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Filtering white cells from donor blood before transfusion is much safer for patients

The practice of removing the white cells from blood is called leukoreduction. But despite the recommendations of two national advisory committees in 10 years that voted in favor of all patients in the United States receiving leukoreduced blood, ("universal leukoreduction"), the practice is still not wholly supported in the medical community, nor recommended by the Food and Drug Administration. Part of the reason is fear of increased cost.

3 Apr 2007

New understanding of the mechanics of hearing

Modern hearing aids, though quite sophisticated, still do not faithfully reproduce sound as hearing people perceive it.

3 Apr 2007

Few surgeons routinely refer breast cancer patients for reconstruction

Forty-four percent of surgeons do not refer the majority of their breast cancer patients to a plastic surgeon prior to the initial surgery when the woman is choosing her treatment course, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.

2 Apr 2007

Community-based measures fail to reduce HIV levels

Interventions that target individuals with a high risk of contracting HIV have a negligible impact on HIV transmission in the general population, according to a new study of communities in Zimbabwe, published today.

2 Apr 2007

HIV-1 control program fails in Zimbabwe

A trial in Zimbabwe has shown that a programme of integrated peer education, condom distribution, and management of sexually transmitted infections did not reduce the overall incidence of HIV-1.

2 Apr 2007

HIV in Asia set to explode

The number of HIV-positive people in Asia could more than double to 20 million during the next five years unless funding levels increase and governments respond more effectively to the epidemic, officials from the Commission on AIDS in Asia said on Friday at a two-day Southeast Asia sub-regional workshop in Manila, the Philippines, the AP/ABCNews reports.

2 Apr 2007

President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief making significant contributions to the fight against HIV/AIDS pandemic

...but it needs to strengthen its prevention efforts and develop programs that ensure long-term sustainability in focus countries, according to a report released Friday by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, the Washington Post reports

2 Apr 2007

Lesotho struggles to contain spread of tuberculosis

Lesotho is "struggling to contain" the spread of tuberculosis in the face of its HIV/AIDS epidemic, IRIN News reports. In 2006, the country reported 12,000 new TB cases, but TB expert Peter Saranchuk of Medecins Sans Frontieres said the actual number of cases likely is much higher.

2 Apr 2007

More Ugandan men seeking circumcisions to lower HIV risk

An increasing number of Ugandan men are seeking circumcisions in response to increasing evidence that the procedure could reduce a man's risk of contracting HIV, the AP/Advocate reports

2 Apr 2007

Breast-feeding exclusively lowers risk of vertical HIV transmission to children in developing countries

HIV-positive women in developing countries could reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to their infants if they exclusively breast-feed rather than supplement breast milk with formula, animal milk or solid food, according to a study published in the March 31 edition of the Lancet, Reuters reports.

2 Apr 2007

USAID is extending its HIV/AIDS prevention and care project in Pakistan

USAID is extending its HIV/AIDS prevention and care project in Pakistan by awarding grants to three organizations working to combat the disease among high-risk groups in the country, USAID Director for Pakistan Jonathan Addleton said last week at the grant awards ceremony, the PakTribune reports.

2 Apr 2007

Efficacy of Ugandan HIV prevention programs decreasing

The efficacy of Uganda's HIV prevention programs is decreasing because a new generation of young people are no longer receiving the messages of fidelity that helped curb the country's HIV epidemic in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Washington Post reports.

2 Apr 2007

Bahrain launches campaign to involve religious leaders in fight against HIV/AIDS

Officials in Bahrain have launched a wide-scale campaign aimed at involving religious leaders in the country's fight against HIV/AIDS, the Gulf Daily News reports.

2 Apr 2007

California Senate Committee approves bill that would allow HIV-positive men to have sperm washed

The California Senate Health Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to approve a bill (SB 443) that would allow HIV-positive men to have their sperm washed and used for fertility treatments, including artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization, under certain guidelines, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

2 Apr 2007

Successful tuberculosis treatment depends upon patient adherence

Nearly 2 million people die from tuberculosis each year, mainly in the poorest countries.

31 Mar 2007

Natural mechanism for immune suppression may lead to new cancer drugs

A natural mechanism pirated by tumors and HIV to evade the immune response is opening the door to better treatment for these conditions, researchers say.

31 Mar 2007

Should male circumcision be recommended for the prevention of HIV infection?

In response to the urgent need to reduce the number of new HIV infections globally, WHO and the UNAIDS Secretariat convened an international expert consultation to determine whether male circumcision should be recommended for the prevention of HIV infection.

28 Mar 2007

Patient adherence an essential factor for successful tuberculosis treatment

Nearly 2 million people die from tuberculosis each year, mainly in the poorest countries. The pathogen, Koch's bacillus, can pass easily by aerial infection from one individual to another. The spread of the disease, favoured by the Aids epidemic and the appearance of multi-resistant strains, has led WHO to make tuberculosis control one of the world's main health priorities.

27 Mar 2007

Study describes how estradiol helps to maintain bone density

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have described a novel pathway by which estradiol, the primary estrogen in humans, aids in maintaining bone density, a function critical to avoiding osteoporosis.

25 Mar 2007

Proposed Polish law banning discussions on homosexuality could hinder access to HIV/AIDS information

Human Rights Watch on Monday in a letter to Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said that a law proposed in the country that would ban discussions on homosexuality in schools violates freedom of speech and could deny children access to HIV/AIDS information, London's Guardian reports.

22 Mar 2007