BMJ  2005;331:652 (24 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7518.652

News

In brief

CJD study gets the go ahead: A study by the Medical Research Council to monitor pentosan polysulphate as a treatment for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and variant CJD has received ethical approval from an NHS monitoring body. It follows two High Court cases in the UK, in which relatives sought use of this experimental treatment that has showed signs of slowing progress of the disease ( BMJ 2003;327: 765[Free Full Text]).

Older men less likely to receive statins: Men aged 74-85 were 60% less likely to be prescribed statins compared with men aged 62-73. This was the finding of a study of secondary prevention of coronary heart disease in British men and inequalities before and after implementation of the National Service Framework (Journal of Public Health, http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org, doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdi053[Abstract/Free Full Text]).

Children's rights to be aired: The General Medical Council is to set up a citizens' jury to examine what rights children should be entitled to when receiving medical care. The 16 member jury will hear evidence for four days in November before delivering its verdict.

Hostel dwellers have brain damage: One in five of Glasgow's homeless hostel dwellers have alcohol related brain damage, says a study in the European Journal of Public Health (http://eurpub.oxfordjournals.org, doi:10.1093/eurpub/cki036[Abstract/Free Full Text]).

US to help Vietnam with flu surveillance: The United States has pledged $2.5m to help Vietnam build up its H5N1 avian influenza surveillance network over the next five years. The virus has killed 63 people in Asia, 44 of them in Vietnam.

Australian women are getting heavier: Australian women in their 20s have put on an average 5 kg in weight in seven years, a 40 000 strong longitudinal study of women's health has found. More than half of the middle aged subjects were found to be overweight (www.health.gov.au).

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BMJ 2003 327: 765. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]