Opening up GP surgery hours

Health ministers have ordered doctors to make themselves more accessible, at times that suit the patient rather than the doctor, so expect that grumpy receptionist to become a little less unyielding.

And as part of the campaign to increase access to your GP, doctors will be encouraged to allow patients to e-mail their symptoms, to be dealt with in a virtual surgery.

More effective disease diagnosis

You will start to hear diseases spoken about in a different way, for example asthmas rather than asthma.

What's going on? It's a long overdue recognition that diseases are not usually one uniform condition but may comprise several distinct varieties, each of which respond to treatments in a different way. Recognising a disease phenotype (its physical characteristics) more accurately is likely to lead to more effective treatment.

Access to patient records

Expect a big showdown over access to patient records. Researchers want access to the 50 million records held by the NHS so that they can identify patients with particular conditions and seek their participation in clinical trials. The row isn't about whether someone should or shouldn't be included in a trial, just whether they can be approached by researchers, so-called consent to consent.

Critics says this would be a breach of trust and that privacy should be the overriding consideration. Researchers say that using patient information in this way will benefit the health of individuals and society

Over-the-counter drugs

The prescription pad is dead, almost. More and more traditionally prescription-only medications will become available over the counter next year. These may include antibiotics for cystitis and fat-busting obesity treatments, such as Orlistat.

No brand names, please

From next year the NHS will prepare to dispense only generic non-branded products, even if the doctor issues a prescription using a brand name. For example, when a prescription is handed in for Calpol or a Ventolin inhaler, the patient will receive an unbranded paracetamol children's suspension or an “own-label” salbutamol inhaler.

Cosmetic surgery for teens

More teens are approaching plastic surgeons to treat embarrassing conditions such as male breast growth and enlarged female genitalia, and doctors expect numbers to continue to grow. Awareness of these conditions has increased in the past year, mainly through the TV and internet, and more teens are realising that these ailments, which start in puberty, are treatable with surgery.

Let's talk about feelings

Mental health charities expect the financial gloom to trigger depression and other mental health issues, and are encouraging people to address these as early as possible. The charity Mind is launching a campaign targeted at men, encouraging them to be more open about their mental health. Men are four times more likely than women to experience depression after redundancy.

Organ swaps

There will be a growth in organ swaps next year. Run by the Human Tissue Authority, “pooled” donations are for patients who cannot find a match within their friends or family. The patient signs up to the pool with a friend or family member, who agrees to donate their organ to someone else in the pool if a match is found for their loved one.

BEAUTY

Stem cells and hair

Every hair on our head grows from a follicle and every follicle originates from a stem cell in our scalp. Scientists will next year unveil a new product that protects these stem cells against damage and degradation, acting as an insurance policy against future hair loss. Unfortunately, it won't treat existing hair loss.

Bodylifts

Surgeons predict that body-sculpting - whole body liposuction that radically alters body shape - will be big news. The eight-hour operation slims legs, flattens tummies and removes love handles, and only requires three days recovery. However, new bodies don't come cheap; the procedure costs about £10,000.

Beautynomics

Gone are the days of three types of skin: normal, combination and dry. From next year, scientists will tailor face creams exactly to your skin, by examining your genetics. By taking skins cells from the top layer of skin, via a sticky Sellotape-like strip, scientists hope to delve into the genetics of a person's skin cells and tailor face creams to their individual biology.

Neon make-up

Every recession seems to encourage women to look jollier. Cue fluorescent make-up, Mintel, the market research group, predicts that it will be one of the top playful distractions next year.

Virtual reality hair

Hair products that have been developed using virtual hair will reach the market.

By analysing the hair of 3,000 people in 80 countries, scientists have formulated a computer model of a full head of hair, taking into account its mechanical and physical properties. By simulating different atmospheric conditions, such as wind and rain, researchers will use this system to develop hair styling products that will effectively de-frizz, smooth or volumise.

NUTRITION

Childhood obesity

Next year will by the year of slim children. Researchers have realised that most overweight children are already obese by the age of 5, and so the diet and lifestyles of pre-schoolers will be under the spotlight. Expect more ranges of pure, natural and health-boosting toddler foods to hit the shelves. Plus researchers will be investigating how a pregnant woman's diet affects the health and weight of her child in later life.

Enhancing taste

Food will taste better. Scientists will develop eating strategies that enhance flavour, in an effort to help people to consume less. One team recently revealed that eating ice cream from a cone tastes better that eating it from a spoon, as the mixture forms a thin layer across the whole of the tongue. Expect more techniques next year. Plus, chefs are predicting spices to make a comeback, as people will be buying cheaper cuts of meat.

Chocolate

Experts believe that chocolate sales will thrive as people seek respite from the financial doom and gloom. And yet scientists are warning that our favourite sweet may be in peril, with the cacao tree blighted by disease and drought. Researchers will get busy investigating how to save the tree, and decoding its DNA.

Animal welfare

Expect a big push for an improvement in animal health and welfare. As food production becomes increasingly industrialised,

the food chain is feeling the pressure. Experts believe this is leading to bugs, such as E.coli, and other contamination slipping into food production. The best way to prevent this from happening, they say, is to go back to the source of the food - the livestock - and ensure that animals are reared in healthy living conditions and are vaccinated against disease.

SCIENCE

Research by supercomputer

Scientists will be using supercomputers to find new drugs for diseases. The Grid is a network of 11 computing centres in ten countries, which together create the greatest data processing capacity ever seen. It was designed to process data from the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, the facility investigating the origins of the Universe, but scientists are hoping to use it in the coming years to crunch reams of data from biological experiments, and create a shortlist of the drugs that are most likely to offer the potential for disease cures.

Stem cells

The US President-elect, Barack Obama, looks likely to lift the ban on providing public funding for human embryonic stem-cell research. This will allow American universities to perform research on the controversial cells, paving the way for new treatments for a range of conditions, from spinal cord injury to Parkinson's. Further, after years of anticipation, it is widely believed that the first human trial of human embryonic stem cells will begin next year. The American company Geron is hoping to get federal approval to conduct a trial of stem cell treatments in spinal cord patients.

Artificial carers for the elderly

In an effort to cope with the ageing population, scientists will next year investigate how to harness the power of technology to allow people to remain in their homes for longer.

One avenue of research is computer carers. A team of Canadian researchers recently developed an artificial intelligence system that prompts people with moderate dementia to wash their hands.

Sniffing out cancer

The enose - an array of sensors on a chip that react to the molecules in the air, pictured below - is soon to be used in health: the enose will “sniff” exhaled breath to monitor lung infection. Coming soon is a test for lung cancer, depending on the presence of certain chemicals in the breath.

Unlocking addiction

Scientists are hoping finally to get to grips with the neuroscience of addiction, to find out why some people are more prone to addiction to others, whether it be drink, drugs, nicotine or gambling. And considering that these vices become more common in an economic downturn, this research is urgently required.

Liquid bones

Scientists have developed a form of liquid bone that can be used as a bone graft in surgery. The toothpaste-like substance, developed by the Nottingham company Regentec, is injected into the body and hardens within 15 minutes The material degrades and allows new bone to replace it gradually. The mixture may enter clinical trials next year.

開(kāi)放全科醫(yī)師的門(mén)診時(shí)間

歷任衛(wèi)生大臣都已經(jīng)命令醫(yī)生們配合患者而不是醫(yī)生自己的時(shí)間而使得接觸更加方便，因此希望粗暴的接待人員少一點(diǎn)生硬。

加強(qiáng)接觸您的全科醫(yī)師的運(yùn)動(dòng)的內(nèi)容之一就是要鼓勵(lì)醫(yī)生們?cè)试S患者把其癥狀用電子郵件傳達(dá)過(guò)來(lái)進(jìn)行一個(gè)虛擬門(mén)診。

提高疾病診斷效率

你要開(kāi)始用另外的方式聆聽(tīng)病情闡述，比如說(shuō)氣喘類(lèi)疾病而不是氣喘。

怎么回事? 有一個(gè)老生常談的共識(shí)，疾病通常并非一種單一的病況而可能包括幾種顯性類(lèi)型，每一類(lèi)型又對(duì)應(yīng)著不同的治療手段。更準(zhǔn)確地鑒別一種疾病表型(其物理特性)容易產(chǎn)生更有效的療法。

接觸病歷

接觸病歷估計(jì)有一番大比拼。研究者們想要接觸國(guó)民醫(yī)療保健體系控制的五千萬(wàn)份病歷，以便鑒別病況特殊的患者，并尋求他們對(duì)臨床試驗(yàn)的參與。問(wèn)題不在于哪個(gè)應(yīng)該或不應(yīng)該參加試驗(yàn)，只是他們能否被研究者們接觸到，所謂的你情我愿。

批評(píng)家們說(shuō)這會(huì)違反信用而隱私應(yīng)優(yōu)先于考慮。研究者們說(shuō)這樣使用患者信息將有益于個(gè)人和社會(huì)的健康。

非處方藥

處方箋幾乎絕跡。越來(lái)越多傳統(tǒng)處方藥到明年都可以通過(guò)柜臺(tái)購(gòu)買(mǎi)。其中可能包括膀胱炎和減肥藥所用抗生素，比如Orlistat （奧利司他）。

請(qǐng)不要用品牌

從明年起，國(guó)民醫(yī)療保健體制將籌劃只發(fā)放非品牌通用藥品，即使醫(yī)生開(kāi)出使用品牌的處方。例如， 當(dāng)交來(lái)一個(gè)處方需要Calpol 或一支喘樂(lè)寧氣霧劑，患者將得到一支無(wú)品牌的兒童用撲熱息痛懸浮液或是一支 “自有標(biāo)簽” 沙丁安醇?xì)忪F劑。

青少年的美容手術(shù)

越來(lái)越多青少年找到整形外科醫(yī)生來(lái)治療羞于啟齒的病況，如男子隆胸和女性生殖器擴(kuò)大，醫(yī)生們預(yù)期人數(shù)將繼續(xù)上升。去年主要通過(guò)電視和網(wǎng)絡(luò)人們已經(jīng)提高了對(duì)這些病況的關(guān)注，越來(lái)越多的青少年正在認(rèn)識(shí)到，青春期發(fā)生的這些癥狀可以通過(guò)手術(shù)治好。

讓我們談?wù)劯杏X(jué)

各個(gè)精神健康慈善機(jī)構(gòu)預(yù)期金融低迷會(huì)引發(fā)抑郁癥及其它精神健康問(wèn)題，都在鼓勵(lì)人們盡早說(shuō)出癥狀。Mind慈善會(huì)正在發(fā)起一個(gè)針對(duì)男性的運(yùn)動(dòng)，鼓勵(lì)他們更加公開(kāi)其精神健康狀況。裁員后男人患抑郁的機(jī)會(huì)是女人的四倍。

器官交換

明年器官交換會(huì)增多。人體組織監(jiān)管局組織的“混合” 捐獻(xiàn)是為了未能從朋友或家人找到配型的患者�；颊咄�其一位朋友或家人簽約混合捐獻(xiàn)庫(kù)，而其朋友或家人同意若為其親愛(ài)的人找到配型就捐獻(xiàn)器官給器官庫(kù)中的其他人。

美容

干細(xì)胞和頭發(fā)

我們頭上的每根頭發(fā)都是從每個(gè)毛囊開(kāi)始生長(zhǎng)的，而每個(gè)毛囊均來(lái)源于我們頭皮里的每個(gè)干細(xì)胞。明年，科學(xué)家將揭開(kāi)一種新產(chǎn)品的面紗，保護(hù)這些干細(xì)胞免受損害和分解，作為防止未來(lái)脫發(fā)的一個(gè)保全之策。不幸的是，它不能治療當(dāng)前的脫發(fā)。

瘦身

外科醫(yī)生預(yù)測(cè)塑身- 能徹底改變體形的全身抽脂術(shù) – 將會(huì)是大新聞。八小時(shí)的手術(shù)使腿變得修長(zhǎng)、肚皮變得平坦、腰間贅肉消失，而且只需三天的恢復(fù)期。然而，新造的身體可不便宜；手術(shù)過(guò)程要花費(fèi)大約一萬(wàn)英鎊。

美容經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)

三類(lèi)皮膚：中性、混合型和干性的日子一去不復(fù)返了。從明年開(kāi)始，科學(xué)家們將通過(guò)檢查您的遺傳學(xué)因素而為您的皮膚恰到好處地調(diào)配面霜。利用一條粘膩的類(lèi)似Sellotape的膠帶把皮膚細(xì)胞從皮膚表層吸出，科學(xué)家們希望探究一個(gè)人的皮膚的遺傳特性，按其各自的生物特性而調(diào)配面霜。

夜上濃妝

每次經(jīng)濟(jì)蕭條似乎都促使女性看起來(lái)更加快活。Mintel市場(chǎng)咨詢(xún)公司預(yù)測(cè)，熒光化妝將是明年最好玩的娛樂(lè)之一。

虛擬現(xiàn)實(shí)頭發(fā)

用虛擬頭發(fā)開(kāi)發(fā)出的頭發(fā)產(chǎn)品將會(huì)面市。

通過(guò)分析80個(gè)國(guó)家的3000人的頭發(fā)，考慮頭發(fā)的力學(xué)和物理特性，科學(xué)家們已經(jīng)設(shè)計(jì)了一個(gè)有滿(mǎn)頭黑發(fā)的計(jì)算機(jī)模特。通過(guò)模擬風(fēng)雨等各種天氣狀況，研究者們將利用此系統(tǒng)開(kāi)發(fā)有效去卷、平滑或蓬松的美發(fā)產(chǎn)品。

營(yíng)養(yǎng)

兒童肥胖癥

明年將是瘦孩子的一年。研究者們已經(jīng)認(rèn)識(shí)到，大多數(shù)超重孩子5歲時(shí)就已發(fā)胖，所以學(xué)齡前兒童的飲食和生活習(xí)慣將會(huì)曝光。預(yù)計(jì)會(huì)有更多種純凈天然保健的兒童食品擺上貨架。此外，研究者們還要 調(diào)查孕婦的飲食怎樣影響其孩子日后的健康和體重。

增味

食物將會(huì)更好吃�？茖W(xué)家們將研究出增味飲食策略以幫助人們少吃。 有一個(gè)研究小組最近發(fā)現(xiàn)，從蛋筒中比從調(diào)羹中吃冰淇淋更好味，因?yàn)楸�淇淋混合物在整個(gè)舌頭上形成薄薄的一層。預(yù)計(jì)明年將有更多技術(shù)。此外，大廚們預(yù)測(cè)調(diào)味料會(huì)回歸，因?yàn)槿藗儗⒁�買(mǎi)便宜點(diǎn)的肉片。

巧克力

專(zhuān)家們相信，巧克力會(huì)暢銷(xiāo)，因?yàn)槿藗儗�從金融厄運(yùn)和低迷中尋求喘息之機(jī)。但科學(xué)家們警告說(shuō)， 由于可可樹(shù)因疫情和干旱而枯萎，我們最喜愛(ài)的甜食可能面臨危險(xiǎn)。研究者們將忙于調(diào)查如何搶救可可樹(shù)并破解其DNA密碼。

動(dòng)物福利

動(dòng)物健康福利方面預(yù)計(jì)將大為改善。由于食品生產(chǎn)越來(lái)越工業(yè)化，食物鏈正在感受壓力。專(zhuān)家們相信這正在讓大腸桿菌等細(xì)菌及其它污染物混入食品生產(chǎn)中。他們說(shuō)，防止它發(fā)生的最好方法就是回歸食物的源頭- 家畜- 并保證動(dòng)物在衛(wèi)生的生活條件下飼養(yǎng)和免疫。

科學(xué)

利用巨型計(jì)算機(jī)的研究

科學(xué)家們將利用巨型計(jì)算機(jī)來(lái)尋找新的抗病藥物。Grid是一個(gè)分布于十個(gè)國(guó)家的11個(gè)計(jì)算中心組成的網(wǎng)絡(luò)，形成有史以來(lái)最大的數(shù)據(jù)處理能力。它原是為瑞士的大型強(qiáng)子對(duì)撞機(jī)處理數(shù)據(jù)而設(shè)計(jì)的，該機(jī)構(gòu)是研究宇宙起源的，但科學(xué)家們希望在未來(lái)幾年利用它來(lái)分析浩繁的生物實(shí)驗(yàn)數(shù)據(jù)，篩選出最可能治愈疾病的一系列藥物。

干細(xì)胞

美國(guó)當(dāng)選總統(tǒng)巴拉克·奧巴馬看來(lái)要取消為人類(lèi)胚胎干細(xì)胞研究提供公共基金的禁令。這將允許美國(guó)各大學(xué)開(kāi)展對(duì)這種頗有爭(zhēng)議的細(xì)胞的研究，為開(kāi)發(fā)從脊髓損傷到帕金森癥等一系列疾病的新療法掃清道路。而且，經(jīng)過(guò)多年企盼，人們廣為相信，第一次人類(lèi)胚胎干細(xì)胞的人體試驗(yàn)會(huì)于明年開(kāi)始。美國(guó)Geron 公司希望獲得聯(lián)邦政府的批準(zhǔn)，開(kāi)展一次脊髓患者的干細(xì)胞治療試驗(yàn)。

老人的人工護(hù)理員

為應(yīng)對(duì)老齡化人口，科學(xué)家們將在明年研究如何控制科技實(shí)力讓人們居家時(shí)間更長(zhǎng)。

一個(gè)研究方向是電腦護(hù)理員。最近一個(gè)加拿大研究小組開(kāi)發(fā)了一種人工智能系統(tǒng)，提示中度癡呆的患者洗手。

嗅出癌癥

電子鼻- 植于芯片上的一組傳感器，對(duì)空氣分子產(chǎn)生反應(yīng)，如下圖所示- 即將用于保健：電子鼻會(huì) “嗅” 呼出的空氣以監(jiān)控肺部感染。很快就有一個(gè)肺癌試驗(yàn)，根據(jù)氣息中的一些化學(xué)物質(zhì)存在與否而進(jìn)行。

解除上癮

科學(xué)家們希望最終掌握成癮的神經(jīng)科學(xué)，找出為什么有人比他人更易于成癮的原因，不管是飲酒、毒品、尼古丁還是賭博。鑒于這些惡習(xí)在經(jīng)濟(jì)低迷中更為常見(jiàn)，該研究是當(dāng)務(wù)之急。

液態(tài)骨

科學(xué)家們已經(jīng)開(kāi)發(fā)出一種液態(tài)骨，可用作手術(shù)中的骨移植片。把英國(guó)諾丁漢Regentec公司開(kāi)發(fā)的這種牙膏似的物質(zhì)注入體內(nèi)，15分鐘內(nèi)硬化，然后物質(zhì)降解，被新骨逐漸代替。明年該復(fù)配物可進(jìn)入臨床試驗(yàn)。