HIV-infected infants risk contracting a deadly form of tuberculosis from the bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, instead of receiving protection against the disease, according to research published today in the international public health journal, the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. While the BCG vaccine is given to approximately 75% of newborn babies worldwide, a South African study has found that its harm may outweigh the benefits for HIV-infected infants.

Summer is in full swing, and barbeques are a perfect way to relax, spend time with family and friends, and celebrate the July 4th holiday. To help you better prepare for this popular activity, nutrition experts at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center offer advice on how to barbeque the healthy way. M. D. Anderson dietitian, Vicki Piper, R.D., L.D., encourages cookout fans to grill plenty of fruits and vegetables, and less meat.

Recent news reports have highlighted the importance of physician credentials and ensuring that physicians meet high standards in their chosen area of practice, according to the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), which coordinates and assists its 24 Member Boards in their efforts to develop and implement educational and professional standards for the evaluation and certification of physician specialists.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a difficult infection to treat and requires six months of multiple antibiotics to cure it. To combat the TB pandemic, a shorter and simpler drug treatment would be a huge advance since most TB occurs in resource-limited settings with poor public health infrastructures.

The Texas Department of State Health Services is reminding swimmers and skiers to take precautions to avoid infection from Naegleria fowleri, an ameba assumed to be present in all rivers, lakes, ponds, tanks and streams. The ameba can cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, an infection of the brain. Though PAM is rare, it is almost always fatal. The ameba thrives in warm, stagnant water but may be present in any body of fresh water.

A 12-year study that followed over 60,000 Britons, half of whom were vegetarian, suggests that vegetarians had a lower risk of developing cancer than meat-eaters. However, more studies are needed before we can use this evidence as sufficient reason to ask people to change their diets, say the researchers and other experts.

Mental stress causes carotid artery dilation and increases brain blood flow. A series of ultrasound experiments, described in BioMed Central’s open access journal Cardiovascular Ultrasound, also found that this dilatory reflex was absent in people with high blood pressure.

One-step screening for both genetic and chromosomal abnormalities has come a stage closer as scientists announced that an embryo test they have been developing has successfully screened cells taken from spare embryos that were known to have cystic fibrosis.

Researchers at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center are injecting a modified herpes virus into melanoma tumors, hoping to kill the cancer cells while also bolstering the body’s immune defenses against the disease.