HEALTH & MEDICINE

HIV relapsed on two Boston patients motivate scientists to look for better treatment methods and ways to create a functional cure against the virus. The unfortunate event revealed several important factors on how to stop HIV/AIDS for good.

Due to more Australian women having the perception that their private parts have abnormal appearance, labiaplasties have increased by 5-fold in the country Down Under since 2001.

A professor from Iowa State University's Department of Biomedical Services who faked an AIDS cure research resigned from his post. The professor admits faking the cure to get part of $19 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health.

HIV research and development achieved several discoveries in 2013 - from drug therapy to unconventional and risky methods to eliminate the virus. Some of them found new things about HIV and plans to put them into trial. Here are some of notable anti-HIV results for this year to know what we can expect for 2014.

Scientists have discovered two new breakthroughs regarding HIV viral loads in infected cells. German researchers have successfully stripped the virus from host cells while Gladstone Institutes cracked HIV secret to unlock new treatments.

Can Australian scorpion venom actually be used for pain management? Scientists from Queensland University, Canada's Dalhousie University and Portugal's Universidade do Porto think so after studying the venom of Australian scorpions and discovering that it might be an effective painkiller. The study is entitled "Evolution Stings: The Origin and Diversification of Scorpion Toxin Peptide Scaffolds."

Scientists from the U.S. and Australia have discovered a way to reverse the ageing process. Researchers from Harvard Medical School and University of New South Wales said they have tested the procedure on mice and it proved to be successful. They are now working to test the method on humans.

HIV-positive individuals face more than side effects of antiretroviral drugs and slow progress of the disease, they are actually facing emptiness with constant seeking for love and affection. Eight endless tortures of what HIV brought to its living victims.

A new bird flu H10N8 virus strain has been found in China, and it has killed one woman in the country.

A recent experiment conducted by a group of school girls claims to discover how WiFi signals can hurt anyone’s health; that it can even kill plants.

A Chinese man suffered an industrial accident in Hunan Province while operating on a machine at work in November and left his right hand severed. To keep his hand alive, he had doctors in China attach his hand to his ankle while he waited for a month before undergoing reattachment surgery.

Spanish researchers and UK scientists are currently preparing for the clinical trials of a possible vaccine and cure against AIDS-causing HIV.

An 82 year-old Colombian woman got shocking news when she visited a hospital in Bogota after suffering stomach pains. It is reported that the woman is experiencing pains due to a rare condition called "stone baby". According to the reports, the woman has been carrying a 40 year-old fetus inside her old body.

Australian researchers grew ‘Self-organising’ Mini-kidney for future treatment of renal diseases

If men had been enjoying Viagra and other male erection enhancement drugs for almost 20 years, flibanserin, the equivalent of the sex enhancement drug for women, has suffered from another impasse with the regulator, the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).

The publication by IBT Australia of a study on the effect of circumcision on male sexual fulfillment elicited an email from a reader named Peter Spencer, who sent it via his email peterspencer@me.com, alleging that the basis of the article is a fake research by a man with close ties to child abusers and paedophiles.

Two HIV-positive men underwent bone marrow transplants and were free from the virus in about 8 months. Now, both men tested positive again of HIV. Is this a sign that bone marrow transplant fails to cure the AIDS-causing virus?

To cut or not to cut the penis's foreskin is a choice that parents have to make when they have a baby boy. While the decision could be an easy one for some parents who belong to certain groups, such as followers of the Jew of Islam religion, for some it is a dilemma because of conflicting beliefs about the impact of circumcision on the male child's health as well as his future sexual pleasure.

Smartphone ownership among Aussie youth aged 14 to 17 rose to 30 percent for the year 2013. This is according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority, as wireless devices such as smartphones and tablets made access to the internet easier.

Eradication of AIDS-causing HIV is now in early stages of research and development but all methods still need to be proven before human trials can begin. Here are the five angles with the most potential science is looking into to defeat HIV once and for all.

Two Australian researchers confirmed what many men already know, but would surely anger some religious groups. Anthony Santella and Spring Chenoa Cooper from the University of Sydney said masturbation helps prevent several ailments, including cystitis, diabetes and prostate cancer.

Functional cure or vaccine against HIV isn't yet available. At the same time another HIV strain has been found and this strain may develop AIDS faster than other known HIV strains in history. It is more dynamic, vigorous and aggressive HIV type to date.

Medical science has unlocked new traits of the virus that causes AIDS and allows new ways to create better future treatment that may lead to the much waited cure or vaccine. Here are the three key traits characterising resistance of HIV against the immune system.

Since 1980s, HIV has caused an alarming epidemic without any functional cure up to this date. It is highly feared by many and claimed millions of lives across the world. However, such virus may be Mother Nature's gift to mankind as a possible potent weapon for medical breakthrough.

New herbal remedy available in Zimbabwean market called Topvein believed to provide cure with 99 per cent success rate against HIV/AIDS. In addition, the drug features no side effects on the blood chemistry, lung and kidney functions based on their official report.

German and Tanzanian product researchers discovered HIV/AIDS curing properties in orange fleshed sweet potatoes which are grown across the Lake Zone regions.

The Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) has put forth its recommendations regarding how Australians as a nation consume alcohol and the findings are not good in the least.

With Independent MP Bob Such's Ending Life with Dignity bill creating such a huge discussion in parliament, it's only timely that Australia's first euthanasia clinic should also be discussed. Dr Philip Nitschke, voluntary euthanasia campaigner and Exit International director, confirmed that by November 24 the clinic and laboratory will be open.

For some people, brilliance may come with a steep price - debilitating depression, hopelessness and gloom. But when individuals suffering from bipolar disorder are not in a depressive mood, they are penning a novel or painting or doing a number of other things that are usually just brilliant.