“Smoking cannabis from a pipe can significantly reduce chronic pain in patients with damaged nerves,” reported the BBC. It added that improvements in sleep and anxiety were also seen

The lives of 10,000 patients could be saved each year by a “breakthrough pill”, according to the Daily Express. The news story comes from a study that looked at whether a drug called ivabradine could help prevent deaths or hospital admissions due to chronic heart failure. This relatively common condition occurs when the heart is no longer able to pump enough blood to meet the demands of the body.

“Millions of blind and partially sighted people are being given hope they will see again after artificial corneas were successfully ‘grown’ in eyes,” the Daily Express reported.

A predictive blood test for tuberculosis (TB) is “a step closer”, according to BBC News. The article said that a “DNA fingerprint in the blood shows promise in identifying which carriers of TB will go on to get symptoms and spread the infection”. This study is important and illustrates the power of a relatively new technique called “genomic transcriptional profiling”, but it is too early to know in practice how many of the TB patients identified by the test will go on to develop the disease. After some fine-tuning in London, the test was repeated in patients from South Africa, which increases confidence in its accuracy.

Globe and Mail When it comes to HIV in this country, the law is a mess – and prejudice thrives The Guardian The trial of Nadja Benaissa, the German singer accused of knowingly infecting a partner with HIV, has taught us many things – that Germany came 23rd in the Eurovision song contest in 2008, for instance. More seriously, it has underlined that stigma … Singer with HIV admits endangering man Boston Globe Female Pop Star Faces Charges After Male Sex Partner Contracts HIV EDGE Boston HIV-positive German singer Nadja Benaissa admits unprotected sex BBC News FOXNews

“Eating just two small bits of chocolate a week can cut the risk of heart failure by up to a third,” according to an article in the Daily Express . The news story is based on a study of whether chocolate affects the risk of heart failure in elderly and middle-aged women

“The immune system may have a key role in the development of Parkinson’s disease,” reported BBC News. It said that a study has found an association between genes controlling immunity and Parkinson’s disease. The news reports appear to be accurate.

Scientists have “encouraged substantial re-growth in nerves controlling voluntary movement after spinal cord injury,” reported BBC News. This news story is based on experimental animal research that found that, by deleting a gene called Pten in mice, the growth of spinal cord nerve cells could be encouraged following spinal cord injury.

“Researchers have found ‘the strongest evidence so far’ that genetic factors can increase the risk of a person developing meningitis,” reported The Guardian . The newspaper said the discovery could help in the search for a vaccine. This was a large, well-conducted study that compared the DNA of children who had contracted meningococcal meningitis with the DNA of healthy children.

CANOE Women Buy More Daring Clothes When They Are Ovulating Medical News Today When women are ovulating they tend to buy sexier clothing to outdo rival females rather than to impress males, according to a study from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. The researchers reveal that ovulating women dress to ..