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Germany and Nordics top global list for parental leave

July 21, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

(Reuters Life!) – Germany and the Nordic countries have topped a list of 21 high-income nations when it comes to generosity of paid parental leave, with Australia and the United States tying in last place.

Researchers associated with the U.S.-based Center for Economic and Policy Research examined the parental leave policies of 21 countries with their study published in the peer-reviewed social science Journal of European Social Policy.

They found Sweden ranked highest for gender equality in parental leave practices, while Germany and Sweden were the most generous with paid parental leave, both offering 47 weeks.

They were followed by Norway offering 44 paid weeks, Greece with 34 weeks, Finland with 32 weeks and Canada with 29 weeks.

Neither the United States nor Australia guarantee any paid parental leave and were tied for the lowest ranking in terms of overall generosity of paid leave.

“The United States (and Australia have) the least generous parental leave policies of all 21 economies compared in this study,” said researcher Janet Gornick.

“We pay a high price for our meager policy, because parental leave improves the health and well-being of children and their parents and paid leaves provide families with crucial economic support at such an important time.”

The study looked at parental leave policies according to three criteria: total time guaranteed for parental leave and whether paid or unpaid, total paid leave, and gender equality of the parental leave such as leave and pay available to fathers.

Gornick said while all 21 countries protected at least one parent’s job for a period, there were great differences across these countries on each of the three criteria.

France and Spain came highest in terms of total guaranteed leave, each giving over 300 weeks, while Switzerland and the United States ranked at the bottom, with 24 and 14 weeks respectively.

Australia and Switzerland ranked near the bottom in terms of both generosity and gender equality of parental leave.

While bottom of the paid leave table, the United States scored better on the gender equality index, coming 10th in the list.

Japan ranked near the bottom of the gender equality index at 19 but came 7th in terms of overall generosity for giving 26 weeks of paid parental leave.

(Reporting by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Michael Perry)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Australia, Canada, economic support, Finland, Gender Equality, generosity, Germany, Greece, Health, job, leaves, Nordic Countries, Norway, parents, researcher, reuters, Social Science Journal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Compound that leaves its traces in smoker’s breath for 72 hours found

May 21, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 21 (ANI): A team of Catalan researchers has discovered the presence of a compound called 2,5-dimethylfuran, which lingers in a smoker’s breath for 3 days.

This substance does not appear in the breath of non-smokers, unless they have been in direct contact with tobacco smoke for a long time. However, it may be detected in a passive smoker if he or she has been in direct contact with smoke for a long time.

“2,5-dimethylfuran cannot be detected in breath samples of non-smokers, meaning that the only way to know if a person has smoked in the last 72 hours is to use its qualitative determination”, Juan Manuel Sánchez, researcher with the Chemistry Department of the University of Girona (UdG) and co-author of the study, reports to SINC.

“Benzene, which is sometimes appears in the bibliography, is only useful when tobacco consumption is relatively high and in short periods –between 1 and 2 hours– after having smoked a cigarette, which means it is of no use from a practical point of view”, explains Sánchez.

To prove their theory, the researchers collected breath samples of 100 smokers and 104 non-smokers, who were first asked to answer a questionnaire on their habits.

The results confirm that the presence of 2,5-dimethylfuran is associated with the act of smoking.

The study appears in the journal Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Analytical And Bioanalytical Chemistry, benzene, breath samples, chemistry department, cigarette, co-author, Dimethylfuran, direct contact, Girona, Passive Smoker, point of view, Qualitative Determination, questionnaire, researcher, Short Periods, smokers, Tobacco Consumption, tobacco smoke, traces, Udg

Using sari to filter water can provide protection against cholera

May 20, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 20 (ANI): Sari cloth is a simple, sustainable protector from cholera, a study conducted in Bangladesh has revealed.

Using the sari to filter household water protects not only the household from cholera, but reduces the incidence of disease in neighbouring households that do not filter.

Rita Colwell of the University of Maryland, College Park, a researcher on the study, said: “A simple method for filtering pond and river water to reduce the incidence of cholera, field tested in Matlab, Bangladesh, proved effective in reducing the incidence of cholera by 48 percent. This follow-up study conducted 5 years later showed that 31 percent of the village women continued to filter water for their households, with both an expected and an unexpected benefit.”

In 2003, Colwell and her colleagues reported the results of a field study that demonstrated by simply teaching village women responsible for collecting water to filter the water through folded cotton sari cloth, they could reduce the incidence of cholera in that group by nearly half.

Though the results were promising at the time of the research, there was concern that the practice of sari water filtration would not be sustained in later years.

Five years later they conducted the follow-up study to determine whether sari water filtration continued to be practiced by the same population of participants and, if it were, whether there would continue to be a beneficial effect of reduced incidence of cholera.

Over 7,000 village women collecting water daily for their households in Bangladesh were selected from the same population used in the previous study.

Survey data showed that 31 percent continued to filter their water, of which 60 percent used a sari.

Furthermore, they found that of the control group (the one that did not receive any education or training in the first study) 26 percent of households now filter their water.

Colwell said: “This is a clear indication of both compliance with instructions and the sustainability of the method, but it also shows the need for continuing education in the appropriate use and benefits of simple filtration.”

The researchers also looked at the incidence of cholera in households during the 5-year follow-up period.

While not statistically significant, they found the incidence of hospitalisations for cholera during that period reduced by 25 percent.

Colwell said: “With the lower rate of filtration in this follow-up study, it is not surprising that the observed reduction in disease rate was not as high as the 48 percent observed in the original trial, suggesting that active reinforcement would have been effective in ensuring higher protection.”

They also found an indirect benefit.

Households that did not filter their water but were located in neighbourhoods where water filtration was regularly practiced by others also had a lower incidence of cholera.

Colwell said: “Results of the study showed that the practice of filtration not only was accepted and sustained by the villagers but also benefited those who filtered their water, as well as neighbors not filtering water for household use, in reducing the incidence of cholera.”

The results of the study have appear in the inaugural issue of mBio, the first online, open-access journal published by the American Society for Microbiology. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Bangladesh, beneficial effect, cholera, College Park, control group, Filter Water, Household Water, households, Maryland College Park, Matlab, researcher, Rita Colwell, river water, sari, Survey Data, Unexpected Benefit, university of maryland, University Of Maryland College Park, Village Women, Water Filtration

Mobile phones may help partially sighted ””see”” better

May 19, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 19 (ANI): Mobile phones or hand-held games consoles can be used to provide training course for partially-sighted people, helping them become more self-reliable, according to a new study.

The new research has found that a computer-based technique developed and assessed by Durham University improved partially-sighted people””s ability to ””see”” better. It may eventually improve and broaden the portfolio of rehabilitation techniques for partially-sighted patients.

The study tested the technique on patients who suffer from a condition affecting their sight called hemianopia.

Hemianopia sufferers lose half of their visual field due to stroke or other brain injury. They are heavily dependent on others as they struggle with balance, walking, finding things around the house, and they are not normally able to drive.

The study, which tested patients”” visual ability before and after the training, found that patients became faster and more accurate at detecting objects, such as coloured dots or numbers, on a computer screen.

The researchers believe the test helped patients to compensate for their lost vision by exploring their ””blind field”” more, which is the part of the visual field affected by the brain damage. Further research is needed to pinpoint exactly why the technique helps patients to ””see”” better but the scientists believe it is likely due to improved attention, concentration and awareness of their visual problems.

The study findings offer hope that people who receive regular training like this could live more independently in their day-to-day lives because their visual ability would be improved.

Lead researcher, Dr Alison Lane, from Durham University””s Psychology Department, said: “This research shows us that basic training works in getting people to use their ””poor”” visual side better.

“Although we are not yet sure why this happens, we think it might be because training increases their attention, concentration and awareness of their ””blind”” field.

“We think attention is key in improving people””s abilities to use their limited vision.”

She added: “This simple technique is a very viable rehabilitation option and in future could be easily accessible at low cost to everyone who needs it.”

The Durham study compared two types of rehabilitation techniques – one focused on exploration and the other on attention. Neither training option is currently available on the NHS although alternative training programmes can be bought privately.

The research, which tested 46 patients, found that the basic attention training without the need for patients to move their eyes extensively was for the most part as effective at rehabilitation as the more specialised exploration technique.

The scientists say patients may even be able to see similar improvements in their vision by playing mainstream computer games, particularly those whereby you need to scan virtual environments with your eyes.

The study has been published in the academic journal, Brain. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Alison Lane, brain damage, brain injury, coloured dots, computer screen, concentration, Dr Alison, durham university, further research, games consoles, Hand Held Games, Mobile Phones, people, psychology department, Rehabilitation Techniques, researcher, Scientists, stroke, study findings, Visual Ability

Telling fibs a sign of future success in children

May 16, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, May 16 (ANI): There is no need to worry if a child is lying, claim experts, as it proves the kid has reached an important step in his or her mental development.

What”s more, it”s a sign of future success.

After studying 1,200 children, researchers from the Institute of Child Study at Toronto University, who carried out the study, reached the conclusion that kids can be confirmed to have developed “executive functioning”, when they are able to keep the truth at the back of their mind so their fib sounds more convincing.

The researchers insisted that at the age of two, 20 percent of children will lie. This rises to 50 percent by three and almost 90 percent at four. By the time the children reach the age of 12, almost all of them will be deceitful.

However, the tendency starts to fall away by the age of 16, when it is 70percent. With adolescence, young people learn to use the less harmful “white lies” to avoid hurting people”s feelings.

The experts said that a “Pinocchio peak” came at about the age of seven after which it is hard to discern whether a boy or girl is lying without evidence.

“You have to catch this period and use the opportunity as a teachable moment,” The Times quoted Kang Lee, director of the Institute of Child Study at Toronto University, as saying.

He added: “You shouldn”t smack or scream at your child but you should talk about the importance of honesty and the negativity of lying. After the age of eight the opportunities are going to be very rare.”

As part of the study, the research team invited younger children, one at a time, to sit in a room with hidden cameras. A soft toy was placed behind them.

When the researcher briefly left the room, the children were told not to look. In nine out of 10 cases cameras caught them peeking. But when asked if they had looked, they almost always said no. They tripped themselves up when asked what they thought the toy might be. One little girl asked to place her hand underneath a blanket that was over the toy before she answered the question. After feeling the toy but not seeing it, she said: “It feels purple so it must be Barney.”

Lee, who caught his son Nathan, 3, looking at the toy, said: “We even had cameras trained on their knees because we thought their legs would fidget if they were telling a lie, but it isn”t true.”

Older children were set a test paper but were told they must not look at the answers printed on the back.

Some of the questions were easy, such as who lives in the White House. But the children who looked at the back gave the printed answer “Presidius Akeman” to the bogus question “Who discovered Tunisia?” When asked how they knew this, some said they learnt it in a history class.

Joan Freeman, professor of lifelong learning at Middlesex University in London and the author of How to Raise a Bright Child, said: “Clever children are going to be better at lying. Most youngsters grow out of lying if it is not an acceptable part of their culture. But if you are running a business when you grow up you might want to get away with something – and not telling the whole truth is on the edge of morality.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: adolescence, children researchers, Claim Experts, conclusion, feelings, fib, Hidden Cameras, Importance Of Honesty, Kang Lee, little girl, London, negativity, opportunity, Pinocchio, researcher, Soft Toy, Teachable Moment, tendency, Toronto University, truth

Dementia ‘can take away meaning of flavors’

May 16, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 16 (ANI): Dementia sufferers can lose their capacity to understand sights, sounds and words. And in some cases, researchers say, they have a harder time identifying flavors and determining whether a certain flavor combination would generally be considered unusual.

According to the boffins, those with a specific type of dementia, called semantic dementia, face such a problem, reports Live Science.

The new study suggests that this type of semantic dementia causes a semantic deficit across the board (semantics is the study of meaning).

“It”s quite interesting and unexpected that one would find these sensory signals behaving in the same way words or music might behave,” said study researcher Jason Warren, of the University College London. “Flavor information is one example of a complex environmental signal that people can lose understanding about, it”s part of a more general problem,” he said.

The results are published in the June issue of the journal Cortex. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: boffins, cortex, dementia, Dementia Sufferers, Environmental Signal, face, Flavors, Harder Time, Jason Warren, music, people, researcher, Science, Semantic Dementia, semantics, sensory signals, study suggests that, university college london

Recent wave of target killings cast doubts on Pak Army’s Swat operation success

May 12, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Islamabad, May 12 (ANI): The military offensive in Swat, Operation Rah-e-Rast, which completed a year recently, has the Taliban on the run, but the recent wave of target killings aimed at some important figures of civil society, has again spread fears among the people about the return of the militants.

Commenting on the effectiveness of the offensive, Mukhtar Yousafzai, head of the independent Swat qaumi jirga, said: “In Swat, it was the state agencies that groomed, promoted and protected the terrorists. Swat thus became a paradise turned into hell. But the brave people of Swat did not surrender.”

“They spread out … organised demonstrations, appealing to the civil society. Owing to the efforts of the people of Swat, the army decided to launch a third offensive against the Taliban.” He said the two phases of the offensive before Operation Rah-e-Rast were “merely war games”.

Asked to elaborate Yousafzai’s statement on credibility, another jirga member said, “The Taliban are on the run, their strongholds have been dismantled to a great extent, their leadership and network stand afflicted with remarkable harm and they are now isolated.”

However, he said he is extremely worried about the recent wave of target killings that have targeted some important figures of civil society, such as members of the Swat qaumi jirga and other peace committees, the Daily Times reports.

“The peace in Swat is too fragile to rely on … it is suspicious and vulnerable. The blowing up of CD shops and the circulation of threatening letters by the Taliban have again frightened the people, who consider these latest developments as the beginning of a new rising in the valley,” he says.

An internationally recognised researcher on Swat, Dr Sultan-e-Rome said of the operation, “A failure … the fresh wave of target killings right under the nose of the army is a testament … [the decision to] force civilians to form lashkars and be their own watchmen during the night, an increase in the number of army posts and frequent checking and curfews are other testaments.”

Ihsanul Haq Haqqani, a senior journalist from Swat, aptly says, “No doubt, the operation was a success, but the post-operation policy is enough to convert the success into a horrible failure.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Cd Shops, circulation, civilians, credibility, demonstrations, doubts, fears, killings, militants, pak army, peace committees, rast, researcher, strongholds, Sultan, swat, Taliban, taliban on the run, target, war games

Stroke lettuces to make them taste nicer!

May 12, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, May 12 (ANI): The next time you want to make lettuce taste nicer, try stroking it, a Brit researcher has advised.

Steve Rothwell, a farmer and self-declared “leaf boffin”, says salad can be made tastier if one shows it some affection.

“If they are growing in polytunnels or greenhouses, lettuce leaves respond well to stroking,” the Daily Express quoted Rothwell, who got his PhD from Bath University, as saying.

He added: “Touching the plants stimulates the same enzyme as wind-rustling and produces leaves of superior colour and flavour.

“I’m completely passionate about creating the best possible salad.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: affection, boffin, daily express, Greenhouses, leaves, lettuce, Lettuces, London, PhD, plants, Polytunnels, researcher, Steve Rothwell, stroke, Wind Rustling

Ultrasound could be used as a male contraceptive

May 12, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, May 12 (ANI): University of North Carolina experts believe a blast of ultrasound to the testes can safely stop sperm production for six months.

The boffins, in fact, are beginning to conduct tests to see if ultrasound can be used as a reversible male contraceptive, reports The BBC.

Lead researcher Dr James Tsuruta said: “We think this could provide men with up to six months of reliable, low-cost, non-hormonal contraception from a single round of treatment.

“Our long-term goal is to use ultrasound from therapeutic instruments that are commonly found in sports medicine or physical therapy clinics as an inexpensive, long-term, reversible male contraceptive suitable for use in developing to first world countries.”

According to the boffins, once the testis has stopped producing sperm and all “sperm reserves” have been depleted, the man will be temporarily infertile. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: bbc, blast, boffins, contraception, dr james, First World Countries, Hormonal Contraception, London, Long Term Goal, medicine, Physical Therapy Clinics, researcher, six months, sports medicine, testes, Testis, Therapeutic Instruments, Tsuruta, ultrasound, university of north carolina

Laura Bush found stay at White House ‘stressful’, felt relieved to be out

May 10, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 10 (ANI): Former US First Lady Laura Bush says that her post-White House days have been quite liberating. The Bush family have had to weather many a storm at the White House, the biggest of them being the 9/11 attacks.

She elaborates the feeling of relief she felt upon moving out of the White House in her forthrightly written new book aptly titled, “Spoken From the Heart”.

“I didn’t really realize how stressed we were and how vigilant we were — that hypervigilance — until we came home and I wasn’t so stressed anymore,” she said in an interview with Politico.

“It was just something that we lived with every single day. We were used to it, and we didn’t really know we were. I almost stood straighter, just without that weight of worry,” she added.

The First Lady steers clear of controversy on subjects related to her husband’s presidential term, firmly maintaining that she “definitely” does not believe someone lied to her husband about the embarrassing ‘weapons of mass destruction’ in Iran that led US on a wild-goose chase.

She also spoke about the conception of her husband’s forthcoming memoir, “Decision Points”.

“It’s great to be able to sit back, to look at the photos, to look at the schedules, to look again at the briefing papers — which is what I did when I worked on mine,” she said.

“His researcher would find things that he thought might interest me, I put in a couple of stories in my book, and when George would read them, read those chapters, he’d say: ‘Take those out — those are my stories.’ So I did. And they were his stories. They were things that happened to him that I was going to recount. So we each got to keep our own stories for our books,” she recollects fondly.

She goes on to talk about an amusing incident that took place during her days as First Lady of Texas, “I went to Walmart with [my daughters] Barbara and Jenna, and we were waiting in line to check out, and the woman kept staring at me. And finally she said, ‘I think I know you.’ And I said, ‘Well, I’m Laura Bush,’ expecting her to say, ‘Oh, yes, the governor’s wife.’ And, instead, she said, ‘No, guess not.’”

Talking about the loss of a suitcase while at the White House , she says, “I had a luncheon speech in Arizona, and so I dressed for the plane in a very casual way, and then my bag did not get on the plane. So when we landed and we realized we didn’t have it, we rushed to a store and bought an outfit as fast as we could. And we went to a luncheon in an outfit that we had just purchased. But, anyway, we felt pretty good that we had spent some money in that economy.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: (Iran, 9 11 attacks, Amusing Incident, Barbara And Jenna, bush family, controversy, Decision Points, first lady laura bush, Hypervigilance, lady laura, laura bush, memoir, photos., researcher, single day, Walmart, weapons of mass destruction, White House, Wild Goose Chase, worry.

Good workplace environment means fewer cases of health-related problems

May 4, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 4 (ANI): A new study has suggested that the way people”s work is organised is related to their health.

According to the research, a poor way of working can harm workers’ health by causing a range of ailments, from cardiovascular disease to problems with mental health.

The new study has shown that the best way of working allows employees a greater level of participation, as well as providing greater possibilities for adapting working conditions to their needs, greater recognition of their work and fair treatment.

“We have studied the relationship between exposure to psychosocial risks and the kind of labour management practices used to hire, use, develop, hold onto or dismiss workers”, Clara Llorens Serrano, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Trade Union Institute of Labour, Environment and Health (ISTAS-CCOO), said.

The study shows that a good working environment is related to participatory employment methods that enable employees to learn new skills, work under permanent contracts that do not make them feel easily expendable or at risk of being fired, salaries paid according to the number of hours worked and tasks carried out, as well as a working week of between 31 to 40 hours, finishing at 2pm.

The survey, carried out between October 2004 and July 2005 on 7,612 people employed by others in Spain, showed that “the better the labour management practices used in organising work, the better the psychosocial environment of the workplace will be, with fewer cases of health-related problems”.

“Our analysis and previous evidence shows that psychosocial risks are related to the labour management practices used. These can be a key factor in the link between psychosocial risks and health, and are a prime target in terms of preventing the appearance of workplace stress and making changes to the organisation of work”, Llorens said.

The study has been published in the journal Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. (ANI)

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HIV-positive women less likely to find work than male counterparts

May 4, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, May 4 (ANI): HIV-positive women are less likely to find work than men affected by the virus, say researchers.

In a new study, Juan Oliva, a researcher at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) explored the relationship between the employment status of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-positive individuals and socioeconomic characteristics in Spain between 2001 and 2004.

The study found that gender was a “statistically significant” variable when predicting employment status.

“The probability of HIV-positive individuals participating in the labour market varies significantly depending on gender, type of transmission, health and level of education, Juan Oliva, main author of the study and a researcher at the UCLM told SINC.

This statistical analysis, the conclusions of which have been published recently in the journal entitled Health Economics, will determine the likelihood of an HIV-positive individual having a job in Spain.

“Gender is a statistically significant variable when predicting employment status. In this sense, women are 13.4 percent less likely than men to be in employment,” Oliva states.

“The psychological factor is also a fundamental variable. People who need psychological treatment to overcome the impact of discovering they are infected see their chances of employment diminish,” the expert says. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: castilla la mancha, conclusions, employment status, Gender Type, health economics, HIV, HIV-positive, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Immunodeficiency Virus Hiv, Labour Market, likelihood, male counterparts, Positive Women, probability, Psychological Factor, psychological treatment, researcher, Socioeconomic Characteristics, statistical analysis, uclm

Nanodots breakthrough could pave way for ‘a library on one chip’

April 29, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, Apr 29 (ANI): A breakthrough in the use of nanodots, or nanoscale magnets, has resulted in the development of a computer chip that can store an unprecedented amount of data – enough to hold an entire library’s worth of information on a single chip.

Designed by a researcher at North Carolina State University, the new chip represents a significant advance in computer-memory technology.

“We have created magnetic nanodots that store one bit of information on each nanodot, allowing us to store over one billion pages of information in a chip that is one square inch,” said Dr. Jay Narayan, author of the research.

These nanodots are made of single, defect-free crystals, creating magnetic sensors that are integrated directly into a silicon electronic chip.

The nanodots, which can be made uniformly as small as six nanometers in diameter, are all precisely oriented in the same way – allowing programmers to reliably read and write data to the chips.

The chips themselves can be manufactured cost-effectively,

However, the next step is to develop magnetic packaging that will enable users to take advantage of the chips – using something, such as laser technology, that can effectively interact with the nanodots.

The research was presented as an invited talk at the 2011 Materials Research Society Spring Meeting in San Francisco. (ANI)

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AIDS vaccine researcher hopeful

April 24, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

A leader in the search for a vaccine against HIV, which causes AIDS, said that recent advances have given scientists new reason for hope.

Dr. Alan Bernstein, executive director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, cited the world’s first successful test of an experimental AIDS vaccine. In September, researchers said the vaccine protected one in three people from getting HIV in a large study in Thailand.

Dr. Bernstein also pointed to recent progress in determining whether people with HIV produce antibodies that could lead to a vaccine guarding against a variety of forms of HIV. He also said there is progress in mapping the many variations of what he called a “clever virus” that has so far eluded vaccine efforts because it kills some of the key cells needed to make a vaccine.

“This is a very exciting time in the field,” Dr. Bernstein said. “A vaccine is possible, and we have the scientific tools now to turn that possibility into a reality.”

Though he said the research effort has turned a corner after several setbacks, he cautioned a vaccine was still several years away.

Others are far less optimistic.

“I wish I could say I was. But I’m not,” said Salim Karim, director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa.

“It’s proving to be a challenge that’s more complex than previously thought,” he said, adding he has spent 15 years researching a vaccine, and expected success to take at least another 15.

Karim called the Thai study a “glimmer.” Scientists must now try to improve the vaccine so that it protects more than a third of the people who get it, and lasts for more than the six to 12 months it now appears to be effective.

Questions have been raised about whether an HIV vaccine was possible, and even whether it made sense to devote time and energy to the pursuit. Dr. Bernstein said a comprehensive approach, that includes finding a vaccine, must be taken against AIDS.

As head of an international group of major vaccine researchers and funders, Bernstein was in South Africa to discuss strategy with U.N. health and AIDS officials.

South Africa, a country of some 50 million, has an estimated 5.7 million people infected with HIV, more than in any other country. In an announcement that marked a dramatic shift from the past, South African President Jacob Zuma pledged on World AIDS Day last year to embark on earlier and expanded treatment for HIV-positive South Africans. The program was to be formally launched this weekend.

Dr. Bernstein said a vaccine would be particularly important for Africa, where prevention and treatment campaigns have proven costly. A vaccine, unlike an expensive lifetime regime of AIDS drugs, would be administered every few years.

A vaccine “is the most effective public health measure we’ve come up with,” Dr. Bernstein said.

The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, which focuses on research into vaccines against strains of HIV that are prevalent in the developing world, says a vaccine must be part of a comprehensive solution. It says “no major viral epidemic has even been defeated without a vaccine.”

According to a new report summarizing findings presented at a 2009 conference of vaccine researchers, the vaccine hunt is “steadily moving ahead,” though HIV presents tough challenges.

The report in the May issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal says that the massive, international effort to find an AIDS vaccine has had important side effects, providing information for the development of other vaccines and treatment for other diseases.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: AIDS vaccine, Alan Bernstein, antibodies, dr alan, Dr Bernstein, Executive Director, Funders, glimmer, HIV, hiv aids, hiv vaccine, hopeful, international group, karim, New Reason, Research Effort, researcher, salim, Scientific Tools, setbacks

Scientists identify new species of human malaria

April 20, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, April 20 (ANI): While studying ovale malaria – a form of the disease thought to be caused by a single species of parasite, scientists discovered that the parasite is actually two similar but distinct species which do not reproduce with each other.

Experts from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and Mahidol University, Bangkok joined forces last year in order to share their research after noticing that the single parasite Plasmodium ovale, though visible through a microscope, was not detected by forensic DNA tests designed to identify the species.

“We used DNA technology to compare the parasites from 56 patients with ovale malaria, from across the tropical world,” Dr Colin Sutherland, lead researcher at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said.

“It was a great surprise to find that, not only are these two species completely distinct from each other by every test we carried out, they actually occur in people living side by side in the same African and Asian countries, and even in the same towns and villages.

“We hope to continue our work so we can unravel the mysterious differences between these two newly recognised human pathogens,” Sutherland added.

The research has been published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: asian countries, distinct species, Dna Technology, Dr Colin, Forensic Dna, Human Malaria, human pathogens, infectious diseases, Journal Of Infectious Diseases, london school of hygiene, Mahidol University Bangkok, microscope, Parasite Plasmodium, parasites, researcher, Scientists, sutherland, Tropical Diseases, tropical medicine, Tropical World

‘Kissing disease’ takes its toll on female students at Edinburgh University

April 20, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, Apr 19 (ANI): A kiss is certainly the best way to express love, but for female students at Edinburgh University it spells trouble—they are dropping out after falling ill by contracting what has been tagged “the kissing disease”.

A study followed 57 students who developed glandular fever during their studies, tracking their symptoms and recovery.

And it was found that women lost more study time and had more severe symptoms than their male counterparts with the illness.

Now, the experts are hoping that the findings could help reduce cases of glandular fever and its effects.

This could include directing vaccines, currently being developed, to those groups most at risk.

The study found that women suffered worse from glandular fever than men in several ways—on average, the female patients missed 16 hours of classes because of the illness compared to three hours for men.

Women also experienced severe tiredness – one of the main symptoms of the disease – for twice as long as men, at four months compared to two months.

For both men and women, study time was reduced by an average of 25 hours a week after being diagnosed.

Researcher Karen McAulay said that it was not yet known why woman seemed to suffer worse than men.

“We are not sure why that would be the case at all. They tended to report their disease being more severe. They had more effects such as not being able to swallow, not being able to take exercise, not being able to go to classes or have social activities,” the Scotsman quoted her as saying.

“Even at the six months follow-up, the women were more likely to say that they had tiredness and fatigue than the men,” she added.

McAulay said there were vaccines in development which could be used to vaccinate students against glandular fever in future.

“You need to know who is most likely to be affected and how they will be affected to determine the best usage of the vaccine. That is what these studies are primarily for – to see who would be the best groups to target,” she said.

Dr Karen Macsween, lead researcher on the study, said: “There is clear evidence that glandular fever may affect both the academic and social activities of students, particularly in the case of female students.

“Depending on the severity of the illness, this may have an adverse effect on a student”s overall performance at university.”

The study has been published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: edinburgh university, exercise, female patients, female students, four months, Glandular Fever, kiss, Kissing Disease, male counterparts, Mcaulay, men and women, men women, researcher, scotsman, Several Ways, six months, study time, Tiredness And Fatigue, University London, vaccines

‘Kissing disease’ takes its toll on female students at Edinburgh University

April 19, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment