Depression Link Diet Drug Approved

A controversial new diet drug has been approved for NHS use in England and Wales, despite concerns that it may be linked to depression and suicide.

Rimonabant is used by thousands of Britons and, coupled with exercise, could help them to lose up to 10% of their body weight.

Last year the European Medicines Agency voiced concerns that rimonabant may be unsafe for patients already taking anti-depressants. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) acknowledged these concerns, but today gave the go ahead to the drug being made available to NHS patients.

Doctors have been warned that rimonabant should not be prescribed to patients with a history of depression and to be vigilant for the early signs of depression in new users of the medication.

The drug, whose brand name is Acomplia, will only be available on the NHS to patients who have unsuccessfully tried alternative drugs like orlistat.

Rimonabant has been available in the UK since 2006. Since then the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has received 720 reports of adverse reactions to the drug.

Dummy Use Linked to Ear Infections

Parents should avoid giving their infant a dummy if they are prone to ear infections.

That's the opinion of scientists from University Medical Center, Utrecht writing in the Family Practice journal.

In a five year study the researchers found almost double the risk of recurrent ear infection - known as otitis media - in infants that used a dummy. The study observed 476 infants, of which 216 regularly used a dummy.

There was a 90% increased risk of recurrent ear infections in those who sucked a dummy compared with those who did not.

The researchers suggest that use of a dummy may facilitate the migration of bacteria from the nose to the middle ear, thus heightening the risk of infection.

Lead researcher, Dr Maroeska Rovers, said: "Paediatricians and GPs can use this information in their daily practice - they can dissuade parents from using a pacifier once their child has been diagnosed with acute otitis media to avoid recurrent episodes."

Professor Steve Field, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: "This is a very useful piece of research that shows use of dummies in children under the age of four who have a history of ear infections is not a good idea.

"There's no need to panic but - in those children - not using a dummy is likely to prevent recurrence."

Persaud the Plagiarist

Celebrity psychiatrist Dr Raj Persaud has been found guilty of bringing the medical profession into disrepute by plagiarising some of his publications.

At a General Medical Council (GMC) disciplinary hearing in Manchester Persaud admitted plagiarism but denied that amounted to dishonesty, saying that all of the articles were properly referenced.

The charges mainly relate to material he included in his book 'From the Edge of the Couch'.

Dr Anthony Morgan, chair of the GMC Fitness to Practise panel, said: "You are an eminent psychiatrist with a distinguished academic record who has combined a clinical career as a consultant psychiatrist with work in the media and journalism.

"The panel is of the view that you must have known that your actions in allowing the work of others to be seen as though it was your own would be considered dishonest by ordinary people.

"The panel has therefore determined that your actions were dishonest in accordance with the accepted definition of dishonesty in these proceedings.

"The panel has determined that your actions, in plagiarising the work of others, were liable to bring the profession into disrepute."

Persaud is currently employed as a consultant psychiatrist for the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust.

The GMC will decide what sanctions to impose later today.

Smoking Related Hearing Loss

Smoking and obesity could be linked to hearing loss, according to a recent scientific study.

Either condition could limit blood flow to the ear, with the extent of damage clearly related to the level of obesity or length of smoking habit.

Unsurprisingly the University of Antwerp led study also confirmed that exposure to high levels of noise remained the biggest risk to hearing.

The study looked at a sample of more than 4,000 men and women aged between 53 and 67. All the participants were given a thorough hearing test and then questioned about their lifestyle.

Lead researcher Dr Erik Fransen said: "The hearing loss is proportional to how much you smoke and your body mass index (BMI).

"It starts getting worse once you have smoked regularly for more than one year."

"Once the damage is done, it's done. It does not repair."

The scientists suggest that smoking and obesity lead to a depletion of blood flow to the ear. This results in a lack of oxygen to the tissues and a build up of harmful waste products.

Amanda Sandford, from the pressure group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said that the results, published in the Journal of the Association for Research into Otolaryngology, should serve as a warning particularly to younger smokers.

She said: "There are so many young people who think that they can give up in middle age and escape some of the other diseases associated with smoking.

"In this case, some of the damage may already have been done."

The study was part-funded by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID).