Changes to the influenza vaccination programme to include children aged two to four years are reflected in this month's online update to the British National Formulary and the BNF for Children. http://www.pjonline.com/news/bnf66_updates_vaccination_and_iv_iron_advice

Going on a health kick reverses ageing at the cellular level, researchers say. The University of California team says it has found the first evidence a strict regime of exercise, diet and meditation can have such an effect. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24111357

Colgate Is trying to patent caffeinated toothbrushes.
http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/colgate-is-trying-to-patent-caffeinated-toothbrushes

Today we know the molecular cause of 4,000 diseases, but treatments are available for only 250 of them. So what's taking so long? Geneticist and physician Francis Collins explains why systematic drug discovery is imperative, even for rare and complex diseases, and offers a few solutions -- like teaching old drugs new tricks. Francis Collins is the Director of the National Institutes of Health and was a key player in the completion of the Human Genome Project.
http://www.ted.com/talks/francis_collins_we_need_better_drugs_now.html

Modern psychiatric drugs treat the chemistry of the whole brain, but neurobiologist David Anderson believes in a more nuanced view of how the brain functions. He illuminates new research that could lead to targeted psychiatric medications – that work better and avoid side effects. How's he doing it? For a start, by making a bunch of fruit flies angry. Watch the TED Talk here.

Federal officials warned Tuesday that "nightmare bacteria" - including the deadly superbug that struck a National Institutes of Health facility two years ago - are increasingly resistant to even the strongest antibiotics, posing a growing threat to hospitals and nursing homes nationwide. Read article here.

General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) announced today, 8 February 2013, that renewal fees for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacies will remain at their current levels of £240, £108 and £211 respectively for 2013/14. Full article here.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of Xeljanz (tofacitinib) for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who did not respond properly to, or who did not tolerate methotrexate. Full article here.

The rise in drug resistant infections is comparable to the threat of global warming, according to the chief medical officer for England.
Prof Dame Sally Davies said bacteria were becoming resistant to current drugs and there were few antibiotics to replace them.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21178718

Can I let you in on a secret? Typing two spaces after a period is totally, completely, utterly, and inarguably wrong.
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2011/01/space_invaders.single.html

The truth about natural cold remedies.
http://www.healthline.com/health/cold-flu/natural-cold-remedies-infographic

Two weeks into Ted Kaptchuk's first randomized clinical drug trial, nearly a third of his 270 subjects complained of awful side effects. All the patients had joined the study hoping to alleviate severe arm pain: carpal tunnel, tendinitis, chronic pain in the elbow, shoulder, wrist. In one part of the study, half the subjects received pain-reducing pills; the others were offered acupuncture treatments. And in both cases, people began to call in, saying they couldn't get out of bed. http://harvardmagazine.com/2013/01/the-placebo-phenomenon

An experimental "Trojan-horse" cancer therapy has completely eliminated prostate cancer in experiments on mice, according to UK researchers. The team hid cancer killing viruses inside the immune system in order to sneak them into a tumour. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20795977

The government faces "urgent" calls to overhaul pharmacy regulation after a BBC investigation exposed numerous chemists illegally selling dangerous and addictive drugs. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20633639

Each of our bodies is utterly unique, which is a lovely thought until it comes to treating an illness – when every body reacts differently, often unpredictably, to standard treatment. Tissue engineer Nina Tandon talks about a possible solution: Using pluripotent stem cells to make personalized models of organs on which to test new drugs and treatments, and storing them on computer chips. (Call it extremely personalized medicine.) http://www.ted.com/talks/nina_tandon_could_tissue_engineering_mean_personalized_medicine.html

The United Kingdom and Ireland Controlled Release Society (UKICRS) are running a science essay competition. Essays are now invited that address the following general topic: 'Fast forward: drug delivery in the Year 2050'. Entrants are encouraged to approach the topic and the essay in whatever manner they see fit. The technologies described could be extrapolated from current systems or be entirely speculative. More details are available here: http://www.ukicrs.org

In a first for any infectious disease, a vaccine against flu has been made out of messenger RNA (mRNA) – the genetic material that controls the production of proteins. Unlike its predecessors, the new vaccine may work for life, and it may be possible to manufacture it quickly enough to stop a pandemic.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22529-new-vaccine-may-give-lifelong-protection-from-flu.html