:: Fade - the blog ::

If you want to understand the origins of the headings go to Friday, November 29, 2002.

:: Saturday, December 28, 2002 ::

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Another 15 Minutes... Health News via Fade
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A family and its rubbish - an everyday story of unnecessary waste

One typical household kept everything they would normally throw away in a week. The results left them feeling guilty but frustrated.

The Guardian 28/12/02
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First human clone is 'born', or has the world been monstrously duped?

A company affiliated to a cult whose followers believe that extraterrestrials created life on Earth claimed yesterday to have created the world's first human clone. Until hard evidence in the form of DNA tests on the girl and her mother are presented and peer reviewed by independent experts, the claims are unlikely to be treated seriously by established scientists, especially given Clonaid's background.

The Independent 28/12/02
The Guardian 28/12/02
The Times 28/12/02
BBC Health 28/12/02
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Football scores 5 Polio 0

Broadcasting became an obsession with James Alexander Gordon. But few would have believed that the determined little boy with a speech impediment, caused after contracting polio as a child, would have grown-up to become one of the country's most familiar voices.

BBC Health 28/12/02
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Gene 'triggers heart failure'

A particular genetic fault could be responsible for a breakdown in the normal working of heart muscle, say scientists. It could hold the key to an inherited form of heart failure in which the heart becomes too large and cannot function properly.

BBC Health 28/12/02
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Grand plans for trams not seen since Victorian era

The government has approved funding for a string of supertram networks around Britain in the biggest expansion of light rail since the Victorians began laying lines along city streets more than a century ago.

The Guardian 28/12/02
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Grandmother's death investigated

Police are investigating the death of a grandmother found with high levels of insulin in her body. West Yorkshire Police were called in by managers at Leeds General Infirmary following the death of Ethel Hall, 86.

The Guardian 28/12/02
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Happy deal for Ronald's guests

Building work is almost complete on a £2m expansion to Ronald McDonald House at Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital. The home-from-home is open to parents, carers and siblings of patients, giving them a place to stay while their loved ones receive medical treatment.

Daily Post 27/12/02
Daily Post 27/12/02
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How Dolly the sheep turned fiction to reality

The idea of cloning a human being was once firmly rooted in the pages of science fiction. But since Dolly the sheep in 1997 became the first mammal to be cloned, replicating humans has increasingly become a matter of when, not if. Scientists have disagreed about the likelihood of a successful clone, but several governments, including the UK, have banned the reproductive cloning of human beings. However, therapeutic cloning, where some cells are cloned which could be used to grow lost organs or other limited genetic material, is legal here.

The Guardian 28/12/02
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Mother called doctor before boy, five, died

The mother of a five-year-old boy found beaten to death on Christmas morning had telephoned her doctor shortly before she fell from the window of her second-floor flat.

The Guardian 28/12/02
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Perversion of policy

The destitution which the Asylum Act 2002 will generate for some applicants when it comes into force next month was starkly set out in our pages yesterday. Thousands of refugees who delay lodging their claims upon reaching this country face the withdrawal of food, shelter and clothing. According to refugee welfare groups, this means we are likely to witness thousands sleeping rough, being forced to beg, huddled on pavements in inadequate clothing and ready targets for thugs looking for victims to assault. Is this what a government which talks of its bold social reform goals really wants?

The Guardian 28/12/02
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Police probe after baby found injured at hospital

Police are investigating how a one-month-old baby admitted to hospital with a chesty cough ended up on a hospital floor with a fractured skull, broken legs and bruising. Humara Ali was found on the floor of the Airedale General Hospital where she was staying overnight for observation last Thursday.

The Guardian 28/12/02
BBC Health 28/12/02
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Refugee groups dispute claims that UK is attracting too many asylum-seekers

Refugee specialists challenged a United Nations claim yesterday that Britain was taking more than its fair share of asylum-seekers.

The Independent 28/12/02
The Guardian 28/12/02
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Seasonal excess sets a record for health helpline

NHS Direct, the health service's telephone advice line, had its busiest day on Boxing Day as the nation woke to discover the consequences of seasonal over-indulgence: vomiting, fever and diarrhoea.

The Guardian 28/12/02
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Tackling Ghana's Aids threat

Charity volunteer James Baker has been working with a small organisation in the Keta region of Ghana called Youth Against Aids. He tells BBC News Online about the fight to get Aids in the country under control.

BBC Health 28/12/02
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Tory leader tells party to uncover a new NHS row

Iain Duncan Smith, the Tory leader, has ordered colleagues to find more "Rose Addis-style" controversies to get across his party's new policies on health, crime and education to the public.

The Independent 28/12/02


:: Kieran 2:36 AM [+] ::
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She Dazzled Me with Basil - Random Jottings
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Added Dublin Core Metadata to the blogs template. If you want to know about Dublin Core check out The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative. If your unfamiliar with the concept of metadata Guy Frost of Florida State University describes it as;

Literally, data about data. The "data" is information provided as a means to describe an information providing entity. A bibliographic record (information seen on the computer screen of the online library catalog) acts as a document surrogate in OPACs to find materials (e.g. books or journal articles), in the library (or sometimes outside the library). Metadata placed in electronic document s provide the same basic information with the exceptions that it is not visible to the viewer unless he deliberatly looks at it in the Document Source found under the View option, and the user does not need to view the head to find the document.

The function of metadata is to make finding information on the web easier and describe content. See IT people have finally caught on to the notion of cataloguing!

Guy also provides the handy User's Guide to Dublin Core Document Descriptions. Also check out David Little's Blog for a whole host of useful information on the topic.



:: Kieran 3:50 AM [+] ::
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Une valise a ses cotés - Today's Grey Literature
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Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs kick off today's selection of grey literature of a health bent with their Proposals for the Statutory Control of Odour and Other Nuisance from Sewage Treatment Works: Consultation. Defra is consulting on proposals for the statutory control of odour and other nuisance from sewage treatment works in England. The proposals recommend an approach which will deliver controls and enforcement measures which are currently either not available or not effective in controlling odour and other nuisance from sewage treatment works in the small number of cases where a voluntary agreement on action fails.

From the Department of Health's Chief Executive Nigel Crisp, the Chief Executive's Report to the NHS: December 2002 follows up a report published in April 2002 which gave preliminary information about NHS activity in 2001. This report provides the finalised information for 2001 and preliminary figures for 2002.

Also from the DoH, Improvement, Expansion and Reform: Ensuring that 'all' means 'all' This document is aimed at helping Primary Care Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities to ensure that their national priorities are delivered in a way that is inclusive of people with learning disabilities.

For those with an interest in NHS franchising and management NHS Franchising and Register of Expertise publishes the names of private sector and NHS organisations on the NHS franchising register of expertise.

Prison health is a key area of concern and Evaluation of Pilot Project on Smoking Cessation in Prison details the results of five pilot smoking cessation services run in prisons with different prisoner characteristics.

Statistics on sight tests and optometrists between 2001-02 can be found in Sight Tests Volume and Workforce Survey 2001-02 and on General Pharmaceutical Services in England and Wales: 1992-93 to 2001-02. This provides information about openings and closures of such pharmacies, decisions on applications in connection with such contracts and schemes for the disposal of unwanted medicines.

For those with an interest in housing statistics the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have provided Survey of English Housing: Live tables. These tables focus on aspects of housing that affect all households, rather than households with a particular type of tenure. The demographic and economic features of households in each tenure group are compared; similarly various characteristics of the accommodation occupied. Many of the tables display long term trends.
:: Kieran 2:41 AM [+] ::
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Another 15 Minutes... Health News via Fade
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Alarm over animal drug residues in luxury foods

Christmas foods such as turkey, quails' eggs, beef and salmon have been found to contain potentially dangerous levels of veterinary medicine.

Independent 21/12/02
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Appeal: Jane Asher - I knew my cousin was 'different'

When I was 14 or so, I became aware that something was very wrong with a teenage cousin of mine. Although never let in fully on the secret, I picked up enough from my parents' muttered asides and whispers to know that the problem was far more interesting than a mere physical illness: my cousin had been hearing voices and had become extremely distressed and paranoid. He'd found personal and dreadful messages for him in the Bible and was clearly and typically, as I later discovered, in the throes of schizophrenia.

Independent 22/12/02
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Australia tempts UK nurses

Australia is launching a campaign to attract more British nurses to the Outback.  Health authorities in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia are facing another seasonal shortage of staff. They are hoping a new package of incentives will tempt staff from the UK to take up the challenge of nursing in remote regions, combining a working holiday with guaranteed employment.

BBC Health 24/12/02
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Bone idle and at risk

I agreed to have a bone-density scan only to kill time during the coffee break at a medical conference. Minutes later I was taken aside by a doctor and told that I had the bones of an 80-year-old, and must take urgent action to prevent the crippling symptoms of osteoporosis.

The Times 24/12/02
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'Botox has changed my family life'

A drug normally used to treat wrinkles is being used to tackle back pain. Botox has helped nurse Rebecca Jones conquer the back pain which has plagued her since childhood - and play properly with her three-year-old daughter Amber.

BBC Health 27/12/02
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Cash boost for nursing home care

People living in nursing homes in England are to receive an extra £10 every week in government contributions to their care from April. Ministers describe the contributions, towards the cost of administering drugs and giving injections, as free nursing care.

BBC Health 27/12/02
The Guardian 27/12/02
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Children at risk because of under-qualified care workers

Britain's most vulnerable children are receiving inadequate protection from abuse because government targets on training childcare workers have not been met.

Independent 27/12/02
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Christmas in hospital

Staff at Alder Hey childrens hospital will pull out all the stops to make tomorrow a special day for the young patients who are too ill to spend Christmas Day at home.

Liverpool Echo 24/12/02
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Consultants set for showdown

Alan Milburn, the health secretary, was last night set on a collision course with hospital consultants in a battle over pay that could make or break his attempt to deliver the key NHS waiting list targets.

The Guardian 27/12/02
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Court rules out plan to create baby for transplant

The controversy over designer babies was re-ignited yesterday when the High Court ruled against a couple who wanted to create a sibling to provide a transplant for their terminally ill child.

Independent 21/12/02
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Crack warning for the young

All young people are to be warned about the dangers of crack cocaine amid growing evidence that dealing it is seen as an attractive career option by some, under a Home Office strategy unveiled yesterday.

The Guardian 24/12/02
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Crisis warning after thousands of cash-strapped care homes close

A crisis is looming in nursing care with the closure of thousands of old people's homes, leaving the state and private sector unable to cope, ministers were warned yesterday. Figures from independent analysts showed that pensioners needing full-time care would outstrip the number of nursing-home beds by 2005.

Independent 24/12/02
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Disinfectant 'could beat' superbugs

An extra-strong disinfectant could help hospitals beat superbugs which affect thousands of patients each year.

BBC Health 27/12/02
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Dispelling myths about gout

Think of gout and the chances are you will visualise an elderly, portly red-faced man drinking and eating to excess.  Once dubbed the "disease of Kings" because of its association with rich foods and alcohol, gout sufferers have long been the butt of cruel jokes.  But the reality of the disease, which affects about 150,000 people in the UK, is very different.  Although some may exacerbate gout by drinking alcohol and over-eating, it is often a hereditary condition, which people can do little to prevent.

BBC Health 27/12/02
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Doctors warn of massive rise in drunk children

Casualty doctors across Merseyside are predicting a huge surge in the number of children needing emergency hospital treatment after excessive drinking.

Daily Post 23/12/02
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Dutch court upholds euthanasia rules

The Dutch Supreme Court has ruled that a doctor who helped an elderly man "tired of living" to die was guilty of assisted suicide. The ruling upholds strict medical guidelines for mercy killing in the Netherlands, which was the first country in the world to legalise euthanasia.

BBC Health 24/12/02
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Elaine beats the odds

Elaine Cross is a living Christmas miracle. She was born with a heart defect which doctors said would kill her before she grew out of infancy. But yesterday she celebrated an 18th birthday her parents thought they would never see. Elaine, from West Derby, Liverpool, had an emergency operation on December 27 1984, after complicated defects in her heart were discovered.

Liverpool Echo 23/12/02
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Fabians seek ban on advertisements for sweets to prevent obesity epidemic

Worried that your children may have indulged in too many chocolate bars or guzzled too much lemonade in the glutinous holiday period? So is the Fabian Society, and it has a simple plan to stop young people stuffing their mouths.

Independent 26/12/02
BBC Health 26/12/02
The Guardian 27/12/02
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Families of DVT victims cannot sue in UK courts

British families of victims of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) were told yesterday that they could not bring claims for compensation against international airlines in the UK courts.

Independent 21/12/02
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Foreign firms to operate new NHS clinics

Private health companies from overseas will be offered multi-million pound contracts as a part of a final drive to keep a government promise to NHS patients. Alan Milburn the Health Secretary will announce tomorrow that the NHS is to open 13 new conveyor belt- style diagnostic and treatment centres costing 163 100m which will enable the NHS to carry out an extra 10 000 operations every month.

Independent 22/12/02
Independent 23/12/02
The Guardian 23/12/02
The Guardian 23/12/02
The Guardian 23/12/02
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Health department sues drug firms for 'price-fixing'

The Department of Health has launched the first of two high court actions seeking almost £180m in damages from alleged cartels it believes have conspired to artificially hike prices of two of the most frequently prescribed drugs on the NHS.

The Guardian 24/12/02
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Helpline to ease parental stress

A free and confidential helpline, Parentline Plus offers help and advice to stressed parents, telling them where to turn for help and how to defuse emotional situations.

BBC Health 26/12/02
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Japan restricts 'lethal' cancer drug

The Japanese Health Ministry has said it would impose stricter rules on the use of a lung cancer drug, which it said had been linked to the deaths of 124 patients. Iressa is intended to treat inoperable or recurring cases of lung cancer that are at an advanced stage.

BBC Health 25/12/02
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Male menopause fears highlighted

As many as one third of men experience symptoms which they put down to going through the menopause, research suggests. Swedish researchers found that symptoms such as sweating and hot flushes were relatively common in men over the age of 55.

BBC Health 26/12/02
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More than a third of extra NHS money spent on pay

More than a third of the extra money being pumped into the NHS is being soaked up in higher pay for existing staff, the Department of Health has disclosed.

Independent 26/12/02
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New lens hope for cataract sufferers

New lens hope for cataract sufferers Jo Revill health editor Sunday December 22 2002 A revolutionary lens on hinges is being implanted into British cataract patients in the hope it will give them near-perfect vision. Doctors have begun to insert the tiny device into patients eyes to find out whether it will give them close up and distant vision.

Observer 22/12/02
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NHS firm shipped contaminated blood plasma

A private American blood bank, bought last week by the Department of Health to ensure contamination-free supplies to the NHS has repeatedly had to recall its products, The Independent on Sunday can reveal. In one case, it shipped blood that had not been tested for viruses such as HIV, and in another, it distributed plasma that was hepatitis C positive.

Independent 22/12/02
The Times 27/12/02
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Nurses Won't Be Caught Napping

Anxious nurses at Liverpool Women's hospital are pinning their colours to the mast to fight plans to scrap its status as a specialist NHS trust. They have produced their own "Save the Women's" banner . . . made out of towelling nappies! The staff have pledged to fight a Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority plan to merge the women's hospital with the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen hospitals trust.

Liverpool Echo 24/12/02
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Public service reform 'will fail' without community powers

Tony Blair's ambitious plans to reform Britain's public services will fail unless local people are given real powers to run their schools and hospitals, a leading think tank argues today.

The Guardian 27/12/02
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Strategy to combat obesity epidemic

As yet there is little evidence of any response. In 1991 the Conservative Government in its consultative document The Health of the Nation suggested that the NHS might begin to tackle obesity. However when subsequent administrations realised the resources which would be required this became a footnote related to heart disease.

The Times 26/12/02
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Thousands of asylum seekers face 'destitution'

Thousands of asylum seekers are to be left destitute without access to emergency state support under an immigration policy to be introduced on January 8, refugee welfare groups fear.

The Guardian 27/12/02
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Trust me, I'm a patient

Trust me I'm a patient Doctors have to respect that we know more about our health Cristina Odone Sunday December 22 2002 A few years ago my friend Jack went home to Cornwall for his father's funeral. His father had been the local GP and the church was packed.

The Observer 22/12/02
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Volcanic dust 'may have link to lung diseases'

Scientists believe volcanic dust may be linked to lung diseases.  Tiny particles, which can reach deep into the lungs, contain material known to cause silicosis and lung cancer.

The Guardian 27/12/02
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Waiting list fiddles 'untrue', says audit commission

The audit commission has played down claims that an investigation by its officials has discovered that up to one in three NHS trusts in England are "deliberately distorting" waiting list figures.

The Guardian 23/12/02
:: Kieran 2:16 AM [+] ::
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