Top stories
HIV/AIDS
Researchers of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study have identified a simple method to establish when a patient contracted the virus causing HIV. The time of infection can be of importance for the treatment of the illness and it contributes to the understanding of the course of the epidemic.
Read more >>Chronic diseases
Much research has been carried out on why diabetics develop complications. Now researchers are asking the question the other way around. They want to know why some diabetic patients do not develop complications. What is it that protects them? The PROLONG study could provide the answer.
Read more >>Ethical Medicines
[Dr Ananya Mandal, MD] Australian troops are being warned about the dangers of erectile dysfunction drugs and told they can have just four taxpayer-funded tablets of Viagra or Cialis pills a month.
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Complementary medicines have come under scrutiny once more, following recent revelations that many of these products are not doing what their labels say. In the most recent case, four 'herbal' medicines that are supposed to treat low libidos were reportedly found to contain illegal ingredients. That's raised the question for South African consumers: do we know what's in the complementary medicine we're buying; and who is checking up on these manufacturers?
Read more >>Generic Medicines
New findings are bringing scientists closer to an effective HIV vaccine. Researchers from Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (Seattle BioMed), Vanderbilt University and the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard report findings showing new evidence about broadly-reactive neutralising antibodies, which block HIV infection. Details are published January 13 in the open-access journal
PLoS Pathogens.
Read more >>Malaria
A new research paper exposes false claims and misrepresentations of science by United Nations environmental organisations to stop successful uses of DDT and other public health insecticides in malaria programs.
Read more >>Medical Research
It is known that teeth can protect themselves, to some extent, from attack by bacteria but that inflammation within a tooth can be damaging and, in extreme cases, lead to abscess or death of the tooth. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal
BMC Immunology shows that odontoblast cells are part of the immune system and fight to protect teeth from decay.
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For the first time in alcohol addiction research, UVA investigators have successfully treated alcohol-dependent individuals with medication that is tailored specifically to match their genetic profile.
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A small pool of stem cells replenishes the human body with about 200 billion new blood cells daily. However, the elaborate circuitry that determines if a cell will develop into a T cell, red blood cell, or one of the nine or more other blood cell types remains largely unknown.
Read more >>Antioxidants are sold over the counter everywhere. They're added to food, drink and face cream. However, according to Prof. Nava Dekel of the Biological Regulation Department, we still don't have a complete understanding of how they act in our bodies. New research by Dekel and her team, recently published in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (
PNAS), has revealed a possible unexpected side effect of antioxidants: They might cause fertility problems in females.
Read more >>Do you get feverish and run down after a romp in the sack? You may very well be allergic to your own semen, scientists have discovered.
Read more >>Mental health
Parents may have good reason to be concerned about how much time their kids have been spending playing their new video games since the holidays. A new study by an international research team - including an Iowa State University psychologist - found further evidence that video game "addiction" exists globally and that greater amounts of gaming, lower social competence and greater impulsivity were risk factors for becoming pathological gamers.
Read more >>Nutrition
Baked goods made from hydrolysed wheat flour are not toxic to celiac disease patients, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. Celiac disease occurs in the digestive system when people cannot tolerate a protein called gluten, which is found primarily in wheat.
Read more >>Oncology
Breast cancer patients who have a strong social support system in the first year after diagnosis are less likely to die or have a recurrence of cancer, according to new research from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Centre (VICC) and the Shanghai Institute of Preventive Medicine. The study, led by first author Meira Epplein, Ph.D., assistant professor of Medicine at VICC, was published in a recent edition of the
Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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2011 is the year in which the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) turns 80 years old and also marks CANSA's eighth Shavathon event taking place 3-5 March 2011. Last year's Shavathon was a resounding success thanks to the thousands of South Africans who showed solidarity with cancer survivors at their schools, work places and shopping venues countrywide.
Read more >>Public health
While monogamy is often touted as a way to protect against disease, young couples who say they have discussed monogamy can't seem to agree on what they decided. Moreover, a significant percentage of those couples who at least agreed that they would be monogamous weren't.
Read more >>Yes, right now it is January here in South Africa and the height of summer, but in a few months we will be into winter - and that means flu. Doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Centre in the US have some tips on how children (and adults) can be protected from influenza.
Read more >>Surgical Equipment & Products
Netcare Sunward Park has positioned itself as a centre of cardiovascular excellence with the installation of high-tech equipment from Siemens Healthcare, in what is claimed to be the first hybrid theatre in South Africa.
Read more >>Women's health
According to research conducted at the Oregon National Primate Research Centre at Oregon Health & Science University, the commonly held belief that oral contraceptives cause weight gain appears to be false. The results of the study are published online and will appear in next month's edition of the journal
Human Reproduction.
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February may be the month of hearts and flowers but it is also Reproductive Health Awareness Month, which places the spotlight firmly on the issue of fertility. Now, while the romantics among us may be hoping to receive a token of love from an admirer, many potential parents are dreaming of receiving a different kind of gift; the gift of love they hope to feel for their own child one day.
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LONDON, UK: As January begins, and many resolute Brits aim to curb the excesses of the festive period by eating healthily, it seems not everyone will be adding diet foods to their shopping list. Indeed, latest research from Mintel reveals some 60% of Brits today say they prefer food that is naturally low in fat or calories and two thirds (63%) of consumers who have dieted over the past three years have done so using reduced calorie foods.
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