Viral Disease News and Research

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Meta-genomics analysis tool Taxonomer can rapidly and accurately detect pathogens

Scientists at the University of Utah, ARUP Laboratories, and IDbyDNA, Inc., have developed ultra-fast, meta-genomics analysis software called Taxonomer that dramatically improves the accuracy and speed of pathogen detection.

27 May 2016

Zika virus infection may cause ocular problems in Brazilian infants with microcephaly

Researchers studying babies with a Zika virus-related birth defect say they have found previously unreported eye problems possibly linked to the virus that could result in severe visual impairment.

25 May 2016

New approach offers unprecedented view of how HIV virus infects and appropriates host cell

Viruses attack cells and commandeer their machinery in a complex and carefully orchestrated invasion. Scientists have longed probed this process for insights into biology and disease, but essential details still remain out of reach.

25 May 2016

Research provides pathway toward creation of first broad-spectrum antiviral drug

By studying the rare person -- about one in a million -- who can fight off viral infections more effectively than everyone else, investigators at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a strategy to help the rest of us achieve this enhanced anti-viral state.

21 May 2016

lncRNA in placenta may help protect unborn baby from invading pathogens

The human placenta is an organ unlike any other. During the course of nine months it is formed by the embryo, sustains life and then is shed.

10 May 2016

Unique attributes of zebrafish may help study human blood disorders

Genetic regulation of the various types of blood cells in zebrafish and humans is highly similar, making it relatively easy and cost-effective to perform genetic, chemical, imaging and other molecular studies on this invaluable model organism to study normal hematopoetic development in humans as well as blood disorders and malignancies, as described in a Review article in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

9 May 2016

Globin gene transfer to treat beta-thalassemias shows promise in first clinical trial

Promising results from the first clinical trials of globin gene transfer to treat beta-thalassemias-inherited forms of anemia-have eliminated the need for blood transfusions in some individuals.

6 May 2016

Female sex hormone estradiol may protect women against sexually transmitted viral infections

A team of researchers led by McMaster University's Charu Kaushic has revealed for the first time how estradiol, a female sex hormone present during the menstrual cycle and found in oral contraceptives, may work to protect women against sexually transmitted viral infections.

6 May 2016

Respiratory tract infection in infants linked with increased T1D risk

In a study appearing in the May 3, 2016 issue of JAMA, Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, M.D., of Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, Munich, Germany, and colleagues examined associations between infection types during the first 2 years of life and between respiratory tract infections in the first 6 months and type l diabetes (T1D). Viral infections, particularly enteroviruses, have been hypothesized to cause T1D. Recent studies suggest that respiratory tract infections are associated with increased T1D risk if they are encountered within the first 6 months.

4 May 2016

Scientists develop new strategy to combat wide range of viruses

Scientists and health officials are marshalling forces to fight Zika, the latest in a string of recent outbreaks. Many of these efforts target that virus specifically, but some researchers are looking for a broader approach. Now one team reports in ACS' journal Macromolecules a new strategy to fight a wide range of viruses that appears to be safe in vivo and could evade a virus's ability to develop resistance.

21 Apr 2016

Climate change, global travel may increase dengue epidemic risk

Researchers at Umea University have developed a model for evidence-based predictions of the mosquito-borne dengue virus. Results show that global travel and climate change increase the risk for epidemics of dengue, and potentially other climate-sensitive infectious diseases carried by mosquitos, spreading into temperate areas. This according to a doctoral dissertation at Umeå University.

21 Apr 2016

WHO outlines steps to close immunization gap across countries during World Immunization Week 2016

During World Immunization Week 2016, held 24-30 April, the World Health Organization highlights recent gains in immunization coverage, and outlines further steps countries can take to “Close the Immunization Gap” and meet global vaccination targets by 2020.

21 Apr 2016

Cigarette smoking, viral infections may reduce effectiveness of COPD symptom-reliever medication

New study backs up observations in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients showing reduced effectiveness of symptom-reliever medication (β2-adrenoceptor agonists) in flare-ups linked to cigarette smoking and infection with viruses such as influenza.

11 Apr 2016

Warming temperatures may increase risk for dengue outbreaks in Europe

Increasing temperatures will enlarge Europe's seasonal window for the potential spread of mosquito-borne viral disease, expanding the geographic areas at risk for a dengue epidemic to include much of Europe. The findings by researchers at Umea University in Sweden are published in the journal EBioMedicine.

7 Apr 2016

Cairn launches non-invasive Gastric Emptying Breath Test for measuring rate of gastroparesis in adults

Cairn Diagnostics, formerly known as Advanced Breath Diagnostics (ABDiagnostics), has launched the 13C-Spirulina Gastric Emptying Breath Test (GEBT).

30 Mar 2016

Research describes first new mouse model for Zika infection in decades

Efforts to combat the rapid spread of Zika virus got a boost this week as researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston (UTMB) announced the first peer-reviewed publication of a mouse model for Zika infection reported in decades.

30 Mar 2016

Japanese scientists decode sugar molecule linked to muscular dystrophy

A group of Japanese scientists have succeeded in decoding a sugar molecule and clarifying a mechanism linked to muscular dystrophy. Their discovery has potential implications for muscular dystrophy treatment. The results of their research were published in the journal Cell Reports on February 25, 2016 EST.

29 Mar 2016

UT Southwestern scientists discover mutation that causes X-linked reticulate pigmentary disorder

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have discovered a mutation that causes a rare systemic disorder known as X-linked reticulate pigmentary disorder (XLPDR) and, significantly, the unexpected cellular mechanism by which the mutation causes the disease.

29 Mar 2016

Antibodies given within one day of SHIV exposure can clear the virus

Scientists at the Oregon National Primate Research Center today revealed that infant rhesus macaques treated with antibodies within 24 hours of being exposed to SHIV, a chimeric simian virus that bears the HIV envelope protein, were completely cleared of the virus.

22 Mar 2016

Heart failure drug has unexpected ability to block herpesvirus infection

Today, there is only one class of antiviral medicines against herpesviruses - a family of viruses that cause mononucleosis, herpes, and shingles, among other illnesses - meaning options for treating these infections are limited. If viruses become resistant to these frontline treatments, a growing problem particularly in clinical settings, there are no alternative drugs to serve as backup.

15 Mar 2016

Viral Disease News and Research

Meta-genomics analysis tool Taxonomer can rapidly and accurately detect pathogens

Zika virus infection may cause ocular problems in Brazilian infants with microcephaly

New approach offers unprecedented view of how HIV virus infects and appropriates host cell

Research provides pathway toward creation of first broad-spectrum antiviral drug

lncRNA in placenta may help protect unborn baby from invading pathogens

Unique attributes of zebrafish may help study human blood disorders

Globin gene transfer to treat beta-thalassemias shows promise in first clinical trial

Female sex hormone estradiol may protect women against sexually transmitted viral infections

Respiratory tract infection in infants linked with increased T1D risk

Scientists develop new strategy to combat wide range of viruses

Climate change, global travel may increase dengue epidemic risk

WHO outlines steps to close immunization gap across countries during World Immunization Week 2016

Cigarette smoking, viral infections may reduce effectiveness of COPD symptom-reliever medication

Warming temperatures may increase risk for dengue outbreaks in Europe

Cairn launches non-invasive Gastric Emptying Breath Test for measuring rate of gastroparesis in adults

Research describes first new mouse model for Zika infection in decades

Japanese scientists decode sugar molecule linked to muscular dystrophy

UT Southwestern scientists discover mutation that causes X-linked reticulate pigmentary disorder

Antibodies given within one day of SHIV exposure can clear the virus

Heart failure drug has unexpected ability to block herpesvirus infection

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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