Autism has long been defined in terms of its drawbacks. Now it's time to look at the benefits, argues David Wolman.

They are billed as "healthcare professionals who spend years building expertise in their fields". Using materials grounded in science, they educate their peers in the risks and benefits of drugs. This is how Pfizer, the pharmaceuticals giant, describes the experts it hires to lead forums in which doctors are lectured on the use of its products. Yet New Scientist has found that some of Pfizer's experts have been disciplined for deficiencies in patient care, while others have been reprimanded for how they conducted drug research trials.

Obamacare is here. As he affixed his signature to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on 23 March 2010, President Obama signed into law what many observers view as one of the most important changes to the American healthcare system since 1965. If all goes as planned, by 2019 (when the law becomes fully operational), the USA will have largely erased a major blot on its healthcare system.

The policy of levying charges on people seeking healthcare, which requires people to pay before receiving care, has been a contentious issue among health policy-makers and people working in the health sector. The impact of user charges on the health of a nation merits serious consideration.

The medical education system in India may be on the verge of collapse. An exploding number of medical colleges; a skewed distribution of these around the country; devaluation of merit in admissions, particularly in private institutions - all contribute to this gloomy picture.

Female health workers in India face an increasing workload that affects their performance. The authors did a study in 2 districts of West Bengal, India, to quantify their workload and identify determinants of good performance.

Serum cotinine levels are a reliable marker of tobacco use. Few studies have validated questionnaires assessing smoking and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) against serum levels. We undertook such a study in industrial workers in India.

We analyze tunnel wells (surangams), traditional water harvesting systems, which have been innovated and nurtured by farmers in the Enmakaje panchayat in the state of Kerala in South India for decades. We show how the genesis and design of the indigenous knowledge-based water harvesting systems are shaped by agro-ecological conditions. We also identify issues that affect the sustainability of tunnel wells in the changing agrarian context in this region.

The role of the forest sector in an area of global change - A view on some priorities for the 21st century.

Mangroves are unique salt tolerant plant community, found in the coastal regions. As a result of unprecedented human exploitable activities and population pressure, the day of mangroves decreases day to day. Agricultural expansion rather than shrimp farming is the major factor responsible for the destruction of tropical mangrove forests in Asia.