Ten days of HIV/Aids testing at Rhodes after shock statistics

Shocking HIV/Aids statistics contained in a recently released survey of the sexual habits of university students and staff have prompted a massive wellness drive to try to control infection. Read more >>

Novartis associates volunteer in Community Partnership Day

JOHANNESBURG: 20 000 Novartis associates in 55 countries, including South Africa, engaged in volunteer activities to benefit people in their local communities in celebration of the company's Community Partnership Day last month. Glen Sullivan, CEO at Novartis SA says, “This year marks the company's 14th Community Partnership Day - a day underscoring Novartis' ongoing commitment to corporate citizenship and corporate social responsibility.” Read more >>

Tissues go anti-viral this winter

Kleenex is launching its new anti-viral tissues just in time for winter and the inevitable cold and flu viruses that come with it. Read more >>

Simply washing your hands helps keep disease at bay

New study links faecal contamination on hands and bacterial contamination in stored water. Read more >>

Zimbabwe: Bad roads lead to malaria outbreak

Decaying road infrastructure in Binga district, in Zimbabwe's province of Matabeleland North, prevented anti-malaria spraying teams from reaching the area, and is being blamed for an outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease. Read more >>

Insulin can help reduce risk of type 2 diabetes

Recent decades have seen a huge increase in type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This is a result of people being less active and eating fattier diets, which can lead to obesity and, in turn, diabetes. Read more >>

MIT, South Africa announce plans to join patent pool for 'neglected diseases'

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and South Africa's Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) will join the Pool for Open Innovation against Neglected Tropical Diseases, Science|Business reports. According to Science|Business, "MIT is the first university to contribute intellectual property to the pool," while South Africa's TIA is the first government agency to join (5/6). Read more >>

How your brain responds to injuries

Researchers use new tools to study how brain responds when injury occurs; DARPA grant enables fundamental research with new technologies. Read more >>

Obese men more likely to have low testosterone than non-obese men: HIM study

Obesity, a condition linked to heart disease and diabetes, now appears to be associated with another health problem, but one that affects men only - low testosterone levels. Read more >>

IBM embarks on multi-year research effort to better understand what's needed to improve human health

IBM today, 6 May 2010, launched a multi-year research effort to connect and analyze enormous collections of data from a wide variety of sources in order to enable individuals, governments and businesses to better understand which actions to take to improve human health. The project will initially focus on solving the issue of childhood obesity. Read more >>

Behavioural therapy eases bowel troubles

Some patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) experience a rapid improvement with behavioural therapy, with the benefits lasting at least for several months. Read more >>

Difference between grief and depression

"A son is a son till he takes a wife, a daughter is a daughter all her life," goes the old Irish saying. Though there is an extraordinary bond between every mother and child there is something unique about the relationship between a mother and daughter. Read more >>

'Eat your vegetables, son'

Having trouble getting your children to eat their greens? Varying the portion size may encourage children to eat more fruits and vegetables. Read more >>

Understanding the biology of postpartum blues

Greater levels of a brain protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) - may explain why postpartum blues and clinical depression are so common after childbirth according to an important study published today in the Archives of General Psychiatry. Read more >>

Protect your eyes

Most people think of little more than protecting their skin against sunburn, but you should also protect eyes from sun's UV rays to decrease risk of eye diseases, disorders Read more >>

Baby swimming helps develop balance and movement in infants, young children

Baby swimming brings benefits. Teaching babies to swim turns out to be more than just fun. Baby swimmers have better balance and are also better at grasping at things than non-swimmers. Read more >>

Study: Carbon monoxide exposure can be reduced during routine anaesthesia in kids

Anaesthesiologist identifies two changes to standard of care to protect developing brains. Read more >>

WHO, UNICEF issue guide, call for more research into medicines for children

Along with the release of a WHO-UNICEF guide on medicines for children, the U.N. agencies on Friday said the guide "exposed dangerous shortfalls" in medicines designed for children and called for more research into treating children, Reuters reports. "While effective medicines exist to fight disease and treat life-threatening conditions like malnutrition, formulations suitable for children are often difficult to source," Francisco Blanco, UNICEF's chief of medicines and nutrition, said, according to the news service. Read more >>

Urban planning essential for public health

Urban settings have a direct impact on the health of the people who live there. On World Health Day WHO is launching a campaign to highlight urban planning as a crucial link to building a healthy 21st century. In particular, the Organisation calls upon municipal authorities, concerned residents, advocates for healthy living and others to take a close look at health inequities in cities and take action. Read more >>

The Pill turns 50

[Candy Lashkari] The Contraceptive Pill celebrated its 50th birthday on Mother's Day this year. The Pill was approved by the FDA in 1960 giving greater control to women about when they would like to give birth. The choice was supposed to help eliminate unwanted pregnancies and help couples grow closer. It was also supposed to help the couple financially by not placing burdens of early children on them. Read more >>

Nausea in pregnant women can be a sign of flu: Researchers

Nausea in pregnant women tends to fade after the first three months, but during the second and third trimesters it can be a sign of flu, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in a study of expectant women who sought medical care. Read more >>