Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Study explores impact of environmental toxins on health care costs and childhood morbidity

In three new studies published in the May issue of the journal Health Affairs, Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers reveal the staggering economic impact of toxic chemicals and air pollutants in the environment, and propose new legislation to mandate testing of new chemicals and also those already on the market.

5 May 2011

Thomas Jefferson University receives award to develop novel radiation drugs

Shortly before Japan's devastating nuclear incident, researchers at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals received an award to find novel drugs to treat people exposed to dangerous amounts of radiation in the wake of a nuclear terrorist attack or a nuclear accident.

5 May 2011

Virginia Tech receives NIH grant to develop new systems biology approaches for cell study

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Virginia Tech researchers a $2.13 million grant to develop new systems biology approaches to study cells, one of the most basic units of life.

5 May 2011

New research sheds light on origins of cryptococcal fungal infection

New research has shed light on the origins of a fungal infection which is one of the major causes of death from AIDS-related illnesses. The study, published today in the journal PLoS Pathogens, funded by the Wellcome Trust and the BBSRC, shows how the more virulent forms of Cryptococcus neoformans evolved and spread out of Africa and into Asia.

4 May 2011

Immunetics receives NIH grant for new confirmatory test trial in Chagas' disease

Immunetics, Inc. today announced it has been awarded a $2.4 million, 3-year Phase II SBIR grant by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a division of the National Institutes of Health, to support clinical trials of the company's new confirmatory test for Chagas' disease, a serious and potentially fatal parasitic infection.

4 May 2011

PolyMedix Phase 1B/2 clinical study data presented at ATVB meeting

PolyMedix, Inc., an emerging biotechnology company focused on developing new therapeutic drugs to treat life-threatening infectious diseases and acute cardiovascular disorders, announced that clinical data with PMX-60056 were presented at the American Heart Association's Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology Meeting in Chicago on April 28, 2011.

4 May 2011

SBS explores ‘superbugs’ on Insight Tuesday 10th May

Since the discovery of penicillin in the early twentieth century, antibiotics have fought infections and diseases that were once life threatening. But over time, many bacteria have become resistant to these drugs and patients are increasingly at risk.

3 May 2011

FDA clears ITI's FilmArray RP assay for respiratory virus detection

Idaho Technology, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a 510(k) clearance for the FilmArray instrument and the FilmArray Respiratory Panel.

3 May 2011

Pregnant women with H1N1 more likely to have low birth weight baby

In 2009, the United States was gripped by concern for a new winter threat: the H1N1 strain of influenza. According to research conducted through that winter, pregnant women were right to be concerned.

3 May 2011

Hospitals can implement preventive measures to reduce measles outbreak

The U.S. measles vaccination program has been successful in eliminating endemic measles in the United States; yet this success has provided challenges that require ongoing vigilance for the rapid identification and response to measles cases in health care settings.

2 May 2011

Addison's patients with low cortisol levels more likely to get infections

Two new studies presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Rotterdam show the possible dangers facing patients with Addison's disease are higher than previously thought.

2 May 2011

HIV/AIDS research in Africa

Nowhere in the world has the AIDS/HIV pandemic cut a greater swath of devastation than in sub-Saharan Africa, where two-thirds of all people infected with the virus reside. As Barbara Smith, PhD, RN, FAAN, discovered firsthand, no segment of society there has been left unscathed.

30 Apr 2011

Also in global health news: Libya food shortage; PMTCT in Swaziland; TB detection in U.K.; food issues in Foreign Policy magazine

Libya will run out of food within two months unless efforts are stepped up to get shipments into the war-torn country, the World Food Program warned on Thursday, Deustche Presse-Agentur/M&C reports.

30 Apr 2011

Opinions: NCDs must be tackled worldwide; myths surround usefulness of foreign aid

Jake Marcus, a post-bachelor fellow at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, examines why non-communicable diseases have been a neglected part of global health care in a New Republic opinion piece.

30 Apr 2011

Sorin launches XTRA autotransfusion system

Sorin Group, a global medical device company and a leader in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, is proud to announce the launch in the U.S. of XTRA, the next-generation of Sorin's autotransfusion (ATS) device family.

29 Apr 2011

Journal Blood publishes MacroGenics' DART antibody technology preclinical data

MacroGenics, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company that develops immunotherapeutics to treat autoimmune disorders, cancer and infectious diseases, today announced the publication in the journal Blood of preclinical data demonstrating potent inhibition of B-cell lymphoma through redirected T lymphocyte-mediated killing, using its bispecific DART antibody technology.

29 Apr 2011

Researchers develop new gene therapy technique for CGD treatment

Researchers have developed an effective technique that uses gene therapy on stem cells to correct chronic granulomatous disease in cell culture, which could eventually serve as a treatment for this rare, inherited immune disorder, according to a study published in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology.

29 Apr 2011

New genetic study suspects Armadillos as source of leprosy in the U.S.

A new genetic study on leprosy bacteria reports that armadillos may be a source of infection in the Southern United States.

29 Apr 2011

New innovative pilot project to combat surgical infections

Roughly one out of every 24 patients undergoing surgery acquires a surgical site infection. With 40 million operations performed in the U.S. each year, between 800,000 and 2 million individuals contract these infections annually.

29 Apr 2011

Nautic Partners announces acquisition of Omnicare Clinical Research

Nautic Partners LLC, a private equity firm with more than $2.5 billion of capital under management, today announced that it has acquired Omnicare Clinical Research from Omnicare, Inc. Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, Omnicare CR is a full-service, global clinical research organization.

28 Apr 2011