HIV/AIDS Center working to reduce HIV cases in 2009 (The Nassau Guardian) As officials from the National HIV/AIDS Center continue to battle against the stigma attached to the disease, more emphasis will be placed on prevention efforts this year, said the Director, Nurse Rosa Mae Bain.

Health Notes, Martin County: updated Jan 6 (TCPalm.com) Florida Atlantic University will host "The Brain Gain Workshop" and "The Brain Gain Workout," at the Memory and Wellness Center, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton.

Dubious drugs, tainted foods top 2008's health stories (WTVM 9 Columbus) WEDNESDAY, Dec. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Doubts over the safety of diabetes and heart treatments, disappointing results for vitamins as cancer fighters, and the withdrawal of over-the-counter cold medicines for kids were some of 2008's top health stories.

Police: Heroin use up (Beloit Daily News) Drug use, including heroin abuse, is on the rise in Beloit, according to Beloit Police Capt. Bill Tyler. ?Anytime the economy takes a downturn, those who are most vulnerable become more vulnerable,? Tyler said.

McLean County-born filmmaker to christen latest project in Normal (The Pantagraph) ?This was my time to be alive, even if it were only for a moment.? ? Dennis Neal Vaughn, from his short story, ?The City Was Electric.? If you?re a small-town McLean County native like Dennis Neal Vaughn, you can?t be farther from the heartland average than Market and Castro streets in San Francisco ? ground zero for the Bay City?s pioneering gay scene.

Health calendar (Asheville Citizen-Times) The complete Health Calendar is posted online at www.CITIZEN-TIMES.com. Scroll down to Living and click on Health.

Readers Care: Rise n' Shine helps family focus on the future (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) Rise n' Shine, is an organization that offers services and emotional support to children whose lives have been impacted by HIV or AIDS.

HIV Skeptic Christine Maggiore Dead at 52 (The Advocate) The HIV-positive activist spent her life convinced that HIV does not cause AIDS.

Man warns public about his HIV wife (UPI) TORONTO, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- A Toronto man has issued a public appeal for anyone who was intimate with his HIV-positive ex-stripper wife to be tested for the AIDS-causing virus.

?Juan? finds life after HIV (Philippine Daily Inquirer) MANILA, Philippines?Having failed to pass the medical tests for a new job in Saudi Arabia, Juan (not his real name) came home last March to confront a painful truth: He is positive for the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV).