Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Largest study comparing leading hepatitis C treatments

Medical centers, hospitals, clinics and other treatment sites across the country are actively enrolling Americans with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a nationwide study that will for the first time determine which of the two FDA-approved pegylated interferon therapy regimens offers patients the best chance to eliminate the virus.

14 May 2004

Cholesterol-lowering drugs could treat multiple sclerosis

Drug treatments for MS are expensive and only partially effective. Recent knowledge that statins promote an anti-inflammatory response from the immune system suggest a potential in the treatment of MS.

13 May 2004

Canada updates Quarantine Act

Health Minister Pierre Pettigrew today introduced in Parliament legislation entitled: "An Act to prevent the introduction and spread of communicable diseases", which would help further protect Canadians from the importation of communicable diseases.

12 May 2004

New chink in the cellular armor of tuberculosis (TB) and leprosy

The family of bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB) and leprosy are notoriously sturdy. And although the diseases they cause have been held in check for the past 50 years by antibiotics, some strains are becoming increasingly resistant to existing therapy.

10 May 2004

Alternative vaccine to Dryvax for smallpox

Not everybody can safely be vaccinated against smallpox using the current FDA-approved vaccine. Scientists hope another study vaccine, now undergoing its first testing in the United States at Saint Louis University, will give a choice to people who can't be given the current vaccine, known as Dryvax®.

10 May 2004

Traditional Chinese medicine contains human placenta

MHRA (Medicines) has recently become aware of a traditional Chinese medicine called Nu Bao. The product patient information leaflet lists human placenta (Placenta hominis), deer antler (Corna cervi pantotrichum) and donkey skin (Colla cori astini) as ingredients.

8 May 2004

Scottish health professionals tackle problems of obesity

The University of Glasgow is bringing together experts in the field of obesity management to address a conference on Friday 7 May 2004 for health professionals on how to tackle obesity.

6 May 2004

International research team have decoded the genetic blueprint of the tularemia (rabbit fever) bacterium

Two teams of researchers, one based in the United States and the other in Europe, have decoded the genetic blueprint of the tularemia (rabbit fever) bacterium, a highly infectious human and animal pathogen.

6 May 2004

Vaccines show link between periodontal and heart disease

Strengthening the link between periodontal and heart disease, researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) found they can prevent mice from developing P. gingivalis-accelerated heart disease by immunizing the mice with a vaccine that protects against periodontal disease.

6 May 2004

Immtech signs agreement with CombinatoRx to test Immtech compounds as potential cancer treatment

Immtech International, Inc. announced today that it signed an agreement with CombinatoRx of Boston, Massachusetts to screen its lead aromatic cationic compounds, DB289 and DB75, for activity against various cancers.

5 May 2004

New license agreement for rotavirus diarrhea vaccine

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced today a new license agreement aimed at helping to prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths annually from rotavirus diarrhea in children living in developing countries.

4 May 2004

Computers to combat disease

A new initiative harnesses the USA's computing skill to enhance our ability to respond to disease epidemics and bioterrorism.

4 May 2004

AIDS group backs testing and increased regulation of Los Angeles area bathhouses

Advocates from AIDS Healthcare Foundation, applaud the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for voting unanimously in support of a proposed motion by Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky that calls for increased regulation of Los Angeles area bathhouses and sex clubs and also calls for improved access for HIV and STD testing

3 May 2004

Study shows those with weak immune systems should avoid the shower

A study out of the San Diego State University Center for Microbial Sciences reveals that hundreds of millions of colorful bacteria thrive on shower curtains, waiting to attack those who think they are getting clean.

3 May 2004

Breastfeeding can reduce the risk of death for infants in their first year of life

Data analyzed by scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences suggest that breastfeeding can reduce the risk of death for infants in their first year of life. Looking at infants between 28 days and one year of age, researchers concluded that promoting breastfeeding can potentially prevent up to 720 postneonatal deaths in the U.S. each year.

3 May 2004

Researchers show link between periodontal and heart disease

3 May 2004

Rates of hepatitis A higher in an El Niño year

Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology have examined the possible association between the Southern Oscillation Index and the occurrence of hepatitis A in Australia. The results indicate that the SOI is statistically significantly associated with the transmission of hepatitis A.

2 May 2004

Intranasal influenza vaccine may help induce broader immunity in children than the traditional flu shot

MedImmune, Inc. has announced clinical data showing that a live, attenuated intranasal influenza vaccine (LAIV) may help induce broader immunity in children against drifted influenza strains when compared to the traditional flu shot (TIV).

2 May 2004

Drug-resistant gonorrhea is a major public health concern

The increasing resistance to fluoroquinolones effectively eliminates an entire class of antibiotics and leaves only one class of drugs -- cephalosporins -- as the first-line therapy in the treatment of gonorrhea. There are currently no other major groups of antibiotics left to treat gonorrhea.

2 May 2004

Immunization back on agenda as whooping cough increases

Immunization for pertussis, also known as whooping cough, began in the mid-1940s and resulted in a sharp decline of this serious illness over the next 25 years. Over the last two decades, however, as immunity has waned, pertussis has re-emerged in the United States, with the greatest increase seen in adolescents, adults and young infants.

1 May 2004