Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Changing one atom in InsP6 inhibitor can increase its ability to neutralize toxins in the gut

Infections with bacterium Clostridium difficile have rapidly become a significant medical problem in hospitals and long-term care facilities. The bacteria cause diarrhea and life-threatening inflammation of the colon by producing toxins that kill the endothelial cells that form the lining of the gut.

26 Mar 2016

Researchers develop rapid yet inexpensive test for TB

Although tuberculosis (TB) is commonly thought of as being a disease that mainly affects nineteenth century poets and Victor Hugo characters, it is still the second-most common cause of mortality from an infectious disease in the world, killing nearly three people every minute. Every March 24, on World TB Day, the global health community recognizes the work of Robert Koch, who announced on that date in 1882 his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes TB.

25 Mar 2016

IBM's World Community Grid supports TB eradication project

The University of Nottingham is launching a new study to address tuberculosis (TB), one of the world's most deadly diseases, supported by IBM's World Community Grid -- one of the most powerful and fastest virtual supercomputers on the planet.

25 Mar 2016

Blood test can predict risk of developing TB disease long before it manifests

A landmark study published this month in the leading medical journal, The Lancet, reports the discovery of a blood test that can predict whether someone is likely to develop tuberculosis (TB) disease, long before the disease manifests.

23 Mar 2016

Guardian system can predict risk of dangerous diseases

If an infectious disease outbreak or an attack using an agent such as anthrax were to occur in Chicago, it most likely first will be noticed in emergency rooms throughout the city. Swift identification of the cause of an incoming patients' illness could be crucial to public health and safety personnel being able to intervene in time to save lives.

23 Mar 2016

New reference guide can help HIV care providers treat chronic pain

Recent studies suggest many individuals with HIV have chronic pain. Estimates range from 39 percent all the way to 85 percent. Chronic pain is an important comorbid condition in individuals with HIV, as it is common and causes substantial disability.

22 Mar 2016

TGen investigators help track hypervirulent strep outbreak in southwestern U.S.

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) has helped state, local and tribal health officials identify an outbreak of "hypervirulent" strep bacteria in the American Southwest.

22 Mar 2016

Sandia engineers aim to develop autonomous device to passively monitor mosquito-borne diseases

Mosquitoes are deadly efficient at spreading disease. Despite vaccines and efforts to eradicate the pesky insects, they continue to infect humans with feared diseases like Zika virus, malaria and West Nile virus.

22 Mar 2016

Subcutaneous injection of raltegravir can protect against vaginal HIV transmission

Vaginal transmission accounts for the majority of new HIV infections worldwide. Forms of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) such as vaginal gels and vaginal rings designed to prevent HIV transmission have encountered poor efficacy in human trials due to problems with adherence.

22 Mar 2016

Antibodies given within one day of SHIV exposure can clear the virus

Scientists at the Oregon National Primate Research Center today revealed that infant rhesus macaques treated with antibodies within 24 hours of being exposed to SHIV, a chimeric simian virus that bears the HIV envelope protein, were completely cleared of the virus.

22 Mar 2016

World TB Day 2016: WHO calls to Unite to End TB

In advance of World TB Day, to be observed on 24 March, the World Health Organization is calling on countries and partners to Unite to End TB.

22 Mar 2016

TGen scientists highlight advantages of using RNA-sequencing in precision medicine

Uncovering the genetic makeup of patients using DNA sequencing has in recent years provided physicians and their patients with a greater understanding of how best to diagnose and treat the diseases that plague humanity. This is the essence of precision medicine.

22 Mar 2016

Advanced genomic sequencing tracks deadly blood infection in cancer patients

The Translational Genomics Research Institute, working with international investigators, have discovered the source of a potential deadly blood infection in more than 50 South American cancer patients.

21 Mar 2016

N-KICS tool helps describe intensity of nursing care for children with CMC

Recent medical advances have resulted in increased survival of children with complex medical conditions (CMC), such as cerebral palsy, complex chromosomal anomalies, major congenital heart diseases and respiratory disease.

21 Mar 2016

Computer-assisted methods may help as decision support system to combat Zika virus

Global climate change, international travel, and ineffective vector control programs are aiding the emergence of infectious diseases globally. The currently expanding Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic is one such problem.

21 Mar 2016

Simple TB screening and isoniazid can be effective for HIV patients at risk for TB

The number one killer of HIV patients in resource-limited areas, including parts of Africa and India, is tuberculosis (TB), underscoring the need for optimal treatments and effective strategies to address this deadly co-infection. But TB is harder to detect in HIV-infected patients and diagnostic test results take time, so many healthcare providers prescribe multi-drug TB treatments as a precaution.

20 Mar 2016

Findings could be final puzzle piece in developing effective dengue vaccine

In a small clinical trial led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, researchers say that a promising single-dose dengue vaccine, developed by scientists at the National Institutes of Health, was 100 percent effective in preventing human volunteers from contracting the virus, the most prevalent mosquito-borne virus in the world.

18 Mar 2016

Clinical study finds no added benefit of using four TB drugs to save people with advanced HIV/AIDS

In a report on the so-called REMEMBER (Reducing Early Mortality and Early Morbidity by Empiric Tuberculosis Treatment) study -- a 10-nation, randomized clinical trial of adult outpatients -- investigators concluded that there was no added benefit of using four drugs for TB over just using one drug, isoniazid, to save lives in people with advanced HIV/AIDS.

18 Mar 2016

Study: Statin drugs can reduce time to clear tuberculosis infection in mice

In a study using mice, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine infectious disease experts have added to evidence that statin drugs — known primarily for their cholesterol-lowering effects — can significantly reduce the time it takes to clear tuberculosis infection.

17 Mar 2016

St. Jude scientists develop insights to guide development of powerful novel anti-influenza drugs

By analyzing the molecular details of how artificially created drug-resistant flu strains manage to survive treatment, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have developed insights to guide development of powerful new anti-influenza drugs. These compounds will target a viral enzyme critical to the virus' proliferation in the body.

15 Mar 2016

Infectious Diseases News and Research

Changing one atom in InsP6 inhibitor can increase its ability to neutralize toxins in the gut

Researchers develop rapid yet inexpensive test for TB

IBM's World Community Grid supports TB eradication project

Blood test can predict risk of developing TB disease long before it manifests

Guardian system can predict risk of dangerous diseases

New reference guide can help HIV care providers treat chronic pain

TGen investigators help track hypervirulent strep outbreak in southwestern U.S.

Sandia engineers aim to develop autonomous device to passively monitor mosquito-borne diseases

Subcutaneous injection of raltegravir can protect against vaginal HIV transmission

Antibodies given within one day of SHIV exposure can clear the virus

World TB Day 2016: WHO calls to Unite to End TB

TGen scientists highlight advantages of using RNA-sequencing in precision medicine

Advanced genomic sequencing tracks deadly blood infection in cancer patients

N-KICS tool helps describe intensity of nursing care for children with CMC

Computer-assisted methods may help as decision support system to combat Zika virus

Simple TB screening and isoniazid can be effective for HIV patients at risk for TB

Findings could be final puzzle piece in developing effective dengue vaccine

Clinical study finds no added benefit of using four TB drugs to save people with advanced HIV/AIDS

Study: Statin drugs can reduce time to clear tuberculosis infection in mice

St. Jude scientists develop insights to guide development of powerful novel anti-influenza drugs

NGS for Infectious Disease Surveillance eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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