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Researchers breach blood-brain barrier to deliver therapy

A major obstacle in the treatment of infections and other diseases of the brain is the blood-brain barrier, which prevents systemically delivered therapeutic drugs from reaching the brain.

19 Jun 2007

Doctor cautions on use of Tamiflu

In the British Medical Journal a senior doctor advises caution over the use of the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu).

17 Jun 2007

More deaths from bird flu in Egypt

A spokesperson for Egypt's health ministry has confirmed that a 10 year-old girl has become the youngest victim in Egypt of bird flu since the first human case was recorded in the country in March 2006 and is the country's 15th fatality from the deadly virus.

11 Jun 2007

Wake-up call to physicians caring for hepatitis B patients

Many patients with chronic hepatitis B are deficient in their understanding of the lifelong disease and often do not comply with the drug regimens necessary to control it, according to a new UCLA survey that suggests improved patient involvement in disease management decisions could be the key to fixing this problem.

28 May 2007

Dealing with emerging diseases

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002 was a loud wake-up call for researchers studying infectious diseases.

16 May 2007

Drugs users increasingly more cautious about using needles

Even though HIV can be well treated these days, drug users are still more cautious about using needles than they used to be.

15 May 2007

Low frequency of resistance to Tamiflu confirmed

New data published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed a low frequency of resistance to Tamiflu (oseltamivir) over 3 influenza seasons (2003:2006).

10 May 2007

Renewal of Echinacea and St John's Wort research

A five-year-old research center dedicated to understanding and improving Echinacea and Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) has received $4.4 million in continuation funding from the National Institutes of Health. The renewal is for three years.

4 May 2007

Study shows effectiveness of Peramivir in mouse model of H5N1 virus infection

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals has announced that investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, reported favorable results evaluating peramivir treatment in an animal model of influenza using a highly virulent strain of H5N1 virus (an avian influenza strain that had caused fatal human infection in Viet Nam).

4 May 2007

Peramivir shows promise for H5N1 protection

The antiviral drug peramivir might offer humans significant protection during a pandemic of the avian influenza virus H5N1, according to results of mouse studies conducted by investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

2 May 2007

Drg resistant HIV quickly hides in infants' cells

New evidence shows that drug-resistant virus passed from mother-to-child can quickly establish itself in infants, CD4+ T cells where it can hide for years, likely limiting their options for future treatment.

1 May 2007

New test for liver disease

A researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine has helped confirm the reliability of a new test for liver disease that is ushering in the long-promised era of personalized medicine based on each individual's genetic makeup.

30 Apr 2007

Rabies kills three despite proven experimental treatment

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States an experimental rabies treatment that saved the life of a Wisconsin teenager in 2004 has failed to help other children infected with the deadly virus.

23 Apr 2007

Researchers identify key gene that may be a marker of breast cancer metastasis

Despite the fact that they both infect the liver, the hepatitis A and hepatitis C viruses actually have very little in common.

19 Apr 2007

Researchers find hepatitis A and hepatitis C attack same protein to block immune defenses

Despite the fact that they both infect the liver, the hepatitis A and hepatitis C viruses actually have very little in common.

19 Apr 2007

Flu can actually trigger heart attacks

Doctors need to take concerted action to ensure that people who are at risk of heart disease receive the influenza vaccine every autumn, according to the authors of a new report published in the European Heart Journal.

19 Apr 2007

Silver Award for advances in the prevention of HIV perinatal transmission

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia presented J. Brooks Jackson, M.D., MBA, of Johns Hopkins University with the Herman and Gertrude Silver Award for his internationally prominent work in preventing the transmission of HIV from infected mothers to their newborn babies.

17 Apr 2007

Human Genome Sciences reports results of phase 2b trial of Albuferon

Human Genome Sciences has reported results at Week 12 following the completion of therapy (SVR12) in a Phase 2b clinical trial of Albuferon(R) (albinterferon alfa-2b) in combination with ribavirin in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C who are naive to interferon alpha-based treatment regimens.

16 Apr 2007

Should stocks of smallpox virus be destroyed?

Smallpox was eradicated in 1980, but the virus still exists in WHO controlled depositories. In this week's BMJ , two experts go head to head over whether these stocks should be destroyed.

15 Apr 2007

Intarcia Therapeutics announces results from study of injectable Omega Interferon plus Ribavirin for treatment of hepatitis C genotype-1

Intarcia Therapeutics has announced final results from a Phase 2 study of omega interferon with or without ribavirin in treatment-naive patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C.

15 Apr 2007