JK Rowling gives £10m for Edinburgh MS centre

Author JK Rowling has donated £10m to the University of Edinburgh to set up a multiple sclerosis research clinic.  The Harry Potter writer, whose mother Anne had the disease and died aged 45, said the funds were to help attract top researchers to seek a cure for MS. The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic will aim to put patients at the heart of the research process. Rowling stood down as patron of the MS Society Scotland last year saying the charity was split by internal rows. Work at the new clinic will also focus on other degenerative neurological conditions, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and Motor Neurone Disease.

Sexually transmitted infections near 0.5m a year in UK

Dr Gwenda Hughes, STI expert at the HPA, says young people lack confidence to insist on safer sex.
There were almost half a million new cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the UK last year, figures show. Experts at the Health Protection Agency (HPA) say young people are most affected. And one in 10 of 15-24 year olds with an STI become infected again within a year.  Health ministers said they would look at what more could be done to increase young people's awareness of risks.  The 482,696 new cases represent a 3% rise from the 2008 figures, continuing a "steady upward trend" that the HPA said had been seen over the past decade.

Non-emergency 111 health number to be piloted

The number will provide advice on out-of-hours care and 24-hour pharmacies Trials of a three-digit telephone number for those needing non-emergency medical care in England have been launched in the North East. NHS County Durham and Darlington Primary Care Trusts are to pilot the free 111 number, to act as an alternative to 999, followed by Nottingham, Lincolnshire and Luton. The government service will not initially replace NHS Direct, but may do so in the longer term if successful. If so, it will be available nationwide.

People calling 111 will be able to get health advice and also information about local services such as out-of-hours GPs, walk-in centres, emergency dentists and 24-hour pharmacies. It is hoped it will take the pressure off 999 calls, amid estimates suggesting that up to half of these calls do not need an emergency response. But anyone calling the number with an emergency will have an ambulance despatched without the need for the call to be transferred.

ChildLine calls prompted by parents' drink and drugs

More than 100 children a week are contacting the ChildLine helpline with worries about their parents' drinking or drug use, according to the NSPCC. It said in the year to March, 5,700 children had called, but founder Esther Rantzen told the BBC there were likely to be many more too afraid to do so. Two-thirds of those callers had mentioned their parents' drinking. The children calling about that issue were also more likely than other child callers to report abuse, it added.

Ms Rantzen said: "These are the children that know our number and ring us, but what about the many, many thousands of children who aren't, alas, familiar with ChildLine's work and who might be fearful of ringing us?"

She added: "I am, in a sense, imploring those people who work with children to be alert to the possibility that the silent, friendless child... may have trouble at home created by alcohol and drug problems."

Breast cancer deaths fall in UK

The fall is being put down to improvements such as screening. Breast cancer deaths have fallen in the UK since the 1980s, but mortality rates from the disease continue to be among the highest in Europe, a study shows. The review of 30 countries, led by French researchers, showed the UK rate dropped by about a third, thanks to better care and speedier diagnosis. The number of UK deaths caused by breast cancer fell to 28.2 per 100,000 - equivalent to 12,000 deaths per year. The government said more progress, such as earlier diagnosis, was still needed.

Milk for School Children

Former Conservative Health Secretary Stephen Dorrell has downplayed apparent government confusion over the proposed scrapping of free milk for under-fives. The coalition said on Sunday (08/08/10) that the benefit would not go, after health minister Anne Milton suggested plans for such a move were in place. Mr Dorrell said it had been judged that the political risk "didn't merit the rewards". Downing Street said keeping free milk would help the poor and vulnerable. The Nursery Milk scheme allows children under five in approved day care to receive 189ml (1/3 pint) of milk each day free of charge. It dates back to 1940, when milk was issued to pregnant women and young children to protect them against wartime food shortages.

New breed of paramedics take to Powys roads

A new breed of super-paramedics are being trained to work on the roads of Powys. The highly-skilled team will not only respond to emergency 999 calls but will also make decisions about a patient’s care. This is the first such scheme in the UK and the first cohort has been chosen from the ranks of the Welsh Ambulance Service’s paramedics and nurses.  Andrew Jenkins, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s consultant paramedic, said: “We’re going to have a new kind of paramedic out there, an ambulance clinician, not just providing immediate emergency care but also making decisions about the sort of continuing care the patient needs.

Web-Addicted Chinese Teens Prone to Depression

The pathological use of the Internet can trigger depression in teens, according to a new study that tracked more than 1,000 Chinese youths to determine how their relationship to the Web affected their mental health.With teens' lives increasingly playing out online -- from socialization to schoolwork -- it's no surprise that many spend hours a week surfing the Internet. But research has already indicated that some teens are at risk of compulsive overuse and dependency. Anywhere from 2 to 18 percent of teens are estimated to be addicted to the Web, with higher rates in Eastern countries.

Internet addiction is usually characterized by an inability to cut back on Internet usage, a fixation with the Web that affects day-to-day activities and withdrawal symptoms like anxiety and irritability. The condition has also already been linked to mental health problems. A study of Taiwanese teens, published last year in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, found that Internet-addicted participants were more likely to exhibit symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression, as well as suffer from anxiety and hostility.