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Most recent news analysis items...

News Item

I'm alive! 'Vegetative' patient speaks to scientists using his brainwaves (The Scotsman 04/02/2010)

SCIENTISTS have reached into the shuttered world of a "lost" brain-damaged patient and communicated with him via his thoughts. The 29-year-old Belgian was able to answer "yes" and "no" to questions by conjuring up imaginary scenes while having his brain scanned. Before the extraordinary experiment, the man, who suffered a severe head injury in a road accident in 2003, had shown no sign of being aware of the outside world. Five years ago, he...slipped from a coma to a vegetative state...

NHS Analysis

Awareness in vegetative patients (NHS Choices 04/02/2010)

"A man who was presumed to be in a vegetative state for five years has answered questions using his thoughts alone", reported The Times. It said the research could allow some patients who are "locked in" by brain injuries to communicate.The news is based on a three-year study in 54 patients in a vegetative or minimally conscious state. The patients' brains were scanned with a technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to detect signs of awareness. In one man...

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News Item

Mental illness risk four times higher if you're bright (The Scotsman 03/02/2010)

THE cleverest children in school are also those most likely to suffer a serious mental illness as adults, research reveals. Scientists found that straight-A students were four times more likely to develop bipolar disorder than children with average grades...The latest study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, looked at 713,876 individuals in Sweden, where all children take exams at the age of 15 and 16.

NHS Analysis

Bipolar risk greater for bright children (NHS Choices 04/02/2010)

"You don't have to be bipolar to be a genius - but it helps," according to The Independent. The newspaper said that a Swedish study of over 700,000 adults found that those who scored top grades at school were "four times more likely to develop bipolar disorder than those with average grades".This study had strengths, including its large size, good sample selection methods and use of standardised data from national school exams. However, there were some limitations, including the fact that the re...

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News Item

Swine flu line to close (eHealthInsider 29/01/2010)

The National Pandemic Flu Service is to close in a fortnight, the Department of Health has announced. The DH has decided that both the web and telephone service will be discontinued simultaneously at 1am on Thursday, 11 February. Ian Dalton, national director of NHS Flu Resilience, wrote to primary care trust and hospital chief executives this week, outlining the plans. Dalton said the NPFS, launched in July, had been "very successful in easing pressure on primary care services..."

NHS Analysis

Swine flu latest from the NHS (NHS Choices 04/02/2010)

Last updated: 10.30 BSTThe National Pandemic Flu Service, set up to offer online and telephone assessments for people worried that they might have swine flu, is to close next week, Andy Burnham, the health secretary, said today.The number of new swine flu cases has continued to fall to a point where the service is no longer needed. It will stop offering assessments from February 11.The service, to assess patients and enable them to get antiviral medicine if need...

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News Item

Internet use linked to depression (BBC 03/02/2010)

There is a strong link between heavy internet use and depression, UK psychologists have said. The study, reported in the journal Psychopathology, found 1.2% of people surveyed were "internet addicts", and many of these were depressed. The Leeds University team stressed they could not say one necessarily caused the other, and that most internet users did not suffer mental health problems. The conclusions were based on 1,319 responses to an on-line questionnaire.

NHS Analysis

Does web addiction cause depression? (NHS Choices 03/02/2010)

"Surfing the internet can expose a 'dark side' of the soul, with online addicts more likely to be depressed," the Daily Mail reported. It said that research has found that the worst affected were depressed and addicted "possibly because they are substituting the net for normal social activities".This study questioned 1,319 users of social networking sites on their internet use and their depressive symptoms. Although it found an association between the two, this does not prove causation....

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News Item

'Souvenir' baby scan safety fears (BBC 02/02/2010)

Parents-to-be should weigh the possible risks of going for non-essential scans purely to get keepsake pictures of their unborn babies, experts conclude. Although ultrasound scans to check the baby's health are entirely justifiable and safe, the Health Protection Agency is concerned about "boutique" scanning. Its independent advisory board looked at the available evidence for any possible health ill effects. It said more research is needed to determine the long-term consequences.

NHS Analysis

Warning over 'souvenir' baby scans (NHS Choices 03/02/2010)

"Parents-to-be should weigh the possible risks of going for non-essential scans purely to get keepsake pictures of their unborn babies," BBC News reported. It said that while ultrasound scans are "entirely justifiable and safe, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) is concerned about 'boutique' scanning".This is sound advice and the most appropriate that can be offered at the current time. Ultrasound has been safely used for diagnostic purposes for 50 years and is an important tool in many areas of...

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NHS Analysis

Herbal medicines affect heart drugs (NHS Choices 02/02/2010)

"Herbal remedies taken by millions of Britons can pose a serious risk to health by interfering with medicines commonly prescribed for heart disease," reported The Times. The newspaper story is based on a review of the available evidence on the potential harms and interactions of herbal products for people with heart disease.As the newspaper points out, it is already known that some complementary medicines can lessen the effectiveness of drugs. However, by restating the case and carrying...

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