Infectious Diseases News and Research

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$75 million over 5 years to study islet transplantation in patients with type 1 diabetes

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today that it plans to award about $75 million over five years to five clinical centers and a data coordinating center to conduct studies of islet transplantation in patients with type 1 diabetes.

4 Oct 2004

Giving flu vaccine to toddlers in the spring and fall guards against infection

Giving flu vaccine to toddlers in the spring and fall guards against infection and is easier on parents than the fall schedule of two doses administered a month apart, found researchers from Duke University Medical Center and the University of Washington.

4 Oct 2004

New national resource for medical researchers to be known as the Center on Proteolytic Pathways

The National Institutes of Health (“NIH”) has selected The Burnham Institute to develop a national resource for medical researchers to be known as the “Center on Proteolytic Pathways”.

4 Oct 2004

Circulation of ‘disaster myths’ in Haiti could hinder appropriate disposal of bodies

Myths about the infectious disease threat posed by dead bodies could lead to insensitive and inappropriate treatment of victims’ bodies following the floods in Haiti, and need to be checked, according to a public health researcher who has studied the potential risks at length.

30 Sep 2004

Australian nanotech Starpharma to develop a second generation microbicide for the prevention of infection by HIV

Melbourne-based nanotechnology company Starpharma will lead a consortium to develop a second generation microbicide for the prevention of infection by HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

30 Sep 2004

Drug-resistant bacteria increasingly causing infections in healthy people

An emerging form of so-called "flesh-eating bacteria" is caused by a strain that is resistant to standard first-line antibiotics. The same type of bacteria, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is causing record numbers of less-serious skin infections in children and also is emerging as a cause of pneumonia, which can be deadly

30 Sep 2004

Antiretroviral treatment may provide protection against HIV transmission during breast-feeding

Women who take combination AIDS drugs not only have benefits for their own health but also may pass along high levels of the medication through breast-feeding, potentially protecting their infants from HIV infection

30 Sep 2004

Some New York City stores are selling antibiotics illegally over the counter

In many countries around the world antibiotics are sold without a prescription, a practice that is illegal in the United States.

30 Sep 2004

Alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel significantly reduces spread of gastrointestinal illnesses

Stomach bug going around your home? You might want to reach for hand sanitizer, suggests research being presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

30 Sep 2004

Drinking eight ounces of cranberry juice works better than four in combating urinary tract infections

Cranberry juice has long been recommended to ward off bladder infections: Now there's evidence that more of the tart drink may be better than less.

30 Sep 2004

ID Biomedical awarded US$9.5 million to develop its cell culture-based influenza vaccine

ID Biomedical announced today that it has been awarded a US$9.5 million grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop its cell culture-based influenza vaccine.

29 Sep 2004

Last year over 36,000 Americans died from exposure to the flu

Another 200,000 people were hospitalized with symptoms of the illness. The flu and pneumonia (the most common complication of the flu) combined are the fifth leading cause of death among Americans age 65 and older.

29 Sep 2004

Chiron CEO to appear before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging

Chiron Corporation announced that president and chief executive officer Howard Pien will appear before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging in Washington, D.C., today in a hearing titled, "Combating the Flu: Keeping Seniors Alive."

28 Sep 2004

PAHO outlines health challenges ahead

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Dr. Mirta Roses today presented a report summarizing PAHO's work over the past year in the Americas, during a special session of a meeting of the region's ministers of health taking place at PAHO headquarters this week.

28 Sep 2004

Contrary to popular belief, epidemics do not occur spontaneously after a natural disaster

The belief that dead bodies pose a serious health threat often leads authorities to take misguided action, such as mass burials, which can add to the burden of suffering already experienced by survivors. This theme arose Thursday following reports that the death count in Haiti due to flooding from Tropical Storm Jeanne has now climbed above 1,013.

26 Sep 2004

Vietnam veterans had higher death rates in the first five years after discharge

Vietnam veterans had higher death rates in the first five years after discharge than veterans who did not serve in Vietnam, according to a 30-year follow-up study published in the September 27 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

26 Sep 2004

Research may lead to alternatives to antibiotic drugs for treating bacterial diseases

UCLA microbiologists report the discovery of a new class of genetic elements, similar to retroviruses, that operate in bacteria, allowing them to diversify their proteins to bind to a large variety of receptors.

23 Sep 2004

American Lung Association launches online flu shot locator

As the flu season is about to begin, the American Lung Association today launched its online "flu shot locator" to help more people find and obtain flu vaccinations in their neighborhoods.

23 Sep 2004

Potential new way to control drug-resistant bacteria

The researchers, who encountered this genetic property while working on an unrelated project, believe that this discovery could lead to the use of genetically engineered phages to treat bacterial infections that have become resistant to antibiotics.

23 Sep 2004

Amyloid growth can occur independently of oligomers

Improperly folded proteins are normally destroyed. But in a wide range of diseases, including prion (from proteinaceous and infectious) diseases and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson disease and Alzheimer disease, amyloid fibrils, or plaques--misshapen proteins that aggregate into characteristic ropelike configurations--accumulate in tissue.

22 Sep 2004

Infectious Diseases News and Research

$75 million over 5 years to study islet transplantation in patients with type 1 diabetes

Giving flu vaccine to toddlers in the spring and fall guards against infection

New national resource for medical researchers to be known as the Center on Proteolytic Pathways

Circulation of ‘disaster myths’ in Haiti could hinder appropriate disposal of bodies

Australian nanotech Starpharma to develop a second generation microbicide for the prevention of infection by HIV

Drug-resistant bacteria increasingly causing infections in healthy people

Antiretroviral treatment may provide protection against HIV transmission during breast-feeding

Some New York City stores are selling antibiotics illegally over the counter

Alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel significantly reduces spread of gastrointestinal illnesses

Drinking eight ounces of cranberry juice works better than four in combating urinary tract infections

ID Biomedical awarded US$9.5 million to develop its cell culture-based influenza vaccine

Last year over 36,000 Americans died from exposure to the flu

Chiron CEO to appear before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging

PAHO outlines health challenges ahead

Contrary to popular belief, epidemics do not occur spontaneously after a natural disaster

Vietnam veterans had higher death rates in the first five years after discharge

Research may lead to alternatives to antibiotic drugs for treating bacterial diseases

American Lung Association launches online flu shot locator

Potential new way to control drug-resistant bacteria

Amyloid growth can occur independently of oligomers

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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