are best candidates for steroid treatment
A study led by Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System confirms the... July 29th, 2020Concerns about lasting heart damage in COVID-19 patients — 2 German studies
Two studies from Germany paint a sobering picture of the toll that COVID-19 takes on the heart,... July 29th, 2020Irish and Danish studies: 'Natural experiment' of lockdown sees fall in rate of premature birth
A drop in air pollution, reduced exposure to infections and lower levels of work-related stress... July 29th, 2020Africa: Benefits of childhood vaccination programmes far outweigh risks of COVID-19 transmission
The health benefits of maintaining routine childhood vaccination programmes in Africa during the... July 29th, 2020Screen of 12,000 FDA-approved drugs reveals 13 potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 compounds
A screen of almost 12,000 clinical stage or US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs... July 29th, 2020RNA vaccine has robust response in non-human primates — University of Washington
A replicating RNA vaccine, formulated with the Lipid InOrganic Nanoparticle (LION), produces... July 29th, 2020WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Covid emergency services 'inundated' by Vodacom customer care callers
Comment is sought by 4 August on proposals for harmonising the short code for national emergency... July 29th, 2020FDA again warns about dangerous alcohol-based hand sanitisers
The US Food and Drug Administration has again warn consumers and health care professionals not to... July 29th, 2020WHO: Travel bans can't be indefinite and countries must do more to reduce COVID-19 spread
Bans on international travel cannot stay in place indefinitely, and countries are going to have to... July 29th, 2020Two doctors and two nurses die of COVID-19 in single week in North West
The North West Health Department has been rocked by the deaths of four medical workers in a single... July 29th, 2020Nursing union says fear pushing members with comorbidities into early retirement
Many nurses with comorbidities have allegedly resigned or taken early retirement because of their... July 29th, 2020Operation Healing Hands to perform life-changing surgeries during Mandela Month
What began as a one-week charity drive in 2016, to honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela, has grown... July 29th, 2020NEWS RELEASE
BHF's 'great concern' over CMS circular on medical aid member support and exemption guidelines
The Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) has noted with great concern the circular issued by the... July 29th, 2020European Medicines Agency adopts positive opinion on monthly vaginal ring to reduce HIV
The International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) has welcomed a positive opinion from the... July 29th, 2020Board of Healthcare Funders releases first report on Botswana's medical schemes landscape
The Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF), a representative body for the continent’s healthcare... July 29th, 2020SPONSORED EDITORIAL
INSTANT credit for your patients
Considering the significant impact of COVID-19 on everyone across the country, and the high cost of private medical care, MediFin has launched a finance solution for South Africans to obtain emergency medical care, instantly.
MediFin is an...
July 29th, 2020
DENTAL
Gum disease substantially increases oesophageal and gastric cancer risk — 20-year Harvard analysis
A large Harvard University analysis over 20 years found that poor dental hygiene increases the risk of throat and stomach cancer by up to 43% and 52% respectively.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the research found the risk was even higher...
July 29th, 2020
ENDOCRINOLOGY
Cinnamon may improve blood sugar control in pre-diabetics — Clinical trial
In individuals with prediabetes, 12 weeks of cinnamon supplementation improved blood sugar control, found a small, randomised international clinical trial. The study, by researchers at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, the Joslin Diabetes... July 29th, 2020MEDICAL PRACTICE
Clinicians ignore international guidelines on minimum effective dose for asthma
A large UK study found that asthma patients were increasingly prescribed higher levels of treatment, often without clear clinical indication for such high doses, ignoring international guidelines that recommend clinicians find the minimum effective...
July 29th, 2020
MIRCROBIOLOGY
High levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria found on communal gym equipment
Research presented at ASM Microbe Online found that 43% of Staphylococcus bacteria found on exercise equipment in university gyms were ampicillin-resistant, with 73% of those isolates being resistant to multiple additional drugs. The late Dr Xin...
July 29th, 2020