Infectious Diseases News and Research

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COPD benzodiazepine warning

Canadian researchers have found that benzodiazepines are frequently prescribed for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), despite their known association with adverse respiratory outcomes.

26 Feb 2013

Direct approach speeds ventilator weaning

Moving straight to unassisted breathing through a tracheostomy collar results in faster weaning than does a gradual reduction in pressure support among patients needing prolonged mechanical ventilation, shows a randomized trial in JAMA.

26 Feb 2013

Researchers to present new results for Merck's allergy immunotherapy tablets at AAAAI meeting

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that researchers will present new data analyses of the safety and efficacy of the company's investigational allergy immunotherapy tablets (AITs) for ragweed pollen (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) and grass pollen (Phleum pratense) at the 2013 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) Annual Meeting.

25 Feb 2013

C-section babies more likely to develop allergies

For expectant moms who may contemplate the pros and cons of natural child birth or Caesarian section, a Henry Ford Hospital study suggests that C-section babies are susceptible to developing allergies by age two.

25 Feb 2013

Study shows how pseudogenes can regulate activity of PTEN cancer-related gene

Small stretches of DNA in the human genome are known as "pseudogenes" because, while their sequences are nearly identical to those of various genes, they have long been thought to be non-coding "junk" DNA.

25 Feb 2013

Okairos to commence novel RSV vaccine Phase I clinical trial

Okairos today announced the initiation of a Phase I clinical trial evaluating a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a leading cause of hospital admissions in infants and children.

25 Feb 2013

Researchers identify new pseudogene that regulates tumour-suppressing PTEN

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified a new so-called pseudogene that regulates the tumour-suppressing PTEN gene. They hope that this pseudogene will be able to control PTEN to reverse the tumour process, make the cancer tumour more sensitive to chemotherapy and to prevent the development of resistance.

25 Feb 2013

HIV epidemics and extra-couple relationships: an interview with Steve Bellan, University of Texas

The epicentre of the HIV pandemic is in sub-Saharan Africa, though prevalence of infection varies dramatically between countries for reasons not completely understood.

25 Feb 2013

Study identifies changes that could explain stability of malaria elimination

Many nations battling malaria face an economic dilemma: spend money indefinitely to control malaria transmission or commit additional resources to eliminate transmission completely. A review of malaria elimination conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute and other institutions suggests stopping malaria transmission completely has longlasting benefits for many countries and that once eliminated, the disease is unlikely to reemerge over time.

24 Feb 2013

Race and possibly genetics play a role in children's sensitivity to developing allergies

Research conducted at Henry Ford Hospital shows that race and possibly genetics play a role in children's sensitivity to developing allergies.

24 Feb 2013

New leprosy test, experimental vaccine might hasten disease elimination, Slate reports

Slate examines a new rapid diagnostic test and an experimental vaccine for leprosy, both developed by the Infectious Disease Research Institute in Seattle, writing, "The two tools together could finally free humans from the vicious cycle of a disease that has afflicted the population for at least 4,000 years."

22 Feb 2013

IntegraGen, Lab21 collaborate to develop new microRNA assay for colorectal cancer

Lab21 Limited, the global specialist in personalised medicine and clinical diagnostics, has entered into an agreement with IntegraGen, a leading player in the development and marketing of molecular diagnostic testing in autism and oncology, to develop a microRNA assay for colorectal cancer designed to further improve patient outcomes.

22 Feb 2013

Janssen submits simeprevir regulatory application in Japan to treat HCV

Medivir AB today announced that its partner Janssen now has submitted a regulatory application to the Japanese Ministry of Health & Welfare authorities seeking approval for simeprevir, administered with pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) for the treatment of genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C patients who are treatment naïve, prior non responders or relapsed following treatment with Peg-IFN with or without RBV.

22 Feb 2013

Vanderbilt investigators report new insights into workings of calprotectin

On the front lines of our defenses against bacteria is the protein calprotectin, which "starves" invading pathogens of metal nutrients. Vanderbilt investigators now report new insights to the workings of calprotectin - including a detailed structural view of how it binds the metal manganese.

22 Feb 2013

Researchers identify second B-cell attachment receptor for Epstein-Barr virus

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) affects more than 90 percent of the population worldwide and was the first human virus found to be associated with cancer. Now, researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have broadened the understanding of this widespread infection with their discovery of a second B-cell attachment receptor for EBV.

21 Feb 2013

New test for leprosy gives results in less than 10 minutes, New York Times reports

"A simple, fast and inexpensive new test for leprosy offers hope that, even in the poorest countries, victims can be found and cured before they become permanently disabled or disfigured like the shunned lepers of yore," the New York Times reports.

21 Feb 2013

Study measures awareness, adoption and use of informatics tools by infection preventionists

Advances in electronic medical record systems and health information exchange are shifting efforts in public health toward greater use of information systems to automate disease surveillance, but a study from the Regenstrief Institute has found that these technologies' capabilities are underutilized by those on the front lines of preventing and reporting infections.

21 Feb 2013

NIAID-funded Phase I trial to evaluate two related candidate vaccines against shigellosis

Researchers have launched an early-stage human clinical trial of two related candidate vaccines to prevent infection with Shigella, bacteria that are a significant cause of diarrheal illness, particularly among children.

21 Feb 2013

Misconduct biased fluid resuscitation studies

There are “serious safety concerns” associated with the use of hydroxyethyl starch for fluid resuscitation in critically ill patients, say the authors of a meta-analysis in JAMA.

20 Feb 2013

Healthy adults with shorter telomere length more likely to develop upper respiratory infection

Among healthy adults who were administered a cold virus, those with shorter telomere length (a structure at the end of a chromosome) in certain cells were more likely to develop experimentally-induced upper respiratory infection than participants with longer telomeres, according to results of preliminary research published in the February 20 issue of JAMA.

20 Feb 2013

Infectious Diseases News and Research

COPD benzodiazepine warning

Direct approach speeds ventilator weaning

Researchers to present new results for Merck's allergy immunotherapy tablets at AAAAI meeting

C-section babies more likely to develop allergies

Study shows how pseudogenes can regulate activity of PTEN cancer-related gene

Okairos to commence novel RSV vaccine Phase I clinical trial

Researchers identify new pseudogene that regulates tumour-suppressing PTEN

HIV epidemics and extra-couple relationships: an interview with Steve Bellan, University of Texas

Study identifies changes that could explain stability of malaria elimination

Race and possibly genetics play a role in children's sensitivity to developing allergies

New leprosy test, experimental vaccine might hasten disease elimination, Slate reports

IntegraGen, Lab21 collaborate to develop new microRNA assay for colorectal cancer

Janssen submits simeprevir regulatory application in Japan to treat HCV

Vanderbilt investigators report new insights into workings of calprotectin

Researchers identify second B-cell attachment receptor for Epstein-Barr virus

New test for leprosy gives results in less than 10 minutes, New York Times reports

Study measures awareness, adoption and use of informatics tools by infection preventionists

NIAID-funded Phase I trial to evaluate two related candidate vaccines against shigellosis

Misconduct biased fluid resuscitation studies

Healthy adults with shorter telomere length more likely to develop upper respiratory infection

NGS for Infectious Disease Surveillance eBook

The Critical Role of Sample Storage in Drug Discovery and Development

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

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