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SEATTLE, Washington (AP) — Researcher David Baker believes the key to an AIDS Vaccine or a cure for cancer may be that old PC sitting under a layer of dust in your closet or the one on your desk doing little else but running a screen saver.

Those outdated or idle computers may be just what Baker needs to turn his ideas into scientific breakthroughs.

Baker, 43, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Washington, realized about two years ago that he didn’t have access to the computing horsepower needed for his research — nor the money to buy time on supercomputers elsewhere.

By Derrick Z. Jackson, Boston Globe Columnist

TYPE 2 Diabetes is sweeping so rapidly through America we need not waste time giving children Bicycles. Just roll them a wheelchair.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Inside an Agriculture Department building known as C-3, four young chickens strut nervously in their cage. They are part of the government’s network of defense against deadly bird Flu.

“These are nice, bright, healthy birds,” says veterinarian Michelle Crocheck, who is decked out in protective clothing that is part “ER” and part lobster fisherman.

LONDON (Reuters) — Trying just one cigarette may not be so harmless for non-smokers after all.

Scientists have discovered that a single cigarette has a “sleeper effect” that can increase a person’s vulnerability for three years or more to becoming a regular smoker.

“We know that progression from experimenting with one cigarette to being a smoker can take several years,” said Jennifer Fidler of University College London.

ROME, Italy (AP) — European food safety experts have good news for dieters with a sweet tooth, announcing Friday that the popular sugar substitute aspartame does not raise the risk of cancer.

An Italian study last year wrongly concluded that the sweetener led to higher rates of lymphoma and leukemia in rats, said an independent panel of scientists advising the European Food Safety Authority.

The new review found that the number of tumors did not increase in relation to the dosage of aspartame fed to the animals.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Antidepressant Paxil may raise the risk of suicidal behavior in young adults, GlaxoSmithKline and the Food and Drug Administration warned Friday in a letter to doctors.

The warning letter was accompanied by changes to the labeling of both Paxil and Paxil CR, a controlled-release version of the drug, also called paroxetine.

A recent analysis of clinical trial data on nearly 15,000 patients treated with both Paxil and dummy pills revealed a higher frequency of suicidal behavior in young adults treated with the drug, according to the letter.

By Stephen Daniells

Omega-3 Fatty Acids could prevent or inhibit the growth of liver cancer cells, say researchers from the University of Pittsburgh at today’s annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids have been linked to a wide-range of health benefits, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), good development of a baby during Pregnancy, joint health, behaviour and mood, and certain cancers.

“It has been known for some time that Omega-3 Fatty Acids can inhibit certain cancer cells.

The Asthma Medication Advair and a related drug will bear stronger warnings of an increased risk of death associated with one of their ingredients.

The revised warnings apply to Advair and Serevent, Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Laura Alvey said. Advair is GlaxoSmithKline’s best-selling product, and Serevent is another of the British company’s drugs.

By Dan Olmsted

Representatives of 22 medical organizations have written to all members of Congress opposing efforts to ban the mercury-based preservative thimerosal from Vaccines.

“Our organizations respectfully wish to state our opposition to all legislative efforts at the federal and state levels to restrict access to Vaccines containing thimerosal, an ethylmercury-based preservative,” said the letter dated April 3 from “Multiple National Organizations that Support Safe and Effective Vaccines.”

The groups said that banning the preservative in Vaccines for children and Pregnant women—as several states have done and legislation in Congress proposes—would “perpetuate false and misleading information that Vaccines are not safe.