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Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Breakthrough discovery could help in developing a broad spectrum of antiviral drugs

Within a virus's tiny exterior is a store of energy waiting to be unleashed. When the virus encounters a host cell, this pent-up energy is released, propelling the viral DNA into the cell and turning it into a virus factory.

6 Feb 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

A Lancet study examines childbirth practices and the relationship between these practices and maternal and perinatal outcomes in nine Asian countries, as assessed by a WHO global survey. Based on the analysis of over 107,000 deliveries, the authors conclude, "To improve maternal and perinatal outcomes, caesarean section should be done only when there is a medical indication" (Lumbiganon et al., 2/6). These findings "should help us to prioritise our strategies to reduce unnecessary interventions in childbirth," write the authors of a Lancet comment.

5 Feb 2010

New ICD-9-CM database provides FDA-approved and off-label uses for therapeutic drugs

A recently released Drug Diagnosis Coding database from RJ Health Systems provides accurate FDA-approved and Compendia-listed off-label uses for therapeutic classes such as Oncology, Anti-Emetics, Erythropoietin Stimulating Agents and Multiple Sclerosis Agents. The

5 Feb 2010

GAA commends Congress for introducing I-VAWA legislation; appeals for swift passage

The Global AIDS Alliance (GAA) commends the bi-partisan congressional leadership that it has taken to introduce the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) today. Violence against women has a major impact on the ability of women and girls to access healthcare globally.

5 Feb 2010

U.S. lawmakers introduce resolution condemning Uganda's anti-gay bill

U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a congressional resolution condemning an anti-gay bill before Uganda's parliament, "calling it an attack on human rights and an obstacle to battling HIV/AIDS," Agence France-Presse reports.

5 Feb 2010

Relationship between HIV-infected children and their caregivers is crucial for child’s development

A new study of children in Ukraine has found that for the growing number of HIV-infected children, the quality of care and the relationship between children and their caregivers play an important role in their development.

5 Feb 2010

Merck announces $1.5M funding commitment over three years to BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

Today, Merck is pleased to announce its $1.5 million funding commitment over three years to the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) in support of its research program entitled "Seek and Treat for Optimal Prevention of HIV/AIDS", known as the "seek & treat" program, which will expand HIV treatment and care for hard-to-reach residents in Prince George and Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

5 Feb 2010

New discovery lays foundation for development of new anti-HIV drugs

A team of scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has identified two compounds that act on novel binding sites for an enzyme used by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS.

4 Feb 2010

New African Union chair's focus to include food security; First Ladies discuss HIV/AIDS

The African Union (AU) Summit concluded in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Tuesday with newly elected AU chairman Bingu Wa Mutharika, of Malawi, encouraging African leaders to make agriculture and food security a top priority, Angola Press reports (2/2).

4 Feb 2010

NPR examines Obama administration's global family planning policies

NPR's "Morning Edition" examines how global family planning fits into the Obama administration's global health policy. "The administration has already restored funding for the United Nations Population ... Fund, which for eight years received no U.S. support. And in his first week, President Obama lifted an executive order that existed in the Reagan and Bush administrations that prohibited U.S.-funded programs from providing information about abortion services," according to NPR.

4 Feb 2010

Penn Medicine experts available to offer medical insight and commentary during 2010 Winter Olympics

Experts from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are available to offer expert medical insight and commentary during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver on issues ranging from the effects of performance enhancing drugs to concerns about the spread of novel H1N1, head trauma and more.

3 Feb 2010

AHF’s Magic Johnson ‘Testing America’ Tour schedules four days of testing events in Dallas/Ft. Worth

AHF’s Magic Johnson ‘Testing America’ Tour, a six-month, 48-state national cross-country HIV testing tour, will ride into Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, for four days of testing events. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will join Commissioner Marti VanRavenswaay (Precinct 2) at a press conference Tuesday, February 2nd, at 2:00 p.m. at the Tarrant County Precinct 2 office - 700 E. Abrams St., Suite #304, Arlington, TX 76010-1239 to announce the arrival of the mobile unit and to promote testing in the days leading up to National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (Sunday, February 7th).

3 Feb 2010

MV vaccine prevents TB in people with HIV infection

Results from clinical trials conducted in Tanzania show that a new vaccine against tuberculosis, Mycobacterium vaccae (MV), is effective in preventing tuberculosis in people with HIV infection. Findings from the trials, which were conducted by investigators from Dartmouth Medical School in the United States, will be published in the next issue of AIDS, the leading journal in the field of HIV and AIDS research. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

3 Feb 2010

Artefill could be viable for lipoatrophy and non-surgical anti-aging enhancement

Suneva Medical, a privately-held aesthetic medical device company, today announced that two clinical studies suggest Artefill may be a safe, effective, long-term treatment option for age-related and HIV lipoatrophy patients.

3 Feb 2010

Sales of Nutra Pharma's Cobroxin totaled $583,955 for fourth-quarter ending December 31, 2009

Nutra Pharma Corp., a biotechnology company that is developing treatments for Adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), HIV and Multiple Sclerosis (MS), has announced today that sales of its recently launched over-the-counter pain reliever, Cobroxin, totaled $583,955 for the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2009.

3 Feb 2010

Obama's FY 2011 budget gives global health funding boost

President Barack Obama's FY 2011 budget request for global health totals $9.6 billion and includes funding for global health activities within the State Department, USAID and HHS, the Wall Street Journal reports

3 Feb 2010

HHS appoints new members to Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today the appointment of 24 new members to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). The PACHA’s chair, Dr. Helene Gayle, was appointed in August 2009.

2 Feb 2010

Global AIDS Alliance calls for Congress to fully fund the Global Health Initiative

President Obama's budget, transmitted to Congress this morning, includes $8.5 billion for a Global Health Initiative. Based on projections to continue supporting robust U.S. programs to fight AIDS, TB and malaria and implement GHI priorities -- $16.4 billion is required in FY2011.

2 Feb 2010

Overview of newly evolving technologies for diagnosing and monitoring HIV infections

Rising consumer awareness that early diagnosis and treatment can delay the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to anti-immuno deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has had a telling impact on the sales of HIV tests.

2 Feb 2010

Also in Global Health News: Retrovirus enzyme; audit of USAID program; Africa's agriculture

A study published on Sunday in the journal Nature has shed light on the enzyme integrase, "which is found in retroviruses like HIV and is a target for some of the newest HIV medicines," Reuters reports. Scientists at the Imperial College London and Harvard University grew a crystal of integrase in the lab allowing them to see the enzyme's structure. According to the news service, the scientists "said that having the integrase structure means researchers can begin fully to understand how integrase inhibitor drugs work, how they might be improved, and how to stop HIV developing resistance to them," according to the news service (Kelland, 2/1).

2 Feb 2010

HIV/AIDS News and Research

Further Reading

Breakthrough discovery could help in developing a broad spectrum of antiviral drugs

Recent releases in Global Health

New ICD-9-CM database provides FDA-approved and off-label uses for therapeutic drugs

GAA commends Congress for introducing I-VAWA legislation; appeals for swift passage

U.S. lawmakers introduce resolution condemning Uganda's anti-gay bill

Relationship between HIV-infected children and their caregivers is crucial for child’s development

Merck announces $1.5M funding commitment over three years to BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

New discovery lays foundation for development of new anti-HIV drugs

New African Union chair's focus to include food security; First Ladies discuss HIV/AIDS

NPR examines Obama administration's global family planning policies

Penn Medicine experts available to offer medical insight and commentary during 2010 Winter Olympics

AHF’s Magic Johnson ‘Testing America’ Tour schedules four days of testing events in Dallas/Ft. Worth

MV vaccine prevents TB in people with HIV infection

Artefill could be viable for lipoatrophy and non-surgical anti-aging enhancement

Sales of Nutra Pharma's Cobroxin totaled $583,955 for fourth-quarter ending December 31, 2009

Obama's FY 2011 budget gives global health funding boost

HHS appoints new members to Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS

Global AIDS Alliance calls for Congress to fully fund the Global Health Initiative

Overview of newly evolving technologies for diagnosing and monitoring HIV infections

Also in Global Health News: Retrovirus enzyme; audit of USAID program; Africa's agriculture

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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