MedWorm: African Health

Time Travel And Photos Of Earth's 'Oldest' Animals

NPR Health and Science — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:09:00 +0100

What if a dinosaur was found in Africa? Would you consider it worthy of conservation? If so, why — and why not a horseshoe crab species that's even older? That's what photographer Piotr Naskrecki wants to know.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us (Source: NPR Health and Science)

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Tanzania: Good Job By Parliamentary Committee

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:24:06 +0100

[Daily News] Dodoma - SPEAKER of the National Assembly, Anne Makinda has announced that President Jakaya Kikwete and the Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda have approved recommendations by the parliamentary Committee on Social Services' for cessation of doctors' strike. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Morocco: Le Nouvel Observateur Magazine Confiscated

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:11:02 +0100

[HRInfo] Cairo - ANHRI condemns the Moroccan authorities for their confiscation of the last issue of the French magazine Le Nouvel Observateur due to its publishing of an image adopted from the French-Iranian film Persepolis. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Race and Mental Illness: Do African Americans Suffer More Schizophrenia or is It Bias?

RWJF News Digest - Quality/Equality — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:54:40 +0100

Diagnosed with mental illness, Nathaniel Ayers, later portrayed by Jamie Foxx in the movie "The Soloist," became an accomplished musician. (Source: RWJF News Digest - Quality/Equality)

Tanzania: TIGO Boosts Health Service Delivery in Misungwi

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:06:06 +0100

[Daily News] Mwanza - TIGO, a mobile phone service provider, has donated five motorbikes to Mwanza's Misungwi District Council, to easy provision of health care to 316,690 people in the district. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Africa: Breaking Down Legal Barriers to HIV Information Access

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:55:22 +0100

[PlusNews] Bangkok - While a number of Asian and Pacific countries are addressing legal barriers to accessing HIV information and treatment, there is still a gap between policy and implementation, say officials. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

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South Africa: A Healthy Diet for Healthy Lifestyle Awareness Month

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:46:15 +0100

[Biz-Community] Healthy Lifestyle Awareness Month encourages South Africans to make healthy lifestyle choices and promote good nutrition and regular physical activity. Some tips for a healthy lifestyle and diet are shared. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Does NIH Have a Bias Against African Americans?

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0100

Biomedical research scientists send proposals to the National Institutes of Health in the hopes of being funded. A recent study of this process, published in Science by the University of Kansas’s Donna Ginther and her colleagues, revealed that proposals from black applicants are significantly less likely to be funded than proposals from white applicants. This disparity was apparent even when controlling for the applicant’s educational background, training, publication record, previous research awards and employer characteristics. [More] (Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed)

Africa: Oxfam Calls On EU Not to Shut Down 'Pharmacy of the Developing World'

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:57:28 +0100

[Oxfam] On the eve of a high-level summit between the leaders of India and the European Union in Delhi, Oxfam is calling on the EU not to pressure India into agreeing new trade rules that could deny hundreds of millions of people access to affordable medicines. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Angola: Amboim District Gains Paediatric Centre

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:57:25 +0100

[ANGOP] Sumbe - The governor of the northern Kwanza Sul province, Serafim Maria do Prado, inaugurated this Tuesday a paediatric centre in the regional hospital of Amboim district, under the public investments programme. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Angola: 15 New Leprosy Cases Recorded in Kwanza-Norte

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:54:37 +0100

[ANGOP] Ndalatando - At least 15 new cases of leprosy were recorded in 2011 in the northern Kuanza-Norte province, says a press note from the health sector. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

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Angola: Civil Protection to Have Motor-Bicycles for Rescue Work

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:39:23 +0100

[ANGOP] Luanda - The National Civil Protection and Fire Service (SNPCB) will soon have a fleet of motor-bicycles for rescue work and fire fight. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Ghana: Rotary Club De-Worms Residents of Glefe

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:35:13 +0100

[Ghanaian Chronicle] The Rotary Club of Accra, Airport branch, has extended its humanitarian services to the people of Glefe and its surroundings, by de-worming over 5,000 children, in an exercise that was hailed by the community as timely, and in the right direction. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Tanzania: NGOs Hailed Over Motherhood Bill

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:29:54 +0100

[Daily News] Dodoma - DOCTORS and nurses have hailed civil society organizations that drafted the Motherhood Bill, saying it will help improve maternal and reproductive health services. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Nigeria: Lagos Assembly Decries State of Public Toilets

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:27:51 +0100

[The Moment] THE Lagos State House of Assembly has expressed concern over the deplorable condition of public toilets in the state. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Nigeria: Woman Dies of Alleged Negligence at National Hospital

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:22:47 +0100

[Daily Trust] Family members of Bilikisu Abubakar Mohammed, a 54-year-old grandmother, are regretting why they ever took her to National Hospital, Abuja, after she was involved in a domestic accident that left her with a fractured ankle on January 29. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

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Nigeria: FG to Upgrade 10 Cancer Centres

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:22:28 +0100

[Daily Trust] Lagos - Health Minister Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu said in Lagos yesterday that arrangements have been completed to upgrade 10 cancer centres across the country as part of efforts to curb the scourge of the disease. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Liberia: Commending CSI Team for Its Continued Lives Saving Gesture

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:21:29 +0100

[Heritage] Last week, a team of American medical personnel, under the banner of Children's Surgery International, completed a week-long working visit to the Firestone Medical Center in Duside, where over 95 children afflicted with various facial deformities and other pediatric conditions received free surgical operations. The medical team, which arrived on Wednesday, January 25, 2012, at the Roberts International Airport in Margibi County, began active surgical operations on Sunday, January 29, 2012, with beneficiari (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Nigeria: Combating Female Genital Cutting

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:21:07 +0100

[Daily Trust] On February 6 2012, the world marked the ninth annual International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C). 'Female Genital Cutting (FGC) is the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Liberia: CSI Ends Another Working Visit to Firestone

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:20:23 +0100

[Heritage] A team of American medical personnel, under the banner of Children's Surgery International, has completed a week-long working visit to the Firestone Medical Center in Duside, where over 95 children afflicted with various facial deformities and other pediatric conditions received free surgical operations. The medical team, which arrived on Wednesday, January 25, 2012, at the Roberts International Airport in Margibi County, began active surgical operations on Sunday, January 29, 2012 with beneficiaries comin (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

More Communities in Senegal Disavow Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting - 31 January 2012

UNFPA News — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:12:55 +0100

PATA, Senegal -- As Senegal edges closer to becoming the first African country to fully abandon the practice of female genital mutilation/cutting, younger women are supporting campaigns to change social norms surrounding the practice. In Pata, a village in the Kolda region of southeastern Senegal near the Gambian border, a celebration in November drew a huge crowd to formally announce the decision of 69 communities in Kolda to stop cutting. (Source: UNFPA News)

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2,000 More African Communities End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in 2011 - 06 February 2012

UNFPA News — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:12:55 +0100

UNITED NATIONS, New York— Almost 2,000 communities across Africa have abandoned female genital mutilation/cutting in 2011. This brought the total number of communities renouncing the practice to 8,000 over the last few years, according to new findings by UNFPA and UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund. (Source: UNFPA News)

Nigeria: FG to Upgrade 10 Cancer Centres

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:10:55 +0100

[This Day] Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, Wednesday said the Federal Government had completed plans to upgrade about 10 cancer centres in the country to meet the challenges posed by the scourge of the disease that had claimed several lives in the past few years. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Road traffic injury incidence and crash characteristics in Dar es Salaam: A population based study. - Zimmerman K, Mzige AA, Kibatala PL, Museru LM, Guerrero A.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:09:27 +0100

Road traffic injuries (RTI) are a public health threat and a major source of disability in developing countries. A population-based analysis of RTIs in a testimonially high-risk area of Dar es Salaam, the largest city in the East African country of Tanzani... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Recovering of DNA evidence after rape. - Jina R, Jewkes R, Christofides N, Smith JH.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:09:27 +0100

Objective. Sexual assault evidence collection kits (SAECKs) are used to collect evidence for DNA recovery after rape. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of completion of the kits by health care workers in 6 provinces of South Africa. Methods. A... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Nigeria: Fake Medical Doctor Arrested in Govt Hospital

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:09:13 +0100

[Leadership] A fake medical doctor has been arrested in Calabar, the Cross River State capital. The doctor known in the hospital as Dr. Collins Okafor was arrested at the General Hospital, Mary Slessor avenue Opposite High Court, Calabar. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

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Nigeria: Bill On Cremation of Corpses, Two Others Pass First Reading

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:01:20 +0100

[Vanguard] Lagos - Bills for land to establish the Lagos State House of Assembly Budget and Legislative Research Office; Local Government system, Establishment and Administration of Local Government Councils, as well as for voluntary cremation of corpses and unclaimed corpses in the state have passed through the first reading at the state House of Assembly. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Nigeria: FG to Construct 10 Cancer Centres This Year

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:01:14 +0100

[Vanguard] Lagos - The Federal Government, yesterday, said it would construct 10 new cancer centres across the country in 2012, a measure to stem the high rate of the disease in the country. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Chad: Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow to Travel to Chad and the DRC

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:00:48 +0100

[Unicef] New York - UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow will travel to Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a 10-day trip starting Sunday to support a global push to make polio a part of the past. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

South Africa: Seeking Justice for HIV-Positive Journalist

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:33:29 +0100

[Health-e] Human rights and civil society groups will picket the Qatari news network, Al Jazeera, next week to call for the reinstatement of a South African journalist who was thrown out of Qatar after it was found that he has HIV. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

South Africa: TAC Ready to Litigate Against Health Department

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:33:27 +0100

[Health-e] The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) says it's ready to litigate against the Gauteng Health Department should it not clear its outstanding debt to suppliers by the end of this week. The TAC adds that the closure of health laboratories in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal has severely impacted on people who are HIV-positive and those with TB. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

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South Africa: Global Fund Crisis - Govt Projects Face Closure

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:33:24 +0100

[Health-e] South African recipients of money from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) have pleaded with the health minister to intervene as they continue to wait for overdue funds. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Malawi: Cholera Outbreak Hits South

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:25:38 +0100

[IPS] Nsjane - They survived floods and witnessed the horrific scenes of their houses, livestock, household items and gardens being swept away at the end of January. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Namibia: New Twist to Cancer Patient's Appear

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:55:19 +0100

[New Era] Windhoek - Thirteen-year-old Jade Abrahams who has a cancerous tumour is still in need of financial assistance for an operation despite recent claims by her mother who is divorced from her father that she does not need financial assistance. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

On the origin of vocab | Robert McCrum

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:36:00 +0100

From the number of words for snow to the source of 'OK', popular etymology is crowded with mythsKate Bush's latest album, Fifty Words for Snow, touches many popular nerves, but few so sensitive as our attachment to language myths.The thing about language – English, or any other – is that, as native speakers, we are all expert, from birth. In one sense, we are all equally experienced in it. This gives us the right to hold forth.Let us begin with the myth contained in Bush's album title The notion that the Inuit language has 50 words for snow, which has been kicking around for years, has latterly been labelled the Great Eskimo Vocabulary Hoax; in fact, as many commentators have pointed out, English, which is famously rich in synonyms, has just as many ways as Inuit to describe the white ...

Birds of prey as ambassadors of peace in the Middle East

Guardian Unlimited Science — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0100

Documentary of an international collaborative conservation effort that relies on birds, scientists and farmersNot long ago, I told you that bird-friendly California vineyards may have fewer insect pests, but what about relying on birds to control another common food crop pest; rodents? Food crops are plagued by rodent pests everywhere. But when faced with putting out poisons -- poisons that not only kill rodents but also harm human health and the land itself -- farmers are increasingly looking for other solutions to address these ubiquitous pests. One such solution is birds of prey. Just one pair of adult barn owls, Tyto alba, will catch between 2,000 and 5,000 rodents each year. If barn owls live on farmland, their foraging activities may improve agricultural yield among certain crops by ...

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Kenya: Country Tops in Drive Against Female 'Cut'

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:37:02 +0100

[Nation] New York - Kenya tops the list of 15 sub-Saharan countries that have drastically reduced cases of female circumcision, says a UN report. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Uganda: Three Held Over Defective Drugs

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:52:26 +0100

[Monitor] Kampala - A month after two ladies were arrested for selling fake ARVs, three people are in custody for allegedly selling drugs that were phased out of the country under the World Health Organisation's directive. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Single origin of human commensalism in the house sparrow

Journal of Evolutionary Biology — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

AbstractThe current, virtually worldwide distribution of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a result of its commensal relationship with humans. It has been suggested that long before the advent of agriculture, an early glacial advance resulted in two disjunct ranges of ancestral house sparrows – one in the Middle East and another on the Indian subcontinent. Differentiation during this period of isolation resulted in two major groups of subspecies: the domesticus group and the indicus group. According to this hypothesis, commensalism with humans would have evolved independently in the two regions and at least twice. An alternative hypothesis is that morphological differences between the subspecies represent very recent differentiation, following expansions from a single source. To t...

How do young, Black women view birth control and talk to their health care providers about family planning?

Contraception — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:36:55 +0100

To understand how young, Black women use contraception and conceptualize pregnancy prevention and interactions with their health care providers regarding family planning. We conducted semistructured qualitative interviews with 15 young, Black/African–American women aged 18–23 years. Using techniques informed by grounded theory, we performed line-by-line coding to identify themes across interviews. We analyzed relationships among themes and ways women constructed themselves and interactions with providers. (Source: Contraception)

TV review: Super Smart Animals; Roger & Val Have Just Got In

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:30:00 +0100

If you think Tillman the skateboarding bulldog is clever, take a look at this lotAh yes, Tillman the skateboarding bulldog from Venice Beach, Los Angeles. I think I may know Tillman from YouTube. He scoots along, left legs on the board, right legs kicking the ground, gaining momentum, then on he hops and he's off, leaning into corners, tongue hanging out, clearly loving it. A bit too clearly, perhaps – you may want to work on your indifference, Tillman, your skater cool. Otherwise, good job.This is not a trick he's been taught; he's not getting any treats for doing it. Tillman skateboards because he loves skateboarding. He's here, on Super Smart Animals (BBC1), to demonstrate not just his prowess but also that animals are capable of learning simply through having the enthusiasm to try th...

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Road traffic injury incidence and crash characteristics in Dar es Salaam: A population based study.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:32:32 +0100

In conclusion, RTIs in this urban East African setting are a major source of disability. This study provides incidence data and crash characteristics that may be used to construct prevention programs and could validate secondary data sources. PMID: 22269502 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Accident; Analysis and Prevention.)

Madagascar: Plague-Prevention Campaign Launched in Places of Detention

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:33:17 +0100

[ICRC] Antananarivo - A campaign against the plague - the first of its kind - was launched on 2 February in two Malagasy detention centres with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Software apps for African farmers win prizes

SciDev.Net — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:27:56 +0100

Software applications, or apps, that help solve East African farmers' climate problems have received cash prizes in the Apps4Africa competition. (Source: SciDev.Net)

The results of treatment of children with metastatic Wilms tumours (WT) in an African setting: Do liver metastases have a negative impact on survival?

Pediatric Blood and Cancer — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:57:11 +0100

ConclusionsIn Africa liver metastases do not appear to worsen the prognosis of children with Stage IV WT. Despite the poor socio‐economic circumstances survival is comparable to other countries. Pediatr Blood Cancer © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Source: Pediatric Blood and Cancer)

Namibia: Longest HIV Survivor Rides Through Erongo

AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:51:22 +0100

[Namibian] THE longest known survivor of HIV in the world, Andre van Zijl (62) of South Africa, visited the coast recently to speak to high school learners about HIV and abstinence. (Source: AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs)

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South Africa: Cry the Beloved Province

AllAfrica News: Pregnancy and Childbirth — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:30:22 +0100

[Health-e] There has been an increase in newborn baby deaths and newborns with brain damage at Chris Hani Baragwanath (CHB) Hospital's labour ward since November, including two avoidable stillbirths, as a staffing crisis linked to non-payment of nursing agencies hit the academic hospital. (Source: AllAfrica News: Pregnancy and Childbirth)

In HIV Prevention More Focus Needed On Men

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0100

Edward Mills of the University of Ottawa, Canada and colleagues argue in this week's PLoS Medicine that the HIV/AIDS response in Africa needs a more balanced approach to gender, so that both men and women are involved in HIV treatment and prevention. Traditionally, targeted efforts at reducing the impact of the HIV epidemic have focused on women and children while men have received considerably less attention... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

How to Make It to the Final Whistle

Al Sears, MD Natural Remedies — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:00:25 +0100

Did you watch the Super Bowl? We even got to see it in Africa. It’s such a huge event around the world now… almost as big as the World Cup for soccer, the rest of the world’s version of football. I Was Sure I Was a Goner… I’d heard in the news that chimpanzees in [...] (Source: Al Sears, MD Natural Remedies)

Infectious disease: Genomics decodes drug action

Nature — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Alan H. Fairlamb Drugs used to treat African sleeping sickness are outdated, and how they enter cells and exert biological effects is poorly understood. A genome-wide study using RNA interference provides valuable insight. See Letter p.232 (Source: Nature)

Seven days: 3–9 February 2012

Nature — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Nature 482, 7384 (2012). http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/482136a The week in science: hope for drilling breakthrough to Antarctic lake; AstraZeneca’s neuroscience cuts; and how land-grabs threaten Africa’s sustainable development. (Source: Nature)

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Burkitt lymphoma in UGANDA, the legacy of Denis Burkitt and an update on the disease status

British Journal of Haematology — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

SummaryBurkitt lymphoma (BL) was first described in Uganda in 1958 as a sarcoma of the jaw but later confirmed to be a distinct form of Non Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). This discovery was the defining moment of cancer research in Uganda, which eventually led to the establishment of a dedicated cancer research institute, the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) in 1967. The centre was dedicated to Denis Burkitt in recognition of his contribution to cancer research in East Africa. BL is still the commonest NHL in childhood in Uganda. Its incidence has significantly increased recently due to yet unknown factors. Although the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was considered a possible reason for the increase, there is no evidence that it has substantially impacted on the epidemiology of the disease. Howe...

Denis Parsons Burkitt CMG, MD, DSc, FRS, FRCS, FTCD (1911–93) Irish by birth, Trinity by the grace of God

British Journal of Haematology — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

SummaryDenis Parsons Burkitt, surgeon and research scientist, is a household name in the medical profession. Denis received his BA in 1933 and graduated as a physician in 1935 from Trinity College, Dublin. After serving as a surgeon in the Royal Army Medicine Corps during World War II, he worked as a surgeon and lecturer in Africa. It was in Africa that he developed exceptional observational and analytical skills, which led him to identify and formally develop a successful treatment for a childhood cancer that is now called Burkitt Lymphoma. The influence of Christianity in his life was huge. Throughout his life he remained extremely modest, attributing much of what he had achieved to the work of others. Denis's contributions to haemato‐oncology remain salient today, and his discoveries ...

Cholesterol Is Associated with the Presence of a Lipid Core in Carotid Plaque of Asymptomatic, Young-to-Middle-Aged African Americans with and without HIV Infection and Cocaine Use Residing in Inner-City Baltimore, Md., USA

Karger Publishers — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:00:00 +0100

Cerebrovasc Dis 2012;33:295-301 (DOI:10.1159/000334661) (Source: Karger Publishers)

Africa: Obstetric Fistula Fact Sheet

AllAfrica News: Pregnancy and Childbirth — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:38:06 +0100

[Worldwide Fistula Fund] Obstetric fistula, also known as vesicovaginal or rectovaginal fistula, is a debilitating condition resulting from prolonged, obstructed and/or unassisted labor that affects women in developing nations. The World Health Organization estimates that more than two million women are currently suffering from untreated obstetric fistula in Asia and Africa. (Source: AllAfrica News: Pregnancy and Childbirth)

Mystery bird: Rüppell's black chat, Myrmecocichla melaena | GrrlScientist

Guardian Unlimited Science — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:30:00 +0100

This handsome Ethiopian mystery bird is placed into several taxonomic families, depending upon which authority you refer toRüppell's black chat, Myrmecocichla melaena (synonym, Thamnolaea melaena; protonym, Saxicola melaena), Rüppell, 1837, also known as the black chat, as Rüppell's (Rueppell's) chat or, according to email from a reader, as the chiru by the indigenous Etritrean peoples, photographed at Lalibela, northern Ethiopia (Africa). Image: Dan Logen, 9 February 2011 (with permission) [velociraptorize].Nikon D300s, 200-400 mm lens at 400, f/5.6, 1/800 sec, ISO 800 Question: This handsome African mystery bird is endemic to Ethiopia and Eritrea. It also is placed into several taxonomic families, depending upon which authority you are referring to. Can you identify this mystery bird'...

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ANC report rejects nationalisation of mines

FT.com - Drugs and Healthcare — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:16:32 +0100

Team tasked by the party to look into the merits of state ownership had concluded it was 'not a viable policy for South Africa' but proposed higher taxes for the sector (Source: FT.com - Drugs and Healthcare)

South Africa considers law banning sale of alcohol to pregnant women

Telegraph Health — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:37:14 +0100

South Africa is considering introducing a law that bans retailers from selling alcohol to pregnant women. (Source: Telegraph Health)

Southern Africa: New President for HIV Clinicians Society

AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:30:01 +0100

[Health-e] The Southern African HIV Clinicians Society has appointed a new President, Dr Francesca Conradie. (Source: AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs)

Congo-Kinshasa: Future Bleak for Aids Patients

AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:05:13 +0100

[RNW Africa] Kinshasa - According to an alarming report published by nongovernmental organisation Doctors Without Borders (DWB), 85% of AIDS patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) do not have access to antiretroviral (ARV) treatment. (Source: AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs)

Africa: Continent Needs U.S. $4 Billion to Bridge Global Fund Shortfall

AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:20:34 +0100

[East African] Africa requires at least $12 billion for its HIV/Aids response in the next three years to stem the scourge, although this financial injection is threatened as donors hold back due to mismanagement of funds. (Source: AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs)

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Use of red ochre by early Neandertals [Anthropology]

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

The use of manganese and iron oxides by late Neandertals is well documented in Europe, especially for the period 60–40 kya. Such finds often have been interpreted as pigments even though their exact function is largely unknown. Here we report significantly older iron oxide finds that constitute the earliest documented use of red ochre by Neandertals. These finds were small concentrates of red material retrieved during excavations at Maastricht-Belvédère, The Netherlands. The excavations exposed a series of well-preserved flint artifact (and occasionally bone) scatters, formed in a river valley setting during a late Middle Pleistocene full interglacial period. Samples of the reddish material were submitted to various forms of analyses to study their physical properties. All analyses ide...

Engaging Men in Prevention and Care for HIV/AIDS in Africa

PLoS Medicine — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

by Edward J. Mills, Chris Beyrer, Josephine Birungi, Mark R. Dybul (Source: PLoS Medicine)

Sensitization and symptoms associated with soybean exposure in processing plants in South Africa

American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

ConclusionsExposure and sensitization to soybean were associated with the presence of work related symptoms, including flu‐like symptoms, cough, chest tightness, and nasal symptoms. The aetiology of these symptoms and more particularly the best intervention strategies require more detailed investigation. Am. J. Ind. Med. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Source: American Journal of Industrial Medicine)

More focus on men needed in HIV prevention

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Public Library of Science) Edward Mills of the University of Ottawa, Canada and colleagues argue in this week's PLoS Medicine that the HIV/AIDS response in Africa needs a more balanced approach to gender, so that both men and women are involved in HIV treatment and prevention. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Multidrug-Resistant TB Cases Increasing Worldwide Multidrug-Resistant TB Cases Increasing Worldwide

Medscape Today Headlines — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:12:37 +0100

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis rates are as high as 65.1% in one Eastern European country, and extensively drug-resistant disease have topped 10% in former Soviet Union countries and South Africa. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

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Africa: Why Are World Leaders Turning Their Backs On the Continent?

AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:58:19 +0100

[OSI] The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is the most important and effective financial facility addressing AIDS. It has saved and prolonged millions of lives. Yet at this precise moment when the global community should be doing all it can to support the Fund, it is under the most serious assault it has endured in its ten-year history. (Source: AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs)

South Sudan: Minister for Health Meets Lainya Delegation

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:59:32 +0100

[GoSS] Juba - The national minister for Health Hon Dr Michael Milli Hussein last week at the Ministry headquarters met a delegation of Lainya led by the paramount chief Enosa Lucky Yona. The delegation was also accompanied by Hon Dousman, a member of National Legislative Assembly. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Egypt: Interior Ministry Promises to Send Mubarak to Torah

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:57:59 +0100

[Aswat Masriya] Minister of Interior, Mohamed Ibrahim, has promised to transfer former President Hosni Mubarak to Torah prison hospital, which is currently being medically prepped, as soon as a court order is issued. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Egypt: Parliament Speaker - Proposal to Transfer Mubarak Accepted

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:57:57 +0100

[Aswat Masriya] The Ministry of Interior has accepted the proposal to transfer former President, Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, to Torah prison hospital, said Mohamed Saad Al-Katatni, speaker of the newly-elected People's Assembly. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Kenya: NHIF Now Targets Informal Sector

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:16:53 +0100

[Capital FM] Nairobi, Kenya - The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) will by the end of this month roll out yet another comprehensive health scheme, this time targeting the informal sector. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

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Uganda: Malnutrition Hits Nakapiripirit, Napak Districts

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:41:27 +0100

[New Vision] Malnutrition, affecting both childrena and adults, has hit two districts in Karamoja sub region, stateminister for disaster preparedness and relief, Musa Ecweru has revealed. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Tanzania: Government Allays Fears On Malaria Deaths Report

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:14:58 +0100

[Citizen] Dar es Salaam - The government said yesterday that the country is on the right path to drastically reduce malaria deaths despite a new global report showing that the disease kills twice as many people as earlier thought. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Nigeria: How to Win Battle Against Killer Polio - Experts

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:53:58 +0100

[Vanguard] Paediatricians say Nigeria can achieve a polio-free generation. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Kenya: Meru Fights Aids Stigma

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:53:44 +0100

[Nairobi Star] Men living with HIV/Aids have beenurged to help in the fight against stigma. The men have been urged to join People Living with HIV/AIDS support groups in their areas. Methodist Church, Kaaga Synod HIV/AIDSProgram Manager Florence Murugu said men abhor coming out and joining supportgroups due to fear of losing their status in the society once they go public. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Kenya: State Must Invest in Healthcare Facilities - Report

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:51:24 +0100

[Capital FM] Nairobi, Kenya - A taskforce set up to look into the issue of strengthening health services following the December strike by doctors wants the government to finance a three year health stimulus package to improve the poor state of public health facilities. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

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Tanzania: Bunge Team to Probe Doctors' Strike

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:48:09 +0100

[Daily News] Dodoma - The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Job Ndugai (Kongwa-CCM), has urged striking doctors to resume work. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Zimbabwe: Govt to 'Export' Jobless Nurses - Minister

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:35:21 +0100

[Zimbabwe Standard] GOVERNMENT is working on modalities to "export" unemployed nurses to work in other countries, mostly in the Sadc region. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Namibia: Mother Distances Herself From Financial Appeal

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:15:06 +0100

[New Era] Windhoek - The mother of 13-year-old Jade Sinead Abrahams who has a cancerous brain tumour, has distanced herself from a newspaper report in which the teenager's father requested the public for financial assistance for an operation. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Nigeria: HIV Treatment Vaccine Expected in Five Years - Institute

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:12:03 +0100

[Daily Trust] The Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN), says vaccine for treatment of Human Immuno-deficiency Virus that causes AIDS, may be available in the next five years. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Nigeria: Light At the End of Tunnel for Eliminating NTDs

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:02:40 +0100

[Vanguard] Though much of the world has never heard of diseases like lymphatic filariasis or schistosomiasis, these and other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a daily reality for many living in Africa and across the world. These terrible diseases affect more than one billion people worldwide, disabling, disfiguring and blinding their victims, and making it difficult for the world's poorest communities to lift themselves out of poverty. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

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Nigeria: Father of Girl Born Without Hands and Legs Says She Is a Gift From God

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:02:32 +0100

[Vanguard] The birth of a new child is usually an occasion for celebrations but for the family of Ahmadu Didda, a peasant farmer from Dunomari village in Zaki Local Government Area of Bauchi State, the arrival of a very strange baby girl on January 13, 2012, was greeted with sorrow. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Angola: Education Ministry to Analyse HIV/Aids Fight Strategy

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:02:20 +0100

[ANGOP] Luanda - The Ministry of Education (MED) will run a workshop from February 6-8 in Luanda to review and draft a Strategic Plan to fight Hiv/Aids and the great endemic diseases in the sector, Angop learned Friday here. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Spectacular Plumes of Dust Reach across the World [Slide Show]

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0100

We don't hear too much about natural dust, the kind that the winds loft from deserts and dry lakebeds into the air and carries for hundreds of kilometers, crossing oceans and continents, but we should. Plumes of dust connect the atmosphere, the oceans and the forests, and affect the most fundamental processes of life on our planet. Scientists believe that dust has profound and somewhat mysterious influences on atmospheric chemistry, solar heat exchange and nutrient supply to the oceans and rain forests. What those influences are, exactly, is the subject of much study and is still somewhat mysterious--the story of dust shows just how complex our natural world is, and how difficult it is to understand it. For more, see our February feature story, 'Swept From Africa to the Amazon '...

Swept From Africa to the Amazon (preview)

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0100

The Bodele depression at the southern edge of the Sahara is a fearsome, forsaken place. Winds howl through the nearby Tebesti Mountains and Ennedi Plateau, picking up speed as they funnel into a parched wasteland nearly the size of California. Once there was a massive freshwater lake here. Now the lake is a shrunken puddle of its former self. Across most of the landscape, there is nothing. [More] (Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed)

Spectacular Plumes of Dust Reach Across the World

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0100

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Tunisia: Radio Zitouna Accused of Airing Politicized Content

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:53:02 +0100

[Tunisia Live] Tunisia's Islamic radio station, Zitouna FM, has been recently accused of infusing its normally purely religious content with social and even political subject matter since the revolution. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Kenya: Each Constituency Needs Ambulance - Taskforce

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:42:20 +0100

[Capital FM] Nairobi - The government has been asked to set up the Kenya National Ambulance Services within each county and a central coordinating office at the national level within the next two years. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Zimbabwe: Typhoid Exposes City Council

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:15:29 +0100

[Financial Gazette] The recent outbreak of typhoid within the capital city, Harare, has brought with it immeasurable stress to both communities and the still-unwholesome public health delivery system, which is likely to be overwhelmed by a likely degeneration of the current crisis due to lack of urgency by government and local authorities in dealing with the scourge. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Zimbabwe: Global Fund Cancellation Jeopardises Health Sector

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:15:19 +0100

[Financial Gazette] THE termination of funding by the Global Fund could jeopardise Zimbabwe's under-funded health sector in the next two years, stakeholders cautioned this week, amid fears of a reversal in the gains achieved against the HIV and Aids scourge, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, especially in the rural areas. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

More Communities in Senegal Disavow Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting - 31 January 2012

UNFPA News — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:59:14 +0100

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Nigeria: 17-Year-Old Mother Sells Two-Week-Old Baby for N20,000

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:59:40 +0100

[Leadership] The absurdity of child trading came to fore on Friday as a two-week old baby was sold by the mother, Blessing John, an SSS II student for a paltry N20,000 to one Mrs. Chikodili Jude of Mechanic Bye pass, Minna, Niger state. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Kenya: Firm Opposes Planned Chemical Ban

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:03:31 +0100

[Nation] A company has refuted claims that a chemical it relies on to manufacture pesticides causes cancer. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Kenya: New Strategy On HIV Funds Needs Support

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:03:07 +0100

[Nation] Last week, the Global Fund, the world's biggest donor in the fight against HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis celebrated its 10th birthday. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Tanzania: Go Back to Work, Sheikh Urges Docs

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:47:19 +0100

[Citizen] Dar - The Muslim Council of Tanzania (Bakwata) in Dar es Salaam Region has urged striking medical doctors to resume work in order to save lives of innocent people. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Tanzania: Campaign Against Fistula Gets Boost

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:23:53 +0100

[Daily News] VODACOM Tanzania in collaboration with CCBRT yesterday launched a nationwide campaign to raise more than 1bn/- from the public in support of maternal healthcare for women suffering from obstetric fistula. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

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Uganda: Health Experts' Assessment of Male Circumcision

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:43:07 +0100

[Monitor] More than 600,000 Ugandan male have been circumcised since the Safe Male circumcision policy was introduced in Uganda in 2009 to consolidate the fight against HIV/Aids. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Africa: Paying for Health

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:29:22 +0100

[AfricaFocus] "Simply put, if we allow the fund to fail, many people will die, and we will forfeit the chance at the "AIDS-free generation" that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for in November. This is no time to step back." - Paul Farmer (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Identification Of Potential New Treatment For Leishmaniasis

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0100

Researchers at the University of Dundee have identified fexinidazole as a possible, much-needed, new treatment for the parasitic disease visceral leishmaniasis. Leishmaniasis is named after William Leishman, a Glasgwegian doctor serving with the British Army in India, who first identified the parasite in the early 1900s. The disease is the second biggest killer in Africa, Asia and Latin America after malaria, and affects 500,000 people, killing about 50-60,000 patients per year... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Sudan: Malaria, Malnutrition On the Rise After Violent Clashes

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:59:58 +0100

[Sudan Tribune] Juba - 16-year old Nyayan Giet lies helpless on a metallic bed in a maternity ward at Walgak Primary Health Care Center (PHCC) as she quietly stares at at roof with no ceiling. Her husband and a relative closely monitor her condition. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Africa: Risk of Epidemic in Mozambique After the Recent Floods

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:52:50 +0100

[Oxfam] Tropical storm Dando and cyclone Funso affected more than 117,000 people and left 40 dead in Mozambique last week (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

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Zimbabwe: 'More Typhoid Outbreaks Imminent'

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:58:40 +0100

[The Herald] Chinhoyi - GOVERNMENT says the typhoid outbreak is under control, but is worried that some of the cases could have evolved to carrier state, making prospects of further outbreaks imminent. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

I Found the Pearl of Africa

Al Sears, MD Natural Remedies — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:00:47 +0100

I’ve been to some of the most beautiful places on Earth. But I made my home base for my trip to Africa near Kampala, Uganda, because it’s by far the most incredible landscape I’ve ever seen. It’s the heart of Africa, and it’s unique because it’s where the dense, Western forest meets the dry savannah. [...] (Source: Al Sears, MD Natural Remedies)

Nearly 2,000 African communities end female genital mutilation - UN

UN News Centre - Women, Children, Population — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

A new United Nations report shows that almost 2,000 communities across Africa abandoned female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) last year, prompting calls for a renewed global push to end this harmful practice once and for all. (Source: UN News Centre - Women, Children, Population)

'Many voices, one song': a model for an oral health programme as a first step in establishing a health promoting school

Health Promotion International — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Four health promoting (HP) schools were established in rural communities in Uganda by a joint Ugandan/Canadian university team. The model was based on a successful Canadian health promotion initiative designed to address poor oral health in Aboriginal children in rural and remote communities. Careful situation analysis, orientation of partner schools and collaborative development of educational materials and evaluation methodology preceded implementation. The intervention had three elements: inclusion of health topics by teachers in regular classroom activities; health education delivered by the university team to reinforce key educational concepts; and daily in-school tooth brushing to develop healthy practices. All children entering Grade 1 at four schools were recruited for 4 years; eva...

IRF5 haplotypes demonstrate diverse serological associations which predict serum interferon alpha activity and explain the majority of the genetic association with systemic lupus erythematosus

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions The authors define a novel risk haplotype of IRF5 that is associated with anti-dsDNA antibodies and show that risk of SLE due to IRF5 genotype is largely dependent upon particular auto-antibodies. This suggests that auto-antibodies are directly pathogenic in human SLE, resulting in increased IFNα in cooperation with particular combinations of IRF5 functional genetic elements. SLE is a systemic autoimmune disorder affecting multiple organ systems including the skin, musculoskeletal, renal and haematopoietic systems. Humoral autoimmunity is a hallmark of SLE, and patients frequently have circulating auto-antibodies directed against dsDNA, as well as RNA binding proteins (RBP). Anti-RBP autoantibodies include antibodies which recognize Ro, La, Smith (anti-Sm), and ribonucleo...

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Debate. How should steps per day be reported--a proposal using data from Africa

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Recent reviews published in the IJBNPA provide more definitive ranges of ambulatory activity usually found in four general age groups, and how step data relates to public health guidelines. Of note in these reviews was the lack of data from Developing Countries. Apart from the lack of published data, available data was not presented in a format conducive to inclusion in the reviews. Consequently, this paper presents available pedometry data from Africa, such that it is easily available for inclusion in future comparisons. Also addressed is the need to consider adjusting prevalence data according to standard population age structures. (Source: International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity)

Ethnic differences in reported unmet needs among male inpatients with severe mental illness

Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This study attempts to identify the rates and nature of unmet health and social needs across three ethnic groups.• Inpatients of African ethnicity reported significantly less unmet needs than their White British counterparts.• Unmet needs in the domains of psychotic symptoms, alcohol use and safety to self differed significantly across the three ethnic groups.• Inpatients of White British heritage appeared to have more unmet needs and/or were more willing to disclose these compared to other ethnic groups.• The ability to meet health and social needs is complicated by the presence of antisocial personality disorder and alcohol dependence.AbstractHealth services are failing to meet the needs of ethnic minority groups with severe mental illness in the UK. Understanding these u...

Epilepsy in Tanzanian children: Association with perinatal events and other risk factors

Epilepsia — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

In this study from sub‐Saharan Africa, CWE predominantly had focal features that support the suggestion that most epilepsy in this region has a symptomatic etiology. Adverse perinatal events were strongly associated with epilepsy. Genetic and social factors may also be important. Epilepsy may be preventable in a significant proportion of children with better antenatal and perinatal care. (Source: Epilepsia)

Researchers examine consequences of non-intervention for infectious disease in African great apes

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(University of California - Santa Barbara) Infectious disease has joined poaching and habitat loss as a major threat to the survival of African great apes as they have become restricted to ever-smaller populations. Despite the work of dedicated conservationists, efforts to save our closest living relatives from ecological extinction are largely failing, and new scientific approaches are necessary to analyze major threats and find innovative solutions. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Environmental M. ulcerans linked to incidence of Buruli ulcer in Benin

MedWire News - Dermatology — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:27:56 +0100

Research carried out in Benin in West Africa shows that environmental Mycobacterium ulcerans predicts prevalence of Buruli ulcer, a necrotizing skin disease common in subtropical countries. (Source: MedWire News - Dermatology)

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Today's mystery bird for you to identify | @GrrlScientist

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:30:01 +0100

This handsome Ethiopian mystery bird is placed into several taxonomic families, depending upon which authority you refer toMystery Bird photographed at Lalibela, northern Ethiopia (Africa). [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]Image: Dan Logen, 9 February 2011 (with permission) [velociraptorize].Nikon D300s, 200-400 mm lens at 400, f/5.6, 1/800 sec, ISO 800 Question: This handsome African mystery bird is endemic to Ethiopia and Eritrea. It also is placed into several taxonomic families, depending upon which authority you are referring to. Can you identify this mystery bird's taxonomic family(ies) and species?The Rules:1. Keep in mind that people live in zillions of different time zones, and some people are following on their smart phones. So let everyone play the game. Don't spoi...

Complete deficiency of the sixth complement component (C6Q0), susceptibility to Neisseria meningitidis infections and analysis of the frequencies of C6Q0 gene defects in South Africans.

Clinical and Developmental Immunology — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:25:58 +0100

Authors: Orren A, Owen EP, Henderson HE, van der Merwe L, Leisegang F, Stassen C, Potter PC Abstract Complete complement component 6 deficiency (C6Q0) is a co-dominant genetic disease presenting as increased susceptibility to invasive Neisseria meningitidis infections. Affected individuals have two affected alleles which can be homozygous or compound heterozygous for the particular gene defects they carry. This disorder has been diagnosed relatively frequently in Western Cape South Africans. Affected patients are prescribed penicillin prophylaxis. In 2004 we commenced a clinical follow-up study of 46 patients. Of these, 43 had family age-matched C6 sufficient controls. Participants were classified as either (i) well, or (ii) having a serious illness (SI) or died (D). An SI was a lo...

ANC upholds Malema suspension

FT.com - Drugs and Healthcare — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:18:38 +0100

An African National Congress appeals committee upholds a five-year suspension against youth league leader Julius Malema (Source: FT.com - Drugs and Healthcare)

Managing asthma in primary care through imperative outcomes

Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion Over all three of the data collection periods adherence to effectively applied management of asthma guidelines proved to be below the minimum recommended clinical evaluation work‐up as set out by the Expert Panel Report 3 (EPR3) of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP). Applying a greater focus on essential outcomes through different disease management documents resulted in an improved quality of managed care, but still requires dedicated and continuous education and motivation. (NWU‐0052‐08‐A5) (Source: Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice)

Piltdown Man: British archaeology's greatest hoax | Robin McKie

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:05:35 +0100

Discussion of the Piltdown Skull, by John Cooke, presents its discoverers in an almost holy atmosphere. Keith is seated while Smith Woodward stands behind him in front of a table with pieces of skull on it. Also standing, with a picture of Charles Darwin behind him, is the benign figure of Charles Dawson. "The way the painting is structured suggests Darwin is passing on his mantle to Dawson," says Russell. "The former had the theory, the latter had provided it, it is being suggested."Certainly, the Wizard of Sussex had come far. He was now feted as one of the world's greatest archaeologists and would have been knighted, as were Keith and Smith Woodward, had he not died of septicaemia in 1916. Kindly and rotund, the figure of Dawson looks the acme of Edwardian rectitude, a successful s...

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Peter Seeberger: we can treat malaria for less

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:05:11 +0100

Artemisinin is the most effective malaria treatment yet discovered. Peter Seeberger has found a way to to make it from the waste products of its current manufactureArtemisinin, a drug extracted from the sweet wormwood plant, is the most effective treatment for malaria ever discovered. Every year, millions of doses of artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) are donated to Africa and Asia, greatly reducing the worldwide burden of the parasitical disease. But extracting artemisinin is expensive and because it takes time to cultivate the plant there are often bottlenecks in supply.But Peter H Seeberger, the director of the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, Germany, has just announced that he and colleague François Lévesque have discovered a simple and cost-effectiv...

Test–retest reliability of the Xhosa version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children

Child: Care, Health and Development — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:54:28 +0100

Conclusion The results of this study suggest that the test–retest reliability of the Xhosa version of the DISC‐IV is similar to the reliability reported in other translated versions of the instrument. The satisfactory reliability and straightforward application make this instrument suitable for use in South Africa. (Source: Child: Care, Health and Development)

Mystery bird: blue pitta, Hydrornis cyanea | @GrrlScientist

Guardian Unlimited Science — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:30:01 +0100

This southeast Asian mystery bird is atypical amongst those species with similar habits (includes gorgeous video!) Blue pitta, Hydrornis cyanea, (protonym, Pitta cyanea) Blyth, 1843, also known as the lesser blue pitta, photographed at the Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Chaiyaphum, Thailand. Image: Alex Vargas, 10 January 2012 (with permission) [velociraptorize].Nikon D5000, Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR 1/10s f/5.6 at 420.0mm iso500, With a Kenko 1.4X Teleconverter on. Question: This southeast Asian mystery bird is atypical amongst those species with similar habits. Can you tell me in what way it is atypical? Can you identify this mystery bird's taxonomic family and species? Response: Adult male blue pitta, Hydrornis cyanea, a medium-sized passerine that is placed into Pittidae. The pi...

[Articles] Global malaria mortality between 1980 and 2010: a systematic analysis

LANCET — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Our findings show that the malaria mortality burden is larger than previously estimated, especially in adults. There has been a rapid decrease in malaria mortality in Africa because of the scaling up of control activities supported by international donors. Donor support, however, needs to be increased if malaria elimination and eradication and broader health and development goals are to be met. (Source: LANCET)

West Africa: Yellow Fever Outbreaks Hit Cameroon and Ghana

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:56:35 +0100

[UN News] The United Nations is backing a mass vaccination campaign under way in northern Cameroon, where a new outbreak of yellow fever has killed at least seven people. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

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Highest-ever levels of multi-drug-resistant TB revealed | Sarah Boseley

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:50:00 +0100

This study ought to give further impetus to the drive to find them.TB is an area that I know the IHME will be addressing before long, as part of its project, which has taken five years of work so far, to get the best possible handle on global mortality rates from all causes. They have tackled maternal mortality – their study showed it was lower than thought at a third of a million rather than half a million a year – and given us the first global data on breast and cervical cancer. Since their director Christopher Murray has been studying TB for 30 years, expect some interesting data from that quarter at some point.The WHO report is not (necessarily) about deaths, but they are up against the same problems as IHME – the absence of good data or, in some countries, any data.But a lot of ...

Africa: Study - Malaria Death Toll Nearly Twice the Official Count, Kills Many Adults

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:34:10 +0100

[KPLU] A new global estimate of malaria deaths by researchers in Seattle has revealed the death toll is much greater than most experts had thought -- and is not, as had been universally assumed, mostly a killer of children. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Africa: Malaria Kills Twice As Many People As Previously Thought, Research Finds

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:23:55 +0100

[Guardian Network] Dateline - Malaria kills twice as many people every year as formerly believed, taking 1.2 million lives and causing the deaths not only of babies but also older children and adults, according to research that overturns decades of assumptions about one of the world's most lethal diseases. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Big Biotech and Big Pharma: no place to hide?

Alliance for Natural Health — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:22:24 +0100

The importance of continued pressure amid European corporate pullouts (Source: Alliance for Natural Health)

Zoos tighten security as threat of animal poaching grows

Guardian Unlimited Science — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:12:52 +0100

Despite its size, many feel the illegal trade in wildlife is not getting the attention or resources it deservesOpening the door to the animal house, passing a rhino on the way and patting the giraffe inside, Sarah Forsyth points out small white boxes that dot the walls. "Everywhere you look there's a detector or a motion sensor," she says, chuckling in front of one that presented the security firm with a peculiarly zoo-specific problem. "These are the ones the giraffe were licking."She can laugh about it now, but two months ago, when Colchester zoo decided to put in place its new £300,000 alarm system, Forsyth's overriding emotions were panic and disbelief. As curator of the resident rhinos – five southern whites – she is responsible for their care and protection. So when the National...

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The Measurement of Condom Use in Four Countries in East and Southern Africa

AIDS and Behavior — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:12:23 +0100

Abstract Measurement of condom use is important to assess progress in increasing use. Since 2003, the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and AIDS Indicator Surveys (AIS) have included new measures of self-reported condom use. We use data from Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Zambia to compare measures of condom use accounting for type of sexual partner. Condom use at last sex ranged from 20% in Tanzania to 57% in Namibia for men, and from 12% in Tanzania to 41% in Namibia for women. Reported condom use was lower in response to questions about condom use every time with last partner (from 13 to 47% for men and from 8 to 33% for women). Condom use was highest among people with two or more partners in the last year and lowest with marital partners. Overall, the prevalence ...

Africa: Malaria Mortality 'Underestimated'

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:37:46 +0100

[IRIN] London - A new attempt to quantify malaria deaths over the past 30 years suggests the death toll, especially among adults, has been greatly underestimated. The figures also show the fragility of the gains made in fighting the disease. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Africa: Malaria Kills Nearly Twice as Many People Than Previously Thought

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:06:11 +0100

[Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation] Washington, DC - Despite assumptions that mainly young children die from the disease, 42% of 1.2 million deaths occur in older children and adults. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

South Africa: Six Malaria Cases Confirmed in Tshwane

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:42:15 +0100

[SAPA] Six people have been diagnosed with malaria in Tshwane in Gauteng without visiting malaria areas, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

South Africa: Cancer - Know Your Chances

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:24:29 +0100

[Health-e] World Cancer Day is commemorated on 4 February and the theme for this year's celebration is: "Together it is possible". (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

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Zimbabwe: Typhoid Outbreak Hits Harare

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:14:55 +0100

[RNW Africa] Zimbabwe - Since last October, when the disease broke out, some 1,500 people in Zimbabwe's capital Harare have fallen victim to typhoid. The authorities blame restaurants and food vendors; the citizens blame the authorities. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Ethiopia: Experts Pledge to Eradicate 'Neglected' Diseases

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:44:30 +0100

[IRIN] London - Ten little-known but debilitating diseases will be high on the agenda of the world's pharmaceutical chiefs, health ministers and donor governments after they pledged their support for a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative to wipe out guinea worm, river blindness, trachoma, leprosy, bilharzia and intestinal worms, among other "neglected" diseases. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Zimbabwe: Improved Aids Levy Collections Fill Part of Funding Gap

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:34:43 +0100

[PlusNews] Harare - With global funding for on the decline, Zimbabwe's innovative AIDS levy - a 3 percent tax on income - has become a promising source of funding for the country, with a dramatic increase in revenue collected in the past two years. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Africa: BCI and IBCN Collaborate to Fight Breast Cancer

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:03:58 +0100

[Public Agenda] Breast Cancer Prevention in Africa has taken another dimension with the launch of the International Breast Cancer and Nutrition (IBCN) project, a multinational initiative that seeks to establish the link between diet and breast cancer in Africa. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Ghana: Malaria Prevention - 13 Winning Moves for Workers

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:03:56 +0100

[Public Agenda] 1. Build malaria information sharing into the agenda of staff meetings and host question and answer sessions with trained health workers to correct misconceptions about malaria. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

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Social Clicks: Sounds Associated with African Languages Are Common in English

Scientific American - Official RSS Feed — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0100

Some Africans click, but English speakers don’t. That’s been the conventional wisdom about click sounds, which serve as regular consonants in Zulu and Xhosa and a few other African languages but which were presumed to just be used in English for encouraging a horse, imitating a kiss, or expressing emotions such as disapproval or amazement. But researchers have recently found that clicks are far more prevalent in the world’s lingua franca than had been thought. [More] (Source: Scientific American - Official RSS Feed)

Ghana: Capitation Talks End in Deadlock as Ashanti Group Gears Up for Demonstration

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:58:39 +0100

[Ghanaian Chronicle] Kumasi - A MEETING called at the behest of the management of the National Health Insurance Scheme Authority (NHIA) with the aim of talking members of the Ashanti Development Union (ADU) from going ahead with its planned demonstration against the Capitation system, ended in a stalemate as both parties failed to reach any tangible conclusion. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

More Communities in Senegal Disavow Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting - 31 January 2012

UNFPA News — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:20:46 +0100

Sierra Leone: Saudi Arabia Dispatches 30 Doctors to Country

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:51:40 +0100

[Concord] A medical team of Physicians Across Continents (PAC) yesterday February 1 left the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Sierra Leone to deliver free medical treatments to the poor and needy for a period of 10 days. The team is composed of health professionals from Saudi Arabia, America, Russia, Sweden, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Malaysia. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Nigeria: Lassa Fever - and the 'Joker' Was Death (1)

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:12:06 +0100

[Vanguard] There is no "Good" time for a disease epidemic. Certainly not a deadly hemorrhagic fever, such as Lassa. But the worst possible period is now, when we are so deeply mired in a social crisis. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

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Kenya: Are You Abusing Antibiotics?

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:41:10 +0100

[Business Daily] Antibiotics are one of t e greatest discoveries of the 20th Century. Suddenly diseases that were killing the masses had a cure. A miracle drug that cured everything had been discovered! But is this really true? (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Kenya: Residents Protest Neglect By Voi Doctors

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:29:36 +0100

[Nairobi Star] Residents in Voi town have threatened to take to the streets protesting increasing cases of neglect by doctors at the Moi district hospital. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Kenya: Plug Loopholes to Ensure Success of Medical Scheme

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:04:22 +0100

[Business Daily] The medical cover deal signed between the National Hospital Insurance Fund and the Kenya National Union of Teachers represents a corporate coup of sorts. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Kenya: Rising Cases of Cancer Trigger Multi-Billion Shilling Investments

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:44:12 +0100

[Business Daily] When Jane Muturi, an ampullary cancer survivor, started itching on a Thursday, little did she know that it would cost her about Sh2.6 million in treatment a year. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Malaria deaths 'higher than expected'

NHS News Feed — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:42:00 +0100

Conclusion This study has looked at a lot of data and used systematic methods to examine trends in malaria mortality over the past 30 years. It shows that malaria in 2010 was the cause of death for 1.2 million individuals, including 714,000 deaths in children younger than five years and 524,000 in individuals aged five years or older. The results tend to show an increase in mortality from 1980 to peak levels in 2004, but since then a clear decline. The researchers say that the recent decrease in malaria mortality in Africa in particular is due to malaria control activities being increased, supported by international help. They say that support from international donors needs to increase further if malaria is to be eradicated. However, the primary aim of this study was to predict trends ove...

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Tanzania: More Call for Doctors to End Strike

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:17:42 +0100

[Daily News] THE Tanzania Professional Network (TPN) has asked doctors across the country to end their strike while the government was working on their claims. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Nigeria: Dismal State of Hepatitis B Management in Country

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:24:50 +0100

[Daily Trust] Let me start by declaring that I am writing under a pseudonym as I cannot stand the social implication of disclosing my health details in a public medium like this. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Tanzania: To Get a Healthy Nation, We Must Invest in Health

AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:07:39 +0100

[Citizen] It is official that the eating habits of Tanzanians have changed in recent times.The proof is in the results of a recent World Bank-funded research supervised by Twaweza and implemented by the Mobile Phone Public Services Monitoring Project in Dar es Salaam. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)

Enhancing Care for Hospitalized Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal of General Internal Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:20:49 +0100

Conclusion A simple screening program for CI followed by a CDSS did not change physician prescribing behaviors or improve the process of care for hospitalized older adults with CI. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ResearchPages 1-7DOI 10.1007/s11606-012-1994-8Authors Malaz A. Boustani, Indiana University Center for Aging Research, Indianapolis, IN, USANoll L. Campbell, Indiana University Center for Aging Research, Indianapolis, IN, USABabar A. Khan, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USAGreg Abernathy, Regenstrief Institute, Inc, 410 West 10th Street, Suite 2000, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USAMohammed Zawahiri, Indiana University Center for Aging Research, Indianapolis, IN, USATiffany Campbell, Indiana Universit...