LOS ANGELES ―Treatment drugs can do more than improve the health of people with HIV: If administered early, medications can also reduce the spread of the disease to sexual partners and may help stem the AIDS epidemic.But many logistical hurdles stand in the way of making this strategy feasible, affordable and effective, according to experts writing in Tuesday’s edition of the journal PLoS Medicine.The medications in question are antiretroviral therapies, which prevent HIV from multiplying and dr

LOS ANGELES ― A wily parasite well known for influencing the behavior of its animal hosts appears to play a troubling role in humans, increasing the risk of suicide among women who are infected, new research shows.Chances are you or someone you know has been infiltrated by the parasite, called Toxoplasma gondii. Researchers estimate that T. gondii is carried by 10 percent to 20 percent of Americans, who can get it by changing litter used by infected cats or eating undercooked meat from an animal

Here is a list of helpful emergency medicines and medical supplies you should prepare for your summer vacation:Medicines: antipyretic-analgesics, digestive medicine, antacids, anti-inflammatory agents, skin ointment containing antibiotics, antiseptic agentsMedical supplies: thermometer, dressing sets, plasters, tweezers, scissors for medical purposes, cotton Also, it is good to have sunscreen agents, Vaseline and other skin ointments for burns.Antipyretic-analgesics and digestive medicine can be

Parents with infants and toddlers are urged to take extra caution this year for hand, foot and mouth disease ― a mild, contagious viral infection common in young children for which there is no vaccine. According to the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 16.7 out of every 1,000 out-patients in local hospitals were diagnosed with the epidemic for the week of June 24-30. “The infection is maintaining a high prevalence,” the KCDC said in a statement. This year’s number of patients is l

Doctors in Mumbai removed a 13-cm live worm from a patient’s right eye.The 75 year-old patient, PK Krishnamurthy, was suffering from an irritated and itchy eye for a long period of time before finally deciding to visit his local doctor’s office.After an examination, ophthalmologists at Fortis hospital found the worm -- a  threadlike parasite -- swimming around in the eye and extracted it. Dr V Seetharaman who conducted the minor surgery said the case was “extremely unusual” and Krishnamurthy was

Detox juices, stretching and medical check-ups can help cleanse organs, achieve mental clarity and perhaps even weight lossSay goodbye to our friends, samgyeopsal and soju, this weekend. If you constantly feel heavy, low and depressed, your body is probably sending you a signal that it wants to rid itself of all the toxins it has been accumulating. However, “how” is a big question.Often touted by celebrities, detox drinks or diet cleanses have risen in popularity. The “Lemon Detox Diet” is one e

PHILADELPHIA ― During a grueling operation early last year, when the intractable 5-pound tumor seemed to mock his skills, thoracic surgeon Joseph S. Friedberg felt buoyed by what he and his scrub-suited crew had already achieved.The University of Pennsylvania team battles pleural mesothelioma, a rare, ferocious, incurable type of lung cancer.Typically, patients die within a year of diagnosis. Yet more than two years after treatment at Penn, 27 out of 38 patients ― 71 percent ― were still alive,