On the rounds

Published on Monday 4 August 2008 21:44

NEWS People in the UK are putting their lives at risk by taking heart attack advice from TV and movies, according to research by the British Heart Foundation. A “Hollywood” heart attack often features dramatic scenes of actors collapsing and clutching their chest in extreme pain. In fact, symptoms can be more subtle and easier to ignore. The charity is concerned that almost one in five (18 per cent) questioned don’t know the symptoms of a heart attack.

A degree programme has been launched to breed a generation of experts in critical areas of medicine including HIV, bird flu, asthma and diabetes. The University of Aberdeen has introduced the Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Immunology & Pharmacology programme, which directly responds to an upsurge in demand for professionals in these crucial fields. Combining the two disciplines, the degree focuses on both the study of how the immune system operates, and how drugs and medicines can be applied to restore normal immune function.

Scientists at St Andrews University’s Bute Medical School are investigating a link between radiation sensitivity and breast cancer. The study sheds new light on a vital enzyme that enables cells in our bodies to “unravel” DNA. This enzyme allows the chromosomes to split before cell division and could be linked to breast cancer susceptibility. Using cells grown in cultures, researchers have shown that when amounts of the enzyme “topo-2” are reduced, the cells become resistant to low doses of gamma-rays and less damage to their chromosomes is observed.

People in Dundee can benefit from a new psychological therapy service. Following an initial assessment from a GP or psychologist, patients may be referred to “Beating the Blues” – an eight-week course of computerised cognitive behavioural therapy and a first step for patients with mild to moderate health problems. Beating the Blues has been proven to be effective for people with mild to moderate depression and/or anxiety. Patients can also access self-help website Moodjuice ( www.moodjuice.scot.nhs.uk), developed to help people with emotional problems and to work towards solving them. Prof Kevin Power, head of NHS Tayside Psychological Therapies Service, said: “We are delighted to be offering an expansion and enhancement to the provision of psychological therapies.” Beating the Blues will be available in Perth, Kinross and Angus later this year.

CAMPAIGNS

A national campaign to promote Scotland’s first mass anti-cancer vaccination programme has been launched. A roadshow will visit more than a dozen venues this month, including Inverness, Aberdeen, Galashiels and Dumfries. It aims to inform teenage girls and young women about the Scottish Government’s HPV immunisation campaign and how it can protect them against cervical cancer. The vaccination will be offered on a routine basis from September to girls in S2 at high schools. A three-year “catch-up” campaign also begins this year to vaccinate girls aged 13-17, including those who have already left school.

Cot death charity the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID), and the special care baby charity Bliss have launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the heightened risk of cot death among premature babies. The Time to Get Back to Sleep campaign highlights the need for premature babies, who sleep on their tummies while in hospital, to be switched to sleeping on their backs at home. Premature or low-birth-weight babies are more likely to succumb to cot death than those of normal birth weight.

PEOPLE

Rory Farrelly has been appointed NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Acute Director of Nursing. Farrelly will promote nurse education and making sure acute nursing staff play a major role in modernising the nursing career.

An Edinburgh-based healthcare expert has been asked by the Nepalese Government to help tackle the country’s growing TB problem. Dr Ian Harper, of the University of Edinburgh, will work with the National Tuberculosis Centre in Kathmandu to help control the disease – with which around 45 per cent of the population is infected. Dr Harper will help develop public heath programmes, including advising on implementing drug treatments, and will look at integrating HIV and TB health services, as TB is one of the leading causes of death in HIV-infected people.