RECENT NEWS

A National Institute of Health-funded international study has found that people infected with HIV reduced the risk of transmitting the virus to their sexual partners by taking oral antiretroviral medicines when their immune systems were relatively healthy.

New research suggests that gently heating cancer cells could enhance the effects of experimental new drugs. Previous studies have shown that heating tumours can improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation, but it was not known why.

Marking International Nurses’ Day, Dr Peter Carter, Royal College of Nursing chief executive & general secretary, said that the value of nursing staff was ‘clearer than ever’ and called for their achievements to be recognised.

The final report of the National Sentinel Stroke Audit, commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP), shows that care for patients with stroke is still improving 12 years after the start of the audit.

The NHS Blood and Transplant’s (NHSBT) strategic plan for 2011-2014 sets out new plans for blood, organ, stem cell and tissue donation. The NHSBT wants to maintain the current price of blood until 2014, releasing savings to hospitals of £10 m per year to reinvest in frontline patient care.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned of the risk of patients being forced into hospital due to short-sighted cuts to specialist nursing services. An RCN survey identified that Trusts are cutting specialist nursing care for sufferers of conditions such as cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

The length of a person’s fingers could reveal their risk of motor neurone disease, according to a study carried out by researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, London.

Following a great deal of lobbying from the MS Society, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has agreed to consult on a proposed update of the clinical guidelines for the treatment of people with MS.

Pregnant women with epilepsy who are taking anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) have an increased risk of pregnancy complications, caesarean section and major malformations of the newborn, says research published in BJOG:

Commenting on the reforms in the NHS, Cathy Warwick, General Secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, has said: “We are becoming increasingly uncomfortable about the direction of NHS reforms.

The 2011 Pfizer Excellence in Oncology Awards are now open for entry. The Awards seek outstanding individuals, teams and services who are improving outcomes for cancer patients across the UK.

Waiting times for hospital treatment have reached their highest level for three years according to a new quarterly monitoring report produced by The King’s Fund.

Consultants and their secretaries have referred to the same MRI unit for over 13 years on average, a new study has revealed. Referrers were found to remain loyal to external medical units, with almost 8% saying that they had used the same MRI provider for over 25 years.

Cancer experts reported on developments of some promising radiosurgical techniques for treating lung and liver cancer using linear accelerator technology at the “Emerging Technologies Symposium” at the annual conference of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) in London.

A survey of more than 2,000 UNISON nurses and midwives concludes that 73% would take industrial action to protect their pensions.

A report from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the Faculty of Occupational Medicine has revealed that only 15% of NHS Trusts have a policy or plan to help combat staff obesity.

People who leave education with fewer qualifications may age more quickly, according to research undertaken by scientists led by BHF Professor Andrew Steptoe.

Scientists from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) have found a link between the chemical dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and a person’s cognitive and mental status.

Despite being the 4th most common cancer in men and the 11th most common in women, over half the people surveyed across Great Britain have no idea of the risk factors for developing bladder cancer.

A major infectious problem after organ transplantation, cytomegalovirus (CMV), could potentially be targeted with a vaccine, according to results from a phase II clinical trial led by scientists from UCL and doctors at the Royal Free Hospital.