HIV campaign for deaf on TV

Brothers for Life (B4L), a national men's campaign, is providing HIV prevention information to South Africa's deaf population on TV in November 2009 through a minute of silence. During this time, Eric Mahamba from Khayelitsha will sign a message to viewers. Read more >>

Gene therapy saves two children with adrenoleukodystrophy

The ELA Association represents the largest funder for research on this fatal brain disease. Read more >>

Commonly used pain reliever may be associated with asthma in children and adults

New research shows that the widely used pain reliever acetaminophen may be associated with an increased risk of asthma and wheezing in both children and adults exposed to the drug. Read more >>

Impact of exposure to metals on Parkinson's disease revealed

Prolonged exposure to metals, pesticides or environmental chemicals contribute to Parkinson's disease. Read more >>

Conference calls on government to support philanthropy

At the Inyathelo conference on ‘Our World: Our Responsibility' held on Tuesday 3 November 2009 in Cape Town, philanthropist and supporter of the Red Cross Children's hospital in Cape Town, Amanda Bloch, criticised the tunnel vision of government departments and called for SARS to develop policies that support philanthropy. Read more >>

Tickled pink by charity support

Reach for Recovery, a non-profit organisation that provides free, non-medical support to breast cancer sufferers through its national programmes, will be the total beneficiary of all sales of Edgars' Tickled Pink fragrance and accompanying gift set. Read more >>

Absa's Casual day is a winner

At the fourth Mail & Guardian ‘Investing in the Future' awards ceremony held last week, Absa won the Company Partnership Award for its Casual Day campaign. Read more >>

Japanese data suggests a protocol for schools to follow during H1N! pandemic

As flu season approaches in the northern hemisphere, parents around the country are starting to face school closures. However, flu is one of those illnesses that can strike any time of the year, and when it comes to H1Ni (swine flu), how should schools react? Read more >>

Researchers discover a fungal protein that causes disease in plants and animals

Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech and Montana State University have discovered a fungal protein that plays a key role in causing disease in plants and animals and which also shields the pathogen from oxidative stress. Read more >>

Green tea holds hope for prevention of oral cancer

Green tea extract has shown promise as cancer prevention agent for oral cancer in patients with a pre-malignant condition known as oral leukoplakia, according to researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Centre. Read more >>

Scientists identify compounds that hold promise for treating parasitic infection

Using an unconventional approach that they designed, University of Pittsburgh drug discoverers and their collaborators at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research have identified compounds that hold promise for treating leishmaniasis, a parasitic infection that many consider one of the world's most overlooked diseases. The findings are available online today in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Read more >>

Risk of postoperative visual loss is highest after heart surgery

Imagine waking up after surgery to find out you have lost your sight—permanently. Although rare, postoperative visual loss is a well-recognized complication of anaesthesia and surgery that is more common after certain types of procedures and in some groups of patients, according to a study in the November issue of Anaesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anaesthesia Research Society (IARS). Read more >>

Future for magnetic nanoparticles appears even brighter

Whether it's magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) giving an army of 'therapeutically armed' white blood cells direction to invade a deadly tumour's territory, or the use of mNPs to target specific nerve channels and induce nerve-led behaviour (such as the life-dependant thumping of our hearts), mNPs have come a long way in the past decade. Read more >>

Elevated PSA levels in men are not necessarily a predictor of the need for a prostate biopsy: Study

Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered that some elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in men may be caused by a hormone normally occurring in the body, and are not necessarily a predictor of the need for a prostate biopsy. Read more >>

Changes in PSA over time aid prostate cancer detection

European Urology article discusses results from large study. Read more >>

Egg sensitivity and flu shot: doctors' dilemma

"My three-year-old had a skin breakout we think was due to eggs - is it safe to do a flu shot?" It's a question being asked to every doctor who takes care of kids during flu season. Read more >>

Children who drink full-fat milk every day have a lower BMI: Study

Eight-year-old children who drink full-fat milk every day have a lower BMI than those who seldom drink milk. This is not the case for children who often drink medium-fat or low-fat milk. This is one conclusion of a thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Read more >>

Food advertising aimed at children contributes to obesity

Children's networks exposed young viewers to 76% more food commercials per hour than other networks. Read more >>

Fresh look for dental clinics

Ten dental clinics in Soweto have been given an Aquafresh facelift in a bid to reach and educate two critical target markets - dentists and residents. Read more >>

Golfers find new motivation for using CPAP

Nasal positive airway pressure therapy for sleep apnea golfers may improve their game. Read more >>

New breast reconstruction surgery for women

Since her teens, Jennifer Jablon had watched family members deal with breast cancer during their 40s, 50s, and 60s. She wondered whether it would be her fate too. Read more >>

Higher testosterone levels in older women are associated with increased health risks

Postmenopausal women who have higher testosterone levels may be at greater risk of heart disease, insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome compared to women with lower testosterone levels, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). This new information is an important step, say researchers, in understanding the role that hormones play in women's health. Read more >>