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Superantigens can disrupt immune system, can cause more illnesses

Superantigens, the toxins produced by staphylococcus bacteria, are more complex than previously believed, reveals a team of researchers from the University of Gothenburg in an article published today in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Their discovery shows that the body's immune system can cause more illnesses than realised.

29 Nov 2010

Whooping cough outbreak in Oklahoma

Oklahoma is witnessing an outbreak of whooping cough with more people falling ill. Health authorities are urging all people over 7 years of age to get vaccinated against the disease.

28 Nov 2010

Paracetamol linked to childhood asthma: study

New Zealand researchers have found that young kids given fever medicine Paracetamol are twice as likely to develop asthma. The study is an observational one by the University of Otago Wellington researchers where the team looked at Paracetamol use in 505 infants and 914 five and six-year-olds.

28 Nov 2010

Pollen burst leads to 10 year spike in asthma cases

Melbourne hospitals are flooded with patients with respiratory problems in a phenomenon experts have described as “thunderstorm asthma”.

25 Nov 2010

Opinions: The Pope and condoms; fighting HIV/AIDS in South Africa; malaria eradication or control; health care workers; foreign aid in Haiti

Reflecting on Pope Benedict XVI's recent statements regarding the use of condoms to prevent the transmission of HIV, Michael Gerson writes in a Washington Post column.

24 Nov 2010

Study examines nosocomial outbreak of influenza in Hong Kong hospitals

Direct contact and droplets are the primary ways influenza spreads. Under certain conditions, however, aerosol transmission is possible. In a study published in the current issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, available online, the authors examined such an outbreak in their own hospital in Hong Kong.

23 Nov 2010

Pennsylvania's first reported flu-related death of 2010-11 flu season

The Department of Health today confirmed a 45-year-old man from Lehigh County as Pennsylvania's first reported flu-related death of the 2010-11 flu season.

23 Nov 2010

New simple diagnostic tool to detect dangerous viruses

Boston University researchers have developed a simple diagnostic tool that can quickly identify dangerous viruses like Ebola and Marburg. The biosensor, which is the size of a quarter and can detect viruses in a blood sample, could be used in developing nations, airports and other places where natural or man-made outbreaks could erupt.

22 Nov 2010

Aeterna presents data on AEZS-108 Phase 2 study for endometrial cancer at EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium

Aeterna Zentaris Inc., earlier today, presented Phase 2 positive efficacy and safety data for its compound, AEZS-108, in advanced endometrial cancer.

18 Nov 2010

ESWL should be first choice for removing smaller kidney stones in distal ureter

Different techniques should be used to remove single stones that have become lodged in the distal ureter after being expelled by the kidney, depending on whether they are under or above one centimetre, according to the December issue of BJUI.

18 Nov 2010

Scientists solve structure of key protein from Lassa virus

Scientists at Emory University and the University of St. Andrews have solved the structure of a key protein from Lassa virus, which is endemic to West Africa and can cause a deadly hemorrhagic fever.

18 Nov 2010

Viruses lead to discovery of security system in host cells

Viruses have led scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to the discovery of a security system in host cells.

18 Nov 2010

Study reveals true effects of malaria on African generations

Almost a third of cerebral malaria survivors developed epilepsy or other behavioral disorders in the most comprehensive study to date of the disease in African children, solidifying the link between malaria and neuropsychiatric disorders that affect hundreds of thousands of children.

17 Nov 2010

NPR reports on dengue vaccine progress

NPR's Shots blog examines progress in the search for a vaccine to protect against the dengue virus. WHO estimates that 2.5 billion people worldwide are at risk of getting dengue, and most of them are in Asia and Latin America, the blog writes.

16 Nov 2010

Young father receives life-saving intervention prior heart transplant surgery

James "Jimmy" Armstrong hadn't missed a "Mac" in 28 years. At 44, he's one of the youngest "goats" in the Chicago Yacht Club. Sailors receive the designation of "goat" once they've completed 20 or more "Macs", the 333-mile boat race from Chicago to Mackinac, Mich. Armstrong has sailed the race every year since he was 16. But, he wasn't among the sailors this past July. Instead, he was in intensive care awaiting heart transplant following a harrowing experience spurred by severe case of myocarditis-a little-known condition causing inflammation of the heart muscle.

15 Nov 2010

Pneumonia Report Card shows prevention, treatment tools not widely adopted in countries where disease kills most children

In advance of World Pneumonia Day, the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) on Thursday released a report card showing that pneumonia prevention and intervention targets are not being met in the 15 countries where three-quarters of deaths in children under age 5 from the disease occur each year, IRIN reports.

14 Nov 2010

Aromatase inhibitors increase side effects in women undergoing breast cancer therapy

Women being treated for breast cancer with aromatase inhibitors may experience extremely low estrogen levels resulting in a wide variety of side effects that a typical postmenopausal woman without cancer may not experience.

10 Nov 2010

Research reveals body’s defence mechanism against snail fever

Scientists have made a significant discovery about how the body defends itself against snail fever, a parasitic worm infection common in developing countries.

9 Nov 2010

Colcrys safe for treating gout flares

Patients who experience gout flares can be treated safely with Colcrys (colchicine, USP), even in the presence of co-morbid conditions that often present physicians with treatment challenges, according to a new analysis presented here at the 74th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).

9 Nov 2010

Hydroxychloroquine may reduce cardiac neonatal lupus in subsequent pregnancies: Research

Women with anti-SSA/Ro antibodies and a previous child who has heart block a condition where the electrical signal that makes the heart beat is damaged may potentially decrease their risk of delivering another child with life threatening heart disease by taking hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta.

8 Nov 2010