GAA welcomes Obama's announcement to lift HIV travel ban

The Global AIDS Alliance welcomes President Obama's announcement today to lift the 22 year-old U.S. travel and immigration ban on those living with HIV/AIDS. GAA Executive Director Paul Zeitz said "We congratulate President Obama on his decision to end this unfounded and discriminatory policy. This is an important sign of U.S. leadership and commitment." Read more >>

Researchers find link between foreskin and HIV infection

Randomized clinical trials conducted by researchers in Rakai, Uganda, have revealed a link between the size of foreskin surface area and the risk of male HIV acquisition. The results of the trials have been published in the current issue of AIDS, the leading journal in the field of HIV and AIDS research. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy. Read more >>

Dialysis patients at increased risk of infections during travel: Study

If you're sick, travelling to a foreign land may boost your spirits, but jeopardize your health, according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, CA. The findings indicate that dialysis patients who travel on vacation risk infections, anaemia, and other complications that can compromise their dialysis treatments. Read more >>

Smartphones for diabetic patients

Cellular phones - once a luxury used strictly for talking - have taken on many new roles in recent years. Now researchers at Saint Louis University and Old Dominion University in Virginia say smartphones can be used to help elderly diabetics manage their health and learn more about their condition. Read more >>

Kellogg's supports breast cancer group Pink Link

In support of non-profit breast cancer awareness group, Pink Link, Kellogg's Special K is attempting to break the Guinness world record for the world's largest bikini parade on 7 November 2009 at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg. The company will also donate money towards the group. Read more >>

Charity begins at home with Unilever, Team SA

On Wednesday 28 October 2009, 350 underprivileged children from the Kgosi Neighbourhood Foundation (KNF) Wings of Hope School were treated to an afternoon complete with lunch, a cupcake making lesson and a special talk on what it means to be a chef. It was given by members of the South African National Culinary Team (Team SA) as part of a charity drive initiated by Unilever Foodsolutions. Read more >>

Study indicates possibility of a vaccine to prevent Group B Streptococcus infection

Scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have completed a Phase II clinical study that indicates a vaccine to prevent Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection is possible. GBS is the most common cause of sepsis and meningitis in newborns in the United States, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It can also cause severe illness in pregnant women, the elderly and adults with chronic illnesses. Colonization of the genital or gastrointestinal tract is a critical risk factor for infections due to GBS. Read more >>

130 million children to be immunised against pneumonia

GAVI plan offers 'historic opportunity' to immunize 130 million children and further reduce mortality. Read more >>

Lipid may be vital to learning

Saturated fats have a deservedly bad reputation, but Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered that a sticky lipid occurring naturally at high levels in the brain may help us memorize grandma's recipe for cinnamon buns, as well as recall how, decades ago, she served them up steaming from the oven. Read more >>

Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks

Scientists find that Internet training can improve brain activity in older adults. Read more >>

Those maddening mosquitoes - what attracts them

Mosquitoes are attracted by naturally produced, dominant odour in humans. Read more >>

Leading US gynaecologist recommends flu shots for pregnant women

Randy A. Fink, MD says pregnant women ought to be shot - with a flu vaccination needle. “A flu shot offers double protection to both mother and baby,” says Dr. Fink, a Miami board certified specialist who was recently named one of “America's Top Obstetrician/Gynaecologists” by the Consumer Research Council. Read more >>

Immunotherapy, a new therapeutic area to destroy tumour cells

Targeted immunotherapy has been an attractive new therapeutic area for a number of cancers because it has the potential to destroy tumour cells without damaging surrounding normal tissue. New study results demonstrate high success rates using specialized white blood cells to prevent or treat lymphoma associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV-lymphoma) in patients who have received a haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). This study was pre-published online today in Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology. Read more >>

Early diagnosis of breast cancer is crucial

Being told you have cancer is a frightening experience. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women - 1 in 29 South African women will be diagnosed with it in their lifetime. In ‘Westernised' communities the incidence increases to 1 in 8 and if you have a close relative who had breast cancer, the risk increases to 1 in 6. With the economic upliftment of our population, the overall population risk will also increase. October is Breast Health Awareness Month and women throughout the world are looking at ways to reduce the risk of getting breast cancer and diagnosing it early to optimise treatment. Read more >>

Johns Hopkins researchers find life in blood-starved retinas; shed light on vision loss

Like all tissues in the body, the eye needs a healthy blood supply to function properly. Poorly developed blood vessels can lead to visual impairment or even blindness. While many of the molecules involved in guiding the development of the intricate blood vessel architecture are known, only now are we learning how these molecules work and how they might affect sight. Read more >>

Gene therapy hope to restore vision

Study shows gene therapy can restore vision to children with Leber congenital amaurosis. Read more >>

First child with a surgically implanted artificial humerus doing well after a year

When little Mark Blinder was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer, doctors at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital gave his parents three agonizing options: amputate the affected arm at the shoulder, irradiate the tumour and risk a second malignancy, or try a limb-preserving surgery that had never been attempted in a toddler. Read more >>

Women face higher risk of graft loss after liver transplantation compared to men

Although women with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are at lower risk for developing cirrhosis, researchers who compared outcomes for men and women after having liver transplantation found that women have a significantly increased risk of overall graft loss and graft loss from recurrent HCV than men. Read more >>

Girls' ethnicity and weight linked to participation in risky sexual behaviours

A University of Pittsburgh study sheds new light on the relationship between race, body weight and sexual behaviour among adolescent girls. The results suggest that a girl's ethnicity and her actual weight or perception of her weight may play a role in her participation in risky sexual behaviours. The study results are published in the November issue of Pediatrics, now available online. Read more >>