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Bone marrow transplant eradicates traces of HIV in men

Two men with longstanding HIV infections no longer have detectable HIV in their blood cells following bone marrow transplants. The virus was easily detected in blood lymphocytes of both men prior to their transplants but became undetectable by eight months post-transplant. The men, who were treated at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), have remained on anti-retroviral therapy.

27 Jul 2012

HPTN study results show additional benefits of early ART in HIV clinical outcomes

Study results released today by the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) show additional benefits of early antiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV clinical outcomes.

27 Jul 2012

Skin microbiota may help protect the body from infection

A research team at the National Institutes of Health has found that bacteria that normally live in the skin may help protect the body from infection. As the largest organ of the body, the skin represents a major site of interaction with microbes in the environment.

27 Jul 2012

Vitamin A insufficiency linked to hand, foot and mouth disease

Vitamin A status is associated with immunity to, and pathogenic condition of, hand, foot, and mouth disease in children, say researchers whose study results show that the majority of those with the infectious disease also had vitamin A insufficiency.

26 Jul 2012

UNITAID to invest more than $140M to evaluate point-of-care HIV diagnostics, monitoring in Africa

International medicines financing mechanism UNITAID said on Monday it "will invest more than $140 million to evaluate point-of-care [PoC] HIV diagnostic and monitoring technology in seven African countries," PlusNews reports.

26 Jul 2012

Obama skipping AIDS conference; Black community still bearing high burden of the disease

For all the dignitaries on the schedule at the International AIDS Conference this week in Washington, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates and former President Bill Clinton, it's the absence of one that has activists talking. With the conference being held in the U.S. for the first time in 22 years, President Barack Obama is out of town campaigning and raising money for his re-election. His only presence is a 50-second cameo in a three-minute video welcoming delegates.

26 Jul 2012

Two Ottawa researchers take innovative approaches to improve virus-based cancer therapy

Two Ottawa researchers are taking innovative approaches to improving virus-based cancer therapy with new funding from the Canadian Cancer Society.

26 Jul 2012

ZOLOFT holds promise against cryptococcal meningitis

New research conducted by biologists at Texas A&M University suggests that ZOLOFT, one of the most widely prescribed antidepressants in the world, also packs a potential preventative bonus - potent mechanisms capable of inhibiting deadly fungal infections.

26 Jul 2012

NIDA announces 2012 recipient of Avant-Garde Award for Medications Development

Dr. Gary R. Matyas has been selected the 2012 recipient of the NIDA Avant-Garde Award for Medications Development. Matyas proposes to develop an effective, safe and easily manufactured combination anti-heroin/HIV vaccine that could treat heroin addiction while at the same time prevent HIV infection in those receiving the vaccine.

26 Jul 2012

Molecular explanation for increased susceptibility to intestinal inflammation in malnutrition

More than one billion people in poor countries are starving, and malnutrition remains a major problem even in rich countries, making it a leading cause of death in the world. For over a hundred years, doctors have known that a lack of protein in the diet or low levels of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, can lead to symptoms like diarrhoea, inflamed intestines and other immune system disorders, which weaken the body and can be fatal. However, the molecular mechanism which explains how malnutrition causes such severe symptoms has been largely unexplored.

26 Jul 2012

How an opportunistic fungal pathogen knows when to attack

The opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans inconspicuously lives in our bodies until it senses that we are weak, when it quickly adapts to go on the offensive. The fungus, known for causing yeast and other minor infections, also causes a sometimes-fatal infection known as candidemia in immunocompromised patients. An in vivo study, published in mBio, demonstrates how C. albicans can distinguish between a healthy and an unhealthy host and alter its physiology to attack.

25 Jul 2012

Children missing out on in battle against TB

The number of children diagnosed with tuberculosis only represents the tip of the iceberg, according to the University of Sydney’s Associate Professor Ben Marais, a specialist in childhood tuberculosis writing in the latest issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

25 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 25, 2012

Today's headlines detail new Congressional Budget Office health law estimates that reflect the Supreme Court's decision on the Medicaid expansion.

25 Jul 2012

Human neutrophil peptide 1 effectively prevents HIV entry into cells in multiple ways

Human defensins, aptly named antimicrobial peptides, are made in immune system cells and epithelial cells (such as skin cells and cells that line the gut). One of these peptides, human neutrophil peptide 1, under certain circumstances hinders HIV infection, but exactly how it works remains unclear.

25 Jul 2012

Study uncovers pathways by which yoga impacts biological processes

Six months ago, researchers at UCLA published a study that showed using a specific type of yoga to engage in a brief, simple daily meditation reduced the stress levels of people who care for those stricken by Alzheimer's and dementia. Now they know why.

25 Jul 2012

NBTI participates in ICT-107 phase II trial for glioblastoma multiforme

Researchers at Northwestern Brain Tumor Institute (NBTI) are seeking to understand if a vaccine made from a patient's own blood cells may slow the growth of a type of brain tumor.

25 Jul 2012

Giving patients a new immune system can cure Crohn's disease

Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have opened a clinical trial to test the theory that giving a patient a new immune system can cure severe cases of Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract.

25 Jul 2012

Mercyhurst expert addresses FDA's recent ban on Bisphenol-A

The FDA says baby bottles and sippy cups can no longer contain Bisphenol-A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor that mimics estrogen. But what about the hundreds of other plastic items, from water bottles to dental sealants, containing BPA?

25 Jul 2012

Views on AIDS: The benefits of male circumcision; A more optimistic battle; The need to focus on high-impact prevention strategies

A selection of editorials and op-eds from around the country that focus on the campaign to eradicate HIV.

25 Jul 2012

Insight into possible new approaches in vaccine development for blood-borne infections and HIV

White blood cells called neutrophils, which are the first line of defense against infection, play an unexpected role by boosting antibody production, according to research led by Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The findings suggest neutrophils have multiple roles within the immune system and function at levels previously unknown to the scientific community. The research, published in Nature Immunology, provides groundbreaking insight into possible new approaches in vaccine development for blood-borne infections and HIV.

25 Jul 2012

Immune System News and Research

Bone marrow transplant eradicates traces of HIV in men

HPTN study results show additional benefits of early ART in HIV clinical outcomes

Skin microbiota may help protect the body from infection

Vitamin A insufficiency linked to hand, foot and mouth disease

UNITAID to invest more than $140M to evaluate point-of-care HIV diagnostics, monitoring in Africa

Obama skipping AIDS conference; Black community still bearing high burden of the disease

Two Ottawa researchers take innovative approaches to improve virus-based cancer therapy

ZOLOFT holds promise against cryptococcal meningitis

NIDA announces 2012 recipient of Avant-Garde Award for Medications Development

Molecular explanation for increased susceptibility to intestinal inflammation in malnutrition

How an opportunistic fungal pathogen knows when to attack

Children missing out on in battle against TB

First Edition: July 25, 2012

Human neutrophil peptide 1 effectively prevents HIV entry into cells in multiple ways

Study uncovers pathways by which yoga impacts biological processes

NBTI participates in ICT-107 phase II trial for glioblastoma multiforme

Giving patients a new immune system can cure Crohn's disease

Mercyhurst expert addresses FDA's recent ban on Bisphenol-A

Views on AIDS: The benefits of male circumcision; A more optimistic battle; The need to focus on high-impact prevention strategies

Insight into possible new approaches in vaccine development for blood-borne infections and HIV

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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