Viral Disease News and Research

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Scientists find how APOBEC protein becomes dangerous when DNA replication process goes wrong

Cancer is caused by the growth of an abnormal cell which harbours DNA mutations, "copy errors" occurring during the DNA replication process. If these errors do take place quite regularly without having any damaging effect on the organism, some of them affect a specific part of the genome and cause the proliferation of the mutant cell, which then invades the organism.

25 Jan 2016

Penn study provides new insight into cause of peripartum cardiomyopathy in pregnant women

Each year approximately 1 in 1,000 pregnant women will experience peripartum cardiomyopathy, an uncommon form of often severe heart failure that occurs in the final month of pregnancy or up to five months following delivery. But the cause of peripartum cardiomyopathy has been largely unknown - until now.

7 Jan 2016

Scientists find genetic link to unexplained heart failure affecting pregnant women

Scientists have found that women who suffer unexplained heart failure towards the end of pregnancy or shortly after giving birth share certain genetic changes.

7 Jan 2016

Leading researchers reject proposed link between adeno-associated virus 2 and hepatocellular carcinoma

The conclusion drawn from a recent study that insertion of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) into human DNA causes mutations leading to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was resoundingly rejected by leading researchers in the fields of gene therapy and molecular genetics.

7 Jan 2016

Janssen collaborates with Bavarian Nordic to develop, commercialize vaccine for chronic HPV infections

Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the company has entered into a definitive collaboration and license agreement with Bavarian Nordic to leverage their MVA-BN technology, jointly with Janssen's own AdVac® technology, in the development and commercialization of a heterologous prime-boost vaccine for the treatment of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) chronic infections which can lead to cancer.

20 Dec 2015

New discovery could open door to potential treatment for West Nile virus and Dengue virus infections

A new discovery from the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry could open the door to one day treat or prevent diseases caused by West Nile virus and Dengue virus infections.

18 Dec 2015

Prophylaxis treatment can protect children who receive liver transplants from HBV-infected donors

Researchers have found that a prophylaxis treatment can prevent new-onset hepatitis B in children who receive liver transplants from donors who were previously infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) but had successfully cleared the virus.

16 Dec 2015

Study points to new avenue for developing potential strategies to thwart HIV virus

Nearly 37 million people worldwide are living with HIV. When the virus destroys so many immune cells that the body can't fight off infection, AIDS will develop. The disease took the lives of more than a million people last year.

26 Nov 2015

People with viral infections and identical gene mutations may be prone to hyperinflammatory disorder

A group of people with fatal H1N1 flu died after their viral infections triggered a deadly hyperinflammatory disorder in susceptible individuals with gene mutations linked to the overactive immune response, according to a study in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

25 Nov 2015

Study finds that living liver donors highly satisfied with donation process

A study of living liver donors found donors were highly satisfied with the donation process. Findings published in Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, indicate most donors would donate again, independent of any complications from transplantation.

17 Nov 2015

Measles vaccination plays key role in reducing child mortality

The number of measles-related deaths has decreased 79% from 546 800 at the beginning of the century to 114 900 in 2014. New data released by WHO for the Measles & Rubella Initiative, estimates that 17.1 million lives have been saved since 2000, largely due to increased vaccination coverage against this highly contagious viral disease.

13 Nov 2015

Combatting viral and bacterial lung infections with volatile anesthetics: an interview with Dr Chakravarthy

Inhaled anesthetics are fairly common all over the world for minor and extensive surgical procedures in patients of all age groups. In the olden days when anesthesia was first developed, ether was the first inhaled anesthetic. That has been replaced, with the more recent discoveries of sevoflurane, isoflurane, and desflurane.

9 Nov 2015

Taking steps to prevent, protect against flu

With flu season approaching, parents may be bracing for an outbreak at their children's schools, but adults are also highly susceptible at work and in other public places. Now is the time for families and businesses to take steps to prevent and protect against the flu.

27 Oct 2015

CDC publishes reports on infectious and noninfectious diseases

Beginning with the Oct. 23, 2015, Supplements to Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), CDC will publish the summaries of all notifiable conditions – infectious and noninfectious – at the same time.

23 Oct 2015

First-ever genomic study shows dengue may survive year-round in southern China

The first-ever comprehensive genomic analysis of the virus that causes dengue fever suggests that it may survive year-round in southern China.

14 Oct 2015

NIH researchers discover why certain immune responses can be harmful to the brain

National Institutes of Health scientists studying inflammation of the brain have discovered why certain immune responses, which typically help cells recognize and fight viral and bacterial infections, can sometimes be harmful to the brain. Many brain disorders involve the death of neurons, or nerve cells, but how these neurons die is not well understood.

7 Oct 2015

Understanding HCV disease progression rates among PWID

The Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a chronic blood-borne viral infection that affects an estimated 160 million people, or 2-3% of the population world-wide. Alarmingly, chronic HCV infection accounts for one-quarter of the cases of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). If HCV is left untreated, chronic liver disease will occur in 60-70% of the cases, cirrhosis in 5-20% of the cases, and 1-5% will die from decompensated cirrhosis or HCC.

6 Oct 2015

Novel portable device counts white blood cells in real time

A novel way to count white blood cells without a blood test, simply by applying a small device on the fingertip, is being developed by a team of young bioengineers. The technology, that combines an optical sensor with algorithms, has already three prototypes on the go and is specially designed to be used on chemotherapy patients, who could know their immune system levels in real time. It could also serve to detect serious infections.

30 Sep 2015

Researchers reveal potential new treatment methods for fatal brain disease

Researchers from the University of Zurich and the University Hospital Zurich reveal possible new treatment methods for a rare, usually fatal brain disease. Thanks to their discovery that specific antibodies play a key role in combating the viral infection, a vaccine against the disease "progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy" could now be developed.

24 Sep 2015

Novel mechanism may help explain the virulence of 1918 'Spanish' flu

While yearly outbreaks of flu kill about 250,000 to 500,000 people worldwide, the 1918 "Spanish" flu infected one-third of the world's population and killed 50 million to 100 million. Chad Petit, Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, has discovered a novel mechanism for one 1918 flu virus protein that may help explain the virulence of that unusually deadly pandemic.

23 Sep 2015

Viral Disease News and Research

Scientists find how APOBEC protein becomes dangerous when DNA replication process goes wrong

Penn study provides new insight into cause of peripartum cardiomyopathy in pregnant women

Scientists find genetic link to unexplained heart failure affecting pregnant women

Leading researchers reject proposed link between adeno-associated virus 2 and hepatocellular carcinoma

Janssen collaborates with Bavarian Nordic to develop, commercialize vaccine for chronic HPV infections

New discovery could open door to potential treatment for West Nile virus and Dengue virus infections

Prophylaxis treatment can protect children who receive liver transplants from HBV-infected donors

Study points to new avenue for developing potential strategies to thwart HIV virus

People with viral infections and identical gene mutations may be prone to hyperinflammatory disorder

Study finds that living liver donors highly satisfied with donation process

Measles vaccination plays key role in reducing child mortality

Combatting viral and bacterial lung infections with volatile anesthetics: an interview with Dr Chakravarthy

Taking steps to prevent, protect against flu

CDC publishes reports on infectious and noninfectious diseases

First-ever genomic study shows dengue may survive year-round in southern China

NIH researchers discover why certain immune responses can be harmful to the brain

Understanding HCV disease progression rates among PWID

Novel portable device counts white blood cells in real time

Researchers reveal potential new treatment methods for fatal brain disease

Novel mechanism may help explain the virulence of 1918 'Spanish' flu

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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