New hip implant for active patients

Surgeons are treating patients with a new type of hip implant that could lead to better outcomes for younger, more active people requiring surgery. Fifteen patients have so far been treated with a novel ceramic hip resurfacing implant in a new trial at Imperial College London. Early results suggest patients can return to physical activities […]

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Skin cancer changes are missed

Nearly a quarter of Brits have never checked their skin for life-threatening changes, despite a surge in skin cancer deaths over the last decade, new research suggests. One in four (23%) adults in Britain admit they have never checked for changes in appearance or number of moles on their skin, which can be a major […]

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Recent developments in digital health

Everyone is talking about digital health, but what sorts of things does it include? Telemedicine is the real time interactions between patient and doctors using digital communications, and also remote peer to peer consultations on medical topics. Telehealth covers patient monitoring, for example patients using blood pressure monitors which relay data into secure systems which […]

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Augmented reality helps surgeons ‘see through’ tissue

Using augmented reality in the operating theatre could help surgeons to improve the outcome of reconstructive surgery for patients. In a series of procedures carried out by a team at Imperial College London at St Mary’s Hospital, researchers have shown for the first time how surgeons can use Microsoft HoloLens headsets while operating on patients […]

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OTC lipid ibuprofen first-line treatment for joint pain

Could lipid ibuprofen be a first-line OTC option for flaring joint pain? Joint pain is a common problem with many possible causes. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease in the UK, causing joint pain and stiffness. The knee joint is probably the most frequently affected. As well as joint damage, muscle weakness is a key […]

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Antivenoms needed in sub-Saharan Africa

People affected by fatal snakebites in sub-Saharan Africa are in desperate need of affordable, quality antivenoms. Snakebite envenoming permanently disables hundreds of thousands of people and kills more than 100,000 each year all across the globe – more than any other World Health Organization (WHO)-designated neglected tropical disease – even though highly effective treatments exist. […]

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Can diabetes drug really protect the heart?

More work needs to be done to examine the real world effects of the commonly prescribed diabetes drug empagliflozin, new research in the journal Diabetes Therapy finds. Examining data from over 60,000 patients with type 2 diabetes, researchers from the University of Surrey discovered that the highly-publicised cardiovascular benefits of the popular diabetes drug empagliflozin […]

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Saving Faces Ted Talk

Facial surgeon Iain Hutchison works with people whose faces have been severely disfigured. By pushing to improve surgical techniques, he helps to improve their lives; and by commissioning their portraits, he celebrates their humanity. NOTE: This talk contains images of disfigured and badly injured faces that may be disturbing — and Hutchison provides thoughtful answers […]

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Technology and innovation: enablers but not saviours of the NHS

Technology and innovation are being invoked as saviours of an over-stretched NHS whose seventieth birthday is looming, particularly as both hospitals and general practices face unprecedented winter pressures. Whether teleconsultation, direct-to-consumer genetic testing or using artificial intelligence to predict risk of disease, the promise of these novel approaches seems compelling. Professor Tony Young, National Clinical […]

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Links between animal and human health

Animal and human health are intimately connected – think about avian influenza which is transmitted from birds to humans and the problem of toxoplasmosis being passed from animal faeces to children and adults. The University of Surrey’s School of Veterinary Medicine, has successfully secured an award worth up to €2 million from the European Commission […]

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