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Global Fund approves $2.4B for ninth round grants

During its recent board meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria approved $2.4 billion for the three diseases, PlusNews reports.

16 Nov 2009

Health policy research round up - Medicare and Massachusetts

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: The Secrets of Massachusetts' Success - "By the summer of 2008, less than two years after Massachusetts' health reform law became effective, only 2.6 percent of state residents were uninsured—the lowest proportion ever recorded for any state." This study by the RWJF-funded State Health Access Reform Evaluation (SHARE) initiative "explains how national reforms can use similar methods to avoid the pitfalls that have plagued other coverage expansions."

13 Nov 2009

DC HIV study: Can intense treatment prevent spread

The Washington Post: "The National Institutes of Health and the D.C. Health Department are preparing to launch a study in the District with an ambitious goal: to determine whether aggressive treatment of every adult with HIV could eliminate AIDS." In conjunction with the study, NIH will provide experts to the city health department to help modernize clinic record-keeping efforts and to improve the tracking of HIV-infected people.

13 Nov 2009

Scientists describe how HIV assemble at the membrane of infected cells and are released to attack healthy cells

Although recent advances have raised hopes that a protective vaccine can be developed, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) remains a major public health problem. Much has been learned about HIV-1, the virus that causes the disease.

13 Nov 2009

New findings on human genome may be useful for developing specific AIDS drugs

The AIDS virus inserts its genetic material into the genome of the infected cell. Scientists of the German Cancer Research Center have now shown for the first time that the virus almost entirely spares particular sites in the human genetic material in this process. This finding may be useful for developing new, specific AIDS drugs.

13 Nov 2009

George W. Bush Institute to include global health focus; University of California system launches Global Health Institute

Former President George W. Bush will deliver a speech on Thursday marking the launch of the "George W. Bush Institute as a forum for study and advocacy in four main areas: education, global health, human freedom and economic growth," the New York Times writes.

13 Nov 2009

Data on BioAlliance Pharma's oral chemotherapy nanoparticle formulation presented at the AAPS meeting

BioAlliance Pharma SA, a company dedicated to the treatment and supportive care of cancer and AIDS patients, has presented its results on new oral chemotherapy nanoparticle formulation at the AAPS (American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles (November 8 to 12, 2009).

13 Nov 2009

Health minister calls for ramped up fight against HIV/AIDS in South Africa

South African health minister Aaron Motsoaledi on Tuesday called for a reinvigorated effort in the country's fight against HIV/AIDS, echoing comments recently made by South African President Jacob Zuma, Agence France-Presse reports. Motsoaledi said to reporters, "In 11 years - from 1997 to 2008 - the rate of death has doubled in South Africa" (11/10).

12 Nov 2009

Tips for preventing cancer

The risk of cancer can be dramatically reduced through everyday choices about diet, exercise and tobacco use, according to a Special Report on Cancer Prevention in the November issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource.

12 Nov 2009

Also in global health news: Funding shortfall in Philippines; WHO-approved ARV

Bloomberg examines the U.N.'s continued appeal for aid for the people of the Philippines "after three tropical cyclones left almost 1,000 people dead" and an estimated 1.7 million people displaced or living in flooded areas. "The UN's humanitarian agency issued a 'flash appeal' for $74 million in October and has received $26 million, according to the world body's newswire," the news service writes.

12 Nov 2009

Businesses at risk from health reform, or status quo, depending on source

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Employment Policies Institute and other friends of business have joined to launch a national television ad campaign, beginning Thursday, that will warn against the health care overhaul, The Boston Globe reports. The $10 million ad blitz "features June O'Neill, former director of the Congressional Budget Office, arguing that the bill would deepen the national debt and hurt job creation."

12 Nov 2009

HUD threatens to block Washington D.C.'s AIDS funding

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is threatening to halt federal funding for the Washington D.C.'s AIDS programs after a Washington Post investigation found many delivered faulty services and failed to account for their work.

12 Nov 2009

First Edition: October 12, 2009

Today's headlines continue to focus on certain aspects of pending health overhaul measures, while also noting that the timeline for Capitol Hill action is now stretching closer to the Christmas holiday.

12 Nov 2009

Tobira Therapeutics presents data on TBR-652 at the European AIDS Conference

Tobira Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotechnology company committed to research and product discovery for the treatment of life-threatening and life-altering infectious diseases, today announced pharmacokinetic data and results from two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of TBR-652 in eighty-four healthy volunteers.

12 Nov 2009

Gene therapy increases muscle size and strength with no adverse effects in monkeys: MDA

Four macaque monkeys that received injections of genes for a protein called follistatin into upper leg muscles experienced pronounced and durable increases in muscle size and strength and no adverse effects, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) announced today. The findings could have implications particularly for injured and aging people worldwide; and for tens of millions experiencing muscle loss associated with cancer, AIDs and muscle diseases.

12 Nov 2009

Athletes on performance-enhancing substances face increase risk of alcohol and drug related problems

College athletes who use performance-enhancing substances may be at heightened risk of misusing alcohol and using recreational drugs as well, according to new research in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

11 Nov 2009

Pan-African conference to focus on the rapid growth of diabetes in Africa

The Republic of Mauritius in collaboration with the World Health Organization Afro Region and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) today opened an International Conference on Diabetes & Associated Diseases in Port Louis, Mauritius to highlight their concern about the rapid growth of the diabetes epidemic throughout Africa. The conference will run from November 12 and end on November 14 – World Diabetes Day.

11 Nov 2009

World's poorest countries fail to address HIV despite low cost and effective preventive health efforts

A proven and cost-effective strategy for turning the tide on global AIDS still remains significantly underutilized, World Vision warned in advance of World AIDS Day. Efforts to prevent mother-to-baby transmission of HIV must be urgently scaled up in high-prevalence countries to avoid needless infection of children, the Christian humanitarian organization said.

11 Nov 2009

Children with autism have slower pupil responses to light change: Study

Autism affects 1 in 150 children today, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined. Despite its widespread effect, autism is not well understood and there are no objective medical tests to diagnose it. Recently, University of Missouri researchers have developed a pupil response test that is 92.5 percent accurate in separating children with autism from those with typical development. In the study, MU scientists found that children with autism have slower pupil responses to light change.

11 Nov 2009