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Thai HIV/AIDS advocates urge increased treatment access for IDUs

The Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group recently called on the country to launch a comprehensive harm reduction program for injection drug users in an effort to help curb the spread of HIV, Thailand's The Nation reports.

31 May 2009

Report estimates significant impact of widespread circumcision effort in Botswana

Botswana's campaign to circumcise about 500,000 men by 2012 will prevent nearly 70,000 new HIV cases by 2025, according to a report published Thursday in the Journal of the International AIDS Society, AFP/Yahoo! News reports.

31 May 2009

HIV prevention efforts in five African countries not reaching at-risk groups, report says

National HIV prevention strategies in at least five African countries are not reaching the groups most at risk of infection, according to a report from UNAIDS and the World Bank conducted in conjunction with the national HIV/AIDS authorities of Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland and Uganda, IRIN/PlusNews reports.

31 May 2009

Genetic profiling reveals genes active in the earliest brain circuit construction

Long before the brain's neurons can facilitate life's big decisions, they have to find their own destiny in the rapidly developing embryo.

31 May 2009

WHO urges all governments to require pictorial warnings on tobacco packs

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged governments to require that all tobacco packages include pictorial warnings to show the sickness and suffering caused by tobacco use.

31 May 2009

Obesity and diabetes each double the risk of heart failure - patients with both conditions ‘very difficult’ to treat

The twin epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes will continue to fuel an explosion in heart failure, already the world's most prevalent chronic cardiovascular disease, according to John McMurray, professor of cardiology at the Western Infirmary, Glasgow, and President of the Heart Failure Association. He reported that around one-third of patients with heart failure have evidence of diabetes, and for them the outlook is very serious. For doctors, he added, effective treatment is "very difficult".

31 May 2009

Half million people in the UK have undiagnosed coeliac disease

Coeliac UK, the national charity for people with coeliac disease, is calling on the Government to ensure a new guideline launched this week by NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) is taken up by the medical profession to identify half million people in the UK who have undiagnosed coeliac disease.

31 May 2009

Better treatment selection and improved therapies hold the key to improving prognosis in acute heart failure

Today, acute heart failure represents the most common reason for hospitalisation in the over-65 population.

31 May 2009

Moderate alcohol consumption reduces risk of gallstones

Health researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have found that drinking two units of alcohol per day reduces the risk of developing gallstones by a third.

31 May 2009

UnitedHealth Group offers 15 recommendations to reduce federal health spending by $540 billion over 10 years

UnitedHealth Group's Center for Health Reform and Modernization on Wednesday suggested 15 steps that could be taken to save $540 billion in federal in health care costs over the next 10 years, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports (Werner, AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 5/27).

28 May 2009

Massachusetts health insurance law has increased access to care, though residents' ability to obtain treatment hampered by provider supply

Since the implementation of the Massachusetts health insurance law in 2006, more residents have health coverage and increased access to care, but rising health care costs combined with the current economic recession could undermine some of the law's successes, according to the third annual "Update on Health Reform in Massachusetts" report by the Urban Institute, the Boston Globe reports.

28 May 2009

States consider scaling back funding for Medicare drug benefit amid economic crisis

At least six states have considered eliminating or reducing financial assistance for those enrolled in the Medicare prescription drug benefit program who are affected by the "doughnut hole," or gap in coverage, the AP/Boston Herald reports.

28 May 2009

Miami-Dade, Blue Cross announce low-cost PPO aimed at county's uninsured

Florida's Miami-Dade County and BlueCross BlueShield of Florida on Tuesday announced a new low-cost health plan, called Miami-Dade Blue, aimed at helping the estimated 600,000 uninsured county residents, the Miami Herald reports.

28 May 2009

Low vitamin D levels in blacks could contribute to higher rates of cancer, other diseases, researcher says

Low vitamin D levels in blacks could contribute to health gaps between white and black U.S. residents, Michael Holick, a professor at Boston University and a vitamin D researcher, said recently, the GNS/Chicago Sun-Times reports.

28 May 2009

Survey examines health outcomes of American Indians in Alabama

American Indians in Alabama have better outcomes than the rest of the state's population in some health indicators but are less healthy in other areas, according to a survey released by the Alabama Department of Public Health, the Montgomery Advertiser reports.

28 May 2009

'Complacency,' 'stigma' hindering efforts to reduce HIV/AIDS in black communities, opinion piece says

"Nearly 30 years after the discovery of HIV and AIDS, the epidemic is still ravaging black neighborhoods in Baltimore and across the nation," Kevin Fenton -- director of CDC's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention -- writes in a Baltimore Sun opinion piece.

28 May 2009

Fishing industry contributing to spread of HIV around Africa's Lake Victoria

The fishing industry and some cultural practices in communities living around Africa's Lake Victoria are contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections in the area, according to a panel of experts at a recent meeting in Kisumu, Kenya, The Citizen reports.

28 May 2009

About 75% of people in Rwanda who have experienced discrimination are HIV-positive, survey finds

A recently released survey on stigma in Rwanda indicates that at least 74% of people in various segments of society who have experienced discrimination are HIV-positive, the New Times/AllAfrica.com reports. The discrimination often is in the form of isolation from family and physical harassment, according to the survey.

28 May 2009

Thailand aims to halve new HIV cases by 2011, Prime Minister says

Thailand has set a goal of reducing by half the number of new HIV cases in the country by 2011, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Wednesday, TNA/MCOT English News reports.

28 May 2009

About 0.59% of Vietnamese fishery workers are HIV-positive, prevalence could rise by 2013, survey says

An estimated 33,000 of the total 5.5 million workers in Vietnam's fishery sector, or about 0.59%, were living with HIV in 2008, according to a survey released Tuesday by Vietnam's fishery program, VNA/VOV News reports (VNA/VOV News, 5/27).

28 May 2009

Medical News

Thai HIV/AIDS advocates urge increased treatment access for IDUs

Report estimates significant impact of widespread circumcision effort in Botswana

HIV prevention efforts in five African countries not reaching at-risk groups, report says

Genetic profiling reveals genes active in the earliest brain circuit construction

WHO urges all governments to require pictorial warnings on tobacco packs

Obesity and diabetes each double the risk of heart failure - patients with both conditions ‘very difficult’ to treat

Half million people in the UK have undiagnosed coeliac disease

Better treatment selection and improved therapies hold the key to improving prognosis in acute heart failure

Moderate alcohol consumption reduces risk of gallstones

UnitedHealth Group offers 15 recommendations to reduce federal health spending by $540 billion over 10 years

Massachusetts health insurance law has increased access to care, though residents' ability to obtain treatment hampered by provider supply

States consider scaling back funding for Medicare drug benefit amid economic crisis

Miami-Dade, Blue Cross announce low-cost PPO aimed at county's uninsured

Low vitamin D levels in blacks could contribute to higher rates of cancer, other diseases, researcher says

Survey examines health outcomes of American Indians in Alabama

'Complacency,' 'stigma' hindering efforts to reduce HIV/AIDS in black communities, opinion piece says

Fishing industry contributing to spread of HIV around Africa's Lake Victoria

About 75% of people in Rwanda who have experienced discrimination are HIV-positive, survey finds

Thailand aims to halve new HIV cases by 2011, Prime Minister says

About 0.59% of Vietnamese fishery workers are HIV-positive, prevalence could rise by 2013, survey says

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