GoodSurgeonGuide.co.uk, regulated by BAAPS (British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons) was launched in September 2009 and is the first website of its kind. The site is the UK's only Cosmetic Surgery review website and should be the first port of call for anyone considering cosmetic surgery, aesthetic treatments or cosmetic dentistry. The site can also play an important role for surgeons and treatment providers.

The website was created by Christiana Clogg and good friend, Jennie Bassett. Both women had considered cosmetic surgery in the past and were overwhelmed by the amount of choice but the lack of guidance. The decision to undergo surgery was not an easy one, yet finding reviews and experiences from fellow cosmetic surgery patients was becoming the hardest part. It became clear that there needed to be a site that was honest, informative and completely independent from any ... Read more »

There may well be another important reason for giving your sweetheart sweets for Valentine's Day besides the traditional romantic one: The "chocolate cure" for emotional stress is now getting new support from a clinical trial published online in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research. It found that eating about an ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day for two weeks reduced levels of stress hormones in the bodies of people feeling highly stressed. Everyone's favorite treat also partially corrected other stress-related biochemical imbalances.

Sunil Kochhar and colleagues note growing scientific evidence that antioxidants and other beneficial substances in dark chocolate may reduce risk factors for heart disease and other physical conditions. Studies also suggest that chocolate may ease emotional stress. Until now, however, there was little evidence from research in humans on exactly how chocolate might have those stress-busting effects.

In the study, scientists ident ... Read more »

Hospital services in London could close or be down-graded as healthcare in the capital heads towards "a major financial and organisational crisis", with the imposition of real term cuts of £5 billion by 2017, according to a new BMA report launched yesterday (Wednesday 20 January 2010).

The report, 'London's NHS ON THE BRINK', written by health expert John Lister2, was commissioned by the BMA's London Regional Council. In the report, Lister surveys board papers and other published material from primary care trusts (PCTs) in London.

It is expected that from 2011 there will be a freeze on NHS budgets, says the report, but the brunt of the cuts will fall on London.

London faces unique challenges - it has 14.8% of the English population, but could face a much higher share of the expected cutbacks. There are more mental health ... Read more »

Chinese researchers have become the world's fifth most prolific contributors to peer-reviewed scientific literature on clock-reversing regenerative medicine even as a skeptical international research community condemns the practice of Chinese clinics administering unproven stem cell therapies to domestic and foreign patients.

According to a study by the Canadian-based McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health (MRC), published by the UK journal Regenerative Medicine, China's government is pouring dollars generously into regenerative medicine (RM) research and aggressively recruiting high-calibre scientists trained abroad in pursuit of its ambition to become a world leader in the field.

And its strategy is working: Chinese contributions to scientific journals on RM topics leapt from 37 in year 2000 to 1,116 in 2008, exceeded only by the contributions of experts in the USA, Germany, Japan and the UK.

The accomplishment is all the more astonishing given tha ... Read more »

On 11 January 1922 insulin was first used successfully in the treatment of diabetes.

Insulin was discovered by Sir Frederick G Banting (pictured), Charles H Best and JJR Macleod at the University of Toronto in 1921 and it was subsequently purified by James B Collip.

Before 1921, it was exceptional for people with Type 1 diabetes to live more than a year or two. One of the twentieth century's greatest medical discoveries, it remains the only effective treatment for people with Type 1 diabetes today.

First successful use

On 11 January 1922, Leonard Thompson, a 14-year-old boy with diabetes, who lay dying at the Toronto General Hospital, was given the first injection of insulin. However, the extract was so impure that Thompson suffered a severe allergic reaction, and further injections were cancelled.

Over the next 12 days, James Collip worked day and night to improve the ox-pancreas extract, and a second dose was injected on the 23 Janua ... Read more »

Expert Panel Releases 2010 Adult Immunization Schedule, Stresses Importance of Vaccination

Each year, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) reviews the recommended Adult Immunization Schedule to ensure that the schedule reflects the most current scientific knowledge of vaccines and vaccine preventable disease. Vaccines have been demonstrated to be among the most effective strategies for preventing illness in individuals as well as for protecting the health of the public. The ACIP recommends several important changes to the adult immunization schedule:

• HPV - ACIP recommends the bivalent vaccine that protects against the two strains of HPV associated with 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. The ACIP also includes a permissive recommendation for HPV vaccine in men, as the quadrivalent vaccine has been demonstrated to reduce HPV-associated genital warts in this population.
  
  
•  Influenza - APIC added the term "seasonal" to diff ... Read more »

Pfizer Inc. announced that the European Commission has approved Revatio® (sildenafil) solution for injection for patients who are currently prescribed oral Revatio and who are temporarily unable to take oral medicine, but are otherwise clinically and haemodynamically stable.

Revatio is the only phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitor with both oral and I.V. formulations approved in the European Union for the treatment of PAH.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a rare, progressive disease that affects an estimated 100,000 men and women worldwide. This incurable disease is characterized by continuous high blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries, leading to heart failure and premature death. Pulmonary arterial hypertension can occur with no known underlying cause, or it can be found in association with other disorders such as connective tissue disease.

"Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a life-threatening disease, and medical treatment can help delay damage c ... Read more »

Life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations and demands. Stress can take its toll on a woman's health and spill into the home during the holiday season. In these economic times, tightening budgets during the 'season to be jolly' brings additional stress. There is hope on the horizon, as the New Year provides a fresh opportunity for women to resolve to get a handle on stress.

"If time or finances prohibit you from going to the gym, find other ways to stay active such as taking a walk, running and even yard work or gardening."

"It is very important to set fitness goals and incorporate physical activity into your daily routine to manage stress levels," says NYC physical therapist Megan Barclay. "If time or finances prohibit you from going to the gym, find other ways to stay active such as taking a walk, running and even yard work or gardening."

Chronic stress can lead to serious health problems including elevated blood pressure, a suppressed immune system, ... Read more »