About 0.59% Of Vietnamese Fishery Workers Are HIV-Positive, Prevalence Could Rise By 2013, Survey Says

An estimated 33,000 of the total 5.5 million workers in Vietnam’s fishery sector, or about 0.59%, were living with HIV in 2008, according to a survey released Tuesday by Vietnam’s fishery program, VNA/VOV News reports (VNA/VOV News, 5/27). The report also predicted that the number of HIV-positive people in Vietnam’s fishery sector could rise to 58,000 by 2013. According to a second survey, conducted simultaneously, a lack of knowledge about the disease has contributed to the fishery sector’s relatively high HIV prevalence. Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as part of its Strengthening of Fisheries Administration conducted the survey with support from the Danish International Development Agency.

Parents Concerned, But Confused About How To Fix Childhood Obesity

Food, fitness or family…which one is most to blame for childhood obesity? New research from Mintel shows today’s parents aren’t sure, and they’re feeling overwhelmed and worried as they try to prevent obesity in their own children.

In an exclusive consumer survey of American parents, Mintel found confusion over whether diet or exercise is most important for keeping kids at a healthy weight. Nearly three quarters of parents (72%) believe kids have too much access to junk food, while 69% feel that a lack of exercise is more to blame for obesity. In addition, two in five parents (40%) are concerned that their children might develop obesity.

NPR Features Discussion With Planned Parenthood President About Gift Certificate Program

NPR’s “Tell Me More” on Monday included a discussion with Cecile Richards — president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America — about Planned Parenthood of Indiana’s sale of gift certificates that can be used at its clinics to pay for reproductive health care services, including abortion services. Richards said, “[W]omen are always the first to really make sacrifices for their families, and oftentimes this means ignoring their own health care needs. So we thought gift certificates were a good way to provide financially strapped women an opportunity to get affordable family planning and other services,” especially in light of the poor economy. According to Richards, 97% of Planned Parenthood services are for preventive care, such as family planning services, cervical cancer and breast cancer screenings, and gynecological exams. She added that one in four women has visited a Planned Parenthood clinic and that the organization provides three million birth control prescriptions annually.

Doctors Issue Warning About The Danger Of Heavy Toilet Seats To Male Toddlers

UK doctors have expressed considerable concerns about the growing trend for heavy wooden and ornamental toilet seats after a number of male toddlers were admitted with crush injuries to their penises.

Writing in the December issue of BJU International, Dr Joe Philip and his colleagues at Leighton Hospital, Crewe, report on four boys under the age of four, who were admitted with injuries serious enough to require an overnight stay. “As Christmas approaches many families will be visiting relatives and friends and their recently toilet trained toddlers will be keen to show how grown up they are by going to the toilet on their own” he says.

Genetic Ancestry Of African Americans Reveals New Insights About Gene Expression

The amount of proteins produced in cells-a fundamental determinant of biological outcomes collectively known as gene expression-varies in African American individuals depending on their proportion of African or European genetic ancestry. These findings, by researchers based in Boston, Philadelphia and Oxford, are published December 5 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.

Gene expression is known to vary among individuals and to be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Previous studies have reported gene expression differences among human populations, but it has been suggested that this could be due to non-genetic effects. Populations of recently mixed ancestry such as African Americans, who on average inherit about 80% African and 20% European ancestry, offer a solution to this question, since individuals vary in their proportion of European ancestry while the analysis of a single population minimizes non-genetic factors.

Groups Launch Internet-Based ‘Living Quilt’ To Increase Awareness About HIV/AIDS Among Women In Southern U.S.

An Internet-based “living quilt” is scheduled to be launched on Wednesday in New Orleans to increase awareness of the effect of HIV/AIDS on women in the South, particularly minorities, the AP/New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. The Southern AIDS Living Quilt initiative will feature videos about women affected by the disease and highlight the disproportionate effect of HIV/AIDS on women. The project also will provide information about testing and prevention measures (AP/New Orleans Times-Picayune, 10/17).

Researchers At Global HIV/AIDS Vaccine Conference Express Concerns About Funding Levels

Experts at the AIDS Vaccine 2008 conference in Cape Town, South Africa, on Tuesday expressed concerns that the current global economic situation could damage funding for AIDS research and vaccine development, the AP/Los Angeles Times reports. The economic situation has “added to the gloom among experts deeply frustrated by … setbacks” in HIV/AIDS vaccine research, according to the AP/Times. There also are concerns that some groups that are large contributors to health and international development initiatives could reduce funding in light of the economic situation, the AP/Times reports.

Deafness Research UK Excited About Gene Therapy Breakthrough

Deafness Research UK Research Advisory Panel member, Professor Guy Richardson, praised the work as “a technical tour de force, and very convincing proof of the principle that gene therapy could, at least in certain cases, be used to cure deafness”.

There are nine million deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK and in most cases deafness results from loss of sensory cells in the inner ear known as “hair” cells. The cells can be damaged and lost through ageing, noise, genetic defects and certain drugs and, because the cells don’t regenerate, the result is progressive – and irreversible – hearing loss. Damage to these cells can also lead to tinnitus which affects around 5 million people in the UK.

Survey Shows General Public More Worried About Cancer Today Than 10 Years Ago

New research has revealed we are more concerned about cancer now than we were 10 years ago – even though we know the outlook for anyone diagnosed with cancer today is more positive than ever1.

While respondents to the ‘Changing Face of Cancer Survey’ believe that the chances of living longer with cancer have improved in the past decade, the results reflect that the public is on average 15 per cent more worried about 10 different types of cancer now than 10 years ago1, announced Leukaemia CARE, a national charity that supports people affected by blood cancers. It emerged that blood cancer non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is the cancer that worries people the least, which is ironic given that it is the nation’s sixth most common cancer2 and has a faster growing incidence rate than bowel, stomach or cervical cancer3. In fact, 63 per cent of those surveyed did not know that NHL is a type of cancer and more than half (53 per cent) could not even hazard a guess as to what NHL is1.

Program To Educate Teachers About Importance Of Early Intervention For Autism Launched

Autism Speaks, in partnership with the Ad Council and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announced today the launch of a new, groundbreaking educational tool kit, Talking to Parents About Autism, designed to promote early intervention and encourage educators to speak to a child’s parents if they suspect a developmental delay. This is the first program to provide teachers with tools to prepare to begin this critical dialogue.