CTICC's 2011 conference win to bring underwater medicine into focus - HWB Communications
Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) has won its bid to host the triennial International Congress on Hyperbaric Medicine in 2011, bringing leading specialists in the treatment of decompression sickness and underwater medicine to South Africa.

Young cyclist won't let diabetes keep her off the road
Few 12-year-olds would be able to tackle the strenuous upcoming Pick n Pay 94.7 Cycle Challenge, even more so if they had diabetes. Team Roche Accu-Chek's youngest member, Michaela da Silva, will not only take on the hills of Johannesburg soon, but also the misperception that people with diabetes cannot live life the way they want to.

No cart required - The Heart and Stroke Foundation SA
The Heart and Stroke Foundation's Bellville Golf Classic takes place on the 28 November. Proceeds raised from this event go towards the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Children's Programme, which educates disadvantaged children on heart healthy habits from a young age and has reached almost 1,9 million children on a national basis.

A calendar that celebrates life
Moments In Time bridges the divide with legacy calendar that celebrates the tapestry of life in all its fullness.


Have you pumped your brand?
The Playpump system not only helps you to help rural communities to obtain clean drinking water, it also provides you with an excellent medium to advertise and promote your company and its products to the community. For further details, and to see how you can make a wonderful contribution to the wellbeing of rural communities, click here. And have you thought of taking out a Bizcommunity.com Commercial Feature? It's a great way to tell the world about your company. For further details, email junita@bizcommunity.com.

Scientists say snakebites are a neglected threat to public health
Scientists are warning that snakebites are a neglected threat - they say snakebites cause considerable death and injury worldwide and pose an important yet neglected threat to public health.

Achmat blames Mbeki for AIDS deaths
Speaking to the BBC, Zachie Achmat has blamed Mbeki for more than 300 000 AIDS deaths.

Delaying the start of HIV treatment increases mortality
Delaying the start of antiretroviral treatment in people with a CD4 T cell count of between 351 and 500 raises the risk of mortality by 70%.

Gambia: An unexpected result of a herbal HIV 'cure'
resident Yahya Jammeh's traditional herbal treatment for HIV has had an unanticipated side-effect, say HIV experts in the country - rather than pulling people towards a herbal cure, it has raised the profile of conventional antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to treat HIV.

Haiti: Voodoo priests enlisted in AIDS fight
Clement Bouvais, a Haitian voodoo priest, presides over the Temple de Nos Ancetres (Temple of Our Ancestors), a windowless wooden structure painted in fading shades of blue and red on a narrow side street in the southern coastal town of Jacmel.


Circumcision not the answer to HIV in South Africa
A new study shows that circumcised men in South Africa are as likely to be HIV-positive as uncircumcised men.

BD Biosciences announces availability of new CD4 technology in Africa - Meropa Communications
HIV/AIDS patients to benefit from more effective and rapid monitoring tool.

SA higher education adopts policy framework to mitigate HIV and AIDS at institutions - Meropa Communications
The higher education section recognises the impact of HIV at institutions.

In Zimbabwe even a short prison sentence could mean death
Zimbabwe's prison walls have not insulated inmates from the effects of the country's economic meltdown. A recent report has warned that the nation's 55 prisons have become "death traps", with conditions deteriorating rapidly and diseases spreading even faster.

Malaria deaths fall in east and west Africa
Two new studies show that the burden of disease caused by malaria has fallen in recent years on both sides of Africa.

Vitamin may help those with Alzheimer's disease
Vitamin B3 may boost memory in Alzheimer's patients and even in younger people.

New drug tricks body into burning fat
A drug developed in France tricks the body into burning fat, even on a high fat diet.

Brain circuitry research offers hope of paralysis cure
The success of groundbreaking laboratory research with monkeys has made it feasible for scientists to talk about having cures for spinal cord injuries and other paralyzing conditions within just five short years. Using computer-assisted technology, scientists were able to reroute neuronal signals from monkeys' brains, enabling them to move paralyzed wrists.

Why we buy: Brain waves don't lie
It's the holy grail of marketing analytics - an unbiased look into the neurological signals underlying purchasing decisions. Scientists in England have been using neuroimaging to measure people's responses to marketing messages.

Revised standards proposed for processed cereal-based foods
[Vivian Warby] In light of the increasing levels of malnutrition coupled with food insecurity and high food prices, a standard for processed cereal-based foods for malnourished infants and young children has been proposed.

Clinical trials show benefit of increasing fibre intake - The Write Agency
Increased fibre intake related to positive effects on glycemic control and decrease incidence of colorectal cancer and coronary heart disease.

Drug for diabetes may be banned in the US
A major consumer group in the US has asked the Food and Drug Administration to ban the diabetes drug rosiglitazone.

Green space may cut the health gap between rich and poor
Scottish researchers say that 'a bit of greenery' near our homes could reduce the incidence of illness in everyone.

Congo: Heavy rains cause chaos and disease outbreaks feared
Days of torrential rain have caused severe damage to the capital of the Republic of Congo and given rise to fears of water-borne disease.

Financial crisis could cut official aid by 30%
The financial crisis is expected to have a severe impact on humanitarian funding, with some analysts projecting cuts in official development assistance (ODA) of up to a third or more.


US petition calls for FDA to regulate energy drinks
One hundred scientists and physicians have written a letter to the US Food and Drug Administration asking for more regulation of increasingly popular energy drinks because their high caffeine content puts young drinkers at possible risk for caffeine intoxication and higher rates of alcohol-related injuries.


Zimbabwe: Hunting for good garbage to eat
Desperate entrepreneurs are scouring rubbish dumps, abattoirs and poisoned waterways for scraps of food to eat or sell to other equally hungry Zimbabweans in a bid for survival.

Helping health providers treat victims of trafficking
Health providers - frequently the first professional a trafficking victim consults for help - are often thrust into the fight against organised crime without adequate preparation, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

SA higher education adopts policy framework to mitigate HIV and AIDS at institutions - Meropa Communications
A Policy Framework on HIV and AIDS for Higher Education Institutions in South Africa was adopted by the Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, and the 23 public sector higher education institutions in South Africa.

Global conference to strengthen international tobacco control treaty - Meropa Communications
Robust guidelines needed as tobacco-related deaths hit 5.4 million a year.

Changing the face of breast health management - Mango-OMC
Authored by Professor Justus Apffelstaedt, Associate Professor University of Stellenbosch and Head of the Breast Clinic Tygerberg Hospital, the first benchmark analysis for screening mammography in Africa has been accepted for publication by the South African Medical Journal (December 2008).