(January 8, 2010 - Insidermedicine)

From Michigan - According to a report published online in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, every additional pound at birth lowers a newborns risk of developing tuberculosis. Studying identical twins, researchers found that for every 1.1 pounds of birth weight, TB risk decreased by 87% for males and 16% for females.

From Massachusetts - Men infected with HIV who have minimal cardiac risk factors nonetheless have been found to suffer from serious atherosclerosis, according to a report published in the journal AIDS. Researchers studied 110 men--78 of whom had HIV while 32 were healthy controls--with no symptoms of cardiovascular disease. Results of CT angiography showed coronary atherosclerosis in 59% of HIV patients, compared with 34% of controls. As well, five of the HIV patients had critical coronary stenosis compared with none of the controls.

And finally, from Montreal - According to a report published in the journal Science Signalling, scientists have identified a connection between two genetic pathways that may help in the fight against cancer. Researchers discovered a link between the gene PTEN--which is known to suppress tumors--and the protein PKR--known to hinder protein synthesis. They found that, when the gene PTEN is either missing or mutated, PKR no longer stops protein synthesis, thereby setting the stage for tumor development. This discovery could potentially lead to new cancer treatments aimed at activating the PKR protein.