Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Vaccinating new mothers and other family members against influenza offers important flu protection to newborns

Vaccinating new mothers and other family members against influenza before their newborns leave the hospital creates a "cocooning effect" that may shelter unprotected children from the flu, a virus that can be life-threatening to infants, according to researchers at Duke Children's Hospital.

26 Oct 2008

Targanta Therapeutics presents preclinical data on Oritavancin against Clostridium difficile infection

Targanta Therapeutics Corporation has released the in vivo data from a preclinical study comparing the activity of its antibiotic drug candidate, oritavancin, to vancomycin in a hamster model of Clostridium difficile infection.

26 Oct 2008

High dose flu vaccine boosts immune response in elderly

Giving people age 65 and older a dose four times larger than the standard flu vaccine boosts the amount of antibodies in their blood to levels considered protective against the flu, more so than the standard flu vaccine does. The findings from a study of nearly 4,000 people were presented Oct. 26 at a national meeting on infectious diseases.

26 Oct 2008

New molecules with many branches will help unleash potential of nanotechnology

Materials science and the pharmaceutical industry could soon be revolutionized by emerging nanotechnologies based on designer molecules with long complex tree-and branch structures. Such molecules offer almost limitless scope for design of bespoke compounds for specific applications in disease therapy, for novel materials such as resins, as well as electronic displays, and energy storage. Almost every field involving design and synthesis of chemical compounds will be transformed by the arrival of technologies allowing nanoscale design of these branched molecules, known as hyperbranched polymers.

26 Oct 2008

Researchers downplay value of mandatory universal nasal screening of patients for MRSA

Three Virginia Commonwealth University epidemiologists are downplaying the value of mandatory universal nasal screening of patients for MRSA, arguing that proven, hospital-wide infection control practices can prevent more of the potentially fatal infections.

23 Oct 2008

Ministers urged to rethink rather than repackage $2 billion global response to infectious diseases

As the first globally co-ordinated plan for the planet's gravest health threats is hatched by government ministers from around the world this weekend, a new report sets out a 10-point plan for this new, globalised approach to infectious diseases such as avian flu.

23 Oct 2008

Trius Therapeutics awarded $28 million to develop novel drugs targeting bacterial DNA Gyrase and Topoisomerase IV

Trius Therapeutics, Inc., today announced the award of a $28 million contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health, for the development of novel antibiotics directed against multiple Gram-negative bacterial pathogens.

22 Oct 2008

Google.org helps identify future disease hot spots

Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, has announced grants of more than $14 million to support partners working in Southeast Asia and Africa to prevent the next pandemic.

21 Oct 2008

Better TB vaccine in the pipeline

Scientists in the U.S. believe they have a vaccine in the pipeline that offers better protection from tuberculosis (TB).

20 Oct 2008

$2 egg-beater - low-cost centrifuge replacement - could save lives in developing countries

Plastic tubing taped to a handheld egg-beater could save lives in developing countries, the Royal Society of Chemistry's journal Lab on a Chip reports.

16 Oct 2008

Discovery of earliest known cases of human tuberculosis in Neolithic village

The discovery of the earliest known cases of human tuberculosis (TB) in bones found submerged off the coast of Israel shows that the disease is 3000 years older than previously thought. Direct examination of this ancient DNA confirms the latest theory that bovine TB evolved later than human TB.

14 Oct 2008

Antiretroviral drug efavirenz associated with better outcomes in HIV-infected adults

A study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that HIV-infected patients taking the antiretroviral drug efavirenz were more likely to adhere to treatment and less likely to experience virologic failure and death compared to patients taking nevirapine.

14 Oct 2008

Steroids aid recovery from pneumonia, UT Southwestern researchers say

Adding corticosteroids to traditional antimicrobial therapy might help people with pneumonia recover more quickly than with antibiotics alone, UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists have found.

14 Oct 2008

Experts say exotic pet pose health risks to young children

Experts say exotic pets such as reptiles and monkeys should be discouraged in homes with small children or people with immune system problems, as they pose a health risk.

7 Oct 2008

Canadian program provides care to HIV-positive pregnant women, aims to reduce mother-to-child transmission

The CP/Yahoo! News on Tuesday examined the Positive Pregnancy Programme, a Canadian initiative created to provide HIV-positive pregnant women with care, resources and support.

5 Oct 2008

100 years of HIV in humans

HIV has existed among human populations for about 100 years, decades earlier than previously believed, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, the Los Angeles Times reports (Engel, Los Angeles Times, 10/2).

5 Oct 2008

CDC officials did not know HPV vaccination recommendation for U.S. women also would affect prospective immigrants

Some of the CDC officials who supported a recommendation for young women in the U.S. to receive the human papillomavirus vaccine said they did not intend for it to lead to an immigration policy requiring young immigrant women to receive the vaccine, the Wall Street Journal reports (Jordan, Wall Street Journal, 10/1).

5 Oct 2008

Infectious Diseases News and Research

Vaccinating new mothers and other family members against influenza offers important flu protection to newborns

Targanta Therapeutics presents preclinical data on Oritavancin against Clostridium difficile infection

High dose flu vaccine boosts immune response in elderly

New molecules with many branches will help unleash potential of nanotechnology

Researchers downplay value of mandatory universal nasal screening of patients for MRSA

Ministers urged to rethink rather than repackage $2 billion global response to infectious diseases

Trius Therapeutics awarded $28 million to develop novel drugs targeting bacterial DNA Gyrase and Topoisomerase IV

Google.org helps identify future disease hot spots

Better TB vaccine in the pipeline

$2 egg-beater - low-cost centrifuge replacement - could save lives in developing countries

Discovery of earliest known cases of human tuberculosis in Neolithic village

Antiretroviral drug efavirenz associated with better outcomes in HIV-infected adults

Steroids aid recovery from pneumonia, UT Southwestern researchers say

Experts say exotic pet pose health risks to young children

Canadian program provides care to HIV-positive pregnant women, aims to reduce mother-to-child transmission

100 years of HIV in humans

CDC officials did not know HPV vaccination recommendation for U.S. women also would affect prospective immigrants

DNA of good bacteria drives intestinal response to infection

Tuberculosis bacterium uses its sugar coat to sweeten its chances of living in lungs

Deadly virus scrumpox a threat to rugby players wrestlers

Industry Focus: Infectious Diseases 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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