Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

Paramedic Struck Off For Making False Job Applications
Paramedic, Ms Kim Holland has been struck off the HPC Register for

Southampton Surgeons Honoured For Developing Keyhole Lung Cancer Surgery In The UK
Two Southampton surgeons who contributed to the development of keyhole surgery to treat early stage lung cancer have been internationally commended for their work.
News of the day
Shanghai To Relax One-Child Policy As China Faces Aging Population, Shrinking Work Force
Nearly three decades after China implemented its one-child policy, the city of Shanghai is planning to encourage young couples to have a second child in an effort to address the country"s aging population and shrinking work force, the New York Times reports. The city"s plan is the most public effort made by the government to counteract a program that is "considered both a tremendous success and a terrible failure," the Times reports. The policy has managed to keep population growth under control but also has led to forced abortions, according to the Times.The country is not abandoning the one-child policy, which applies mostly to residents in urban areas. Rather, the government is allowing more exceptions to the rule, with Shanghai -- where about 22% of its 20 million residents are older than age 60 -- leading the effort. China as a whole faces a similar problem seen in Shanghai, the Times reports. About 8% of the country"s population was older than age 65 in 2006. That figure is expected to increase threefold by 2050 to about 322 million people, or nearly 25% of the population, according to the United Nations.In Friday"s issue of China Daily, Xie Lingli, director of the Shanghai Population and Family Planning Commission, was quoted as saying, "We advocate eligible couples to have two kids because it can help reduce the proportion of the aging people and alleviate a work force shortage in the future." City officials plan to visit homes, pass out leaflets, and offer counseling and financial incentives, the Times reports. Current exceptions to the one-child policy are in place for ethnic minorities and rural residents, who can have a second child if the first child is a girl. Couples made up of two parents who have no siblings have always been allowed to have a second child and are now being encouraged to do so (Barboza, New York Times, 7/24).
Public Health

Too Early To Say If Screening Cuts Colon Cancer Deaths, Say Researchers

With more than 500,000 deaths each year, colorectal cancer is the third most common cause of deaths from cancer worldwide. Yet, despite a lack of evidence from randomised trials, many countries have launched large-scale colonoscopy screening programmes for the general population. So researchers in Norway analysed the risk of colorectal cancer after screening as part of the ongoing Norwegian Colorectal Cancer Prevention Trial (NORCCAP). The study included 55,736 men and women aged 55-64 years living in two screening areas in Norway (city of Oslo and Telemark county). Participants were split into two groups. The screening group were invited to attend one flexible sigmoidoscopy screening examination and the control group received no screening. Individuals in both groups were tracked through national registries for an average of seven years. Flexible sigmoidoscopy is the preferred method of screening and uses a flexible endoscope to examine the large intestine. Physicians may use the procedure to find the cause of diarrhoea, abdominal pain or constipation, and early signs of cancer. In this first report from the trial, the researchers found that there was no significant difference in the levels of colorectal cancer between the screening and control groups, suggesting that any reduction may be too early to observe after seven years of follow-up. In the screening group as a whole (all those invited to screening), total colorectal cancer mortality was reduced by 27% compared to the control group, but this was not statistically significant. For those who actually underwent screening, total colorectal cancer mortality was significantly reduced by more than half (59%) compared to controls. Although this is a promising result, the authors stress that this finding may be prone to bias. Two main possibilities could explain the limited effect of flexible sigmoidoscopy screening in this study: either the method is not effective in reducing colorectal cancer or the lag period for the development of cancer from precursor lesions is considerably longer than is commonly assumed, say the authors. This seven year post-screening analysis indicates that the effect of screening with flexible sigmoidoscopy on reducing the incidence of colorectal cancer may be lower and will certainly occur later than anticipated, they conclude. Although the difference between the groups was not significant, we should be encouraged by this study"s interim findings, says Professor Thomas Imperiale from Indiana University Medical Center, in an accompanying editorial. Evidence to date strongly suggests that one time screening sigmoidoscopy can reduce incidence and mortality from colorectal cancer and may be a legitimate strategy. The magnitude and duration of benefit have yet to be ascertained, he says, along with acceptability in different populations and the effort and cost needed for implementation. But, in the meantime, he suggests that data on risk reduction may be useful for clinicians as they discuss screening options with their patients, for people estimating cost effectiveness, and for policy makers. Link to article Link to editorial British Medical Journal


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009