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Plague outbreak in Madagascar kills 57 and rages on

The plague outbreak in Madagascar is killing scores of people and affecting hundreds. Last estimated on the 12th of October 2017, there are 57 reported deaths due to the disease with 680 down with the infection. Of these 25 deaths and 329 cases are from the capital city of Antananarivo.

16 Oct 2017

IGeneX launches three new tests to aid diagnosis of Borreliosis

IGeneX Inc., a CLIA and New York-approved Reference Laboratory, specializing in testing for tick-borne diseases, is pleased to announce the launch of three new tests that are more inclusive and specific for aiding in diagnosis of Borreliosis (Lyme Disease and Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever, Borreliosis).

16 Oct 2017

UAB expert provides in-depth understanding of food-borne illnesses

Parties and gatherings are typically centered around food, making it important to know the do's and don'ts of handling food.

13 Oct 2017

Fever in first trimester of pregnancy increases risk for birth defects, study shows

Fevers in a mother's first trimester of pregnancy increase the baby's risk for some heart defects and facial deformities such as cleft lip or palate, but exactly how this happens is unclear. Scientists have debated whether a virus or other infection causes the defects, or if fever alone is the problem.

12 Oct 2017

Zika virus outbreak in Ecuador worsened by El Niño and 2016 earthquake

A Zika virus outbreak in coastal Ecuador in 2016 was likely worsened by a strong El Niño and a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck the region in April, according to a new study.

12 Oct 2017

Study provides detailed characterization of neurotoxicity arising from CD19 CAR T-cell therapy

New potential biomarkers and a novel algorithm could help identify patients at increased risk of suffering from severe neurotoxicity after receiving CD19 CAR T-cell therapy. The study extensively characterized common and occasionally fatal side effects of this immunotherapy.

12 Oct 2017

Ebola vaccine that provides a year’s worth of protection developed

Liberia’s Ebola outbreak has yielded a successful trial of two vaccines against the deadly infection that could provide protection for up to a year and is also deemed to be safe.

12 Oct 2017

Duke researchers unravel how fever in early pregnancy increases risk for heart, facial birth defects

Researchers have known for decades that fevers in the first trimester of pregnancy increase risk for some heart defects and facial deformities such as cleft lip or palate. Exactly how this happens is unclear. Scientists have debated whether a virus or other infection source causes the defects, or if fever alone is the underlying problem.

10 Oct 2017

New serotypes of Zika virus could appear in near future, researcher cautions

Zika virus is mutating so fast in Brazilian patients that different serotypes of the pathogen could appear in the near future, as is already the case with dengue virus. This would hinder the production of a vaccine and impair the effectiveness of the diagnostic tests already developed.

10 Oct 2017

Study findings provide new insight into inflammatory bowel disease

Findings from a study into Crohn's disease, led by William G. Kerr, Ph.D., of SUNY Upstate Medical University, and his collaborators at the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands, provide the first evidence that patients with debilitating inflammatory bowel disease lack sufficient quantities of a protein that comes from the SHIP1 gene.

6 Oct 2017

UC Davis professor wins NIH award to develop ‘smart’ immune cells for cancer therapies

Assistant Professor Sean Collins, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences, has received a $1.5 million award from the National Institutes of Health to advance the development of "smart" immune cells for therapies to treat cancer and other diseases.

6 Oct 2017

FDA grants approval for new test to detect Zika virus in blood donations

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the cobas Zika test, a qualitative nucleic acid test for the detection of Zika virus RNA in individual plasma specimens obtained from volunteer donors of whole blood and blood components, and from living organ donors.

6 Oct 2017

Astrocytes play important part in regulation of breathing, study shows

Star-shaped cells called astrocytes are much more than simple support cells in the brain. In a new study on mice, researchers at Karolinska Institutet demonstrate that they also play a key part in the respiratory center of the brainstem and release inflammatory molecules that regulate breathing.

5 Oct 2017

Tattoo ink from 15 years ago mimics lymph node cancer: Case study

A 30 year old Australian woman presented to the doctors with numerous small lumps under her arms for around two weeks. When one of the nodes were put under the microscope, the doctors found pigments from tattoo ink that she’d got 15 years back.

4 Oct 2017

Researchers discover that beneficial bacteria in yogurt may affect severity of lupus

Researchers at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech have released findings that explain how a type of healthy bacteria in yogurt and other dairy products might reduce disease symptoms in certain patients with lupus.

3 Oct 2017

Intrapartum fever during labor leads to maternal and neonatal complications

Intrapartum fever -- fever that occurs during labor -- occurs in approximately 1-2% of deliveries and is often associated with maternal and neonatal complications. But the precise reasons for the fever and its different outcomes are unclear.

30 Sep 2017

University of Hawaii researcher receives $6.3 million grant for trivalent Ebola vaccine development

University of Hawaii vaccine researcher Axel Lehrer, PhD, has received a nearly $6.3 million grant to test whether the Ebola vaccine formula he has developed will protect against two additional viruses in the same family.

28 Sep 2017

New paper-based test can diagnose Zika infection within 20 minutes

MIT researchers have developed a paper-based test that can diagnose Zika infection within 20 minutes. Unlike existing tests, the new diagnostic does not cross-react with Dengue virus, a close relative of the Zika virus that can produce false positives on many Zika tests.

27 Sep 2017

California scrambles to contain ‘unprecedented’ hepatitis A outbreaks

Health officials in California are struggling to contain fierce outbreaks of hepatitis A among homeless people and drug abusers in three counties, including San Diego, where at least 17 people have died.

26 Sep 2017

Study: Antibody neutralizes dengue and Zika virus in mice

Brazil and other areas hardest hit by the Zika virus – which can cause babies to be born with abnormally small heads – are also home to dengue virus, which is spread by the same mosquito species.

25 Sep 2017