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Medical News

Bisphosphonates linked to oesophageal cancer risk

LONG-TERM bisphosphonate use has been linked to a significantly increased risk of oesophageal cancer.  Findings from a UK study reveal that the risk of oesophageal cancer was nearly doubled in those who had received 10 or more bisphosphonate prescriptions, or more than five years use, compared with non-users.  However, Australian experts are urging caution over the findings, saying the absolute risk remains low and does not outweigh the drugs’ fracture prevention benefits.  Professor John Eisman, director of osteoporosis and bone biology research at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, said the findings warranted further research but ...

Blogs

Furphies lore: a guide for the pollie-boggled

THERE are four fallacies about medical practice in Australia:1. Patients need to have all of their health services in one location.A lot of my elderly patients winter in Queensland, driving there from South Australia. Don’t tell me that if they attend my surgery they can’t find their way to a physio in the neighbourhood.2. The government doesn’t have a decent mental health strategy.By keeping Medicare descriptors sufficiently vague, all GPs become vulnerable to breaking the law. The Government is hoping we will end up in prison. Why? Because that is where most of the mental health patients have moved, ever ... see more

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Clinical Review

Testing a nasal insulin vaccine

AN Australia/New Zealand-wide trial is testing whether a nasal insulin vaccine will prevent or delay the onset of type 1 diabetes. This trial, the Intranasal Insulin Trial II (INIT II), is being conducted through Melbourne Health in conjunction with the Diabetes Vaccine Development Centre and Diabetes Australia-Victoria. People aged 4-30 years who have a relative with type 1 diabetes are being recruited for the trial.  INIT II is a multi-centre, double blind, placebo-controlled trial of an intranasal insulin vaccine in people at risk for type 1 diabetes. Insulin is delivered via the nose to stimulate the mucosal immune ...

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