Sex workers care for HIV-affected peers

Shunned by mainstream society, sex workers with HIV-related illnesses in Nairobi are unlikely to receive help from concerned neighbours. Instead, some of them are being cared for by fellow sex workers. Read more >>

SABCOHA leads business sector response to national HCT campaign

The South African Business Coalition On HIV/AIDS (SABCOHA) this week unveiled two important elements of the Business Sector HCT strategy. A specially-designed web-based HCT reporting tool and the SABCOHA Community Fund are important building blocks for the implementation of an effective business sector response to support the achievement of Government's HCT targets. Read more >>

Gene therapy may reverse pulmonary hypertension

A Heart and Stroke Foundation researcher has discovered what could be the first truly effective breakthrough in the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension, a devastating, life-threatening condition which results in an enlargement of the heart. Read more >>

Shoprite feeding programme serves five million

The Shoprite Group's national feeding programme has now served a total of five million cups of soup and bread to needy South Africans. It has also reached out to communities when disaster- and humanitarian-relief efforts are needed. Read more >>

New classrooms in Delft from Container Project

The Container Project, an initiative of Breadline Africa, supplier of converted containers for poverty relief in southern Africa, has supplied three containers to the Delft, Cape Town, community, which arrived refurbished and equipped with an ablution facility and two classrooms. Since 1993, the NGO has provided more than 130 containers to poverty-stricken communities. Read more >>

Gen-Health members welcomed by Medshield Medical Scheme

Medshield Medical Scheme, the 4th largest scheme in South Africa, welcomes members of the recently liquidated Gen-Health. With Medshield membership and associated claims effective from 13 October, these new members will not face any waiting periods for the treatment of chronic conditions. Read more >>

Female sex hormones help women survive after trauma

Women who have been severely injured are 14% more likely to survive than similarly injured men, according to a new Johns Hopkins study, a difference researchers believe may be due to the negative impact of male sex hormones on a traumatised immune system. Read more >>

Researchers investigate reverse zoonosis in marine invertebrate

The spread of lethal diseases from animals to humans has long been an issue of great concern to public health officials. However, what about diseases that spread in the other direction, from humans to wildlife? A multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Georgia has just been awarded a five-year $2 million Ecology of Infectious Diseases grant from the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health to study the first known case of such a "reverse zoonosis" that involves the transmission of a human pathogen to a marine invertebrate, elkhorn coral. Read more >>

A new way of seeing the world

Scientists at The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro, McGill University have discovered that our brains have the ability to determine the shape of an object simply by processing specially-coded sounds, without any visual or tactile input. Not only does this new research tell us about the plasticity of the brain and how it perceives the world around us, it also provides important new possibilities for aiding those who are blind or with impaired vision. Read more >>

Trained service dogs can help children with autism syndrome disorders

New Université de Montreal study shows that dogs help autistic children adapt. Read more >>

Researchers report breakthrough studies in liver cell transplantation

Two research teams from the Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine (Okayama, Japan) have reported breakthrough studies in liver cell transplantation. One team found that the technical breakthrough in creating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) from mouse somatic cells (non-sex cells) in vitro had "implications for overcoming immunological rejection." Read more >>

Vegetables containing luteolin may prevent memory loss later in life

A diet enriched with luteolin may help stave off symptoms that can lead to cognitive complications, according to findings published in the Journal of Nutrition. Read more >>

Australian stem cell line offers fresh approach to diabetes cure

Australian researchers have developed the country's first diabetes specific stem cell line, a major advance for patients suffering from the chronic disease. Read more >>

Robot-assisted surgery effective for five-year prostate cancer control: Study

A first-ever, long-term study of patients who underwent robot-assisted surgery to remove their cancerous prostates found that nearly 87% of them had no recurrence of the disease after five years. Read more >>

Study finds online activities does not effect long-term psychological health

After the campus shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007 and Northern Illinois University in 2008, hundreds of affected students turned to social media websites to share their grief and search for solace. A new study of these students found that their online activities neither helped nor harmed their long-term psychological health. Read more >>

Steps to deal with exam stress

It's exam time in SA and in homes across the country pupils are cramming - and stressing. So, what steps can they take to reduce that stress? Read more >>

Pinch of salt: How much is enough?

[Dr Ananya Mandal, MD] Dietary salt restriction is in the spotlight again. While scientists are questioning the complex role of sodium in the body and the need for salt restriction, surveys have found that dietary sodium has not gone down well in large populations despite awareness on the risks of too much salt intake. Read more >>

Remember to eat your celery!

A taste for celery is one that many people never acquire, but scientists have just given them a reason to eat it. Read more >>

Aortic stiffness seen in obese children

The blood vessels of obese children have stiffness normally seen in much older adults with cardiovascular disease, Dr. Kevin Harris today told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2010, co-hosted by the Canadian Cardiovascular Society and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The clock is ticking and the shape of the 13-year-old-heart is changing - for the worse. Read more >>

Neonatal nurses receive awards

[Kemantha Govender] Durban - Christine Otai is a neonatal nurse in Uganda. Nineteen years ago, she helped a woman to give birth but unfortunately the young mother passed away. Read more >>

Potential SIDS cause found

[Dr Ananya Mandal, MD] A baffling condition Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) that leads to the unexplained deaths of many infants worldwide may have been explained in new Australian research. The researchers monitored babies as they slept on their bellies and found that they have reduced blood pressure and an increased heart rate, compared with when they slept on their backs as recommended. This effect is seen more in babies aged two to three months, the age when babies are most at risk of SIDS. Read more >>

Childhood cancer is beaten every day...

... but look out for the early warning signs. Read more >>

X/procure signs Pharmachem, re-launches Canova

Canova, the immune response modifier is back in South Africa and is now being marketed and distributed by Pharmachem Pharmaceuticals. To spread the word to pharmacists and ultimately to consumers, manufacturer Pharmachem has signed with X/procure to heighten awareness through its pharmacy network. Read more >>

Proposed NHI budget requires improbable economic growth

A research report released this week by Econometrix shows the ANC's proposed budget for a National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme requires exceptionally high economic growth of 7% per annum and, if implemented in its current form, could squeeze out other forms of spending such as education, housing and productive infrastructure. Read more >>