Herpes News and Research

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Herpes is an infection caused by two different but closely related viruses — herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) or cold sores and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) or genital herpes. Both are easy to catch. They have similar symptoms (blisters or sores) and both can occur on different parts of the body. When the infection is on the mouth, it is called oral herpes. When it is on or near the sex organs, it is called genital herpes. There is no cure for herpes. Treatments are available to speed up the healing of the genital sores.

Syphilis, chlamydia and herpes on the rise in the UK

Sexually transmitted diseases are steadily rising in the UK despite a concerted effort on the part of the government to tackle them.

5 Jul 2006

Bioinformatics used to advance human disease research

The use of computers to advance human disease research - known as bioinformatics -- has received a major boost from researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology (LIAI).

18 Jun 2006

Knowledge helps prevent spread of herpes virus

A new study suggests that the risk of transmitting the virus that causes most cases of genital herpes could be cut in half by more testing and informing sexual partners of infection.

6 Jun 2006

New vaccine reduces the risk of shingles

A new vaccine which reduces the risk of shingles (herpes zoster) for use in people 60 years of age and older has won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

29 May 2006

Valganciclovir may be the drug for chronic fatigue syndrome

A drug used to treat herpes has produced dramatic results in people with chronic fatigue syndrome, reported the Daily Mail (16 May 2006).

17 May 2006

Treatment with intravenous and oral antiviral medications may help relieve nerve pain related to shingles

A small trial suggests that treatment with intravenous and oral antiviral medications may reduce the nerve pain that occurs following shingles, according to a study posted online today that will appear in the July 2006 print issue of Archives of Neurology.

9 May 2006

Enzyme discovery could reduce Kaposi sarcoma tumour growth and lead to drugs suitable for treating other viral cancers

A report in the Journal of Biological Chemistry shows that inhibition of heme oxygenase-1, an enzyme involved in iron metabolism, reduces Kaposi sarcoma tumor growth. This discovery could result in the production of new drugs to treat this and other viral cancers.

28 Apr 2006

Ceftriaxone may help fight dementia in HIV patients

An antibiotic commonly used to treat a variety of serious infections may also help prevent dementia in HIV patients, according to a test-tube study of human brain cells by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine neurologist Jeffrey Rumbaugh, M.D., Ph.D.

7 Apr 2006

Study on fruit flies offers new approach to understand human response to viral infections

A research team led by UC Riverside scientists has shown that the common fruit fly can serve as an excellent model for studying the immunity animals are born with for fighting viral infections.

28 Mar 2006

Human papillomavirus the main risk factor for cervical adenocarcinoma

Human papillomavirus (HPV) was found to be the main risk factor associated with increased incidence of an unusual type of cervical cancer called cervical adenocarcinoma, according to a study in the March 1 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

1 Mar 2006

Kids who are at highest risk for STD's are not getting tested

In the first study of its kind focusing on newly homeless youth, UCLA researchers have found that high-risk sexual behavior did not predict whether these youths were tested for sexually transmitted diseases. Instead, they were tested only when someone became pregnant or got someone pregnant.

21 Feb 2006

Researchers unmask secrets of a tiny virus that infects bacteria

Using powerful computer tools and cryo-electron microscopes, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine unmasked the secrets of a tiny virus that infects bacteria and, in doing so, opened the door to a better understanding of a variety of viruses that infect people and animals.

13 Feb 2006

FDA grants fast track status for ViroPharma's Maribavir

ViroPharma Incorporated has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast track designation for maribavir, an oral antiviral drug candidate for the prevention of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in allogeneic bone marrow (stem cell) and solid organ transplant patients.

7 Feb 2006

Protein finding could lead to new topical treatment for inflammatory diseases

A protein that undesirably shields a skin poxvirus from the immune system may become the key ingredient in a new topical treatment for inflammatory diseases, say medical researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

11 Jan 2006

Cerebral Palsy linked to viral infection at birth

A new Australian study has found that exposure to certain viral infections shortly before and after birth, the perinatal period, is associated with cerebral palsy.

9 Jan 2006

Kids learn about STD's when they are getting diagnosed with them

Most sexually active teenage girls know relatively little about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) until it is too late, according to a paper by Carnegie Mellon University researchers that will be published in the January edition of the Journal of Adolescent Health.

8 Jan 2006

Risk factors for nongonococcal urethritis

The study, by Australian researchers Catriona Bradshaw, MD, and colleagues at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, is the first major case-control study to simultaneously address all currently hypothesized causes of NGU.

6 Jan 2006

Exposure to infections at birth can trigger brain damage and the development of cerebral palsy

Exposure to certain viral infections shortly before and after birth (the perinatal period) is associated with cerebral palsy, finds a study published online by the British Medical Journal.

6 Jan 2006

Cyclosporine suppresses hepatitis C virus and increases the chance of a sustained virological response after liver transplantation

Liver transplant patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) achieved significantly better long-term viral response when taking the immunosuppressive agent Cyclosporine along with interferon-ribavirin combination therapy. Cyclosporine also showed efficacy against Hepatitis C virus in vitro.

5 Jan 2006

Drug-releasing intravaginal ring could help prevent women from contracting HIV infection

The silicone vaginal ring steadily releases aciclovir: a treatment for genital herpes. It is known that women with genital herpes are at increased risk of HIV infection because the genital blisters caused by the infection increase the transmissibility of sexually acquired HIV.

28 Sep 2005