Shingles News and Research

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Shingles (herpes zoster) is an outbreak of rash or blisters on the skin that is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox — the varicella-zoster virus. The first sign of shingles is often burning or tingling pain, or sometimes numbness or itch, in one particular location on only one side of the body.

Agape Clinic dermatologist felicitated for providing free, multidisciplinary care to Dallas patients

The American Academy of Dermatology has named dermatologist Amit G. Pandya, MD, FAAD, as a Patient Care Hero for his work providing free dermatologic care to patients at the Agape Clinic in Dallas.

4 Dec 2019

Study reveals safety, efficacy of live zoster vaccine for people taking TNF inhibitors

According to new research findings presented this week at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting, the live zoster virus vaccine is safe for people who are currently receiving tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) biologic therapies for various indications.

10 Nov 2019

OHSU receives $2.1 million to develop new vaccine additives for tropical viruses

Sometimes vaccines need a little help to protect people against infectious diseases.

31 Oct 2019

Vaccinating older adults against shingles is likely cost-effective in Canada

Vaccinating older adults against shingles in Canada is likely cost-effective, according to a study in CMAJ, and the Shingrix vaccine appears to provide better protection than the Zostavax vaccine.

26 Aug 2019

Protein plays important roles in intracellular membrane trafficking in the brain

Our bodies couldn’t operate without the central nervous system - a complex network that coordinates our actions, reflexes, and sensations. Each neuron in your brain has one long cable that snakes away from the main part of the cell.

20 Aug 2019

California bill would fight deals that delay generic drugs

California's attorney general touted a legal victory this week against drugmakers who he said made secretive, backroom deals to keep less expensive drugs off the market.

1 Aug 2019

New shingles vaccine reduces outbreaks of painful rash among stem cell transplant patients

A newer form of shingles vaccine reduced outbreaks of the painful rash among patients who were transplanted with their own stem cells, according to a study led by a Duke Health researcher and published today in JAMA.

11 Jul 2019

Oral steroid use in patients with inflammatory diseases increases risk of infection

Oral steroid use in patients with the inflammatory diseases polymyalgia rheumatica and/or giant cell arteritis significantly increased the risk of infection, and the risk increased with higher doses, found a study in CMAJ.

24 Jun 2019

Virus employs powerful strategy to inhibit natural killer cell function

The virus responsible for chickenpox and shingles employs a powerful strategy of immune evasion, inhibiting the ability of natural killer cells to destroy infected cells and produce molecules that help control viral infection, according to a study published June 13 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Allison Abendroth of the Discipline of Infectious Diseases and Immunology in the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney, and colleagues.

From PLOS ONE 14 Jun 2019

Chickenpox vaccine lessens likelihood of pediatric shingles

Children who receive the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine are significantly less likely to contract shingles, according to a new study led by researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research published today in the journal Pediatrics.

10 Jun 2019

Study reveals a better way to help increase support for vaccinations

The re-introduction of measles, mumps and other previously eradicated diseases to the United States is nothing short of a public health crisis. Since Jan. 1, a staggering 880 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 24 states -- the greatest number of cases since 1994. Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000.

23 May 2019

Study discovers origin of neurofibromas that develop throughout the skin of NF1 patients

A study published today in PLOS ONE discovered the origin of severely disfiguring masses of cells, called neurofibromas, that gradually develop throughout the skin of patients afflicted with Neurofibromatosis 1.

22 May 2019

Study shows high incidence of herpes zoster ophthalmicus among older adults

More Americans are being diagnosed with eye complications of shingles, but older adults can call the shots on whether they are protected from the painful rash that can cost them their eyesight.

3 May 2019

UA College partners with Space Tango to develop an easy way to test astronauts' health in space

Researchers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix are partnering with Space Tango, a private aerospace company that designs, builds and operates facilities on the International Space Station, to develop an easy way to test astronauts' health in space.

26 Apr 2019

Space worries - shingles affecting astronauts says NASA

NASA has come up with a warning about herpes zoster or shingles being activated among crew aboard the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station missions. The problem was highlighted in a study that appeared in the latest issue of the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.

19 Mar 2019

FDA warns marketer of unapproved products claiming to treat addiction, chronic pain

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today posted a warning letter to Nutra Pharma Corp. for illegally marketing unapproved products labeled as homeopathic with claims about their ability to treat addiction and chronic pain, including pain associated with cancer, diabetes, shingles, fibromyalgia and other serious conditions.

19 Mar 2019

Study shows no difference between relief offered by topical pain creams and placebos

In an effort to reduce chronic pain, many people look for hope by paying $20 to thousands of dollars for a tube of prescription topical pain cream or gel.

6 Feb 2019

Having vaccine after shingles appear do not reduce the risk of stroke

Stroke risk increased significantly in the days, weeks and months after shingles appeared, despite use of the shingles vaccine and antiviral therapy to treat it, according to preliminary research to be presented in Honolulu at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2019, a world premier meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease.

30 Jan 2019

Study: Long-term spaceflights could adversely affect astronauts' immune systems

NASA hopes to send humans to Mars by 2030 on a round-trip mission that could take up to three years - far longer than any human has ever traveled in space.

24 Jan 2019

Cancer patients have greater risk of developing shingles, study shows

People newly diagnosed with cancer, particularly blood cancers, and those treated with chemotherapy have a greater risk of developing shingles, according to a new study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

13 Dec 2018