Discovery Spurs Hope for Prostate Cancer Test

Stomach microbes could signal onset at 6 months old

(NEWSER) - Children with and without autism show marked differences in the makeup of their intestinal bacteria, and a simple urine test may help doctors diagnose the condition in children as young as 6 months old. Children typically aren't diagnosed until they're 2, delaying the start of intervention and other treatments. With the earlier diagnosis, "it might become a preventable disease," the author of a new study tells the Telegraph . More»

Finding may pave way for new AIDS treatments

(AP) - The virus that causes AIDS can hide in the bone marrow, avoiding drugs and later awakening to cause illness, according to new research that could point the way toward better treatments for the disease. Finding that hideout is a first step, but years of research lie ahead. Dr. Kathleen Collins of the University of Michigan and her colleagues report in this week's edition of the journal Nature Medicine that HIV can infect long-lived bone marrow cells that eventually convert into blood cells. More»

(NEWSER) - An experimental drug could drastically decrease the risk of bone breakage in osteoporosis sufferers, Time reports. Two trials of the drug denosumab in groups at high risk for the disease—men receiving testosterone-depleting treatment for prostate cancer and post-menopausal women—reduced the risk of fracture by more than 50%, with no side effects. Other drugs carry the risk of cancer. Denosumab is currently under review by the FDA. More»

Efficacy should trump novelty in care choices

(NEWSER) - Forget public options and universal mandates. The real litmus test for health care reform is prostate cancer testing, writes David Leonhardt of the New York Times. Treatments for the disease range in cost from a few thousand dollars to more than $100,000. "You can probably guess which treatments are becoming more popular," Leonhardt writes: "the ones that cost a lot of money." More»

Antibodies prevent HIV from spreading in monkeys

(NEWSER) - A back-door approach to battling AIDS that could revolutionize treatment has succeeded in monkeys, AP reports. Scientists inserted a gene that produces protective antibodies into the muscles of six monkeys, then injected them with SIV—the animal equivalent of HIV. None developed AIDS, and most still had high amounts of the antibodies a year later. More»