Baby teeth could one day lead to the development of a much-needed tool for identifying children who are at risk for psychological problems, a study by the
University of Bristol has concluded.
The research has been published in the 'JAMA Network Open' - a monthly journal published by the American Medical Association.
The origin of this study traces back several years, when senior author Erin Dunn - a social and psychiatric epidemiologist and an investigator in MGH's Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit - learned about work in the field of anthropology that could help solve a longstanding problem in her own research.
She studies the effects of childhood adversity, which research suggested, is responsible for up to one-third of all mental health disorders.
Dunn is particularly interested in the timing of these adverse events and in uncovering whether there are sensitive periods during child development when exposure to adversity is particularly harmful.
The PDA has raised concerns over the 'deliberate breaches' of the NHS contract by some community pharmacy businesses, saying that it may cause harm to patients
and damage the reputation of the profession.
The organisation said concerned pharmacists have revealed to them that some businesses are now explicitly saying that if locums will not agree to work for less
than a so-called 'maximum' hourly rate, the business will close the pharmacy for either part of, or the whole day.
Some of these full or part-day closures are being communicated significantly in advance of the actual day, it added.
The union further alleged that several pharmacy businesses seem to have simultaneously implemented identical so-called 'maximum rates' in what could be an
anti-competitive behaviour.
The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) is playing a vital role in helping pharmacists who are dealing with stress at the workplace. It launched its new
awareness factsheet 'It's Time to Address Stress' last week.
The factsheet looks at the causes and symptoms of stress in the workplace and provides advice on ways pharmacists can access support and improve working conditions.
The association said that it recognises the well-being services offered by employers and specialist charities such as the PDA's charity partner Pharmacist Support
play an important part in helping pharmacists who may be experiencing stress.
However, the PDA is also committed to working with members to challenge employers to provide well workplaces and to help them to make real impact changes. This can
be done by addressing the causes of stress and fulfilling their responsibilities to their employees.
It added: "Under the management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers are required by law to protect employees from harm. Their legal obligations include identifying hazards and risks and implementing ways to reduce or eliminate them. The PDA's new factsheet highlights the importance of employers recognising the hazards causing stress as the health and safety issues they are."
A Orthodontic treatment should be carried out by qualified professionals round this time five years ago there was a surge in the reporting of people
performing DIY orthodontics on themselves in their own homes.
Mainstream media reported that video tutorials had emerged online with instructions on using small elastic bands to adjust teeth positions.
What followed were some horrendous pictures of irreparable damage to people's teeth and gums.
The trend escalated to a point where in 2017, the American Dental Association revealed that 13 per cent of patients had tried some kind of DIY teeth straightening
appliance that had backfired.
Now, we are seeing the situation further evolve, with private companies offering DIY orthodontic treatment under the term 'direct-to-consumer' orthodontics.
The Oral Health Foundation is becoming increasingly concerned with the rise of the DIY orthodontic market and the potential harmful consequences it could have for
millions of consumers.
The Hyderabad Police are actively searching for UK-based pharmacist M. Ajith Kumar, who is suspected of involvement in a plot to poison his estranged wife's
family in Hyderabad by contaminating their spices with arsenic. While the accused allegedly succeeded in fatally poisoning his mother-in-law through a slow method,
timely arsenic testing saved the lives of others.
In late June, a newlywed woman in her 30s visited a Guntur-based doctor, complaining of intense burning, tingling, and numbness in her hands and feet. The
neurologist's keen observation foiled the alleged sinister plot of Ajith Kumar, suspected of using his chemical expertise to harm his wife and her family.
Presently, the police are actively searching for M. Ajith Kumar, who is currently in London, in connection with the murder plot. Furthermore, the Hyderabad police
have apprehended six individuals from the city who were complicit in his nefarious scheme.
The investigation gathered key information from arrested suspects, including D. Vinod Kumar, a UK-based IT professional from Andhra Pradesh. Vinod Kumar's involvement
in UK software projects provided by Ajith Kumar generated a substantial monthly income, leading him to assist Ajith in his plot against his estranged wife's family.
Errors of any kind in medical settings can have dire consequences for patients and healthcare systems. Unfortunately, negligence, misdiagnosis, and
medication errors aren't uncommon in the UK.
In this article, we discuss the nature of medication errors in the NHS, outline potential causes, and delve into how and why technology could be turning the tide
on the issue.
Prevalence and consequences of medication errors
Medication errors are incidents involved with the administering, prescribing, dispensing or monitoring of medicine to patients. It can happen at many different
steps in the healthcare process and by any medical professional in the system. Many cases are avoidable.
According to analysis from BMJ, there are an estimated 237 million medication errors made in England every year. The majority of these are minor errors, but 1 in 4
cases has the potential to cause moderate to serious harm to patients.
Not only do these errors cost the NHS significantly, at almost £100 million every year, but there is a shocking cost to public health. Lives are being lost because
of medication errors which is unforgivable and tragic for the families involved.
Drains on NHS resources have widespread impacts on public health and the operations of healthcare organisations up and down the country. Individual errors and
mistakes may seem inconsequential (in minor cases), but they all add up in the big picture to a significant concern for policymakers.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has called for a 'firm commitment' to prosecuting those making profits through the sale of DNP (2,4-Dinitrophenol).
It has also urged the social media companies to 'remove content promoting or selling DNP to further reduce harm'.
Legislation to regulate DNP will come into effect on 1 October 2023. On Monday (23 January) it was announced that DNP will be included in the 1972 Poisons Act.
President of RPS Professor Claire Anderson said: "DNP is unfit for human consumption and its main use is in the manufacture of explosives and pesticides. It is
sold by unscrupulous dealers to vulnerable individuals wanting to lose weight but has a dangerous effect on the metabolism and has led to 32 deaths since 2007 in
those taking it as a 'diet drug'.
"Including DNP in the Poisons Act is a positive move as it will restrict its availability, but what's really needed is an outright ban to reduce the risk to the
public. Australia has already classified DNP as a substance of such a danger to health as to warrant prohibition of sale and we'd like the UK to follow suit.
Endometriosis is known as one of the complications of women's reproductive parts. Also, research says that it affects primarily 10% of women starting their adolescence. Still, many believe that it is not as harmful an illness as it sounds, without having any idea that it is...
Depression is a serious mental illness that affects millions of people each year. It can be very difficult to deal with, and often leaves the sufferer
feeling helpless. If you know someone who is struggling with depression, there are ways you can help them. In this blog post, we will discuss seven ways you can
help someone with depression.
ENCOURAGE THEM TO GET HELP
If you know someone who is depressed, one of the best things you can do is encourage them to get help. Depression is a serious illness, and it is important to seek
professional help if you are struggling with it. There are many different types of treatment available for depression, and a mental health professional can help
determine which type of treatment is right for the individual. If you've found a good treatment center, encourage your loved one to check them out and they might
even give it a chance. Just make sure not to pressure them into it, as this can cause more harm than good.
Pharmaceutical companies AbbVie and Eli Lilly have withdrawn from Britain's voluntary medicines pricing agreement, an industry body said on Monday.
Companies are increasingly arguing that it is no longer possible to justify the UK's "voluntary scheme" to global boardrooms and investors as repayment rates in
2023 have surged to 26.5 per cent of revenue, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said in a statement.
"The current scheme has harmed innovation, with costs spiralling out of control, and the UK falling behind other major countries to be left as a global outlier,"
said Laura Steele, president and general manager for Eli Lilly's Northern Europe division.
ABPI said it was seeking early talks with the government to set out a new future settlement.
In December, the industry body had said the government raised the amount manufacturers of branded medicines within the voluntary scheme will be required to return
to almost £3.3 billion in sales revenue from an earlier amount of £1.8 billion.
Being able to access high-quality healthcare at the times you need it most is vital. Regardless of whether this is a simple check-up, a medical review or
complex surgery, having a suitable healthcare package designed according to your medical needs will be beneficial in the long run.
The NHS has recently come under significant strain. Factors such as an increase in the number of patients, reduced funding and increased life expectancy have led to
long waiting times and limited treatments.
As a result, more individuals are now seeking private healthcare which, while it may be more expensive, offers faster and more effective treatment. Here we'll discuss
some of the main benefits of private healthcare and why it is becoming the ideal choice for healthcare in 2023.
Reduced waiting times
One of the main issues faced by the NHS is waiting times, with some patients being made to wait up to a year for routine hospital care. Currently, ambulance services
and A&E units are under unprecedented pressure and it is estimated that hundreds of deaths each week are associated with admission delays.
Understaffing has been a chronic issue in recent years in the NHS and is a major threat to the welfare of patients. This has been one of the major concerns that has
led to nurses and ambulance staff taking strike action. As nurses and hospital workers are put under higher strain, they are more likely to make mistakes, which
could well lead to patients coming into harm and making a claim.
Opting for private healthcare guarantees that you are able to access your appointments, surgeries and treatments much quicker, with some flexibility offered to align
with your lifestyle. The capacity to bypass the painfully long waiting times ensures you receive the necessary medical attention much sooner and could prevent the
emergence of other health complications.
The Pharmaceutical Defence Association (PDA) has urged health ministers of the UK to take a strict and necessary action against the unnecessary closures of
pharmacy.
Concerned over the rising number of pharmacy closures, PDA has written an open letter to health secretary Steve Barclay; Robin Swann, health minister for Northern
Ireland; Eluned Morgan, minister of health and social services for Wales; and Humza Yousaf, the Scottish health secretary.
In its letter, PDA said: "The minister of health must now ensure the regulation of poor business behaviours and be prepared to take over rogue pharmacies, however
large their corporate owner may be. If patients' access to NHS services is to be protected from the consequences of avoidable full or part-day pharmacy closures."
The association believes it is only a matter of time before serious harm to patients' health will be caused by the decisions of mainly large chains of pharmacies to
close some of their branches for all or part of a day, instead of engaging an available pharmacist to cover their agreed opening hours.
"While a small number of unforeseen closures have always occurred from time to time in pharmacies for genuine reasons, the indiscriminate scale at which closures
have now become commonplace seems to have evolved over the last 20 months."
A new report commissioned by the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has revealed harsh financial realities faced by community pharmacies in England.
The report by Professor David Taylor of University College London warned that 1000s of community pharmacy closure might take place by 2024 in England if the sector
was not supported with additional funds.
At the launch of the report titled 'Protecting UK Public Interests in NHS Community Pharmacy', Prof Taylor said: "There will be several 1,000s of closures over the
next few years unless we take appropriate action, which doesn't mean to pour money all over it, but it is to fund appropriately when necessary.
"At the moment, if we got a partial collapse in the pharmacy network it would disrupt medicine supply and increase health inequalities… For me, it's missing out on
the future development of better and more accessible care, which would be the tragedy of reducing, harming and damaging the pharmacy network unnecessarily."
If you have been injured on someone else's property, you may be wondering what evidence is needed to win your case. Property owners are responsible for ensuring
that their premises are safe for visitors, and if they fail to do so, they can be held liable for any injuries that occur. In this blog post, we will discuss the
types of evidence that may be necessary to prove your case and win financial compensation for your injuries.
1) DUTY OF CARE
The first piece of evidence that you will need to prove your case is that the property owner owed you a duty of care. This means that they were required to take
reasonable steps to keep you safe from harm while you were on their property. If the property owner did not live up to this duty, and you were injured as a result,
they can be held liable according to Carpenter & Zuckerman lawyers. To prove that the property owner owed you a duty of care, you will need to show that you were an
invitee or licensee on the property. Invitees are people who are invited onto the property for business purposes, such as customers or delivery people. Licensees are
people who are allowed onto the property for non-business reasons, such as social guests. If you were not an invitee or licensee, the property owner may not be held
liable for your injuries.
Working in an office environment can be hazardous to your health. From sitting on a chair all day to exposure to harmful chemicals, many potential health
hazards can occur in the workplace.
While some health hazards are out of your control, there are many things you can do to help prevent them. Here are seven efficient ways to prevent health hazards
at the workplace:
1. TAKE HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING
Health and safety training is an efficient way to prevent health hazards at the workplace for several reasons. First, it helps employees to be aware of potential
hazards in their work environment. This knowledge can then be used to take steps to avoid or control these hazards. Second, health and safety training provides
employees with the skills and knowledge necessary to identify and report potential health hazards, especially those working in medical laboratories with frequent
exposure to blood, chemicals, and other pathogens. This can help to ensure that any problems are quickly addressed and corrected. Finally, health and safety
training helps to create a culture of safety in the workplace. This safety culture can encourage employees to take personal responsibility for their own health and
safety, as well as the health and safety of their coworkers.
Sobha Sharma Kandel wants community pharmacy teams up and down the country to be super responsive to emerging needs of their patients - by always being
pro-active rather than reactive.
"We know that every patient benefits from our proactive approaches - listening, asking questions, providing information and making clinical interventions when
appropriate.
"At a time when general practice is overstretched, community pharmacy must be relied upon as the frontline of the NHS when it comes to providing diagnosis,
treatment and continuous care in our communities to promote health and wellbeing of our patients."
Sobha believes Covid-19 has helped shift public perception of community pharmacies from being a place where one goes to collect a prescription to a hub where one
can access a range of healthcare advice and services.
"We are way more than just a shop where you can collect your medicines," she said, giving examples of how her interventions have helped reduce medication errors,
prevent harm and subsequently reduce cost of care.
She once saved a baby from getting overdosed with omeprazole when they had issues with gastroesophageal reflux. On another occasion, she managed a lady's high blood
pressure by finding equivalent medications to a combination dose prescribed by her doctor in another country.
The Taskforce report recognises the important role of community pharmacy and pharmacy teams, and in particular, the fact that they often have most contact with
individuals who are receiving medication assisted treatment, commented the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) on the publication of the Scottish Drug Deaths
Taskforce's final report.
The final report published on Thursday (June 21) follows four years of work developing and implementing a programme of actions to tackle the rising number of drug
deaths in Scotland.
RPS, as pharmacy's professional leadership body in Scotland and the rest of Great Britain, has positively engaged with the Taskforce as it carried out its work.
Last year, RPS published 'Pharmacy's role in reducing harm and preventing drugs deaths (Scotland)' which contained 14 key recommendations. Many of the recommended actions within the Taskforce's report align with RPS policy.
Pharmacists are a vital member of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) supporting older people to manage their pain. The pharmacist is uniquely positioned to
holistically review drug interactions and potential risks associated with each patient's medication and has the expertise to suggest alternative treatment options
to reduce the risks associated with polypharmacy or unwanted side effects caused by other medications.
Chronic pain
The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated
with, actual or potential tissue damage.
Although universally experienced by everyone, the perception of pain is a deeply personal experience influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors, and
constitutes an essential behavioural feedback mechanism aimed at protecting us from harm.
Pain may be perceived as either acute or chronic. Chronic pain, defined as pain that persists longer than the normal healing time, constitutes a substantial
healthcare burden, affecting approximately 20 per cent of people worldwide and accounts for 15-20 per cent of physician consultations.
Chronic pain is often associated with disrupted mood and sleep, substance misuse and other chronic conditions. Additionally, comorbidities of chronic pain may also
lead to complex medication regimens that increase the risks of adverse drug interactions and unwanted side effects.
The Department of Health (DoH) is inviting the public to share their views on a new Regional Obesity Management Service and a new Obesity Strategic Framework.
A public consultation has been launched on the Healthy Futures strategic framework, which aims to prevent the harm caused by obesity, and improve diets and levels
of physical activity of people.
The Department is also seeking views on its plans to introduce a new service that would focus on the introduction of specialist support, weight loss medication,
and bariatric surgery to help people living with obesity.
Northern Ireland is seeing an increase in obesity rates, with the latest Health Survey NI data showing that 65 per cent of adults and 26 per cent of children in
the country are either obese or overweight.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has said that it strongly supports the UK government's proposal that individuals born on or after 1 January 2009
should be prohibited from legally purchasing tobacco products.
It has also shown its agreement to several other actions proposed by the Department of Health and Social Care's (DHSC) for 'Creating a Smokefree Generation and
Tackling Youth Vaping' including:
The inclusion of all tobacco products, cigarette papers, and herbal smoking products in the new legislation.
Restrictions on the sale and supply of disposable vapes, and vape flavours.
RPS President, Professor Claire Anderson, said: "Our recommendations reflect a commitment to creating a future free from the harms of tobacco and youth vaping.
It's crucial to prohibit access for the youngest generation, regulate all tobacco-related items, and address the allure of flavoured e-cigarettes."
