News Features

News Features
March 2012 Issue
	Avian Flu - Controversy over publication H5N1 influenza study Recently, two unpublished research studies on the transmissibility of influenza A H5N1 viruses have raised urgent questions related to the two studies, as well as broader concerns related to the balance between the need for scientific research and the need to protect public safety.

	Biobanking - Going beyond borders to achieve scientific excellence Today’s global challenges require science-based answers that adhere to common standards. As part of facing large-scale societal challenges, it is necessary to look beyond borders for scientific excellence; to form new means and models of international collaboration.

January 2012 Issue
	Iraq Report - On the road to recovery After years of devastating war, Iraq’s healthcare infrastructure was broken. Current health indicators, when compared to the relatively advanced state of healthcare the country enjoyed in the 1980s, are shocking and point to the dire state of healthcare in the country.

	Pakistan Report - Lady Health Workers Pakistan’s army of “Lady Health Workers” – some 90,000 strong – was never meant to diagnose and treat serious illnesses. Instead, these female community health workers were expected to teach good hygiene and nutrition, provide family planning advice, monitor pregnant women, weigh and vaccinate babies and treat minor ailments.

	Afghanistan Report - The worst place to be a mother Authorities are striving to improve health conditions for women in Afghanistan, where maternal mortality and female life expectancy indicators are the worst in the world, says a report.

	UAE Report - Global Health Survey finds critical gaps in health awareness and action in the UAE Global Health Survey finds critical gaps in health awareness and action in the UAE

	Priming with DNA vaccine makes H5N1 vaccine work better The immune response to an H5N1 avian influenza vaccine was greatly enhanced in healthy adults if they were first primed with a DNA vaccine expressing a gene for a key H5N1 protein, researchers say.

	Study reveals 50% of patients living with high cholesterol in the Gulf countries fail to reach treatment targets Despite the wide use of anti-cholesterol drugs such as statin therapy, only 50% of patients in the Gulf are managing to lower their bad cholesterol (LDL–C) levels to goal and remain at risk of heart disease.

	Shining a light on pupil restriction A doctor shines a bright light into an unconscious patient’s eye to check for brain death. If the pupil constricts, the brain is OK, because in mammals, the brain controls the pupil.

	Ultrathin flexible brain implant offers unique look at seizures Researchers funded by the US National Institutes of Health have developed a flexible brain implant that could one day be used to treat epileptic seizures. In animal studies, the researchers used the device – a type of electrode array that conforms to the brain’s surface – to take an unprecedented look at the brain activity underlying seizures.

	Oncology - High blood pressure could raise cancer risk Researchers in Europe have discovered that high blood pressure potentially raises the risk of developing cancer or dying from the disease.

	Study reveals 50% of patients living with high cholesterol in the Gulf countries fail to reach treatment targets Scientists gain better understanding of brain’s response to stress Researchers at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom have identified a specific protein generated by the brain in response to stress.

	Immunology - Strategies to beat lifestyle and genetic factors related to chronic diseases Immunology Strategies to beat lifestyle and genetic factors related to chronic diseases A dramatic increase in the incidence of chronic inflammatory diseases such as asthma, allergy, and irritable bowel syndrome, has led to concern about how modern lifestyles may trigger physiological defense mechanisms.

	Healthcare Economics - Taking the Toyota approach to brain surgery Japanese vehicle manufacturer, Toyota, is well-known for developing the principles of so-called “lean manufacturing”. Research published in the International Journal of Technology Management suggests that the lean approach might also be beneficial to medical procedures, making hospitals more efficient and cut waiting lists.

	Genetics - Gene therapy shown to assist blood clotting in haemophilia An experimental gene therapy technique boosted the production of a vital blood clotting factor in six people with haemophilia B, according to new research published online 10 December 2011 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

	Malaria - Deaths fall but shortage of funds threatens progress Malaria mortality rates have fallen by more than 25% globally since 2000, and by 33% in the WHO African Region, according to the World Malaria Report 2011, issued in December by the World Health Organisation.

	World Diabetes Congress 2011 - Alarming figures and new science highlighted at World Diabetes Congress Figures released at the International Diabetes Federation’s (IDF) World Diabetes Congress (WDC) 2011, which was held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center from 4-8 December last year, are alarming.

November 2011 Issue
	United Nations Summit on NCDs - World comes together to tackle non-communicable diseases In an all-out attack on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – the biggest cause of death worldwide – the UN General Assembly has held a high-level meeting to tackle the issue – only the second time in the history of the UN that a health issue has been discussed at this level.

	The ESC Congress 2011, Paris - Innovations in Cardiology The team at Middle East Health never cease to be amazed by new technology and the speed at which it is developed. We attended the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress in Paris in August where this rapid progression in technology, specifically new cardiology related tech, was much in evidence.

September 2011 Issue
	World Alzheimer’s Report - Effective interventions Effective interventions The World Alzheimer Report 2011, released 13 Sep 2011 by Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) to mark Sep as the first-ever World Alzheimer’s Month, shows that there are interventions that are effective in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease...
	Oncology - Major breakthrough in treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (Sep 2011) Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center and Perelman School of Medicine have shown sustained remissions of up to a year among a small group of advanced chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) patients treated with genetically engineered versions of their own T cells.

	Obesity - Study shows gastric bypass makes people prefer low-fat food (Sep 2011) Gastric bypass surgery alters people’s food preferences so that they eat less high fat food, according to a new study led by scientists at Imperial College London.

	Climate Change & Health - Green investments good for health (Sep 2011) The World Health Organisation has released a series of articles looking at the co-benefits of investing in climate change mitigation and the positive impact this will have on healthcare. Middle East Health reports.

July 2011 Issue
	World Health Assembly - The future of public health (Jul 2011) In May the 64th World Health Assembly, with more than 2,700 delegates, including Health Ministers and senior health officials from 192 World Health Organization (WHO) Member States, nongovernment organisations, civil society groups and other observers met to work through abroad agenda.

	Tobacco control treaty successful, but challenges remain (Jul 2011) World No Tobacco Day was marked on 31 May. On this day the WHO celebrates the successes of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in the fight against the epidemic of tobacco use.

	One billion people with disabilities –WHO urges governments to act (Jul 2011) A report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Bank reveals new global estimates that more than one billion people experience some form of disability.

	AIDS Report - 30 years of AIDS and the way forward (Jul 2011) Michel Sidibé, executive director, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and Under Secretary General of the United Nations, looks back at the last 30 years of AIDS, “so that we can shape the future of the response”.

	Brazil poised to enter world stage for medical device manufacturing (Jul 2011) The land of football and the samba rhythm is now well poised to enter the prestigious group of top 10 exporters of medical devices and equipment in the world.

May 2011 Issue
	Public Health - World Health Day – Call to combat drug resistance (May 2011) April 7 is World Health Day, a day celebrated around the world each year to mark the founding of the World Health Organisation, more than 60 years ago. Each year the WHO chooses an issue on which to focus – and this year it is “Combat Drug Resistance”.

	Gaza Report - Chronic shortage of drugs (May 2011) The cancer started in Fatima Hassami’s breast before spreading to her bones, leading to multiple fractures in her left leg and constant pain for the 70-year-old...

	Avian Flu - Egypt new epicentre for H5N1 infections (May 2011) With 119 confirmed cases between March 2006 and December 2010, Egypt ranks second among countries reporting human H5N1 influenza virus infections. In 2009–2010, Egypt reported 68 new human cases and became the new epicentre for H5N1 infections.

	Pharmaceuticals - New pneumococcal vaccine could massively reduce paediatric mortality (May 2011) An estimated 700,000 deaths could be averted by 2015 with the widespread use of a new vaccine against pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases. Pneumonia is the world’s biggest single killer of children.

March 2011 Issue
	Syria Report - Iraqi refugees face painful wait for artificial limbs (Mar 2011) Mohammed (not is real name), 38, whose right leg is severed above the knee, is one of many Iraqi refugees waiting for prosthetics at the Syrian branch of charity Terre des hommes (Tdh) orthopaedic workshop.

	Scientists call for collective action to halt negative effects of privatising stem cell lines (Mar 2011) In an opinion piece published 10 fEB 2011 in the journal Science, a team of scholars led by a Johns Hopkins bioethicist urges the scientific community to act collectively to stem the negative effects of the patenting and privatising of stem cell lines, data & pioneering technologies.

	Philips PET-MR gets CE mark (Mar 2011) Philips Electronics has recently received the CE mark for the industry’s first commercially available whole body PET/MR imaging system, the Ingenuity TF PET/MR. US FDA’s 510(k) certification is pending and expected later this year.

	Siemens focuses on lowering radiation dose (Mar 2011) For more than a decade, Siemens has been leading the way in reducing radiation dose in diagnostic and interventional radiology and is the first medical device manufacturer to release a comprehensive ‘Guide to Low Dose’ aimed at physicians and medical technical staff.

	Foetal surgery takes a major step in treating spina bifida (Mar 2011) Performing delicate surgery in the womb, months before birth, can substantially improve outcomes for children with a common, disabling birth defect of the spine.

January 2011 Issue
	Iraq Report - Hard health for women (Jan 2011) Accessing good health care in Iraq is a challenge for many people, as it is in most developing countries, however, women in particular face unique hardships when seeking healthcare in this war-torn nation.

	Qatar Report - Largest biobank in Arab world to be set up in Qatar (Jan 2011) A “biobank” of samples and clinical measurements from tens of thousands of people is to be established in Qatar to help scientists understand the causes of major diseases and develop new treatments.

	The impact of climate change on working people (Jan 2011) Global Health Action published a thematic series of papers focusing on a hitherto unrecognised consequence of climate change – impacts upon working people due to heat exposure and non-heat related risks.

	HIV/AIDS - Expert calls for protection of rights of those affected by AIDS in Middle East (Jan 2011) Tackling HIV/AIDS in the Arab region is a challenge that governments, health and religious institutions must face upfront while the rights of those affected by the disease needs to be protected...

	Pharmacology - Dengue vaccine enters phase 3 clinical trials (Jan 2011) Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group has said that its dengue vaccine has entered phase 3 clinical trials in Australia, making it the most clinically advanced dengue vaccine.

	Human Resources - Surgeon Burnout (Jan 2011) Just as with everyone else perhaps, the more hours surgeons work, and the more nights they spend on call each week, the more likely they are to face burn-out, depression, dissatisfaction with their careers and serious work-home conflicts, according to a major new study led by Johns Hopkins and Mayo Clinic researchers.

	Public Health - WHO: strengthen health financing to increase access to services (Jan 2011) Governments worldwide are struggling to pay for health care. As populations get older, as more people suffer chronic diseases, and as new and more expensive treatments appear, health costs soar.

	Health Insurance - Healthcare payment reform in Abu Dhabi (Jan 2011) In Abu Dhabi, the introduction of a mandatory health insurance scheme and the transitioning of hospital financing towards a revenue-based model necessitated thinking about how to create price transparency and better align incentives between all parties involved...

	Neurology - The brain’s stop-start signals revealed (Jan 2011) The basal ganglia is a series of highly connected brain areas localised deep in the cerebral cortex that recently has attracted interest of neuroscientists when it was linked to learning, and discovered to be affected in a number of disorders of the addictive and obsessive spectrum, but also in Parkinson’s disease (PD).

	Reaching new heights (Jan 2011) Middle East Health was invited to visit Taiwan in November to look at the country’s medical device manufacturing industry.

	Innovation - World first: baby born in high-field MRI scanner (Jan 2011) An interdisciplinary team of scientists and leading medics from Berlin’s Charité University Hospital has successfully managed a world first: they performed the birth of a child in an open high-field MRI scanner from Philips.