Health & Social Care - Safe Record Keeping
Project

post from Hodges' Model: Welcome to the QUAD on 27 January 2012 04:08:15 PM. © Hodges' Model: Welcome to the QUAD

Dear Member

BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT and the Department of Health Informatics Directorate (DHID) have launched a project to develop clear and easy to follow guidance for patients and the public on the subject of health and social care records.

The project will provide patients with advice on how to look after the health and social care records and other sensitive personal data that they are creating or health and social care providers are sharing with them. BCS is inviting individuals or organisations to tender for the contract to carry out this work.

Further information about the tender process can be found at: www.bcs.org/dhid

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information.

Regards,

Dr Wai Keong Wong
Project Coordinator
BCS and DH project for safe patient record
w.wong AT bcs.org

My source: BCS, Dr Wai Keong Wong with thanks.

Read The Full Article:
http://hodges-model.blogspot.com/2012/01/health-social-care-safe-record-keeping.h
tml

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Phase 3b Trial Evaluates Tysabri as MS Treatment
for Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS)

post from ** Stu's Views & M.S. News ** on 27 January 2012 01:13:23 PM. © ** Stu's Views & M.S. News **

Biogen Idec and Elan Corporation announced a global Phase 3b study that is being conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Tysabri as a treatment for secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS).
The Ascend study is part of an ongoing commitment of both Biogen Idec and Elan to find ways to improve the well-being of patients with multiple sclerosis. Ascend (A Study to Characterize the Efficacy of Natalizumab on Disability in SPMS) is a double-blind, placebo-controlled study with SPMS patients being randomized to receive either Tysabri 300 mg or placebo intravenously every four weeks for 96 weeks. A global study, Ascend is expected to enroll approximately 850 patients in 15 countries.
Study participants will be between the ages of 18 and 58, with a diagnosis of SPMS for at least two years; an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score between 3.0 and 6.5, MS Severity Score of four or higher; documented, confirmed evidence of disease progression, independent of clinical relapses during the one-year prior to enrollment; and naïve to Tysabri treatment.
?The Ascend trial is investigating whether treatment with Tysabri may prevent worsening in walking, hand movement and daily functioning in these patients,? explains Aaron Miller, MD, member of the Ascend advisory board.
"One hypothesis behind the development of SPMS is that disease progression is a result of chronic inflammation in the brain tissue trapped behind the blood-brain-barrier. This causes destruction of the myelin sheath, which protects the coating around nerve fibers, as well as the progressive loss of nerve cells, which can lead to disability in MS patients,? says Richard Reynolds, professor of Cellular Neuroscience, Imperial College, London. ?Preliminary data suggest that Tysabri may hinder this inflammation in the brain and reduce SPMS-related disease progression; therefore, further investigation of this hypothesis is warranted."
Release Date: Jan. 26, 2012
Source: Biogen Idec via DDmag

..Comments for each blog posting are always appreciated.   Please use the link found below, to leave comments..
.. All comments are moderated to reduce SPAM and bad language~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - Click to: REGISTER - For our MS weekly e-Newsletter
"Providing You with 'MS Views and News', IS What We Do" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Help us to educate $ DONATE NOW PLEASE $

"MS Views and News"  is a 501©(3) Not-For-Profit organization as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service
All contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Disclaimer:  'MS Views and News' (MSVN), does not endorse any products or services found on this blog. It is up to you to seek advice from your healthcare provider. The intent of this blog is to provide information on various medical conditions, medications, treatments, and procedures for your personal knowledge and to keep you informed of current health-related issues. It is not intended to be complete or exhaustive, nor is it a substitute for the advice of your physician. Should you or your family members have any specific medical problem, seek medical care promptly.
..............................

Read The Full Article:
http://wwwmsviewsandrelatednews.blogspot.com/2012/01/phase-3b-trial-evaluates-tys
abri-as-ms.html

Digg this

New Year New You 5 Step Plan for Positive Change
in Your Life

post from Vital to Health and Wellness Blog on 27 January 2012 11:05:27 AM. © Vital to Health and Wellness Blog

The following is a plan that will help you make postive, achievable changes in your life (regardless of what these changes are).

Step 1: Decide, in detail, what you really want.

When you think about this, I want you to reach out on a limb and figure out not only what you want but also how it will affect your overall life. What does achieving this goal do for you? How will it make you feel?

You have probably heard about the power of positive thought and the power of your mind to help you direct your course in life. Go ahead and think big, think about and write down exactly what you want.

Step 2: Write down all of the reasons you will meet your goal.

Now that you know exactly what you want, it is time to write down what will make you successful. What do you have (personality traits, physical abilities, brainpower etc.) that will help you out along the way? Are you relentless? What obstacles have you overcome in the past and what have you achieved in your life? (You may be surprised by what you have already achieved!)

Step 3: Figure out who or what, can help you achieve your goal.

You will run across people who tell you that you can’t or you shouldn’t (and these are people you should spend less time around or stick to other conversations when you are around them). But, now it is time to figure out what people in your life believe you can meet your goals. Who lifts you up and is a consistent positive influence on your life? Now ask yourself how you can spend more time around these people.

Step 4: Break your goal into reasonable steps

If you have a very long-term goal – say dropping 100 lbs or becoming a CEO when you just started your very first job, now is the time to break down your goal into reasonable steps and set a time stamp for each one. Write these down, make sure they are realistic and, if you have others around you who are supporting and cheering you on (and you should) tell them your steps along the way. It's important to have a support team.

Step 5: Move forward

Now is the time to take off, reach for your goal because there will never be a better time to start than right now. If you wait you will look back and wonder why you didn’t do something sooner. Sure, your course along the way may change but the most important thing is to maintain your vision and move forward. Because yesterday is behind you and your dreams for tomorrow are waiting with open arms.

Which step are you on or what is your goal for change? Tell us here for an extra entry in the New Year New Healthy You Sweepstakes! http://www.wellesse.com/newyearspromo/

Read The Full Article:
http://blog.wellesse.com/blog/nutrition-and-wellness-for-life/new-year-new-you-5-
step-plan-for-positive-change-in-your-life

Digg this

Lab Notes: Two Drugs Increase Breast Cancer Stem
Cells; What Happens If You Only Eat Chicken Nuggets

post from CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog on 27 January 2012 06:08:28 AM. © CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

On our Lab Notes page CalorieLab’s editors select and rank the day’s essential health news items in real time. Readers can suggest, vote and comment on items. Below are brief summaries of yesterday’s (January 26, 2012) Lab Notes items. To see today’s items, visit Lab Notes.

1. Two Drugs Increase Breast Cancer Stem Cells

Avastin and Sutent which fight many types of cancer by preventing blood vessel growth, but increase the number of stem cell cancers in mice with breast cancer which likely explains the very temporary benefits in women who used it.

2. What Happens If You Only Eat Chicken Nuggets

Stacey Irvine, 17, collapsed recently from her 15-year-long diet consisting of mostly just chicken nuggets.

3. More Moms Are Giving Birth at Home

More mothers are choosing to give birth at home, says the National Center for Health Statistics.

4. Physician Weight Affects Obesity Diagnosis

Prevention (CDC) obesity affects more than one-third of the U.S. adult population, but a new study reveals those results might not be entirely accurate because your doctor?s own weight might also play a role.

5. Fight Alzheimer’s with an Active Brain

A new study indicates that keeping your brain active by doing things like reading, writing, and playing games can reduce the levels of protein that form amyloid plaque, which is used by doctors and researchers to identify Alzheimer?s Disease.

6. Bill Gates Pledges $750 Mil to Global Fund

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $750 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

7. Men Have Higher Rates of Cognitive Impairment

New research from the Mayo Clinic finds that men are more likely than women to develop a condition known as ?Mild Cognitive Impairment,? or MCI, a confirmed risk factor for dementia. Education level is also a factor.

(By CalorieLab editors)

Lab Notes: Two Drugs Increase Breast Cancer Stem Cells; What Happens If You Only Eat Chicken Nuggets is a post from: CalorieLab - Health News & Information Blog

Read The Full Article:
http://calorielab.com/news/2012/01/27/yesterdays-health-news-from-labnotes-669/

Digg this

Down With Bagged Tea – Why You Should Move
to Loose Leaf

This week on the Herbal Infusions blog we’re going to step away from individual tea blends and talk about types of tea on the whole. To be specific, loose leaf in Toronto tea versus the public standard: bagged tea. For the longest time loose leaf tea has been an incredibly hard thing to find. For the most part, tea bags have completely overtaken loose leaf tea. Go to almost any restaurant, cafe or supermarket, and 9 times out of ten your tea will come in one of those little bags. We’re going to talk about why bagged took over, and why it never should have.

There are a few reasons behind how prolific bagged tea has been in recent years. They all seem to stem from a notion that loose leaf tea is somehow a hassle, and by using tea already in a strainer (bag) we eliminate the hardship that is making a cup of tea. The people who came to believe this naturally tell their friends the secret to a simpler life, and it slowly became “common knowledge”. I’ve asked almost every tea drinker I know here in Toronto why they drink bagged tea; the response is always, “it’s easy!” Until recently even I took people at their word on bagged tea over loose leaf. Naturally, it wasn’t until I actually tried loose leaf tea that I learned how ridiculous this notion was. All it takes to brew a cup of loose leaf is a scoop in your tea strainer. Oftentimes, this takes just as much time as digging the bag out and getting it out of the little paper packaging. The only extra step to a cup of loose leaf is rinsing out the strainer where you would normally throw the bag out.

Which smoothly brings us to the next point: waste. This manufactured bagged teas are incredibly wasteful. The amount of packaging that is used on a typical box of bagged tea is beyond excessive. For argument’s sake, picture a regular large box of tea from a supermarket of eighty portions of tea. Right off the bat, the tea is put into eighty disposable filters, with their string and cardboard handle. Each of these eighty bags of tea are then usually put into a printed paper package for display and to limit the exposure of the tea once the box is opened. They are then placed in the box and the box is then shrink wrapped. This is done for every single box of tea at a grocery store. None of this is even reusable. Everything that goes into manufacturing that box is designed to be thrown away. Compare this to loose leaf tea. Most stores that sell loose leaf sell wholesale, which means they and the people they sell to need their own containers for smaller portions. By necessity these containers are almost always reusable. Loose leaf tea drinkers also typically buy a reusable filter to save money. No bags, no shrink wrap and no paper. The amount of waste produced by loose leaf is negligible compared to bagged.

In addition to being extremely wasteful, this bagged tea simply just isn’t as good a quality as loose leaf tea. The more tea leaves are broken up, the more chemicals and essential oils that are found in tea evaporate. For the most part, when bagged teas are prepared in a factory they are often smashed and powdered by the machinery when put into their individual bags. The leaves get so broken down that they lose almost all of the chemicals that give tea its colouring and flavour. Bagged teas are generally much more bland and weak in comparison to loose leaf teas (when brewed for the same amount of time, of course). Because loose leaf teas retain their chemicals much better, they are much more nutritional than bagged as well.

The final difference between these two types of tea is more for those of us running businesses like restaurants and bars. Loose leaf tea is hugely superior when bought wholesale versus bagged. Because of how much space the bags and individual boxes take up, loose leaf tea is much easier to store than bagged tea. Loose leaf tea put into glass jars is also much more presentable than stacks of boxes and paper packages. Prices for loose leaf versus bagged tend to vary wildly depending on who you buy from. At Herbal Infusions, our wholesale tea tends to be about equal price with wholesale bagged teas at comparable serving quantities. Follow this link if you would like to learn more about our wholesale teas.

These days stores are beginning to get wise to the massive jump in quality you get from switching to loose leaf teas. Spas, cafes, campus stores and offices have slowly begun making the change to these healthier and tastier options. For restaurants, particularly those here in Toronto, it’s a great way to compete with major chain stores which have so much brand power. For those of us at home, its just simply a better cup of tea, and isn’t that what it all comes down to?