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Gene-transfer system may control mosquito-borne diseases without pesticides

Scientists have modeled a system that may be used to control mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit, without the use of pesticides. In the proposed system, mosquitoes are engineered to carry two genes. The first gene causes males to transmit a toxin to females through their semen. The second gene, when expressed in females, makes them immune to this toxin.

14 Feb 2011

HIV infection in mothers reduces disease resistance in babies: Study

New research suggests that babies whose mothers have HIV, but are not HIV-infected themselves, are born with lower levels of specific proteins in their blood called antibodies, which fight infection, compared with babies not exposed to HIV.

13 Feb 2011

Viral infection of Leishmania leads to increased pathogenicity

A parasite and a virus may be teaming up in a way that increases the parasite's ability to harm humans, scientists at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report this week in Science.

11 Feb 2011

Times of India examines dengue vaccine trials

India could soon become a site for clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of a dengue vaccine, the Times of India reports. According to the drug controller general of India, vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur recently submitted a proposal to test the vaccine to the country.

11 Feb 2011

Global Health Consortium to support development of vaccines to control dengue fever

The International Vaccine Institute today announced the launch of the Dengue Vaccine Initiative, in collaboration with the Sabin Vaccine Institute, the Johns Hopkins University, and the World Health Organization, to support development of vaccines to control dengue fever, a widespread and expanding hemorrhagic fever that is endemic in most tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

10 Feb 2011

Drugs against protective action of bacteria's antitoxin molecules

Bacteria often attack with toxins designed to hijack or even kill host cells. To avoid self-destruction, bacteria have ways of protecting themselves from their own toxins.

9 Feb 2011

Gates Foundation awards USF $5.45M for malaria research

The University of South Florida received $5.45 million in grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The first grant is to create advanced devices that mimic the human liver to better study the life cycle of the malaria parasite - particularly the elusive liver stage where the disease may be most vulnerable to attack.

9 Feb 2011

Rib-X commences Phase 2b trial to assess delafloxacin, linezolid, vancomycin for treatment of ABSSSI

Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, an antibiotics company with a broad development-stage pipeline, today announced the initiation of a Phase 2b clinical trial to evaluate delafloxacin, linezolid and vancomycin for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections, including infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

8 Feb 2011

Abbott's Ibis, PLEX-ID technologies identify causative organism of plague in Afghanistan

Today, at the American Society for Microbiology Conference on Biodefense and Emerging Diseases, scientists from Abbott Molecular presented data showing the unique power of the company's Ibis technology to identify and further characterize unknown disease-causing pathogens to help aid in the bioforensic analysis of pandemic outbreaks.

8 Feb 2011

New study shows economic burden of dengue in Western Hemisphere is $2.1 billion per year

Dengue illness, the most common mosquito-borne viral disease in the world, has expanded from its Southeast Asian origins and is resurgent in countries such as Argentina, Chile and the continental United States.

8 Feb 2011

Proper diagnosis and antibiotic treatment are the best way to prevent Lyme arthritis

Early, correct diagnosis is the best way to prevent the development of Lyme arthritis in individuals with the tick-borne illness, according to a paper published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. In patients who do develop the condition, most cases can be treated successfully with antibiotics, the review found.

3 Feb 2011

Surge of mosquito borne disease in South Australia following wet weather

Rising water in the Murray River has caused a surge in mosquito-borne infections in South Australia. The water is rising in the Murray in SA as floodwaters move downstream from the eastern states.

2 Feb 2011

Software can predict future of sports concussion: New research

With the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers poised to do battle for the Super Bowl XLV crown, concern about recognizing and minimizing the incidence of concussions in sports could once again be back in the spotlight. Media coverage of concussion awareness rose to a fever pitch earlier this season fueled by an Associated Press report that this type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) had risen 21 percent in the first eight weeks of the regular season.

1 Feb 2011

Loyola inaugurates clinic exclusively to treat children with headaches

Fortunately, in most cases the causes of childhood headaches are usually no cause for alarm, Schnitzler said. Children can get headaches from stress, anxiety, inadequate sleep, vision problems, caffeine or food sensitivities. To help pinpoint the cause, Loyola has opened a clinic that's exclusively devoted to treating children with headaches.

31 Jan 2011

Recent releases in Global Health

Innovative Health Financing Can Benefit Global Health, Pharma: "The launch of pneumococcal vaccination in Nicaragua under AMC [advance market commitment] has shown that innovative approaches to health financing can benefit both global health and pharmaceutical companies," according to a Lancet Infectious Diseases editorial that describes how the roll-out of GAVI initiative is helping to provide developing countries with low-cost pneumococcal vaccines.

28 Jan 2011

Improper food handling can lead to gastrointestinal illness in children

In the confined space of a classroom, gastrointestinal illnesses can spread quickly, causing sufferers many painful and uncomfortable symptoms. But what is to blame for a school-based outbreak? In most cases, improper food handling is the culprit, says a Ryerson University public health expert.

28 Jan 2011

Phase III study affirms safety and efficacy of Cumberland's Caldolor for post-operative pain

Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced the publication of data affirming the safety and efficacy of Caldolor® (ibuprofen) Injection in treating post-operative pain in hospitalized patients. A Phase III study published in the peer-reviewed journal Pain Practice concluded that IV ibuprofen significantly reduced both morphine use and self-reported pain intensity in patients recovering from abdominal hysterectomy compared to morphine alone.

27 Jan 2011

Inviragen completes memorandum of understanding with Duke-NUS

Inviragen, and the Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School announced today that they have completed a memorandum of understanding to establish a partnership between the two organizations.

27 Jan 2011

Measles warnings for Australia and New Zealand

In a flight from Brisbane that arrived in Auckland two weeks ago, a child was confirmed to have measles and has been taken to hospital. Five other cases of the virus have been confirmed. At present a further 100 cases are being investigated by the Auckland Regional Public Health Service.

26 Jan 2011

Vaccination campaigns to stop yellow fever spread get underway in E. Africa

Individuals traveling across East Africa on Friday were ordered to begin receiving mandatory yellow fever vaccines in an effort "to contain an outbreak of the disease in Uganda," which has sickened an estimated 190 people, resulting in 48 deaths as of Dec. 30, 2010, the Citizen reports (Ubwani, 1/22).

25 Jan 2011