What? A woman with HIV has become the third person ever to be cured of the disease using a novel umbilical cord blood treatment. The patient in question was diagnosed with HIV in June 2013, and was being treated with antiretroviral therapy. Later, in March 2017, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a […]
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On the 17th of February, researchers from Pittsburgh in the USA published a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials observing the effects of aerobic exercise on episodic memory in late adult life. Why? One of the earliest memory systems to decline with increasing age is episodic memory, or remembering past personal events and experiences. Given a […]
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What? A group of local GPs from Northwick Park Hospital and Harrow Health — a not-for-profit organisation based in Harrow – have been trialing a scheme that places medical professionals outside of an A&E department. From December 2021, a GP and a nurse have been placed outside Northwick Park Hospital A&E (in North West London) […]
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Why does it matter? All sorts of things make us sick, like bacteria (pneumonia, meningitis), fungi (athlete’s foot) and viruses (most coughs, colds, flu and .. COVID-19, heard of that!?). Antibiotics are needed for some bacteria but have no effect on viruses and fungi. Tonsillitis is not helped by antibiotics, for example – as […]
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What? Sajid Javid, the UK Health Secretary, has recently announced he is considering nationalising General Practitioners (GPs), so they are fully part of the NHS. The ultimate aim is to reduce patients being admitted to hospital. Mr Javid reportedly thinks the current system of how GPs work is outdated and has considerable drawbacks for patients […]
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This week we have a blog from Dr Yakup Kilic, our very own co-founder and Urgent and Emergency Editor, who gives us a fascinating insight into new research on multiple sclerosis (MS). What? A study of nearly 2.5 million people published in October 2021 found that those diagnosed with the Epstein-Barr virus during childhood were […]
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What? Organ transplantation saves millions of people a year, from young to old, transforming many lives and giving hope. Thanks to doctors and scientists, our NHS has pioneered great advances in transplantation surgery that make it very safe and allow some recipients to survive for 20 years or more. Transplantation surgery often involves removing an […]
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What? Danish researchers have found that taking a steroid called dexamethasone during and after a total knee replacement reduces the total amount of morphine required post-operatively. During and 24 hours after a total knee replacement, patients were either given a dexamethasone injection or a placebo. Then, the total amount of morphine required in the first […]
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What? An international research group have published a meta-analysis (a large study combining the results of multiple other studies) of 13,722 patients with major depressive disorder, which is often simply called depression in the UK. When treating depression, medication with talking therapies, or talking therapies alone, were approximately 15% more effective than medication alone. Why? […]
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What? A recent study has shown that a small percentage (2-3%) of adults from Greenland possess a genetic mutation that allows them to consume sugar but on average have: Lower BMI and weight Lower cholesterol Lower fat than the average adult! This technically allows those affected to eat the same amount of sugar as the […]
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