The number of complaints made to the General Medical Council about doctors has risen 23% in the past year, the regulator says.The GMC report showed there were 8,781 in 2011 compared to 7,153 in 2010.The rise is similar to the one the year before and continues a trend which has seen complaints jump b

(Reuters Health) – The short-term benefits of weight loss surgery are well known in severely obese people, but a new study finds that improvements in diabetes and blood pressure may hold up for years after the procedures.At six-year patient follow-ups, three quarters of people who’d undergone gastri

(Reuters) – Scientists have grown a drug to treat a rare genetic disease inside corn plants, potentially offering a cheaper way to manufacture a treatment that currently costs hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for each patient.The move marks an advance for the emerging field of molecular farmi

Venomous reptiles may provide a good source for new drugs for human diseases, researchers in Liverpool say.Venom has already been used to create drugs, but the chemicals in it are often too deadly for human consumption.However, a study, published in the journal Nature Communications, has shown snake

A new oral medication to treat patients in the early stages of multiple sclerosis has shown considerable promise in two clinical trials, researchers announced on Wednesday.The medication is on track to become just the third oral drug available to M.S. patients, and potentially the safest and most ef

More dentists need to be checking their patients for mouth cancer, say experts.Cancer Research UK says oral cancer rates are going up and some dentists are missing an opportunity to spot those at risk.All dentists should be asking about risk factors like smoking or heavy drinking as well as early te

A painkiller as powerful as morphine, but without most of the side-effects, has been found in the deadly venom of the black mamba, say French scientists.The predator, which uses neurotoxins to paralyse and kill small animals, is one of the fastest and most dangerous snakes in Africa.However, tests o

By Denise WintermanBBC News MagazineFaecal matter can be found on just over a quarter of our hands, new research suggests. In some cases the amount of germs is equivalent to the number in a dirty toilet bowl. So why are the British so bad at washing their hands?Poo, it’s getting everywhere. Faecal b

From: http://www.healthnews.com/en/news/CORRECTIONAspirin-may-help-older-colon-cancer-patients-live-longer/00YPOSWeP3cf2v0p6fB0pW/ [Corrects headline to sentence case in story posted Dec 7, 2012 as 20121207elin003.]NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Older adults with colon cancer who were prescribed a dail

On 29 January 2013, a side meeting entitled “the establishment and evolution of health technology assessment organisations in low- and middle-income countries”, which was co-organized by HTAsiaLink and NICE international, intended to create an open space for sharing, learning and inspiring participa