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Birth season and heart disease risk – an association?

A new study published in the British Medical Journal December 2019 suggests a novel risk factor for heart disease – the season in which the individual is born. The large study carried out in the US shows that people born in either spring or summer had a significant, though slight, increase in the risk of fatal heart disease, when compared to the autumn-born. Why this should be so is unknown as of now.

19 Dec 2019

Antiretroviral regimens prescribed to many pregnant women with HIV do not meet federal guidelines

More than 20% of pregnant women beginning anti-HIV treatment were prescribed an antiretroviral treatment that did not meet federal guidelines for use during pregnancy, according to an analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health.

19 Dec 2019

Experimental Zika vaccine improves fetal outcomes in rhesus macaque model

An experimental Zika vaccine lowered levels of virus in pregnant monkeys and improved fetal outcomes in a rhesus macaque model of congenital Zika virus infection, according to a new study in Science Translational Medicine.

19 Dec 2019

Domesticated animals hold the key to spread of viruses among humans and wildlife

Our domesticated animals - both pets and livestock - hold the key to the spread of viruses among humans and wildlife according to new research involving Swansea University.

19 Dec 2019

Severe skin and mucous membrane lesions may occur in children with bacterial pneumonia

Painful inflammatory lesions of the skin and mucous membranes may occur in children who develop bacterial pneumonia.

19 Dec 2019

Developing brain vulnerable to HIV despite early treatment

A new study on how the HIV infection affects the development of intellect and other areas of brain development in children shows that early treatment doesn’t completely avert these negative outcomes. The paper, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases shows that HIV in children can lead to impaired learning, reasoning and brain functioning.

18 Dec 2019

MSU study: Despite early treatment, HIV still attacks children’s brains

The vast majority of children living with HIV today are in sub-Saharan Africa. While early antiretroviral therapy, or ART, has ensured less deadly outcomes for children living with and exposed to HIV, studies show the virus still may affect the brain.

18 Dec 2019

A future approach to diabetes care

In Belize, where diabetes is rampant, patients need insulin every day to maintain proper blood sugar levels. But if people lack electricity or a refrigerator, they cannot store insulin at home.

18 Dec 2019

Antioxidant in green tea plant could be key to fighting tuberculosis

An antioxidant found in the green tea plant could become key to tackling tuberculosis one day, a team of international scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore has found.

17 Dec 2019

Under-5's receiving an average 25 antibiotic prescriptions each year

Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to mankind says the World Health Organization (WHO). One of the greatest contributors to this menace is indiscriminate use of antibiotics.

15 Dec 2019

UAB seminar on the extraordinary science of the immune system

"The human immune system makes my head explode," Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Matt Richtel recently told a University of Alabama at Birmingham freshman seminar on immunology. "This is by far the hardest subject I have ever had to explore."

15 Dec 2019

NIH provides up to $102.5 million in renewed funding for Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group

As antibiotic-resistant bacteria become more urgent threats worldwide, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, will provide up to $102.5 million in renewed funding over seven years for the Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group.

14 Dec 2019

Brown, Insight Therapeutics partnership to accelerate research on flu vaccines for older adults

With support from a three-year $2.1 million agreement with Insight Therapeutics, a private company that focuses on the health care of older adults, a team of Brown University public health researchers will look to identify the most effective flu vaccines for elderly nursing home residents.

14 Dec 2019

Rectal microbes could make a difference to the effectiveness of HIV vaccines

Microbes living in the rectum could make a difference to the effectiveness of experimental HIV vaccines, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis. The work is published Dec. 11 in the journal mSphere.

13 Dec 2019

House drug pricing bill to reduce costs, improve access to life-saving therapies

H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act passed by the House of Representatives today introduces critically needed and significant steps to reduce costs and improve access to life-saving therapies for conditions including HIV and hepatitis C.

13 Dec 2019

Influenza research could pave way for new and improved drugs, vaccines

Researchers at the Centenary Institute and the University of Sydney have discovered a key reason as to why the influenza virus is so effective at establishing infection and causing damage in the lungs.

13 Dec 2019

Measles comeback attributed to anti-vaccination campaigns

Measles, a viral infection that is highly contagious is making a comeback over the past few years in several developed as well as developing nations. This is mainly due to the decline in vaccination rates that protect the community and the unimmunized.

12 Dec 2019