Sunday 28th February 2016- BBC News: Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey discharged from hospital

‘Scots nurse Pauline Cafferkey has been discharged from a London hospital after being treated there for a third time since contracting Ebola.

The 40-year-old from South Lanarkshire was flown to the Royal Free Hospital on Tuesday after being admitted to Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

The Royal Free said she had been discharged and was “not infectious”.

Ms Cafferkey was treated there twice in 2015 after contracting Ebola in Sierra Leone the previous year.

A spokesman for the Royal Free Hospital said: “Pauline Cafferkey has today been discharged from the care of the Royal Free Hospital following her admission due to a complication related to her previous infection by the Ebola virus.

“We can confirm that Pauline is not infectious. The Ebola virus can only be transmitted by direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person while they are symptomatic.”

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt later tweeted: “It’s fantastic news that Pauline Cafferkey has been discharged from hospital. Outstanding care again from @RoyalFreeNHS #NHSheroes.”

The nurse, from Halfway, Cambuslang, contracted the virus while working as part of a British team at the Kerry Town Ebola treatment centre.

She spent almost a month in isolation at the Royal Free at the beginning of 2015 after the virus was detected when she arrived back in the UK.

Ms Cafferkey was later discharged after apparently making a full recovery, and in March 2015 returned to work as a public health nurse at Blantyre Health Centre in South Lanarkshire.

In October last year it was discovered that Ebola was still present in her body, with health officials later confirming she had been diagnosed with meningitis caused by the virus.’

Related Articles:

Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey discharged from hospital

Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey discharged from hospital- The Telegraph

Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey discharged from hospital- The Guardian

Thursday 25th February 2016- The Independent: Pancreatic cancer is four different diseases, study finds

‘A new study which has shown that pancreatic cancer is four separate diseases has been hailed as “incredibly exciting.”

The team at the University of Glasgow said the study was as a “launch pad” for finding new treatments for the disease.

Around 8,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with the cancer which affects the large gland in the digestive system each year. It is particularly difficult to diagnose as it does not show symptoms in the early stages.

The way in which pancreatic cancer is treated has not developed greatly for two decades, said Dr Peter Bailey, one of the study authors, and compared current methods to “hitting the disease with a mallet with your eyes closed.”

Around a fifth of those with the disease survive more than a year after being diagnosed, while less than 5 per cent living after five years, and 1 per cent after a decade.

The team at the University of Glasgow studied around 456 pancreatic cancer tumours for the research published in the journal ‘Nature’.

Scientists were able to categorise the disease into four different sub-types: squamous, pancreatic progenitor, immunogenic and ADEX.

Professor Sean Grimmond, who led the study, said: “This study demonstrates that pancreatic cancer is better considered as four separate diseases, with different survival rates, treatments and underlying genetics.”

“Knowing which sub-type a patient has would allow a doctor to provide a more accurate prognosis and treatment recommendations.

He explained that cancer drugs that doctors use or are in development can target the disease which are similar to other forms of cancer.

For example, some types of pancreatic cancer are associated with mutations normally found in colon cancer or leukaemia, he said.

Pancreatic Cancer UK described the findings as “incredibly exciting”.

Leanne Reynolds, head of research at the charity, said the findings meant that in the future “the right patients can be given the right treatment at the right time”.’

Related Articles:

Pancreatic cancer is four different diseases, study finds

Major insight into killer pancreatic cancer- BBC News

Scientists discover pancreatic cancer is four separate diseases- The Guardian

Friday 8th January 2016- The Independent: New alcohol guidelines: How much is 14 units?

BBC News article explaining new changes:

The Independent:-

‘The UK’s chief medical officer has fully reviewed alcohol guidelines issued in 1995, and reduced the recommended maxium number of limits to 14 for both men and women per week. Previously, men were told they could safely drink 21 units.

The guidelines also warn pregnant women that they should aim to abstain from drinking entirely, when they were previously told they could safely drink one or two units a week at most.

Below, we outline how what the 14 unit limit is equivalent to.

One unit of alcohol (10ml) is the equivalent to:

A single measure of spirits (ABV 37.5%); half a pint of average-strength (4%) lager; two-thirds of a 125ml glass of average-strength (12%) wine; half a 175ml glass of average-strength (12%) wine; a third of a 250ml glass of average-strength (12%) wine.

14 units of alcohol equal:

14 single measures of spirits (ABV 37.5%); seven pints of average-strength (4%) lager; nine and one-third 125ml glasses of average-strength (12%) wine; seven 175ml glasses of average-strength (12%) wine; four and two-thirds 250ml glasses of average-strength (12%) wine.’

The Telegraph:

Binge Drinking Across The UK:

Weekly Alcohol Consumption Guidelines Across Europe:

Related Articles:

New alcohol guidelines: How much is 14 units?

Alcohol limits cut to reduce health risks- BBC News

Weekly alcohol limit cut to 14 units in UK for men- The Guardian

Mapped: How the UK’s new alcohol guidelines compare with the rest of Europe- The Telegraph

Mapped: The binging regions furthest from the new alcohol guidelines- The Telegraph

Saturday 2nd January 2016- The Telegraph: Scottish ambulances attend 60 drink-related calls a day

‘Ambulances in Scotland have to attend more than 60 incidents every day where a patient is so drunk that it has to be formally recorded by medics, according to official figures.

Paramedics had to treat around 12,000 people in the six months to the end of September who were so intoxicated it was noted on Scottish Ambulance Service systems.

More than 90,000 incidents have been recorded since 2012/13 where alcohol is not the primary reason for the call-out but has been named as an “additional factor”, for example where a drunk has cut their head after a fall.

Scotland’s largest health board, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, had the highest number of alcohol-related 999 call-outs in the last six months at 3,849, followed by NHS Lothian with 1,935 and NHS Lanarkshire with 1,470.

The figures, unearthed by the Scottish Conservatives, followed a staff survey last month which showed anecdotally paramedics thought alcohol played at least some part in half of weekend call-outs

The Scottish Ambulance Service report also found that drink was also involved in 42 per cent of incidents on weekday evenings and one in six during the daytime.’

See:

Scottish ambulances attend 60 drink-related calls a day

Wednesday 25th November 2015- BBC News: Patients should have ‘right’ to end-of-life care, say MSPs

‘Everyone should have access to specialist end-of-life care, not just cancer patients, according to MSPs.

Holyrood’s Health and Sport Committee has published the findings of its report into palliative care.

It said there may be 10,000 people in Scotland not getting care they need.

It said those with terminal illnesses other than cancer, the homeless and those with learning disabilities were less likely to receive palliative care at the end of their lives.

The committee stressed that care for those who are approaching the end of their life should be based on need, and not what condition they are diagnosed with.

The MSPs said there is “a perception that cancer patients receive better palliative care”.’

‘While increasing numbers of people with other terminal conditions are on the palliative care register, the committee’s report said “there still remains an issue with access to palliative care for people with non-malignant diseases”.

Calling for palliative care to be a right, committee convener Duncan McNeil said: “Our committee came to a firm conclusion that everyone who needs it should be able to access high quality, person-centred palliative care.

“We heard that this is not happening on a consistent basis and that people across Scotland have a different experience depending on where they live, their age and their condition.”

A report for the committee by Prof David Clark of Glasgow University suggested that more than 10,000 Scots who could benefit from palliative care towards the end of their life died without receiving it.

The committee also heard evidence that the homeless and people with learning difficulties were less likely to receive this form of care.

They argued there was a “need for access to palliative care to be more consistent across all conditions, ages and locations”, calling for this to be addressed in the framework for palliative and end-of-life care being developed by the Scottish government.

The framework should also look at training, with the committee saying there was a need for all health professionals to be “comfortable in initiating conversations around death and dying”.’

See:

Patients should have ‘right’ to end-of-life care, say MSPs

Tuesday 3rd November 2015- The Guardian: Baby dies after contracting infection at Glasgow hospital

‘A baby has died after contracting an infection at a neonatal unit in Glasgow.

The premature baby, who had “existing, complex medical problems”, died at the Royal Hospital for Children at the weekend after contracting the Serratia marcescens infection.

Five other babies at the unit have the bacteria but doctors say they are not giving any cause for concern.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s public health protection unit and infection control team are investigating the increased incidence.

The health board said a “small increase” in Serratia marcescens colonisation cases was identified in July as part of routine surveillance and the situation had been “monitored closely” since.

A further seven babies, who are no longer in the hospital, were confirmed as having Serratia marcescens colonisation during this time.

Colonisation is where bacteria are present on or in the body but are not causing harm. Health chiefs said not all the cases involved the same strain of the organism and investigations to establish any links were continuing.’

Related Articles:

Baby dies after contracting infection at Glasgow hospital

Bacteria-infected baby dies at Glasgow ‘super-hospital’- BBC News

Serratia marcescens bacteria: Premature baby dies in Glasgow hospital after contracting infection- The Independent