Latest news with #NationalHealth
NZ Herald
5 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Fake doctor Zholia Alemi ordered to pay back thousands or face more jail time
A woman who faked having a medical degree from a top New Zealand university – earning about $2 million in wages over two decades – has been ordered to pay thousands back or face more jail time. Iranian-Kiwi Zholia Alemi worked as a psychiatrist for the United Kingdom's National Health
Medscape
6 days ago
- Business
- Medscape
Ending Water Fluoridation Could Lead to Millions of Caries
Removing fluoride from public water systems in the United States could have increased the prevalence of dental caries among children by 7.5 percentage points and added $9.8 billion in healthcare costs over 5 years, a modeling study projected. METHODOLOGY: Researchers developed a model to predict how ending water fluoridation — a change that has been advocated for by US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr — could affect children. The model relied on data from more than 8400 participants aged 0-19 years who took part in the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2013 and 2016, which included oral health examinations. Other inputs for the model, such as the effectiveness of water fluoridation on reducing tooth decay, were based on figures from peer-reviewed studies. The base-case scenario assumed complete removal of fluoride from all water systems compared against maintaining current levels of fluoridation. TAKEAWAY: Eliminating fluoridation was projected to increase the prevalence of dental caries by 7.5 percentage points (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 6.3-8.5) and lead to 25.4 million additional decayed teeth (95% UI, 23.3-27.6 million) over 5 years. Cases of fluorosis — discoloration of teeth due to excessive exposure to the mineral — would be expected to decrease by 200,000. The model projected increased healthcare costs of $9.8 billion (95% UI, $8.7-10.8 billion) over 5 years, 'mainly due to increased risk of tooth decay and associated complications,' the researchers reported. Children who are publicly insured or uninsured would be disproportionately affected by dental health problems following such a change, they found. IN PRACTICE: 'Despite concerns regarding toxic effects associated with high levels of fluoride, this model demonstrates the substantial ongoing benefits of water fluoridation at safe levels currently recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Toxicology Program, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,' the authors of the study reported. SOURCE: The study was conducted by Sung Eun Choi, PhD, of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and Lisa Simon, MD, DMD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston. It was published online on May 30 in JAMA Health Forum . LIMITATIONS: The study did not model potential cognitive harms from fluoride exposure because strong direct evidence of a link at fluoride levels seen in public water is lacking, the authors stated. The cost-effectiveness analysis did not consider indirect outcomes of dental health problems such as missed work or school. The study focused on children and adolescents. DISCLOSURES: Simon has received personal fees from Boston Medical Center, Alosa Health, the American College of Legal Medicine, the American Dental Therapy Association, the California Dental Association, the Santa Fe Group, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, the American College of Dentists, the CareQuest Foundation for Oral Health, and the American Dental Association.
Medscape
7 days ago
- Business
- Medscape
Concurrent Hypertension and T2D Raises Risk for Mortality
The prevalence of concurrent hypertension and type 2 diabetes (T2D) doubled from approximately 6% to 12% in the United States between 1999 and 2018, with the coexistence of these conditions being associated with a notable increase in the risk for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. METHODOLOGY: Hypertension and T2D are major contributors to morbidity and cardiovascular mortality, both in the United States and globally. Quantifying how each condition, alone or in combination, affects the risk for mortality is essential to guide interventions that reduce chronic disease burden and improve quality of life. Researchers analyzed data from 48,727 adults (mean age, 47.4 years; 51.8% women) in the 1999-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to investigate the associations of concurrent hypertension and T2D with the risk for mortality. Participants were categorized into four groups: No hypertension and no T2D (50.5%), hypertension only (38.4%), T2D only (2.4%), and coexisting hypertension and T2D (8.7%); sociodemographic and clinical characteristic data were obtained through interview questionnaires. Participants were followed up for a median duration of 9.2 years, and the outcomes analyzed were all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. TAKEAWAY: During the follow-up period, 7734 deaths occurred, including 2013 cardiovascular deaths. Compared with having neither condition, having concurrent hypertension and T2D predicted a higher risk for both all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 2.46; 95% CI, 2.45-2.47) and cardiovascular mortality (HR, 2.97; 95% CI, 2.94-3.00), with stronger associations in women than in men ( P for interaction < .01). for interaction < .01). Compared with having hypertension or T2D only, having concurrent hypertension and T2D predicted an up to 66% higher risk for all-cause mortality and a more than twofold higher risk for cardiovascular mortality. Having concurrent prediabetes and elevated blood pressure was associated with an up to 19% higher risk for mortality than having neither condition or having just one of the conditions, indicating that the risk for mortality can begin increasing even before developing T2D or hypertension. IN PRACTICE: 'Given the growing aging population in the US and globally and the associated projected chronic disease burden, our findings underscore the critical need for public health policy and interventions that prevent and address multiple cardiometabolic morbidities to mitigate their downstream impact on further morbidity, extend the lifespan, and preserve quality of life,' the authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Ye Yuan, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York City. It was published online on May 21, 2025, in Diabetes Care . LIMITATIONS: This study was limited by the lack of longitudinal data on changes in hypertension and T2D status, control, and medication use throughout the follow-up period, hindering the ability to assess how these changes affected the risk for mortality over time. Additionally, the reliance on self-reported data for hypertension and T2D medication use, as well as other covariates such as alcohol use and smoking, may have introduced measurement error. DISCLOSURES: Some authors reported receiving grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; American Heart Association; National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities; and other sources. The authors reported having no conflicts of interest.
The Independent
16-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Starmer says he is delivering on promise to fix NHS after appointments goal met
The NHS is on the 'road to recovery', ministers claimed after meeting a pledge to deliver two million extra appointments. Sir Keir Starmer said the Government knows 'the job isn't done' and promised further reforms to deliver faster treatment. NHS England figures showed that between July and November 2024 there were almost 2.2 million more appointments compared with the equivalent period in 2023. We said we'd turn this around and that's exactly what we're doing - this milestone is a shot in the arm for our plan to get the NHS back on its feet and cut waiting times Sir Keir Starmer Some 62% of the additional activity was made up of outpatient appointments, 26% diagnostic tests and 12% elective operations. The extra NHS appointments, delivered in part by extra evening and weekend working, means Labour's manifesto commitment for two million a year was met seven months early. The Prime Minister said: 'This isn't just about numbers. It's about the cancer patients who for too long were left wondering when they'll finally start getting their life-saving treatment. 'It's about the millions of people who've put their lives and livelihoods on hold – waiting in pain and uncertainty as they wait for a diagnosis. 'We said we'd turn this around and that's exactly what we're doing – this milestone is a shot in the arm for our plan to get the NHS back on its feet and cut waiting times. 'But we're not complacent and we know the job isn't done. 'We're determined to go further and faster to deliver more appointments, faster treatment and a National Health Service that the British public deserve as part of our plan for change.' NHS England figures last week showed waiting lists dropped for the fourth consecutive month to their lowest figure since April 2023. An estimated 7.46 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of December in England, relating to 6.24 million patients – down from 7.48 million treatments and 6.28 million patients at the end of November. The Government has announced an extra £40 million funding pot for trusts who make the biggest improvements in cutting waiting lists, with the money available for hospitals from next year to spend on capital projects. Because we ended the strikes, invested in the NHS, and rolled out reformed ways of working, we are finally putting the NHS on the road to recovery Wes Streeting Health Secretary Wes Streeting said there were now around 160,000 fewer patients on waiting lists than when Labour took office in July last year. 'We have wasted no time in getting to work to cut NHS waiting times and end the agony of millions of patients suffering uncertainty and pain,' he said. 'Because we ended the strikes, invested in the NHS, and rolled out reformed ways of working, we are finally putting the NHS on the road to recovery.' NHS England's chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: 'Thanks to the hard work of staff and embracing the latest innovations in care, we treated hundreds of thousands more patients last year and delivered a record number of tests and checks, with the waiting list falling for the fourth month in a row.' But she acknowledged 'there is much more to do to slash waiting times for patients'. Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman Helen Morgan said: 'The drive for more appointments is of course welcome but the silence on social care cannot be allowed to continue. 'Too many people have been tragically let down and left waiting in limbo. 'Until the Government gets a grip of social care, hospitals will remain overwhelmed, backlogged and it is the patients who will pay the price.'
