►January 21, 2004 - CDC to ask for probe into HIV positive party goers - The China Post - "The Center for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday announced that 28 of the 92 homosexuals nabbed by the police at a drug party last week are HIV positive...According to the CDC, only one party goer admitted to the police that he is HIV positive. The police later identified 27 more reported AIDS cases after checking with the health authorities...They were all caught while attending the infamous drug and sex party, known as the "Home Party" in the gay community."

Comment:  What's THAT about?

►January 20, 2004 - Brain-wasting diseases date to 18th century - Ailments like mad cow disease are believed to be caused by rogue proteins that have been defying medical sleuths. - The Miami Herald

►January 21, 2004 - Groups to fight bill to limit class-action - The Hill - "A coalition of groups opposed to a Senate bill aimed at limiting class-action suits has stepped up its efforts to derail the legislation...The initiative comes despite an agreement reached late last year that won more than 60 Senate sponsors on behalf of the legislation."

►January 21, 2004 - No Foolproof Way Is Seen to Contain Altered Genes (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times - "A new report commissioned by the government suggests that it will be difficult to completely prevent genetically engineered plants and animals from having unintended environmental and public health effects."

Comment:  What, if anything, are the implications re: vaccines?  And, if after thoroughly studying the question, adverse vaccine effects are discovered, they should be factored into any risk/benefit analysis of vaccination.

►January 21, 2004 - Drug Team May Stem Alzheimer's Effects (requires registration or subscription) - The New York Times

►January 20, 2004 - Who Seeks New Vaccine for Bird Flu - AP via www.kansascity.com - "The World Health Organization said Tuesday it was trying to develop a vaccine to protect against the bird flu, which has killed five people in Vietnam...The development came as international scientists launched an effort to trace how the ailment has jumped from poultry to people, and as China stepped up vigilance at its border with Vietnam to keep out the disease."

►January 19, 2004 - Mental health advocates fight for funds - Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) via www.kentucky.com

January 20, 2004 - Flu may have peaked early, emergency doctors say - But they’re wary of 2nd surge in cases - Green Bay Press-Gazette

►January 20, 2004 - Cobra Invents Tablet Vaccine To Cut Costs - www.thesentinel.co.uk

►January 20, 2004 - Life expectancy of Beijingers close to 80 years old - China View via Xinhua News Agency

►January 21, 2004 - Seoul set to intensify fight against animal diseases - The Korea Herald

►January 20, 2004 - Viruses that kill cancer - The Boston Globe - "The first clue that viruses could fight cancer came around the turn of the last century, when a woman with cervical cancer was bitten by a dog. She was injected with live, crippled rabies virus; her cancer shrank."

►January 19, 2004 - Century of research confirms impact of psychosocial factors on health - Question is how to apply that knowledge to healthcare systems - American Psychological Association via  www.eurekalert.org

►January 20, 2004 - Wallaby eggs grown in mice - www.abc.net.au

►January 20, 2004 - 'Homeopathy can cure SARS' - www1.mid-day.com - "As SARS cases reappear and reseachers work overtime to contain the virus, Indians doctors say the cure could lie in ancient 'nosode therapy' and homeopathy...According to a paper published in the Indian Journal of Clinical Physiology (IJCP), SARS can be effectively cured by using an ancient 'Nosode Therapy' which uses the patient's own pooled serum. It is a type of isotherapy which involves the preparation of medicine from the patient's own blood, after diluting it...Nosode therapy is an established therapy for treatment of most of the diseases in animals."

►January 20, 2004 - A World Apart From Autism - Asperger syndrome challenges experts to distinguish its symptoms and treatments - Newsday - "When Eric Schissel was a boy, ZIP codes fascinated him. And he had magnificent obsessions with mathematics, dictionaries, penguins and foreign languages. He was master of an amazing party trick: Pick any date in history, and he could tell you what day it landed on. But Eric Schissel wasn't invited to any parties."

►January 20, 2004 - Study: Vitamins C, E cut Alzheimer's risk - High daily doses of vitamins E and C taken together reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease among elderly people, a new study suggests. - Reuters via CNN

►January 19, 2004 - Skin cancer treatments debated -  A non-surgical treatment for basal cell skin cancer results in better cosmetic results but might be less effective than surgery at preventing the disease from returning, a study found. - AP via CNN

►January 19, 2004 - Simple sugar eases Huntington's disease in mice - Discovery provides taste of a possible route for human drug development. - nature science update