(AP) -- Senate negotiators said Wednesday they had reached a tentative agreement on a key obstacle to one of the most ambitious federal health initiatives ever, a $50 billion act to combat AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa and other countries hard-hit by those diseases.
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Study finds multiple neglected tropical diseases effectively treated with drugs
The neglected tropical diseases are a group of 13 infectious diseases, including elephantiasis, hookworm, African sleeping sickness and trachoma, which affect more than 1 billion people worldwide, most of whom live in extreme poverty. In a study published in the most recent
Journal of the American Medical Association, Madhuri Reddy, M.D., M.Sc., a geriatrician at Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston, says that treating two or more of them simultaneously for only pennies per dose can facilitate treatment of these diseases.
Researchers develop quick, cheap HIV/AIDS test
A Cornell researcher is working to develop a quick, simple and cheap immune-system test for people in the developing world. It could help HIV/AIDS sufferers in the poorest countries get appropriate treatment to extend their lives, possibly by as much as 10 to 15 years.
Nanotechnology's miniature answers to developing world's biggest problems
In a study by the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics, a panel of international experts ranks the 10 nanotechnology applications in development worldwide with the greatest potential to aid the poor. With a high degree of unanimity, the 63 panelists selected energy production, conversion and storage, along with creation of alternative fuels, as the area where nanotechnology applications are most likely to benefit developing countries.
Argentine senate declares obesity a disease
(AP) -- Argentine senators have approved a bill declaring obesity and other eating disorders diseases covered by the nation's public and private health care programs.
US activists praise Senate for lifting HIV travel ban
Gay advocates and commentators have hailed a vote by US senators to repeal a travel ban on HIV-positive visitors or immigrants to the United States.
Taking on Britain's 'sick note culture'
GPs should lend a hand to beat the ‘sick note culture’ that sees millions of working days lost every year, according to a survey of smaller business owners.
Neglected tropical diseases rarely make the headlines
A new study of leading news organizations has found that neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) rarely make headlines, despite the huge amount of illness, suffering, and poverty that they cause. The study is published May 14th in the open-access journal
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Study shows how 'horse tranquiliser' stops depression
Researchers have shown exactly how the anaesthetic ketamine helps depression with images that show the orbitofrontal cortex – the part of the brain that is overactive in depression – being ‘switched off’.
