RxPG News : Opinion

Opt out system is anwer to organ donor shortage

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 03:28:23 PST

A system of presumed consent for organ donation - where people have to opt out of donating their organs when they die - is the best way to tackle a growing waiting list for transplant.
That is the opinion of Dr John Troyer, an expert in organ donation and the illegal trade of body parts, who has recently joined the University of Bath’s Centre for Death & Society.

Why Kenneth Clarke is unfit to be Tory leader - BMJ

Fri, 14 Oct 2005 21:43:00 PST

Prospective candidate for the Tory party leadership, Kenneth Clarke, is unfit for the role because of his continued connection with the tobacco industry, says a contributor to this weeks BMJ.

Call for moratorium on virgin conception research

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 02:14:00 PST

The Christian Medical Fellowship has responded to news of the creation of Britains first virgin conception human embryos by calling on the government to rein in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) who approved the research.

Cosmetic surgery normal part of everyday life for British women

Thu, 08 Sep 2005 00:15:00 PST

Cosmetic surgery is now a normal part of everyday life for British women, a survey by leading healthcare organisation BUPA reveals. Over 80 percent of women believe cosmetic surgery is perfectly acceptable these days, with 1 in 4 of the 18-40 year old women surveyed saying they would have, or have had, some sort of procedure.

First European heart failure awareness survey reveals massive public lack of awareness

Tue, 06 Sep 2005 20:27:00 PST

An international survey of the public's awareness of heart failure has revealed a woeful and worrying level of ignorance, according to the lead author of the research, which is published today (Wednesday 31 August) in Europe's leading cardiology journal European Heart Journal.

BMJ highlights lack of international cooperation to investigate scientific fraud

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 14:45:00 PST

This week, the BMJ expresses concern about the validity of a paper it published in 1992 written by Dr Ram B Singh of Moradabad, India.

Death on the road to international development

Mon, 25 Apr 2005 19:54:00 PST

International trade is creating a global road safety crisis that only serves to inhibit development and perpetuate poverty, argues an expert in this week's BMJ.

Drink Driving on the Increase, study shows

Thu, 21 Apr 2005 17:07:00 PST

A national survey has found that after a long, slow downward trend alcohol-impaired driving has recently increased significantly.

Challenges over 5 decades in Digestive endoscopy

Wed, 13 Apr 2005 19:26:00 PST

In the 2005 Lilly Lecture* at the Royal College of Physicians on Tuesday 12 April, Professor Peter Cotton outlines the development and progress of one of the greatest diagnostic and treatment tools of the twentieth century the flexible fiberoptic endoscope.

HIV testing should be Routine

Thu, 31 Mar 2005 16:06:00 PST

Primary health care providers should incorporate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing into routine patient care for all sexually active individuals, regardless of risk factors, say a group of physician/researchers at Emory University School of Medicine, Brown Medical School, and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Public has a Moral Obligation to take part in Scientific Research

Thu, 31 Mar 2005 15:32:00 PST

The public has a moral obligation to support and take part in scientific research, says a leading ethicist in the Journal of Medical Ethics.

Professionalism and Professional Ethics in Medicine

Wed, 30 Mar 2005 18:51:00 PST

The March 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine contains several articles relevant to the topic of professionalism in medicine and/or professional ethics. The Archives of Internal Medicine is one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Negative Physician Attitudes Toward HIV Infected IV Drug Users

Wed, 30 Mar 2005 18:51:00 PST

Lin Ding, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues surveyed a representative sample of 2,864 HIV-infected patients and their physicians to determine if negative attitudes toward HIV-infected injection drug users affected the patient's exposure to highly active antiretroviral therapy, reported problems, satisfaction with care, unmet needs, or perceived access to care.

Statement from NHLBI on the Findings of the Womens Health Study

Tue, 29 Mar 2005 00:36:00 PST

The Womens Health Study is the first large clinical trial to study the use of low-dose aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke in women. The 10-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted among nearly 40,000 healthy women age 45 and older. Although studies have shown that low-dose aspirin reduces the risk of a first heart attack in men, there have been few such studies in women. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Healths National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Cancer Institute.

HIV testing should no longer be given special status

Fri, 04 Mar 2005 20:53:00 PST

HIV testing should no longer be accorded any special status, argue two senior doctors in this week's BMJ.

BMJ urges to ban Branding practices in rural India

Fri, 25 Feb 2005 16:27:00 PST

Inflicting burns over normal children is a non-scientific painful procedure and is unacceptable, say the authors. Stringent laws should be enforced to ban this harmful practice.

Equitable Allocation of Antiretrovirals in Resource-Constrained Countries

Tue, 22 Feb 2005 22:01:00 PST

Antiretroviral drugs change the lives of patients with HIV/AIDSif they have access to them. Most patients in resource-poor countries cannot afford the drugs. Major initiatives are under way to expand access to antiretrovirals in developing countries, but the number of individuals in need of the drugs currently vastly exceeds the supply, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. These circumstances make for difficult decisions about treatment allocation. David Wilson and Sally Blower have shown how it is possible to design an equitable antiretroviral allocation strategy, that is, to come up with a plan that would give each individual with HIV an equal chance of receiving antiretrovirals. Their novel spatial model enables them to model the spatial diffusion of antiretrovirals in a resource-constrained country.

How opposite sex perceive the sense of humour differently

Thu, 10 Feb 2005 17:13:00 PST

That sought-after trait in a mate -- "good sense of humour" -- is more complex than originally thought. In fact, men and women define it differently. Eric Bressler, a graduate student at McMaster University who is studying the role of humour in personal attraction, discovered in a survey of 150 students that to a woman, "sense of humour" means someone who makes her laugh; to a man, a sense of humour means someone who appreciates his jokes. "There's a difference between producers (those who make you laugh) and receptors (those who laugh when someone cracks a joke)," said Bressler. "Women choose men who produce humour 62 per cent of the time; conversely, men choose women who appreciate their humour 65 per cent of the time."

Physicians remain overwhelmingly negative in communicating a diagnosis of Down syndrome in newborn infants

Mon, 03 Jan 2005 18:38:00 PST

A survey of mothers in the January issue of Pediatrics found that physicians remain overwhelmingly negative in communicating a diagnosis of Down syndrome in newborn infants. Mothers reported that the majority of physicians were uninformed about the positive potential for children with Down syndrome, and rarely provided an adequate, up-to-date description of the children, printed information, or telephone numbers of other parents. By nearly all ratings -- including explaining Down syndrome, the timing and setting of the news, and the language that was used -- physicians fell far short of making the birth a positive experience.

MGH surgeon tells 40-year tale of investigation and innovation into the challenge of hip implant failure

Thu, 23 Dec 2004 13:12:00 PST

A remarkable story of how a new disease was inadvertently caused by successful medical treatment, ultimately understood, and eventually defeated by scientific innovation is being told a major player in the process. In the December issue of Clinical Orthopedics and Related Research, William Harris, MD, DSc, of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), describes how the development of total hip replacement led to an unexpected problem, erosion of bone adjacent to the implant, and how his team and others both identified the process underlying that breakdown and helped to develop new materials that avoid the problem.

Discrimination possibly linked to increased levels of mental disorder

Mon, 06 Dec 2004 06:17:00 PST

A new survey has found high levels of discrimination against gay men, lesbians and bisexual men and women. Many of those discriminated against attributed it to their sexuality. This was the first large, UK-based comprehensive survey of psychological well-being amongst these groups. Published in the December issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, the study suggested that experiences of discrimination appear to be linked with higher rates of mental disorder.

Do our children need Santa Claus any more?

Sat, 04 Dec 2004 06:12:00 PST

Do our children need Santa Claus any more? If Father Christmas died, would their world - and ours - be a poorer place? In the December issue of the Psychiatric Bulletin, two psychiatrists discuss the role of Santa Claus in fostering childhood myths and development.

Psychiatrists have more positive attitude towards mentally ill

Thu, 04 Nov 2004 15:33:00 PST

Psychiatrists' attitudes are substantially more favourable towards people with mental illness than those of the general population, a new survey published in the November issue of the Psychiatric Bulletin has found.
This was particularly true for schizophrenia, where psychiatrists believe that the risk of dangerousness was overemphasised.

'YOU DON'T BRING ME FLOWERS ANY MORE'

Mon, 04 Oct 2004 16:00:00 PST

A survey of psychiatric and non-psychiatric in-patients, published in the October issue of the Psychiatric Bulletin, has found that the stigma of mental illness is reflected in the secrecy surrounding disclosure of hospital admission, and the relative lack of tokens of support.

Dementia in World Leaders

Sat, 17 Jul 2004 22:58:00 PST

If Stalin had taken the trouble to visit a psychiatrist, millions of Russians might have been saved from death in the purges of the early twentieth century.