R2 million for HIV clinic

Standard Bank has assisted the Durban Christian Centre by contributing R2 million this week towards its peer education training and the development of the HIV/AIDS enhancement management programme. Read more >>

HSFSA debunks 'cookware marketing scam'

During the month of October 2009, it was reported that several “sales people” were visiting the homes of people living in the East London area promoting a cookware range approved by the Heart and Stroke Foundation SA (HSFSA). These “sales people” were, allegedly, informing consumers that they were handpicked by the HSFSA to host a cooking demonstration in their home. Read more >>

New non-surgical procedure to improve body contours

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Dermatology is offering a new non-surgical, needle-free skin-tightening procedure that doctors say smoothes wrinkles, firms up baggy or loose skin and improves body contours. Read more >>

Hemicorporectomy effective, and add years and quality of life to survivors

A landmark, 25-year review of cases in which surgeons had to remove the lower portion of the body from the waist down for severe pelvic bone infections shows the therapy can add years and quality of life to survivors, say researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Centre. Read more >>

Alcohol 'helps lower heart disease risk'

PARIS: Men who drink alcohol every day see a nearly one-third average reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease, according to a long-term study among Spanish men published on Thursday. Read more >>

Choosing the Heart Mark

The Heart Mark is a guideline and incentive for shoppers to instantly identify heart healthy products on the shelf. The brand is most recognisable on Flora, Sea Harvest and I&J products, but there are others. Read more >>

Cancer awareness with z-cards

Z-Card Africa, Middle East, India and Turkey (ZAMI) have produced PocketMedia solutions to create awareness and educate consumers about two forms of Cancer. Read more >>

Asthma - children at risk

Children exposed to pollution and indoor allergens face increased risk of asthma. Read more >>

LAIV and TIV vaccines appear to offer protection against A/H1N1 virus

Immunization with either live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV, also known as FluMist®), or trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV), appears to offer a protection (~ 45%) against the novel A/H1N1 virus, the cause of the present influenza pandemic. However, the benefit was largely attributed to the youngest age group. The finding emerges from an evaluation of medical encounters and seasonal influenza immunization of U.S. military service members. Read more >>

New report on cardiac diagnostic medical device market

Research and Markets (www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6b2656/cardiovascular_dis) has announced the addition of the Cardiovascular Disease Diagnostics - A World Market Intelligence Report report to their offering. Read more >>

New program to address mental health issues of youth and children

Every year, thousands of youngsters in Ontario experience a mental health crisis, yet the vast majority end up waiting months for psychiatric assessment and treatment because of the severe shortage of these specialists. Now a groundbreaking new program is bridging the gap between kids and care. Read more >>

Egg-donor agency claims 100 pregnancies in 100 weeks

The establishment of an egg donation surrogacy program in South Africa is claimed to have achieved significant results in successful egg donation and successful surrogacy pregnancies, contributing positively to the plight of couples who would otherwise have to adopt, or remain childless. Read more >>

Short-term follow-up a reasonable alternative to biopsy of palpable breast lesions

Short-term follow-up is a reasonable alternative to invasive biopsy of palpable (capable of being touched or felt) breast lesions with benign imaging features, particularly in younger women with probable fibroadenoma (non-cancerous tumours that often occur in women during their reproductive years), according to a study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. Read more >>

New bone matrix implant offers hope for babies born with skull deformities

A synthetic bone matrix offers hope for babies born with craniosynostosis, a condition that causes the plates in the skull to fuse too soon. Implants replacing some of the infant's bone with the biodegradable matrix could eliminate some of the operations currently used to treat the condition. Read more >>

"The fewer the children the better the care"

Africa will fail to achieve most UN Millennium Development Goals unless countries adopt effective family planning programmes and control rapid population growth, experts warn. Read more >>

Baby strollers not recalled in South Africa

Following the voluntary recall of Maclaren strollers in the US, Redgwoods, the South African toy and baby products retailer, has assured parents that the recall applies only to the US market and not to South Africa. Read more >>

Particles released by car brake pads can harm lung cells: Study

Real-life particles released by car brake pads can harm lung cells in vitro. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology found that heavy braking, as in an emergency stop, caused the most damage, but normal breaking and even close proximity to a disengaged brake resulted in potentially dangerous cellular stress. Read more >>

Mamelani Projects hosts fundraising breakfast

Mamelani Projects, a Cape Town-based public health NGO is hosting an end-of-year fundraising breakfast on 2 December 2009 at Coffee Time, Number 20 Breda Street in Cape Town at 9am. Lauren Gillis will be speaking on the topic ‘marathon as a metaphor for life' to inspire guests to help get to the end of year finish-line. Read more >>

Obesity poses health risks

Few people would think to associate heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, osteoarthritis, endometrial cancer, colon cancer, gallstones, lung disease, pregnancy complications, poor menstrual reproductive health, bladder control problems and psychological disorders with obesity but the reality of the matter is that these are common conditions associated with disease. Read more >>

Food allergies among children is increasing: Study

A newly published article provides further evidence that the prevalence of food allergies among children is increasing. The article, Food Allergy among Children in the United States appears in the December issue of Pediatrics, a US medical journal. Read more >>

Stigma holding back the fight against TB

When Dorothy*, a single mother of five, told her neighbours in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, she had tuberculosis (TB), she expected sympathy and maybe even offers of help. Instead, she found herself so severely ostracized, she felt she had to move out. Read more >>