South Africa: A timeline of HIV/AIDS activism

JOHANNESBURG: In a new book, "Fighting for our Lives" the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), an HIV/AIDS lobby group, looks back on more than a decade of activism. IRIN/PlusNews presents a timeline of 12 years of highlights as the group translated action into wider access to HIV treatment: Read more >>

South Africa: Twelve years of the TAC fight

JOHANNESBURG: A new book looks back on more than a decade of the life of South African lobby group, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), whose brand of activism came to define the world's fight for HIV treatment and care. Read more >>

PMB dispute a blessing in disguise for schemes - Mark Arnold, RHMS

The legal dispute over Prescribed Minimum Benefits (PMBs) could be just the revitalising shake up the industry needs says Mark Arnold, principal officer of Resolution Health Medical Scheme (RHMS). A ruling in the court case between the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) and the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) regarding what schemes must pay for PMBs, is expected later this month before the court goes into recess. Read more >>

Biochemists identify how tissue cells detect and perfect

Scientists have discovered how cells detect tissue damage and modify their repair properties accordingly. The findings, published on Thursday, 6 October 2011, in the journal Developmental Cell, could open up new opportunities for improving tissue repair in patients following illness or surgery. Read more >>

Popular colorectal cancer drug may cause permanent nerve damage

Oxaliplatin, a platinum-based anticancer drug that's made enormous headway in recent years against colorectal cancer, appears to cause nerve damage that may be permanent and worsens even months after treatment ends. The chemotherapy side effect, described by Johns Hopkins researchers in the September issue of Neurology, was discovered in what is believed to be the first effort to track oxaliplatin-based nerve damage through relatively cheap and easy punch skin biopsies. Read more >>

Liposuction linked to reduced triglyceride levels, ASPS study finds

DENVER, COLORADO, USA: Long considered a purely cosmetic procedure, a new study suggests liposuction may also have significant health benefits. A study presented at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) annual conference, Plastic Surgery 11 THE Meeting, revealed for the first time that liposuction patients experience a reduction in triglyceride levels and white blood cell counts, possibly decreasing their risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Read more >>

Pale people may need vitamin D supplements

Fair-skinned people who burn quickly in the sun may need to take supplements to ensure they get the right amount of vitamin D, new research found Tuesday, 4 October 2011. Read more >>

Improving early detection of breast cancer

The University of Sydney, in partnership with BreastScreen NSW and Ziltron, has developed a pioneering web-based program to monitor the performance of radiologists in detecting and diagnosing abnormalities in breast X-rays. Currently commencing its nationwide rollout, the BREAST Project has the potential to improve the early detection of breast cancer through screening and in turn reduce breast cancer mortality and morbidity. Read more >>

If you're happy and you know it: Researchers trail Twitter to track world's mood swings

ITHACA, NY, USA: Using Twitter to monitor the attitudes of 2.4 million people in 84 countries, Cornell University researchers found that people all over the world awaken in a good mood - but globally that cheer soon deteriorates once the workday progresses. Read more >>

Blood tests may hold clues to pace of Alzheimer's disease progression

A team of scientists, led by Johns Hopkins researchers, say they may have found a way to predict how quickly patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) will lose cognitive function by looking at ratios of two fatty compounds in their blood. The finding, they say, could provide useful information to families and caregivers, and might also suggest treatment targets for this heartbreaking and incurable neurodegenerative disorder. Read more >>

Study finds familiarity increases the fullness that children expect from snack foods

New research, led by psychologists at the University of Bristol, has found that children who are familiar with a snack food will expect it to be more filling. This finding, published (online ahead of print) in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is important because it reveals one way in which children over-consume snack foods and increase their risk of becoming overweight. Read more >>

Scientists demonstrate potential new treatment for most common form of infant leukaemia

A team lead by Cancer Research UK scientists have shown that a potential new drug could treat mixed-lineage leukaemia (MLL), the most common form of leukaemia in babies, according to a study published in Nature on Sunday, 2 October 2011. Read more >>

Locks of Love launched in support of Breast Health Month

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women in South Africa. According to the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA), one in every 29 women in South Africa is affected. "The good news," says breast health expert Dr Carol Benn, "is that if it's detected and treated early, there is an excellent chance of recovery. Nine out of 10 women diagnosed with early breast cancer will be alive after five years and those who survive for five years, will very likely live their normal lifespan." Read more >>

Ad campaign launched in support of Breast Health Month

October is Breast Health Month and once again the Breast Health Foundation will strive to reach their objectives - to educate the public on breast cancer and breast health. The foundation's vision is to redefine the face of breast cancer as perceived by South Africans in general and patients in particular, and to promote a positive mindset of survival, recovery and quality of life. Read more >>