Headlines
MedicalA model for pharmacists[Sasha Planting] Dis-Chem is one of SA's largest unlisted retailers and it's expanding aggressively by franchising its model. National Health Ammendment Bill on the back burnerJames Ngculu has confirmed that the controversial National Health Ammendment Bill is on hold. Do you really understand what that label is telling you?When it comes to the list of ingredients you find on some products, it's as well to double-check some of the claims that the manufacturer makes and also understand exactly what the terms really mean. Toys as distractions for burn victimsTechnology saves children pain. Clicks pharmacy conference judged a success - Magna Carta Clicks, the industry leader in the field of retail pharmacy in South Africa, held its second annual Pharmacy Conference from Wednesday, 10th September - Friday, 12th September in Cape Town at the Convention Centre. Advertisement: | M-NET Breast Cancer Luncheon.
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Chronic diseases
Corporate Social ResponsibilitySiemens Pan Africa Profile Awards open for 2008 competition - RedlineAiming to honour African journalists who excel in science and technology journalism, the 2008 Siemens Africa Profile Awards competition has opened, with entries invited for work published in print and online media, or broadcast media between January and December 2008.
Ear, nose & throatResearchers to look at relationship between tinnitus and defects in the inner earResearchers at the University of Essex have received a three-year studentship from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) to investigate the relationship between tinnitus and defects in the inner ear.
Food crisisMalnutrition, West Africa's steady killerThe European Commission (EC) is ready to increase its aid to fight malnutrition in Burkina Faso if current EC nutrition projects prove to be "success stories," said its humanitarian chief Louis Michel.
HIV/AIDSTaking antiretrovirals and anti-TB drugs together could halve deathsCombining antiretroviral (ARV) therapy with treatment for tuberculosis (TB) could more than halve the current mortality rate among patients co-infected with HIV and TB, saving an estimated 10 000 lives a year in South Africa. Rath drops case agains the UK Guardian newspaperMatthias Rath has dropped his charges against the UK's Guardian newspaper. Namibia: Strategies to keep patients on ARVsJust over 50 percent of HIV-positive Namibians thought to be in need of life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) treatment are accessing the drugs, but the country is struggling to keep track of patients. Roman occupation of Europe may have destroyed resistance to HIVA gene variant that confers some resistance to HIV may have been wiped out in Europe by the Romans. Communities respond well to Tutu Tester - Redline A brightly coloured van is drawing the crowds for health screening.
Infectious diseasesFlesh-eating Buruli ulcer disease spreads in BeninA tropical flesh-eating disease, Buruli ulcer, is spreading across West Africa and has infected at least 40,000 people leaving them with bloody infected wounds and swollen skin ulcers, which at their worst, require surgery or amputation, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Benin: Flesh-eating Buruli ulcer ‘neglected disease' spreadsA tropical flesh-eating disease, Buruli ulcer, is spreading across West Africa and has infected at least 40,000 people leaving them with bloody infected wounds and swollen skin ulcers, which at their worst, require surgery or amputation, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Guinea-Bissau: Cholera epidemic out of controlWith 6,461 cholera cases and 122 deaths, experts say the cholera epidemic in Guinea-Bissau is out of control. Trapped rat scratch kills womanA British woman has died from a rare disease after being scratched by a wild rat.
Medical ResearchResearchers turn plant cells into medical factoriesVTT Technical Research Centre of Finland will coordinate the large EU research project called SmartCell. The four-year project focuses on developing methods for production of valuable pharmaceutical compounds using plant cells as a production host in an effective and controlled manner. Giving babies paracetamol raises their risk of asthmaUse of paracetamol in babies increases the risk of developing asthma five years later, a study of more than 200 000 children suggests. Research and IT could win... if Obama wins[Ruchi Mallya] Presidential hopeful Barack Obama's stance on biological and biomedical research a win-win for life science research and IT sectors in the United States. British scientists to develop blood test for Alzheimer'sResearchers from Nottingham's two universities are joining forces to develop a simple blood test to diagnose Alzheimer's disease. Substance in plastics linked with human diseasesThe results of a new study which has linked a chemical commonly used to make plastic containers, to human diseases, is adding to an already heated debate about he safety of such products. New drug might make tumour cells more sensitive to therapyScientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have shown that it might be possible to make tumour cells more sensitive to irradiation and some types of chemotherapy by treating them with a drug that cripples their ability to repair DNA damage caused by these therapies. Lifestyle changes reduce cell ageingComprehensive lifestyle changes improve levels of enzyme telomerase, involved in cell ageing.
Medical TechnologyWorld's first hand-held ultrasound imaging deviceSiemens Canada Limited has partnered with Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) to implement the new ACUSON P10 ultrasound system - which the manufacturer claims is the world's first hand-held ultrasound imaging device - replacing the existing technology. New technology for the early diagnosis of breast cancerScientists from Finland, Germany and the ESRF have developed a new X-ray technique for the early detection of breast cancer.
NeurologyAdvice for summer headaches - Idea EngineersSummer can be a painful time for people who suffer from headaches.
NutritionPhoto diet logs help weight lossPhotographs make dieters think before they eat.
Obstetrics and GynaecologyObesity raises the risk of miscarriageWomen who have had a miscarriage could be at greater risk of miscarrying again if they are obese, research suggests.
OncologySquirrels may know a cure for cancer!Scientists in the United States believe they have discovered a previously unknown anti-cancer mechanism in some rodents. Prostate cancer genes behave like those in embryoGene activity in prostate cancer is reminiscent of that in the developing foetal prostate, providing further evidence that all cancers are not equal, Johns Hopkins researchers report. The finding could help scientists investigate how to manipulate the genetic program to fight a disease whose biology remains poorly understood despite more than half a century of investigation. Avastin the only biologic to show overall survival benefit in some patients with colorectal cancer - The Mail RoomNew data confirms Avastin as the only biologic to demonstrate overall survival when used first-line in metastatic colorectal cancer patients with K-RAS (wild-type) gene status.
PaediatricsMother's flu vaccine protects newbornsNewborns can be protected from seasonal flu when their mothers are vaccinated during pregnancy.
Pharmaceutical companiesAstraZeneca stamping out counterfeiting - Simonsays CommunicationsAstraZeneca has taken a step forward in safeguarding patient wellbeing with the introduction of a Tamper Evident Security Seal (TESS) on the packaging of its antibiotic, Meronem® (meropenem trihydrate). Aspen establishes its international platform for future growth - Shauneen Beukes CommunicationsJSE listed Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited, Africa's largest pharmaceutical manufacturer, is pleased to announce positive results for the year ended 30 June 2008.
Public healthCell phones used to combat polio in KenyaA cell phone based health application has helped to investigate and contain a polio outbreak that threatened thousands in East Africa. Healthworker strike in Guinea suspendedSome government health employees returned to work on 18 September after the Federation of Health Workers Union announced the temporary suspension of its most recent 10-day strike. No such thing as a safe tanBritish and US researchers call for an end to all tanning - including sunbeds.
Women's healthPain-relieving gel makes mammograms a less painful experienceWomen dreading the prospect of another painful mammogram can, according to researchers, relieve some of the breast discomfort by using a pain-relieving gel. | 
This weekend Thabo Mbeki made South African political history. He did the right thing and is intending to resign in the wake of allegations of political manipulation of the NPA over the Jacob Zuma corruption case. I have mixed feelings about his resignation - realising on the one hand that it is necessary for somone in government to finally do the right thing and resign when they are accused of wrong-doing - but also slightly fearful of the potential political turmoil that we may be about to experience.