Viral Disease News and Research

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Leading medical experts across the UK call for radical scale up of liver disease treatment

Leading medical experts today [Thursday 27 November] warn that rising numbers of deaths from liver disease - already the UK's third commonest cause of premature death - will be unavoidable without radical improvements in treatment and detection services, and tougher government policies to control the excessive alcohol use and obesity responsible for much of the national burden of liver disease.

27 Nov 2014

Researchers discover a new way to combat influenza virus infection

The influenza virus, like all viruses, is a hijacker. It quietly slips its way inside cells, steals the machinery inside to make more copies of itself, and then -- having multiplied -- bursts out of the cell to find others to infect.

21 Nov 2014

Strategy to stem infections in livestock, endangered species

When a viral infection spread through five genetically identical mice in a row, the virus replicated faster and became more virulent or severe. But when the infection spread one-by-one through five genetically diverse mice, the virus had trouble adapting and became less virulent.

18 Nov 2014

Sanofi, Genzyme announce FDA approval of Lemtrada for treatment of relapsing forms of MS

Sanofi and its subsidiary Genzyme announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Because of its safety profile, the use of Lemtrada should generally be reserved for patients who have had an inadequate response to two or more drugs indicated for the treatment of MS.

17 Nov 2014

Bacterial protein flagellin can prevent and cure rotavirus infection

Activation of the innate immune system with the bacterial protein flagellin could prevent and cure rotavirus infection, which is among the most common causes of severe diarrhea, says a Georgia State University research team that described the method as a novel means to prevent and treat viral infection.

14 Nov 2014

UF Health researcher finds way to grow human norovirus

Noroviruses are pernicious intestinal viruses. They cause violent vomiting and diarrhea, and people ill with the virus remain contagious up to three days after they seem to recover.

9 Nov 2014

Researchers synthetize molecules to block virus that causes influenza A

The influenza A virus is a contagious and severe respiratory infection that affects animals but also humans. Researchers from the University of Barcelona have synthetized some molecules which are able to block the virus that causes influenza A and some of the mutations that make it resistant to common drugs.

7 Nov 2014

New research sheds light on future efforts to eradicate HIV from the body in human patients

Where does HIV hide? Antiretroviral drugs can usually control the virus, but can't completely eliminate it. So any strategy to eradicate HIV from the body has to take into account not only the main group of immune cells the virus targets, called CD4 or helper T cells, but other infected cells as well.

3 Nov 2014

UCLA research could lead to simple saliva test for early diagnosis of deadly diseases

UCLA research could lead to a simple saliva test capable of diagnosing — at an early stage — diabetes and cancer, and perhaps neurological disorders and autoimmune diseases.

30 Oct 2014

RPS Diagnostics receives CE mark for FebriDx test

RPS Diagnostics, Inc. today announced CE mark of its FebriDx test, clearing the way for sales in the European Union and all countries recognizing the CE mark.

9 Oct 2014

NanoBio to highlight prophylactic NE HSV-2 vaccine candidate at The Keystone Symposia Conference

NanoBio Corporation today announced that the company will present data at The Keystone Symposia Conference, The Modes of Action of Vaccine Adjuvants, in Seattle on October 12, 2014.

9 Oct 2014

Dengue fever cases in India 282 times higher than officially reported, study says

The annual number of dengue fever cases in India is 282 times higher than officially reported, and the disease inflicts an economic burden on the country of at least US$1.11 billion each year in medical and other expenses, according to a new study published online today in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene.

7 Oct 2014

Finding ways to rejuvenate "immunological age" of the brain

How the brain ages is still largely an open question - in part because this organ is mostly insulated from direct contact with other systems in the body, including the blood and immune systems. In research that was recently published in Science, Weizmann Institute researchers Prof. Michal Schwartz of the Neurobiology Department and Dr. Ido Amit of Immunology Department found evidence of a unique "signature" that may be the "missing link" between cognitive decline and aging.

30 Sep 2014

Influenza can cause ear and throat infections

Influenza infection can enhance the ability of the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae to cause ear and throat infections, according to research published ahead of print in the journal Infection and Immunity.

23 Sep 2014

SLU pediatric researcher to study efficacy of new hepatitis C drug treatment in children

After the success of a new drug treatment in adults with hepatitis C infection, a Saint Louis University pediatric researcher is testing the safety and efficacy of the medications in children.

21 Sep 2014

Middle ear infections can be triggered by viral infection in nose, say researchers

Middle ear infections, which affect more than 85 percent of children under the age of 3, can be triggered by a viral infection in the nose rather than solely by a bacterial infection, according to researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

6 Sep 2014

Sepsis patients more likely to survive when treated at hospital with higher volume of cases

Patients with sepsis, one of the most time-sensitive and hard-to-detect illnesses in medicine, are more likely to survive the life-threatening condition when treated at a hospital that sees a higher volume of sepsis cases.

4 Sep 2014

Researchers make surprising discoveries about the body's early responses to HIV infection

Researchers at UC Davis have made some surprising discoveries about the body's initial responses to HIV infection. Studying simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the team found that specialized cells in the intestine called Paneth cells are early responders to viral invasion and are the source of gut inflammation by producing a cytokine called interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β).

30 Aug 2014

TIM-family proteins also have ability to block release of HIV and other viruses

A family of proteins that promotes virus entry into cells also has the ability to block the release of HIV and other viruses, University of Missouri researchers have found.

26 Aug 2014

Babies suffering from life-threatening bacterial infections could benefit from improved treatment

Babies suffering from life-threatening bacterial infections such as sepsis could benefit from improved treatment, thanks to a ground-breaking study.

14 Aug 2014