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Fewer Americans with Alzheimer’s and $149 billion in annual Medicare and Medicaid savings by 2025

A new Alzheimer’s Association report released today shows that medical research breakthroughs could result in nearly three million fewer Americans with the disease and $149 billion in annual Medicare and Medicaid savings by 2025.

24 Jun 2004

West and central Africa is on the brink of the largest polio epidemic in recent years

Epidemiologists of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative today issued a stark warning that west and central Africa is on the brink of the largest polio epidemic in recent years.

23 Jun 2004

2000 Ukrainian patients to receive treatment for HIV/AIDS

A contract, worth 3,6 million dollars, was signed between the two parties, for the delivery of multi-source antiretrovirals in 2004.

22 Jun 2004

Testing for the SARS coronavirus by using a patients tear drops

A team of ophthalmologists, virologists and infectious disease specialists from the National University Hospital, Singapore, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Singapore General Hospital made their discovery working with teardrops taken from 36 patients in April last year. All of the 36 were suspected of having SARS.

22 Jun 2004

Mathematics helps explain meningococcal meningitis outbreaks

Outbreaks of meningococcal meningitis depend on small differences in the pathogenicity of different bacterial strains, a new report indicates.

22 Jun 2004

1 million deaths from malaria per year

Malaria remains a global health problem of staggering dimensions and despite many efforts to fight the disease; the situation today is worsening with more than 1 million deaths per year.

22 Jun 2004

Embryonic cell implantation improves motor skills in patients with Parkinson's disease

Patients with Parkinson disease (PD) who underwent treatment involving embryonic cell implantation had better motor functioning after their procedures than PD patients who did not receive embryonic cells

21 Jun 2004

Elevated homocysteine levels have been associated with an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer disease

Patients with Parkinson disease (PD) who also have high levels of homocysteine (an amino acid produced by the body) are more likely to be depressed compared with other patients with PD who have normal levels of homocysteine

21 Jun 2004

Secrecy about HIV in Nigerian Navy could be fueling AIDS epidemic

They believe that secrecy about AIDS-related deaths, and multiple sex partnering in the Nigerian navy could be helping to fuel the HIV epidemic in Nigeria, Africa’s most populated country.

21 Jun 2004

SARS, the highly infectious respiratory virus, has been found in tears

The finding suggests that tear analysis could not only be an effective means of diagnosing the infection, but also an unrecognised source of its spread, if appropriate preventive measures are not taken, say the authors.

20 Jun 2004

Cornelia de Lange syndrome gene discovered

An international team of researchers has discovered the gene for Cornelia de Lange syndrome, a disabling, multisystem genetic disease that affects an estimated one in 10,000 children.

20 Jun 2004

Washington and Oregon health officials are investigating a multi-state outbreak of salmonellosis

In the past two months, more than ten people in Washington and Oregon have been infected with Salmonella after handling chicks in both states.

20 Jun 2004

Lingering outbreak of pertussis in four Chicago-area counties

Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, state public health director, today urged parents to ensure their children have been properly immunized against this highly contagious disease and asked that persons exhibiting symptoms to immediately seek medical care.

20 Jun 2004

Oxford researchers call for new malaria distribution maps

There is a pressing need to define accurate maps of global malaria risk if international initiatives to reduce the disease are to be fairly targeted.

20 Jun 2004

Drug for multiple sclerosis prevented disease development when tested on animal models

Scientists from the Neurological Sciences Institute at Oregon Health & Science University have shown that an investigative drug for multiple sclerosis and related diseases prevented disease development when tested on animal models.

20 Jun 2004

Ugandans highly knowledgeable about HIV vaccine and willing to participate in future trials

A majority of Ugandan study participants are familiar with the benefits of vaccines and are willing to participate in future HIV-preventive vaccine trails

20 Jun 2004

Mothers infected with HIV who breast feed risk infecting infants

After four weeks of age, infants who breast feed from mothers infected with HIV continue to be at risk for infection with HIV for as long as they breastfeed

17 Jun 2004

27 per cent of HIV positive gay and bisexual men may not know they are infected

Up to 27 per cent of gay and bisexual men in Ontario who are HIV positive may not know they are infected, says a University of Toronto study.

17 Jun 2004

Biotech organization receives $1 million form Bill & Melinda Gates

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today announced the launch of BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH), a new nonprofit organization that will work to enlist the biotechnology industry in the fight against neglected diseases. BVGH has received a $1 million start-up grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

17 Jun 2004

Soil-borne disease called allergic fungal sinusitis is on the rise

The bad news this summer is that a destructive, soil-borne disease called allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS) is on the rise -- at least according to the up tick in cases referred to specialist Steven Schaefer, MD, chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.

16 Jun 2004