Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Insilico Medicine to present scientific data on novel anti-cancer assets at major cancer conferences

Clinical stage artificial intelligence (AI) drug discovery company Insilico Medicine ("Insilico") has been invited to present scientific data on its novel anti-cancer assets at three major upcoming cancer conferences -- the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) conference in Madrid Oct. 20-24, 2023; the Society of Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) conference Nov. 1-5, 2023 in San Diego; and the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) Dec. 5-9, 2023.

16 Oct 2023

Scientists uncover key enzymes involved in bacterial pathogenicity

Gram-negative bacteria cause a variety of infectious diseases in plants and animals alike. Outbreaks of Salmonella and E. coli infections often make headlines due to their severity, and people have to resort to allopathic as well as natural remedies, increasing the burden on the healthcare system.

16 Oct 2023

Live vaccinations found to be safe for pediatric organ transplant recipients

Live vaccinations provided to children who previously received liver or kidney transplants were found to be safe and prompted an immune response to guard against several life-threatening conditions, according to a new study published Oct. 12, 2023, in JAMA Network Open.

16 Oct 2023

Gates Foundation announces investments to advance mRNA vaccine research and manufacturing

At the 2023 Grand Challenges Annual Meeting, Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, announced new investments to advance access to mRNA research and vaccine manufacturing technology that will support low- and middle-income countries’ (LMICs) capacity to develop high-quality, lifesaving vaccines at scale.

14 Oct 2023

Strong antibody response and nasal cytokines may protect young children from severe COVID-19

New research helps explain why young children have lower rates of severe COVID-19 than adults. A study of infants and young children found those who acquired SARS-CoV-2 had a strong, sustained antibody response to the virus and high levels of inflammatory proteins in the nose but not in the blood.

13 Oct 2023

The new vaccines and you: Americans better armed than ever against the winter blechs

Last year's "triple-demic" marked the beginning of what may be a new normal: a confluence of respiratory infections — RSV, influenza, and covid-19 — will surge as the weather cools each year.

13 Oct 2023

Generic PrEP use could reduce new HIV acquisitions, save lives among young men who have sex with men

Anne Neilan, MD, a physician-scientist in the division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital is the senior author of a recently published paper in Clinical Infectious Diseases, Daily Oral HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men in the United States: Cost-Saving at Generic Drug Price.

12 Oct 2023

Scientists unravel secrets about the formation of DNA's building blocks

An international team has uncovered details about the formation of DNA's building blocks, paving the way for potential medical and therapeutic applications.

12 Oct 2023

Invasive mosquito species may be spreading new form of malaria in East Africa

Turkana County in northwestern Kenya was supposed to be the land that malaria forgot. An arid, windy region abutting Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia, its climate was thought to be too dry for the mosquitoes that harbor malaria-causing parasites, and thus it has been excluded from national efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.

12 Oct 2023

Healthcare settings and mpox transmission: Understanding the risk factors

The stability of the monkeypox (Mpox) virus in various surroundings and bodily fluid.

12 Oct 2023

How were antibiotics used during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Researchers explores the application of antimicrobial stewardship in the antibiotic prescribing guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

11 Oct 2023

Feds hope to cut sepsis deaths by hitching Medicare payments to treatment stats

Don Smith remembers the moment he awoke in an intensive care unit after 13 days in a medically induced coma. His wife and daughter were at his bedside, and he thought it had been only a day since he arrived at the emergency room with foot pain.

11 Oct 2023

HKU-developed antibiotic drug to enter clinical trials in Mainland China

A new antibiotic drug developed by a research team led by Professor Li Xuechen from the Department of Chemistry at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has recently gained approval from the authorities to undergo clinical trials in the Mainland.

10 Oct 2023

Living past 100: Healthy habits, good company, and a purpose in life

Researchers explore the secrets behind increased life expectancies, focusing on the influence of diet, lifestyle, and socio-economic changes. Centenarians, individuals living past 100, often delay age-related symptoms, suggesting a lifestyle emphasizing a balanced diet, social interaction, and regular exercise can significantly boost longevity and resilience.

10 Oct 2023

Epidemic: Bodies remember what was done to them

Global fears of overpopulation in the '60s and '70s helped fuel India's campaign to slow population growth.

10 Oct 2023

Syphilis rates twice as high among transgender women and Black gay and bisexual men in Chicago

Transgender women and Black gay and bisexual men in Chicago are nearly twice as likely to contract syphilis at some point in their lives as white gay men, according to a new study conducted by scientists at Northwestern University.

10 Oct 2023

Nasal mupirocin found to be highly effective at preventing Staphylococcus aureus infections in critically ill patients

A large multi-state study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, HCA Healthcare, and the University of California, Irvine has found that a nasal antibiotic ointment, mupirocin, which is currently used daily for intensive care unit (ICU) patients in only one-third of U.S. hospitals, is highly effective at preventing Staphylococcus aureus infections in critically ill patients, outperforming an antiseptic solution.

10 Oct 2023

SARS-CoV-2 RNA found in ocular tissues at autopsy, despite minimal inflammation

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), infects tissues throughout the human body, including the eye.

10 Oct 2023

Halting pandemics at the source: The call for a proactive 'One Health' approach

The recent PLoS Pathogens review emphasizes proactively preventing pathogen spillover from animals to humans as a strategy against future pandemics, advocating for a holistic One Health approach that considers the interconnectedness of humans, animals, and the environment. The study underscores the importance of primary prevention, differentiating it from secondary containment, and highlights the economic and societal benefits of preemptive actions over reactive responses.

10 Oct 2023

1918 flu's true victims were not the fittest, but the most stressed

Analyzing remains of 1918 influenza pandemic victims, researchers from McMaster University and the University of Colorado Boulder found that the flu's most susceptible victims showed signs of prior environmental, nutritional, and social stress. Contrary to historical beliefs, the study, published in PNAS, revealed that those in poor health were more likely to succumb to the pandemic than healthy individuals.

9 Oct 2023