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Autism affects the functioning of virtually the entire brain

A recent study provides evidence that autism affects the functioning of virtually the entire brain, and is not limited to the brain areas involved with social interactions, communication behaviors, and reasoning abilities, as had been previously thought.

16 Aug 2006

GenoMed's West Nile treatment speeds up Texas policeman's recovery from paralysis

GenoMed has announced that a Texas policeman with paralysis from the waist down due to West Nile virus has accelerated his recovery since starting GenoMed's treatment last week.

16 Aug 2006

Date set for trial of Chinese human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng

The trial of human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng, who was arrested in the country's Shangdong province after trying to expose alleged human rights abuses associated with the enforcement of the country's one-child-per-family policy, is scheduled to begin on Friday in county court in Yinan, China, according to Chen's attorney Li Jinsong, the Associated Press reports.

16 Aug 2006

Anxiety during pregnancy does not negatively impact infant's health

A pregnant woman's feelings of anxiety do not negatively impact the outcome of her pregnancy, according to study published online in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the New York Times reports.

16 Aug 2006

Breast cancer sufferers experience more side effects from chemo than previously thought

Women with breast cancer ages 64 and younger experience three to four times more serious side effects from chemotherapy than previously hypothesized, according to a study published in the Aug. 16 edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

16 Aug 2006

Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation achieves Federal appropriations for asbestos-cancer research

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (Meso Foundation) has announced two historic victories in federal research funding to combat the deadly asbestos-related cancer.

16 Aug 2006

Average Medicare drug benefit premium to remain unchanged at $24 in 2007

Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the program's prescription drug benefit in 2007 will pay an average monthly premium of about $24, the same as the average monthly premium for this year, CMS Administrator Mark McClellan said Tuesday, the New York Times reports.

16 Aug 2006

Genotoxic bacteria in the digestive tract

Escherichia coli is a commensal bacterium, which lives peacefully in our digestive tract. However, certain strains are pathogenic and are frequently incriminated in a broad spectrum of infections, affecting both farmed animals and humans (diarrhoea, urinary tract infections, food poisoning, septicaemia, neonatal meningitis, etc.).

16 Aug 2006

Black leaders call for urgent program to increase HIV testing

U.S. black leaders on Monday at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto pledged to make efforts to increase access to care and treatment for black U.S. residents and called for an urgent campaign to increase HIV testing and awareness among blacks in the country, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

16 Aug 2006

AIDS vaccine still long way off

Researchers are optimistic about a potential HIV/AIDS vaccine, even though none of the vaccines in development is likely to completely protect people from HIV transmission, participants at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto said at a news conference Tuesday, Reuters reports.

16 Aug 2006

Teenagers' diets are low priority for poorer families

Research among parents in disadvantaged parts of Eastern Scotland reveals that dietary issues are considered less important than other risks facing their teenagers.

16 Aug 2006

About 4 million additional health workers needed worldwide to fight HIV/AIDS, WHO says

More than four million additional health workers will be needed in 60 countries to fight HIV/AIDS, according to a strategy the World Health Organization released Tuesday at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto, the Wall Street Journal reports.

16 Aug 2006

HIV treatment access reaches over 1 million in sub-Saharan Africa

WHO HIV/AIDS Director Dr Kevin De Cock reported that the number of people receiving HIV antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa has surpassed 1 million for the first time, a ten-fold increase in treatment access in the region since December 2003.

16 Aug 2006

Treatment for STI's has a role in HIV prevention

The findings of a WHO/UNAIDS consultation presented at the XVI International AIDS Conference confirm that caring for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at the right stage of an epidemic and targeting them at key population groups can reduce HIV transmission.

16 Aug 2006

Thailand shows how free access to life-saving HIV/AIDS drugs can be affordable

A new report on Thailand's experience of giving free anti-retroviral drugs (ART) to people living with AIDS suggests that even developing countries with few resources may be able to deliver the life-saving drugs on a large scale, according to the World Bank and the Thailand Ministry of Public Health.

16 Aug 2006

Skin test may help detect early Alzheimer's

A simple skin test that would allow detection of Alzheimer's disease appears to be a realistic possibility in the future.

16 Aug 2006

Think twice about that occasional cup of coffee

According to new research, one cup of coffee may trigger a heart attack in some people within a hour of drinking it.

16 Aug 2006

AIDS spiraling out of control in Asia because of men's behaviour

South Asia's HIV and AIDS epidemic will continue to grow rapidly unless the eight countries in the region, especially India, can saturate high-risk groups such as sex workers and their clients, injecting drug users, and men having sex with men with better HIV prevention measures.

16 Aug 2006

Lose weight but the cellulite remains

New research has dispelled the myth that by losing weight women can also lose the "orange peel" effect of cellulite.

16 Aug 2006

When a patient is diagnosed with prostate cancer, what determines whether he will receive early androgen ablation?

While the benefits of androgen ablation therapy have been well documented in patients with locally advanced and metastatic prostate cancer, there is a paucity of evidence its role in patients with low-grade, low-stage disease.

16 Aug 2006