31.   But Weber and other experts said early diagnosis of HIV had important public health benefits because it helped infected individuals prevent transmitting the virus to their sex partners.

32.   Confounding this early diagnosis was the fact that some victims had been inoculated against Japanese encephalitis and that most lived near or worked on pig farms.

33.   Dr. Ira Sacker, who is director of adolescent medicine and eating disorders at Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y., emphasized that early diagnosis was crucial.

34.   Early diagnosis, while a person is still well, can be life-saving.

35.   Early diagnosis and treatment almost always prevent deformities, Bernstein said.

36.   Early diagnosis has long been a goal of autism researchers, who theorize that the condition results from brain abnormalities that develop before birth.

37.   Early diagnosis remains critical for optimum treatment.

38.   Early diagnosis would have no effect on mortality, said Dr. Jay Harris, a radiologist at Harvard Medical School.

39.   Early diagnosis, proper nutrition and drug therapy have all contributed to a longer life expectancy for those with HIV.

40.   Easy access to good care is crucial to early diagnoses of cancer, both doctors said.