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Community-based HIV testing programs generally use only HIV antibody testing, but nucleic acid testing (NAT) can detect the presence of HIV earlier. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine studied more than 3,000 patients who sought HIV testing in community-based clinics in or near San Diego to examine the yield of testing with a rapid test plus NAT and to see whether patients would be willing to access their results by phone or computer.

Fresh discoveries about the parasite that causes sleeping sickness could lead to new avenues of research into treatments for the disease.

Scientists studying the parasite – which is spread by the tsetse fly and infects the blood of people and animals – have shed light on how it is able to survive when taken up by a feeding fly.

Sleeping sickness is a potentially fatal condition which affects up to 70,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa, and millions more are at risk from the disease.

Scientists have long known that certain types of bacteria boost the immune system. Now, Loyola University Health System researchers have discovered how bacteria perform this essential task.

Senior author Katherine L. Knight, PhD. and colleagues report their discovery in a featured article in the June 15, 2010, issue of the Journal of Immunology, now available online. Knight is professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

New research from NYU Langone Medical Center shows that a simple, inexpensive and noninvasive carotid artery ultrasound of the neck can be used as a preliminary diagnostic tool for coronary artery disease (CAD). This may be an alternative to the standard, expensive and more invasive coronary angiography. The ultrasound test can also be used to rule out the diagnosis of CAD in patients presenting with reduced heart pump function. The new study appears in the June 2010 issue of the American Heart Journal.

Boston, MA—In a new study, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that eating five or more servings of white rice per week was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. In contrast, eating two or more servings of brown rice per week was associated with a lower risk of the disease. The researchers estimated that replacing 50 grams of white rice (just one third of a typical daily serving) with the same amount of brown rice would lower risk of type 2 diabetes by 16%.

Clinical guidelines recommend screening low-risk women for cervical cancer every three years after age 30, but most primary care clinicians report that they would advise testing for the disease more frequently, according to a report in the June 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Adding a test for human papillomavirus (HPV) to screening protocols does not increase clinicians' reported adherence to guidelines, but may make them less likely to extend screening intervals.

Findings from a survey of free clinics suggest that an estimated 1.8 million individuals make approximately 3.5 million medical and dental visits to free clinics annually, according to a report in the June 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Consuming more white rice appears to be associated with a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes, whereas consuming more brown rice may be associated with a lower risk for the disease, according to a report in the June 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Genetic mutations and workplace exposure to some insecticides together appear to be associated with an increased risk for Parkinson's disease among men, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Early-stage age-related macular degeneration appears to be related to modifiable risk factors, including smoking and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL or "good" cholesterol), according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The condition appears uncommon before age 55 but the risk increases with age thereafter.

By investigating the association between genetic loci related to Alzheimer's disease and neuroimaging measures related to disease risk, researchers may have uncovered additional evidence that several previously studied genetic variants are associated with the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease and also may have identified new genetic risk factors for further study, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

New research shows that concern about preserving their good reputation can lead auditors to conceal the kind of irregularities that brought down not only Enron but the auditing firm Arthur Anderson, according to the Management Insights feature in the current issue of Management Science, a flagship journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS®).

"The Auditor's Slippery Slope: An Analysis of Reputational Incentives" is by Carlos Corona of the University of Texas and Ramandeep S. Randhaw of the University of Southern California.

Vancouver, BC - The economically important, environmentally sensitive Atlantic salmon species is one step closer to having its genome fully sequenced, thanks to an international collaboration involving researchers, funding agencies and industry from Canada, Chile and Norway.

Genome BC partnered with the Chilean Economic Development Agency, InnovaChile, Norwegian Research Council, Norwegian Fishery and Aquaculture Industry Research Fund to form the International Cooperation to Sequence the Atlantic Salmon Genome (the Cooperation).

PHOENIX, Ariz. — June 14, 2010 — Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), the Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) and the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare have discovered a biomarker that could help in the treatment of patients with an aggressive type of lung cancer.

Researchers at the University of Calgary found that amino acid residues form a type of barrier to help in the process of electron transfer between proteins.