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Public Equipped To Fight Back Against Hospital Bugs As Ward Closure Numbers Soar, UK
A British company has launched an anti-infection kit specifically designed to protect hospital patients and visitors from MRSA, Norovirus, Swine-flu, E-Coli and other hospital-acquired infections. The PatientGuard kit includes the world"s first dry-on-contact spray suitable for use on hospital bed linen, curtains and other "near patient touch sites." The launch coincides with the release of new figures on ward closures due to Norovirus from the Health Protection Agency, which show a 23 per cent increase on the same period last year.

Low Blood Glucose Levels Do Not Explain Excess Deaths In Accord Trial
Low blood glucose levels do not explain the excess deaths seen in the intensive control group of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial, according to a report presented here today at the American Diabetes Association"s 69th Scientific Sessions.
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NYT Examines Effects Of Illegal Abortion On Maternal Mortality In Tanzania
The New York Times on Tuesday examined how botched abortion procedures contribute to maternal mortality in Tanzania, in the second of a three-part series on pregnancy- and childbirth-related deaths in the country. The Times reports that the lack of abortion rights in Tanzania -- where the procedure is illegal except in cases where the woman"s life or health is at risk -- has prompted pregnant women and girls to seek the procedure from people who have not been trained to perform such procedures. In some cases, these untrained providers give the pregnant women herbs before performing abortions by punching the pregnant women"s stomachs or inserting objects into the vagina and uterus. Local hospitals in Tanzania often have to correct mistakes made by the untrained abortion providers. For example, during the month of January, 17 of the 31 minor surgical procedures performed at one Tanzanian hospital were to correct the results of "incomplete abortions."Africa has the world"s highest maternal mortality rate -- at least 100 times that of developed countries -- making pregnancy and childbirth among the most serious health dangers that African women face, according to the Times. Abortion accounts for a significant portion of those deaths. Tanzania has a maternal mortality rate of 950 deaths for every 100,000 births, a figure that is "neither the best nor the worst in Africa," the Times reports.Because most abortions in Tanzania are performed illegally, there are no reliable abortion figures for the country. However, the World Health Organization estimates that Eastern Africa, where Tanzania is located, has the world"s second-highest rate of unsafe abortions. Abortion rates typically decrease with increased contraceptive use, the Times reports. Only about one-quarter of Tanzanians use contraception in part because of misinformation that girls receive about the safety of condoms and hormonal contraceptives. By comparison, Kenya and South Africa both have higher contraception use and lower maternal mortality. However, in countries such as Sierra Leone and Nigeria, where abortion is not available on request, contraception use is lower than in Tanzania, and maternal mortality is much higher (Grady, New York Times, 6/2).
Public Health

British Medical Journal Group To Publish Themed Sports Medicine Editions Supported By International Olympic Committe

The scientific and medical publisher, BMJ Group, is to publish additional themed editions of the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM), supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), it was announced today. The themed editions, which focus on injury prevention and health protection, will be launched in September 2009, with the first issue dedicated to sudden cardiac death in athletes. Subsequent editions will appear quarterly in print and online. As well as being distributed to all BJSM subscribers the Injury Prevention and Health Protection editions will be sent to all 205 National Olympic Committees as well as more than 35 major sports federations, including the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) and the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF). BMJ Group co-owns British Journal of Sports Medicine with the British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine (BASEM), which first published the journal in 1964. The themed editions stem from the IOC"s concern for athlete"s health and injury prevention, and the development of sports as an important means of improving health, based on solid research evidence. The new editions will not only help to reach those goals, but also signal the continuing expansion of sports and exercise medicine as a specialty, and the increasing international focus on prevention in recent years. Lars Engebretsen, professor of orthopaedics at the University of Oslo"s Medical School in Norway, and head of scientific activities at the IOC, will take the editorial lead on these special editions. He will be supported by IOC Medical Commission members, including its chairman Professor Arne Ljungqvist. "Currently there are no journals on the prevention of injuries and ill health in sports, and this title will boost the profile of this very important area of research," said Professor Engebretsen, who also heads up the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre at the Norwegian College of Sports and Physical Education, and is chief of sports medicines at the Norwegian Olympic Sports Federation. "Many of the published papers show that sports injuries could at least be halved with evidence based training and fitness programmes in place," he continued. Commenting on the announcement, medical lead for the London Olympic Games in 2012 and BASEM chair, Richard Budgett, said: "The new editions also support the aims and objectives of BASEM, providing a lasting legacy of prevention and excellence in the new speciality of sport and exercise medicine." "They are particularly relevant in the lead up to the London Olympics in 2012 in support of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games" vision of using the inspiration of the Games to change lives." Peter Ashman, Publishing Director of the BMJ and BMJ Journals at BMJ Group, commented: "We are delighted that the IOC chose us to publish these important new editions. We look forward to working with them and helping to develop this key area of sports medicine research, using the experience we already have in this arena." British Medical Journal


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