HIV drugs fear
Drug-resistant strains of the human immune-deficiency virus (HIV) are appearing at an alarming rate outside high-risk groups on the mainland, says the head of the Aids Institute in Hong Kong, Chen Zhiwei. Although there's no cure for HIV, cocktails of drugs can help control it. However, the mainland has only seven of the more than 20 different drugs available, Reuters reports. Chen says it's likely the drug-resistant strains will spread because of the lack of proper treatment. He recently published a report in Nature warning that HIV infection is rising sharply among women and gay and bisexual men across the border and 'is moving into the general population'.
Replacement hope
Cells from testicles appear to be as versatile as those from embryos, say German researchers, suggesting a way to grow replacement tissue - for men, at least - without the controversy surrounding stem cells. The team from the Centre for Regenerative Biology and Medicine in Tuebingen has had encouraging results with cells taken from 22 men, aged from 17 to 81. Their tests follow promising trials using mice. Embryonic stem cells can be used to grow almost any human tissue, and scientists hope they'll help in treating the likes of Parkinson's, diabetes and spinal cord injuries, AP reports.
Walk like a robot
A Japanese company has begun leasing robot suits that enable paralysed people to walk by anticipating their movements and moving the relevant muscles. A wheelchair-bound Japanese man used a prototype of the 11kg Hybrid Assistive Limb (Hal) in 2006 to try to climb a mountain in the Swiss Alps. The suit anticipates the person's desired movements by detecting natural electrical currents that pass over the skin's surface, AFP reports. Hal's creator, Yoshiyuki Sankai of Tsukuba University, is working on another version that enables the wearer to easily carry heavy loads.
