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WHO ready to tackle drug resistant TB

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) some forms of tuberculosis (TB) are a threat to the security and stability of global health.

25 Jun 2007

Evolutionary dynamics of immune-related genes and pathways in disease vector mosquitoes

The genes that make up the immune system of the Aedes aegypti mosquito which transmits deadly viral diseases to humans have been identified in new research in Science.

23 Jun 2007

WHO-based tropical disease research programme to focus on emerging diseases

The World Health Organization (WHO) based Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) has adopted a new strategy for strengthening and expanding research to prevent and control 'infectious diseases of poverty.'

22 Jun 2007

New plan to contain extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB)

Hundreds of thousands of cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) can be prevented and as many as 134 000 lives saved through the implementation of a two-year response plan, published/launched today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Stop TB Partnership.

22 Jun 2007

Orphan drug status granted to Immtech for malaria treatment pafuramidine

Immtech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation for pafuramidine (DB289) for the treatment of malaria.

19 Jun 2007

New WHO guidelines will limit epidemic outbreaks

The World Health Organization has issued new rules to limit the international spread of epidemics and other public health emergencies.

18 Jun 2007

Study reveals gender disparity in anti-TNF treatment for rheumatoid arthritis

Findings reported at EULAR 2007, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) in Barcelona, Spain, reveal a treatment disparity between female and male patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

17 Jun 2007

Drug resistance of parasite which causes river blindness could lead to breakouts of the disease

Development of drug resistance in the parasite which causes river blindness could lead to breakouts of the disease in communities where it has been brought under control, conclude authors of an article in The Lancet.

17 Jun 2007

TB jet traveller case...just how competent are U.S. authorities at protecting the public?

In the case of the jet flying traveler with TB a great deal of criticism has been leveled at U.S. authorities.

7 Jun 2007

Stanford, India collaboration for biomedical technology innovators

The Stanford University Program in Biodesign is partnering with the government of India to establish a new training program, called Stanford-India Biodesign, to help create the next generation of biomedical technology innovators in India.

3 Jun 2007

New TB vaccines could protect all strains

New tuberculosis (TB) vaccines in development have the potential to provide protection against all strains of TB, including multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug- resistant (XDR) TB, Dr. Jerald C.

1 Jun 2007

Human antibodies protect mice from H5N1 avian influenza

An international team of scientists, including researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), report using antibodies derived from immune cells from recent human survivors of H5N1 avian influenza to successfully treat H5N1-infected mice as well as protect them from an otherwise lethal dose of the virus.

30 May 2007

Weill Cornell Medical College students help change global health policy

In a move to improve global public health, Weill Cornell Medical College students have helped place a lifesaving heart disease drug onto the World Health Organization's (WHO) list of essential medicines.

22 May 2007

Cronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a major and increasing global health epidemic

Cronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major and increasing global health epidemic that has received insufficient attention from the health-care profession, governments, and the pharmaceutical industry, argues Professor Peter Barnes, one of the world's leading experts on lung disease.

16 May 2007

Nutrient "floodgate" protects against inflammatory immune response

After every meal, the body must prevent the immune system from launching an all-out fight against food.

4 May 2007

Feasible to create a stockpile of H5N1 vaccine

Countries and vaccine manufacturers agreed on Wednesday in a meeting at WHO that it may be feasible to create a stockpile of H5N1 vaccine, and to separately develop a mechanism to ensure broader access to pandemic influenza vaccine for developing countries in the advent of a pandemic.

30 Apr 2007

Valid consent for genomic epidemiology in developing countries

Genetic research has the potential to improve global health by discovering what makes people susceptible or resistant to certain diseases, and what causes the diseases themselves, thereby guiding prevention efforts.

25 Apr 2007

How size matters in the retention of nanomaterials in tissue

Tiny, biodegradable particles filled with medicine may also contain answers to some of the biggest human health problems, including cancer and tuberculosis.

11 Apr 2007

India is poised to revolutionize biotechnology

India's health biotech firms are emerging as a major global player, with growing means and know-how to produce innovative as well as generic drugs and vaccines at costs small relative to those of giant Western firms, according to ground-breaking Canadian research.

10 Apr 2007

Number of children worldwide with hearing impairment is increasing

Although newborn babies in rich countries routinely have their hearing tested, the major global health agencies, such as the World Bank and Unicef, have not prioritized funding for newborn hearing tests in poor countries, writes Dr Bolajoko Olusanya (University of Lagos, Nigeria and University College London, UK) in PLoS Medicine.

4 Apr 2007