The Firs Medical Centre

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Announcements

Everyone’s going Red for Heart for National Heart Month this February. It’s all in aid of the British Heart Foundation and we’d love you to join in.

01 Jan - 28 Feb
Ovarian Cancer Awareness

Our aim is to improve survival rates for women with ovarian cancer. We can only achieve this with your support – so get involved!

BBC Health

Fertile forties pregnancy warning

Experts fear older women are ditching contraception in the mistaken belief that fertility inevitably wanes at a certain age.

Brain injury linked to gambling

Californian scientists think they may have discovered the part of the brain which makes people fear losing money.

'Third-hand smoke' risk warning

Lingering residue from tobacco smoke that clings to upholstery, clothing and the skin releases cancer-causing agents, warn experts.

Cancer nurses funding row

Gordon Brown has given more details of Labour's plans to provide dedicated one-to-one specialist nursing for everyone in England diagnosed with cancer.

Exercise 'can cut gallstone risk'

Doing lots of exercise drastically cuts the risk of developing painful gallstones, UK researchers have found.

Genes reveal 'biological ageing'

Scientists say they have pinpointed gene variants that might show how fast people's bodies are ageing.

Better child-diabetes care urged

A "shocking" number of children are suffering potentially fatal complications of diabetes each year, a charity says.

Premature birth gene clue found

DNA differences which appear to affect the risk of giving birth early have been found by US scientists.

GPs warn about 'population rise'

New Scottish GP practices should be set up in areas which are likely to see population increases, the BMA says.

Artificial pancreas diabetes hope

Scientists in Cambridge show that an "artificial pancreas" can be used to regulate blood sugar in children with Type 1 diabetes.

WHO Swine Flu

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 86

As of 31 January 2010, worldwide more than 209 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 15174 deaths.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 85

As of 24 January 2010, worldwide more than 209 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 14711 deaths.

Statement of the World Health Organization on allegations of conflict of interest and 'fake' pandemic

22 January 2010 -- Providing independent advice to Member States is a very important function of the World Health Organization (WHO). We take this work seriously and guard against the influence of any improper interests. The WHO influenza pandemic policies and response have not been improperly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 84

As of 17 January 2010, worldwide more than 209 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 14142 deaths.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 83

As of 10 January 2010, worldwide more than 208 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 13554 deaths.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 82

As of 3 January 2010, worldwide more than 208 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza (H1N1) 2009, including at least 12799 deaths.

Successes and challenges of 2009

30 December 2009 -- The headline that dominated the year was easily the H1N1 pandemic. On 11 June, 2009, WHO declared the start of the first influenza pandemic since 1968. In this episode we listen to WHO's Director-General Dr Margaret Chan, discuss the successes and challenges of 2009.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 81

As of 27 December 2009, worldwide more than 208 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 12220 deaths.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 80

As of 20 December 2009, worldwide more than 208 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 11516 deaths.

Comparing deaths from pandemic and seasonal influenza

Efforts to assess the severity of the H1N1 influenza pandemic sometimes compare numbers of confirmed deaths with those estimated for seasonal influenza, either nationally or worldwide. Such comparisons are not reliable for several reasons and can be misleading.

MedPage Today

FDA Okays Statin for Primary Prevention

WASHINGTON --The FDA has approved rosuvastatin (Crestor) for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, making it the first statin to receive this indication.

SSRI and Tamoxifen Increase Mortality Risk (CME/CE)

Overlapping use of tamoxifen and the antidepressant paroxetine (Paxil) significantly increases the risk of breast cancer mortality, data from a large cohort of breast cancer patients showed.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Linked to Dangerous VT (CME/CE)

Patients with active inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) could be at far greater risk for potentially deadly blood clots than doctors previously thought, a new British study found.

Proteins Linked to Stress-Induced ACS (CME/CE)

Researchers in Germany found specific protein levels that might make it possible to distinguish cases of acute coronary syndrome caused by emotionally-charged events from run-of-the-mill cardiac cases.

Physician Charged in Michael Jackson Death

Conrad Robert Murray, MD, the physician attending Michael Jackson when the pop singer died of cardiac arrest last June, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in Los Angeles.

Evidence-Based Treatment Improves Older Stroke Victims' Chances (CME/CE)

Older stroke patients remain at higher risk for adverse outcomes than younger ones, but the gap has narrowed with wider implementation of evidence-based guidelines, researchers say.

Huntington Drug Produces Slight Benefit (CME/CE)

An investigational drug that protects mitochondria in nerve cells helped restore some cognitive function in patients with Huntington's disease, researchers said.

Most Mountaineers Can Enjoy the View (CME/CE)

Climbers shouldn't have any trouble taking in the quite literally "eye-popping" views atop some of the world's highest peaks, researchers say.

Be Ready for Drug-Induced Vfib, Groups Urge (CME/CE)

Awareness of medication-induced torsade de pointes and a preset protocol for treating it could save lives in the hospital with swift action to prevent cardiac arrest, according to a joint statement from two professional associations.

Soft Drinks Linked to Pancreatic Cancer Risk (CME/CE)

People who regularly consume sugary soft drinks are at higher risk for pancreatic cancer, compared with the general population and regular fruit juice drinkers, a new Singaporian study found.

Announcements

BBC Health

WHO Swine Flu

MedPage Today

Practice Information