New findings may help researchers design drugs that can prevent HIV

Researchers at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and University of Nebraska Medical Centre (UNMC) have created a three-dimensional picture of an important protein that is involved in how HIV - the virus responsible for AIDS - is produced inside human cells. The picture may help researchers design drugs that can prevent HIV from reproducing. Read more >>

Hospitality establishments should provide intimacy packs

A new trend nowadays in upmarket international hotels, guesthouses and self-catering establishments is to provide protection again STDs and unwanted pregnancy in each room, and also for bars and pubs to include condoms in their vending machines. But is South Africa keeping up with the times, asks Vanessa Rogers. Read more >>

Silent strokes in young adults are associated with recurrent stroke

Research shows silent or covert strokes in young adults with first-ever ischemic stroke are associated with recurrent stroke. Read more >>

Bill Gates gives polio the boot...

... signs football in Nigeria to support final push to kick polio out of Africa as Rotary clubs in Nigeria and across the continent unite as ball's four-month journey comes to a close in Egypt. Read more >>

Vuvuzela unPlugged... with a warning...

With only a few days to go to the kick off, World Cup fever is reaching a crescendo. South African fans are showing their gees by decorating their cars, their houses and offices with flags, decking themselves out in their team's soccer shirts, buying makarapas and, of course, practicing their vuvuzela-blowing skills. There's another side to the vuvuzela, however - if fans are not careful, they won't be able to hear a thing when they watch the next world cup on TV. Read more >>

New methodology may help control influenza

Scientists have uncovered the flu's secret formula for effectively evolving within and between host species: balance. The key lies with the flu's unique replication process, which has evolved to produce enough mutations for the virus to spread and adapt to its host environment, but not so many that unwanted genomic mutations lead to the flu's demise (catastrophic mutagenesis). These findings overturn long-held assumptions about how the virus evolves. Read more >>

FIFA, Roger Milla unite against malaria

Campaign using football to help reach shared goal to end malaria deaths by 2015. Read more >>

Anoxia-induced suspended animation helps survive hypothermia

How is it that some people who apparently freeze to death, with no heart rate or respiration for extended periods, can be brought back to life with no long-term negative health consequences? New findings from the laboratory of cell biologist Mark B. Roth, Ph.D., of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre, may help explain the mechanics behind this widely documented phenomenon. Read more >>

Sleep may improve complex motor-learning task

Your performance of a complex motor-learning task such as "Guitar Hero" may improve after sleep, suggests a research abstract that was presented Wednesday, 9 June 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC. Read more >>

New study demonstrates link between smoking and flat adenomas

First study to demonstrate a link between smoking and flat adenomas; may explain the earlier onset of colorectal cancer in smokers. Read more >>

Sleep corrects drift in colour perception that occurs during wakefulness: Research

Colour perception drifts away from neutrality during wakefulness and is restored during sleep, suggests a research abstract that will be presented Wednesday, 9 June 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC. Read more >>

Differences in immune systems of men and women can impact diseases: Research

In the book Sex Hormones and Immunity to Infection, Sabra Klein, PhD, assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, explores the differences in the immune systems of men and women and how these differences can impact disease. Klein and co-editor, Craig Roberts, PhD, offer a fresh perspective for the treatment and management of infectious diseases through analyses of published research. In addition, they highlight areas where sex differences research is lacking and recommend areas for additional research. Read more >>

Vasectomy patients: Single semen test on the cards?

Having to provide repeated semen samples following a vasectomy could soon be a thing of the past, after 96% of men were given the all-clear based on a single test three months after surgery. Read more >>

Parents, get your kids to join the club

Researchers find that children who attend youth clubs are less likely to engage in problem behaviours. Read more >>

New study finds propofol poses low risk for children undergoing research-driven imaging studies

Study by former NIH department chief provides ethics guidance for future children's research. Read more >>

30% of Aussie mums think alcohol is OK while pregnant. Wrong!

[Dr Ananya Mandal, MD] A new Australian study has revealed an alarming trend showing one out of three pregnant or breastfeeding women is still drinking alcohol. The Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation (AERF) feel that in spite of warnings to pregnant women to cut out alcohol completely from their diets, many women are ignoring such warnings. Read more >>

Hardships in childhood and adolescence influence pregnancy outcome: Study

Childhood hardships may be related to future pregnancy outcomes, in part through their association with smoking during pregnancy and adult socioeconomic position, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Paediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Read more >>

Women who quit smoking during pregnancy will prevent infant deaths

If more women quit smoking before they became pregnant, it would save infant lives, concludes a new study from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Read more >>

Keeping an eye on the World Cup - healthwise

Researchers to provide real-time analyses on potential disease threats during World Cup. Read more >>

Into your sport? Mah says: sleep more, perform better...

Ongoing study at Stanford University shows that sleep extension helps athletes achieve optimal performance. Read more >>

Breast cancer hope from sea sponge

Eribulin mesylate drug, derived from the sea sponge, may help extend lives of women with advanced breast cancer. Read more >>