(Press-News.org) The NHS should implement a non-invasive alternative to autopsies, according to a Department of Health-commissioned report by leading UK experts within the field of post-mortem cross-sectional imaging.
The NHS Implementation Sub-Group of the Department of Health's Post Mortem, Forensic and Disaster Imaging Group (PMFDI) has called on the NHS to adopt post-mortem cross-sectional imaging for as an adjunct to, and under the right circumstances, a replacement for autopsies.
The group, chaired by Professor Guy Rutty, Chief Forensic Pathologist to the East Midlands Forensic Pathology Unit (EMFPU) at the University of Leicester, made the recommendations in its report Can Cross-Sectional Imaging as an Adjunct and/or Alternative to the Invasive Autopsy be Implemented within the NHS?, published today (Friday October 26) by the EMFPU.
The report recommends the NHS introduces a national cross-sectional autopsy imaging service provided by 30 mortuary-based imaging centres in England.
This would be a single, integrated service involving radiology and pathology services, based on a single cost no matter what discovering the cause of death involves. This would be supported by transparent costs for each professional group delivering the service.
The group also suggests that a national teaching and training programme for all professionals involved in the service should be funded and developed with sub-speciality recognition for all professions involved in the delivery of the service.
The group recommends the need for funded research to produce an evidence base to expand the types of death amenable to the use of non-invasive imaging.
The service would be delivered primarily by the Department of Health in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice and local authorities.
The Department of Health and Ministry of Justice will now consider the report's recommendations before making a decision on whether to implement the service.
The reports suggests the service should make use of alternative techniques, including post-mortem computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), for carrying out non-invasive autopsies.
Computed tomography, which can be enhanced by use of injected contract medium, provides a minimally invasive radiological adjunct and, in the right circumstances, alternative for the investigation of natural and unnatural deaths, for either single cases or mass fatalities. It could also potentially allay qualms from certain faith groups that object to autopsies.
The EMFPU has pioneered research in this area in the UK in relation to the use of computed tomography in the investigation of sudden cardiac death and its application to mass fatality investigations.
Professor Rutty stated in the report: "There are important religious, cultural and humanitarian benefits offered by non-invasive autopsies and it is recognised that there is no longer the need to undertake invasive autopsy examinations in certain types of death. The current demand by the general public for a non invasive autopsy service is expected to grow."
### END
'NHS should replace traditional autopsies with non-invasive alternative'
Group chaired by University of Leicester forensic pathology expert recommends Department of Health should create national autopsy imaging service
2012-10-26
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Media and content digitization benefits consumers, but revenues lag behind
2012-10-26
Digital spending - the acquisition of media products in digital format - tripled from 2006 to 2010 worldwide, with the recording music sector now achieving 30% of its global sales in the digital market. The digital success of the music sector contrasts other media and content industries, which are moving at a slower pace towards digital with distribution. Only 6% of film/video, newspapers, magazines and book sales were digital, according to the Joint Research Centre's (JRC) report on "The media and content industries. A quantitative overview", which represents an important ...
New options for ease and accuracy in extraction of rare cells or separating blood
2012-10-26
At the Sixteenth International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences (microTAS) to be held Oct. 28-Nov. 1, in Okinawa, Japan, University of Cincinnati researchers will present four papers, including one detailing improvements in rare cell isolation and one detailing improvements, in terms of cost and time, of common blood tests.
Ian Papautsky, associate professor in UC's School of Electronic and Computing Systems (SECS), part of the College of Engineering and Applied Science, and a UC team are leading these research efforts.
In a paper titled ...
Magnetic brain stimulation treats depression independent of sleep effect
2012-10-26
AUGUSTA, Ga. – While powerful magnetic stimulation of the frontal lobe of the brain can alleviate symptoms of depression, those receiving the treatment did not report effects on sleep or arousal commonly seen with antidepressant medications, researchers say.
"People's sleep gets better as their depression improves, but the treatment doesn't itself cause sedation or insomnia." said Dr. Peter B. Rosenquist, Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Health Sciences University.
The finding resulted from ...
Minimizing mining damage with manure
2012-10-26
This press release is available in Spanish.U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research confirms that the time-tested practice of amending crop soils with manure also can help restore soils on damaged post-mining landscapes.
Thousands of acres of land with little or no vegetation, once mined for lead and zinc, remain throughout an area of southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and northeastern Oklahoma. The mining activities also left behind a legacy of lead-contaminated acidic soils, toxic smelter sites, and large quantities of mine tailings called "chat."
Soil ...
Mayo Clinic researchers develop new tools to better treat ADHD patients in early stages
2012-10-26
SAN FRANCISCO -- Mayo Clinic researchers are presenting new findings on the early treatment of child and adolescent attention deficit hyperactivity disorder this week at the American Academy of Childhood and Adolescent Psychiatry annual meeting in San Francisco. They include a method to get better input from parents and teachers of children who are being diagnosed with ADHD for the first time -- allowing for more effective treatment upon the first consultation. Researchers also showed how a tool can help clinicians better diagnose and treat children who have both ADHD and ...
Moffitt Researchers find genetic predictors of fatigue for some prostate cancer patients
2012-10-26
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and the University of South Florida have found that men with prostate cancer who receive androgen deprivation therapy may predictably suffer from fatigue if they have single nucleotide polymorphisms in three pro-inflammatory genes. The discovery highlights the importance of personalized medicine, in which therapies are tailored to a patient's genetic profile.
The study appears in the October issue of Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
"Few studies have examined the role of genes in cancer-related fatigue and none, to our knowledge, ...
ESDM early intervention improves brain activity associated with social cues
2012-10-26
(NEW YORK, N.Y., October 26, 2012) – The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), a comprehensive behavioral early intervention program that is appropriate for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as young as 12 months, has been found to be effective in improving social skills and brain responses to social cues in a randomized controlled study published online today in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
"So much of a toddler's learning involves social interaction, and early intervention that promotes attention to people and social ...
Autism early intervention found to normalize brain activity in children as young as 18 months
2012-10-26
An intensive early intervention therapy that is effective for improving cognition and language skills among very young children with autism also normalizes their brain activity, decreases their autism symptoms and improves their social skills, a nationwide study has found. The researchers said the study is the first to demonstrate that an autism early intervention program can normalize brain activity.
"We know that infant brains are quite malleable and previously demonstrated that this therapy capitalizes on the potential of learning that an infant brain has in order ...
Feinstein Institute researchers discover that bean used in Chinese food could protect against sepsis
2012-10-26
MANHASSET, NY – Researchers at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered that a bean commonly used in Chinese cuisine protects against the life-threatening condition sepsis. These findings are published in the current issue of Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (eCAM).
It has been found that a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) protein, HMGB1, mediates inflammation. Inflammation is necessary for maintaining good health – without inflammation, wounds and infections would never heal. However, persistent and constant inflammation can damage ...
Results of the XIMA trial presented at TCT 2012
2012-10-26
MIAMI, FL – OCTOBER 26, 2012 – Rarely tested in patients over the age of 80, a study found that drug-eluting stents exhibited some benefits over bare-metal stents, though both types of stents demonstrated a clinical benefit. Results of the XIMA trial were presented today at the 24th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine.
Patients over the age of 80 are often excluded from ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Vaccination support program reduces pneumonia-related mortality by 25 percent among the elderly
Over decades, a healthy lifestyle outperforms metformin in preventing onset of Type 2 diabetes
Mental health disorders, malaria, and heart disease most affected by covid pandemic
Green transition will boost UK productivity
Billions voted in 2024, but major new report exposes cracks in global democracy
Researchers find “forever chemicals” impact the developing male brain
Quantum leap in precision sensing across technologies
Upgrading biocrude oil into sustainable aviation fuel using zeolite-supported iron-molybdenum carbide nanocatalysts
For effective science communication, ‘just the facts’ isn’t good enough
RT-EZ: A golden gate assembly toolkit for streamlined genetic engineering of rhodotorula toruloides
Stem Cell Reports announces five new early career editors
Support networks may be the missing link for college students who seek help for excessive drinking
The New England Journal of Medicine shines spotlight on forensic pathology
Scientists discover protein that helps lung cancer spread to the brain
Perceived social status tied to cardiovascular risks in women but not in men
Brain tumor growth patterns may help inform patient care management
This might be America's first campus tree inventory
Emoji use may impact relationship outcomes
Individual merit, not solidarity, prioritized by early childhood education policies
Preclinical study unlocks a mystery of rapid mouth healing
Extraterrestrial habitats: bioplastics for life beyond earth
U.S. military spending reductions could substantially lower energy consumption
Air pollution is linked to adverse birth outcomes in India
Using viral load tests to help predict mpox severity when skin lesions first appear
Engineered cell cross-talk unlocks CAR-T potential against glioblastoma
Regional disparities in US media coverage of archaeology research
Coral larvae travelling further makes populations stronger
First of its kind study for children with arthritis reveals possible new disease targets
Financing innovation: proposal for novel adaptive platform trial fund offers new model for ALS drug development
Disparities in treatment and referral after an opioid overdose among emergency department patients
[Press-News.org] 'NHS should replace traditional autopsies with non-invasive alternative'Group chaired by University of Leicester forensic pathology expert recommends Department of Health should create national autopsy imaging service