Immunodeficiency News and Research

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Immunodeficiency (or immune deficiency) is a state in which the immune system's ability to fight infectious disease is compromised or entirely absent.

New HIV/AIDS vaccine candidate appears to clear AIDS-causing virus from body

An HIV/AIDS vaccine candidate developed by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University appears to have the ability to completely clear an AIDS-causing virus from the body.

12 Sep 2013

UCSF to receive grant to study gene sequencing aimed at detecting disorders in newborns

UC San Francisco will receive $4.5 million over the next five years for a pilot project to assess whether large-scale gene sequencing aimed at detecting disorders and conditions can and should become a routine part of newborn testing.

6 Sep 2013

Researchers hope to protect humans from another deadly outbreak like HIV

Throughout Asia, humans and monkeys live side-by side in many urban areas. An international research team from the University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Jahangirnagar University has been examining transmission of a virus from monkeys to humans in Bangladesh, one of the world's most densely populated countries.

5 Sep 2013

New delivery system for combination of 2 FDA approved drugs to fight HIV

A University of Minnesota research team featuring researchers from the Institute for Molecular Virology, School of Dentistry and Center for Drug Design has developed a new delivery system for a combination of two FDA approved drugs that may serve as an effective treatment for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

31 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Upton says GOP health ideas overlooked; tying insurance to jobs is a bad idea

In a troubling denial of reality, President Obama now claims that Republicans have no ideas when it comes to health care, saying "they don't have an agenda to provide health insurance to people at affordable rates." But Republicans do have answers – a lot of them (Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., 8/27).

29 Aug 2013

Research finding could lead to potential treatment for lymphedema

The molecule interleukin-7 is an important immune messenger protein which ensures that a sufficient number of T cells are present in our body for immune defence. Researchers from ETH Zurich have now demonstrated that IL-7 has another important function: it enhances the drainage function of lymphatic vessels, which collect fluid that has leaked out of blood vessels into the body tissue and return it to the bloodstream.

27 Aug 2013

HIV prevention program at UCLA may reduce unprotected sex among bisexual black men

A culturally tailored HIV prevention program developed and tested by investigators at UCLA and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science has been shown to significantly reduce unprotected sex among bisexual black men.

22 Aug 2013

Probiotic does not prevent clinical relapse in patients with Crohn's disease

Despite previous data showing beneficial effects, the probiotic Saccharomuces boulardii (S. boulardii) does not prevent clinical relapse in patients with Crohn's disease, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

16 Aug 2013

Animal model of HIV sexual transmission

Infection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a debilitating disorder in which progressive weakening of the immune system makes affected individuals more susceptible to potentially life-threatening infections and chronic diseases. Despite advances in the treatment and management of AIDS, there is no cure, and HIV infection remains a major global health problem.

16 Aug 2013

Updated United States Public Health Service guidelines for management of occupational exposure to HIV

New guidelines from the United States Public Health Service update the recommendations for the management of healthcare personnel with occupational exposure to HIV and use of postexposure prophylaxis.

7 Aug 2013

Platelet activation inhibits host cell entry of HIV, shows research

Scientists of the DPZ have shown that platelet activation inhibits the host cell entry of HIV. Infection biologists of the German Primate Center (DPZ) under the direction of Stefan Pöhlmann have found evidence that platelets (thrombocytes) might constitute an innate defense against infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

24 Jul 2013

Animal model of human norovirus lays groundwork for developing antiviral drug treatment

An animal model of the human norovirus created at the University of Michigan Health System lays the groundwork for understanding the biology of the pesky virus and developing antiviral drug treatment.

23 Jul 2013

NIDA grants $3.3M to design vaccine conferring immunity to nicotine

A chemical component present in the nightshade family of plants is one of the world's most tenaciously addictive substances. It is the nicotine contained in tobacco and found in high concentrations in cigarettes. Smoking remains a global scourge; in the U.S. it is the leading source of preventable death.

3 Jul 2013

UH and Case Western Reserve University to develop diagnostic tests to determine HIV drug resistance

Case Western Reserve University has signed an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement granting University Hospitals Case Medical Center rights to a series of diagnostic tests to determine drug resistance and co-receptor tropism in human immunodeficiency virus.

2 Jul 2013

Research roundup: Examining the health of future Medicaid patients; Rural trauma care issues; Lessons from Medicare Part D

Under the federal health law, states have the option of expanding Medicaid coverage to most-low income populations, potentially adding millions of new enrollees. Researchers analyzed 2007-2010 survey data from a study population of more than 1,000 people, and found that, compared to adults already enrolled in state Medicaid programs, low-income uninsured adults who stand to gain from Medicaid expansion "will differ significantly from current Medicaid enrollees," the authors write.

25 Jun 2013

Research shows other viruses also play a role in AIDS transmission

While antiretroviral drugs offer an efficient means of preventing the replication of HIV in the blood, shedding of HIV may occur in semen, so that other persons can become infected during unprotected sexual intercourse.

24 Jun 2013

Age disparities exist in continuum of care for patients with HIV

Age disparities exist in the continuum of care for patients with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with people younger than 45 years less likely to be aware of their infection or to have a suppressed viral load, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

18 Jun 2013

Faldaprevir+ achieves viral cure in 88% of treatment-naïve genotype-1 hepatitis C patients in Asia

New findings presented today during the APASL Liver Week in Singapore, highlighted the efficacy and safety of faldaprevir+ plus pegylated interferon and ribavirin (PegIFN/RBV) in treatment-naïve patients with genotype-1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Asia.1 This post-hoc sub-analysis of the Phase III STARTVerso™1 and 2 trials showed that both doses of faldaprevir were associated with high viral cure rates and a shorter treatment duration in this particular patient group.1

10 Jun 2013

Low levels of vitamin D associated with high levels of hepatitis B virus replication

Researchers from Germany have found that low levels of vitamin D are associated with high levels of hepatitis B virus replication. Findings published online in Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, suggest seasonal fluctuations in vitamin D and HBV levels point to a link in these variables among patients with chronic HBV.

6 Jun 2013

Mathematical modeling proved critical in understanding latent stage of infections

Recurrent infection is a common feature of persistent viral diseases. It includes episodes of high viral production interspersed by periods of relative quiescence. These quiescent or silent stages are hard to study with experimental models. Mathematical analysis can help fill in the gaps.

3 Jun 2013