| | | Happy pills |  A major study published in The Lancet this week suggests that for many people depression is a more serious problem than angina, arthritis, asthma and diabetes. And for those who suffer from depression as well as these other chronic diseases, their health is concomitantly worse – because of the depression. This study took place in 60 countries across the world – suggesting that this is a universal problem. So why are so many people depressed? Have lots of people always been depressed, or is this something new? Until relatively recently depression was not really recognised as an illness and people were told to “pull themselves together”. We are rather more humane now and treat this debilitating illness as we would any other – and not always with happy pills. Some people do benefit from therapy and exercise and don't need medication. But I wonder if the stresses of modern living – and I am not talking only about “executive stress”, but the terrible burden of trying to put food on the table and a roof over your head when there is no work available – are not taking their toll globally. The world is a widely connected place – people in the most remote areas can see the enormous amount that the other half have – in comparison to their enormous lack. Rather than putting happy pills in the water supply perhaps we should all be trying to give back to our communities in an effort to equalise society and reduce this terrible burden of ill health.
Dr Bridget Farham, editor: https://www.bizcommunity.com
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| | Headlines | HP offers shot in arm for aging inkjet technology
New study on LVH
How Vitamin C stops the Big “C”
Nicotine may accelerate atherosclerosis, may be as dangerous as tar
Industry news: AstraZeneca accelerates Biologics strategy
PAHC: Accessing & managing funding for healthcare initiatives in africa
SA vaccine trial volunteers contributing to AIDS fight
Industry news: Philips seeks to reduce time from heart attack to treatment
Experts say screening families of heart attack victims could save many lives
Zambia's mentally ill shunned and isolated
Overweight toddlers and those not in daycare at risk
Scientists speed healing of bone damage
Ethiopian government boost for universal primary healthcare
Diabetes sufferers in Cote d'Ivoire call for government action on "neglected" disease
Industry news: Quick and easy score-based asthma control test available in SA
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Medical | | Scientists speed healing of bone damage
Blocking a naturally occurring inhibitor of bone formation accelerates healing of skull defects in mice, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.
Ethiopian government boost for universal primary healthcare
 Ethiopia has stepped up recruitment and training of primary healthcare providers and is building more health centres in an effort to make such care available for all by 2010, health minister Tewodros Adhanom said.
Cancer awareness: HER2 breast cancer to come under the spotlight at Sandton social event - The Mail Room
HER2-positive breast cancer is one of the most aggressive form of breast cancer affecting nearly one in four women with breast cancer.1 That said, awareness of HER2-positive breast cancer is alarmingly low amongst South African women.
Industry news: AstraZeneca accelerates Biologics strategy - SIMONSAYS communications
AstraZeneca has announced that it has successfully completed its acquisition of MedImmune –one of the world's premier, vertically integrated biotechnology companies
Industry news: Philips seeks to reduce time from heart attack to treatment - Jenni Newman Public Relations
As hospitals around the world strive to meet 90-minute ‘Door to Balloon' target, Philips places technology at the centre of cardiac care
Industry news: GE Healthcare and Capensis Management to bring State-of-the-Art Cardiology Solutions - Kendal Hunt Communications
Ethekwini Hospital and Heart Centre (EHHC) and GE Healthcare, recently signed the first ‘One GE Healthcare' contract in South Africa.
Industry news: Wyeth Team Recognized by White House with Prestigious National Medal of Technology - InZalo Communications
The medal recognizes technological innovation and global health impact of PREVNAR against the leading vaccine-preventable cause of death in children younger than five.
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Chronic diseases | | New study on LVH
For high-blood-pressure patients, preventing or reducing enlarged heart decreases risk of heart failure.
How Vitamin C stops the Big “C”
An unexpected antioxidant mechanism is at play, researchers say.
Nicotine may accelerate atherosclerosis, may be as dangerous as tar
Weill Cornell study of cigarettes finds link between nicotine and atherosclerosis.
Experts say screening families of heart attack victims could save many lives
Scottish researchers say by screening the relatives of middle-aged heart attack sufferers many lives would be saved.
Zambia's mentally ill shunned and isolated
Rising rates of mental and emotional illness in Zambia are being met with growing levels of stigma and discrimination, with sufferers often isolated by their communities.
New imaging technique reveals fatty hearts
A simple imaging technique developed by UT Southwestern Medical Centre researchers has revealed fat build-up in the hearts of pre-diabetic people long before symptoms of heart disease or diabetes appear.
Industry news: Quick and easy score-based asthma control test available in SA - Martina Nicholson Associates (MNA)
The Asthma Control Test (ACT) is a very short, simple and extremely accurate questionnaire that will tell you exactly what your asthma score is and whether or not it is under control.
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Disease Groups | | Diabetes sufferers in Cote d'Ivoire call for government action on "neglected" disease
Diabetes patients in Cote d'Ivoire are appealing for help, as a lack of insulin in the country's public pharmacies has put the medicine out of reach for most, adding to the burden diabetics already face in fighting their disease in one of the poorest countries in the world.
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Emergency Procedures | | Space-age medical device uses ultrasound to seal punctured lungs
A stretcher races through the entrance of a busy hospital. The car-accident victim lies on top and grimaces in pain. While surface injuries look gruesome, the real medical danger is invisible - internal organ damage caused by being crushed against the steering wheel.
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Generic Medicines | | Industry news: Sandoz uses ongoing X/Procure® system to promote products - Owlhurst Communications
X/procure®, the advertising procurement system directly targeting pharmacists has launched a campaign for Sandoz, one of the world's leading generic pharmaceutical companies. The ongoing campaign has seen four new central nervous system (CNS) products launch into more than 1500 pharmacies countrywide.
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HIV/AIDS | | SA vaccine trial volunteers contributing to AIDS fight
Although scientists hope that a vaccine will eventually offer the best protection against HIV infection, the complex biology of the virus has posed constant challenges and even a partially effective vaccine is still some years away.
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Medical Technology | | HP offers shot in arm for aging inkjet technology
Repurposing its inkjet printing technology, HP has entered a deal with an Irish company to sell skin patches that deliver a dose of drugs through tiny needles.
Nanotechnology identifies peptide "fingerprint" in both forms of ALS
A nanotechnology developed by a University at Buffalo professor has enabled researchers to identify a molecular signature common to both familial and sporadic cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease.
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Obstetrics and Gynaecology | | Link found between a lack of Vitamin D and pre-eclampsia
Researchers in the United States have found an association between Vitamin D levels in pregnant women and the risk of pre-eclampsia; they say women who have a Vitamin D deficiency early in their pregnancy are at risk from pre-eclampsia.
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Paediatrics | | Overweight toddlers and those not in daycare at risk
A study by UT Southwestern Medical Centre researchers has found that overweight toddlers and those not enrolled in day care are at high risk for iron deficiency.
Togo malnutrition unacceptably high, aid to start - UNICEF
The international community is sending therapeutic food to communities in Togo, where a UN study into children's health and welfare has shown that in some areas nearly one in three children suffers from acute malnutrition.
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| | PAN African Health Congress | | | Pan African Health Congress 2007
www.panafricanhealth.com
18 - 19 September 2007
Sandton Convention Centre | |  |
| | | Book meetings in advance at the PAN African Health Congress
Don't waste precious time. Book meetings with the exhibitors you want to see at the pan african health congress 2007
PAHC: Accessing & managing funding for healthcare initiatives in africa - ITP Communications (Pty) Ltd
The two-day conference on Accessing & Managing Funding for Healthcare Initiatives in Africa is a key component of the Pan African Health Congress (PAH) and an important event on the agendas of the continent's health ministries, NGOs, private sectors, private service providers, and its procurement and funding agencies.
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| | Upcoming events | The Pan African Health Congress 2007 Pan African Health - Johannesburg, South Africa, 18 September AfriHealth 2007 Conference and Exhibition In-Sync Ltd - Nairobi, Kenya, 18 September | More... Submit an event | | |
| | Quotes | | | "It takes five years to learn when to operate and twenty years to learn when not to." - Anonymous | | More... Submit a Quote | | |
| | News for medical professionals | | Perindopril and indapamide reduce the risk of death in type 2 diabetics
| Depression worsens other chronic diseases
| Switching from lipitor to simvastatin increases risk of cardiovascular events
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