Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Laser "microscalpel" to target individual cancer cells

Mechanical engineering Assistant Professor Adela Ben-Yakar at The University of Texas at Austin has developed a laser "microscalpel" that destroys a single cell while leaving nearby cells intact, which could improve the precision of surgeries for cancer, epilepsy and other diseases.

24 Jun 2008

Overcrowding and understaffing in hospitals are two key factors in the transmission of MRSA

A review article authored by a University of Queensland, Australia, academic has found overcrowding and understaffing in hospitals are two key factors in the transmission of MRSA (Meticillin - Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) infections worldwide.

24 Jun 2008

Discovery of possible new way to block inflammation in autoimmune disease

Researchers from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have identified a promising new target for autoimmune disease treatment - a cell-surface receptor called DR3.

23 Jun 2008

Condom distribution programs, conjugal visits could slow spread of HIV in Caribbean prisons, official says

Establishing condom distribution programs in Caribbean prisons and allowing conjugal visits for married prisoners could help reduce sex among inmates and slow the spread of HIV, Marcus Day, adviser to the Association of Caribbean Heads of Corrections and Prison Services, said recently, AFP/Google.com reports.

17 Jun 2008

Radioimmunotherapy targeting viral antigens shows potential to treat or prevent viral cancers

A new study, presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 55th Annual Meeting, shows that radioimmunotherapy (RIT) targeting viral antigens offers a novel option to treat-or even prevent-many viral cancers by targeting cancer cells expressing viral antigens or infected cells before they convert into malignancy.

16 Jun 2008

Misoprostol off-label use may have led to deaths

Preliminary U-M studies indicate that oral use of RU-486's companion drug misoprostol is safe, but vaginal use may undermine body's immune responses

16 Jun 2008

Patch protects travellers from holiday diarrhoea

Scientists in the U.S. have developed a patch which protects people from stomach bugs picked up during foreign travel.

16 Jun 2008

AHF to Dr. Fauci and the CDC: "show us the AIDS numbers"

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is calling for the immediate release of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) latest HIV incidence numbers, after Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) referred to them while in attendance at the United Nations' 2008 High Level Meeting on AIDS in New York this week. The US largest AIDS organization and operator of free AIDS treatment clinics in the U.S., Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and Asia, also called for massive scale-up of HIV testing throughout the nation.

11 Jun 2008

Simple steps can help reduce your risk of contracting potentially deadly superbug

With beach-season looming, the fitness bug is motivating Chicagoans to fill area gyms in droves, all hoping to buff up before the warm-weather season of fun gets into full swing.

11 Jun 2008

U.N. Secretary-General calls for end of discrimination against, travel restrictions on people living with HIV/AIDS

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the opening of the U.N. 2008 High Level Meeting on AIDS on Tuesday called on the international community to end discrimination against HIV-positive people, including travel restrictions, describing such practices as "an affront to our common humanity," Xinhuanet reports.

11 Jun 2008

Without increased funding, California's dominance and public health are threatened, according to new report

The California Healthcare Institute (CHI) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) today released a report, "The National Institutes of Health: Fueling Healthcare Innovation in California," urging legislators to support increased funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) - the backbone of the biomedical industry in California, which employs more than 267,000 people in high wage jobs.

11 Jun 2008

Quick responses to influenza outbreaks reduces illness and death

Influenza outbreaks were shorter and resulted in fewer cases and fewer deaths at long-term care facilities that started residents on preventive antiviral medications within five days of the first case, compared to those that started later, according to a new study in the July 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, currently available online.

11 Jun 2008

U.N. high level meeting on AIDS to review progress in fighting disease

World leaders are expected to review progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS worldwide during the United Nations 2008 High Level Meeting on AIDS, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in New York, the Washington Post reports (Lynch, Washington Post, 6/10).

11 Jun 2008

When it comes to catching an infection, planes no riskier than airports

A study carried out by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has found there is no greater risk of catching an infection on a plane than in any other crowded and confined space.

10 Jun 2008

Longer treatment with antiretroviral Nevirapine reduces risk of HIV among infants

Extended treatment with the antiretroviral drug nevirapine in conjunction with the standard therapy might reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission, according to a study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, Reuters reports (Emery, Reuters, 6/4).

8 Jun 2008

New grant to enable University of Rochester to increase HIV research by 25 percent

The University of Rochester today announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a team of more than 50 researchers a five-year, $3.2 million grant.

4 Jun 2008

BN ImmunoTherapeutics starts clinical trials with prostate cancer vaccine

BN ImmunoTherapeutics, Inc. has initiated Phase I/II clinical studies with its therapeutic vaccine candidate against prostate cancer.

4 Jun 2008

Medarex announces preliminary data for investigational anti-PD-1 antibody

Medarex, Inc. has announced preliminary data from an ongoing Phase 1 study of MDX-1106 (ONO-4538: development code of Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), a fully human anti-PD-1 antibody.

2 Jun 2008

Simple infection control intervention in elementary schools reduces student absenteeism

A study from researchers at Children's Hospital Boston published in Pediatrics found that a simple infection control intervention in elementary schools - disinfecting frequently-touched surfaces and using alcohol-based hand sanitizers - helped reduce illness-related student absenteeism.

2 Jun 2008

Protective effects of breast milk are higher in girls than in boys

Challenging the long-standing belief that breast-feeding equally protects all babies against disease, research led by Johns Hopkins Children's Center investigators suggests that when it comes to respiratory infections, the protective effects of breast milk are higher in girls than in boys.

2 Jun 2008

Infectious Diseases News and Research

Laser "microscalpel" to target individual cancer cells

Overcrowding and understaffing in hospitals are two key factors in the transmission of MRSA

Discovery of possible new way to block inflammation in autoimmune disease

Condom distribution programs, conjugal visits could slow spread of HIV in Caribbean prisons, official says

Radioimmunotherapy targeting viral antigens shows potential to treat or prevent viral cancers

Misoprostol off-label use may have led to deaths

Patch protects travellers from holiday diarrhoea

AHF to Dr. Fauci and the CDC: "show us the AIDS numbers"

Simple steps can help reduce your risk of contracting potentially deadly superbug

U.N. Secretary-General calls for end of discrimination against, travel restrictions on people living with HIV/AIDS

Without increased funding, California's dominance and public health are threatened, according to new report

Quick responses to influenza outbreaks reduces illness and death

U.N. high level meeting on AIDS to review progress in fighting disease

When it comes to catching an infection, planes no riskier than airports

Longer treatment with antiretroviral Nevirapine reduces risk of HIV among infants

New grant to enable University of Rochester to increase HIV research by 25 percent

BN ImmunoTherapeutics starts clinical trials with prostate cancer vaccine

Medarex announces preliminary data for investigational anti-PD-1 antibody

Simple infection control intervention in elementary schools reduces student absenteeism

Protective effects of breast milk are higher in girls than in boys

eBook: Advancing infectious disease vaccine development 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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