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Hepatitis C virus linked to increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease

The hepatitis C virus may be associated with an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a study published in the December 23, 2015, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

24 Dec 2015

Immunogeneticist helps monitor immune responses in VRC01 phase 1 trial in HIV-infected individuals

Janardan Pandey, Ph.D., an immunogeneticist specializing in immunoglobulin GM genes at the Medical University of South Carolina, helped monitor for immune responses that could limit the effectiveness of the broadly neutralizing antibody VRC01 in a phase 1 trial of that antibody in HIV-infected individuals led by a team at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

24 Dec 2015

Study reveals factors that bolster altruistic behavioral intentions during Ebola outbreak

When the Ebola epidemic broke out in 2014, many people responded with fear and loathing, calling for travelers from West Africa to be quarantined, including health workers returning from Ebola-affected areas.

23 Dec 2015

Study shows pathogens can survive in dry foods for long periods of time

Researchers at the University of Georgia found that pathogens, like salmonella, can survive for at least six months in cookies and crackers.

23 Dec 2015

NUS scientists uncover mystery behind potent parasite-killing effect of artemisinin

A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore has uncovered the mystery behind the potent parasite-killing effect of artemisinin, a drug that is considered to be the last line of defence against malaria. Given the emergence of artemisinin resistance, these findings could potentially lead to the design of new treatments against drug-resistant parasites.

23 Dec 2015

Drugs approved for various conditions also have antibiotic properties

A number of drugs already approved to treat parasitic infections, cancers, infertility and other conditions also show promise as antibiotic agents against staph and tuberculosis infections, according to a new study by University of Illinois chemists and collaborators. Because these agents act against multiple targets within the bacteria, it may be harder for bacteria to develop resistance.

23 Dec 2015

New footage shows how AIDS vaccine candidate recruits immune cells to destroy infected cells

Using innovative technology, scientists from the Institut Pasteur and Inserm have filmed in vivo the process by which an AIDS vaccine candidate, developed by the French Vaccine Research Institute and the ANRS, triggers the immune response.

23 Dec 2015

ATS commends President Obama for release of National Action Plan to combat TB

The American Thoracic Society applauds President Barack Obama and the Administration for the release of the National Action Plan to Combat Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (TB) today.

23 Dec 2015

Department of Health issues statement on CDC preliminary report regarding infection cluster at UPMC

Today, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Karen Murphy issued a statement on the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) preliminary report on an infection cluster found at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).

23 Dec 2015

FDA updates blood donor deferral recommendations to help ensure continued safety of blood supply

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued final guidance outlining updated blood donor deferral recommendations to reflect the most current scientific evidence and to help ensure continued safety of the blood supply by reducing the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission by blood and blood products.

22 Dec 2015

Roche announces availability of cobas HBVassay for use on cobas 4800 System

Roche announced today the commercial availability of the cobas HBVassay for use on the cobas 4800 System in countries accepting the CE mark. This new molecular diagnostic assay expands the available virology menu on the cobas 4800 System, improving system efficiency and providing testing flexibility that allows physicians to assess a patient's response to antiviral therapy.

22 Dec 2015

New easy-to-use computer program can quickly identify drug-resistant infections

Scientists have developed an easy-to-use computer program that can quickly analyse bacterial DNA from a patient's infection and predict which antibiotics will work, and which will fail due to drug resistance. The software is currently being trialled in three UK hospitals to see whether it could help speed up diagnosis of drug-resistant infections and enable doctors to better target the prescription of antibiotics.

21 Dec 2015

BiondVax's patent application for universal flu vaccine accepted in Israel

BiondVax Pharmaceuticals Ltd. which is developing the Universal Flu Vaccine, announced today that its patent application in Israel on the Multimeric Multi-Epitope Polypeptide Influenza Vaccines (a universal flu vaccine), was accepted.

21 Dec 2015

Targeted alpha therapy has potential to reduce HIV-infected cells from central nervous system

Targeted alpha therapy has the potential to selectively eliminate HIV infected cells from the central nervous system, according to a recent study co-authored by the JRC. The study shows that a specific human antibody labelled with the alpha emitter bismuth-213 can penetrate the blood brain barrier and selectively target and destroy HIV-infected cells while sparing non-infected healthy cells.

21 Dec 2015

Periodontal disease may increase breast cancer risk

Postmenopausal women with periodontal disease were more likely to develop breast cancer than women who did not have the chronic inflammatory disease. A history of smoking significantly affected the women's risk.

21 Dec 2015

Roche's cobas HIV-1 viral load test approved by FDA for use on cobas 6800 and cobas 8800 Systems

Roche announced today that it has received FDA approval for the cobas HIV-1 viral load test by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use on the cobas 6800 and cobas 8800 Systems. This HIV-1 viral load test is part of the next generation of Roche viral load tests, which clinicians use to manage the disease and treatment of patients infected with HIV-1.

21 Dec 2015

Flu vaccine: the facts. An interview with Dr Lisa Maragakis

There are different formulations of the flu vaccine but in general they all do the same thing, which is to stimulate our body's immune system to recognize and fight against the influenza virus.

21 Dec 2015

Australian researchers develop new technique to combat chronic bacterial infections in hospitals

One of the scourges of infections in hospitals – biofilms formed by bacteria that stick to each other on living tissue and medical instruments, making them harder to remove – can be tricked into dispersing with the targeted application of nanoparticles and heat, researchers have found.

21 Dec 2015

Luminex's NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel obtains FDA clearance

Luminex Corporation today announced that it has received FDA clearance for its NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel that detects 20 clinically relevant viral and bacterial respiratory pathogens, including the atypical bacteria Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumonia.

20 Dec 2015

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

Disease/Infection News

Hepatitis C virus linked to increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease

Immunogeneticist helps monitor immune responses in VRC01 phase 1 trial in HIV-infected individuals

Study reveals factors that bolster altruistic behavioral intentions during Ebola outbreak

Study shows pathogens can survive in dry foods for long periods of time

NUS scientists uncover mystery behind potent parasite-killing effect of artemisinin

Drugs approved for various conditions also have antibiotic properties

New footage shows how AIDS vaccine candidate recruits immune cells to destroy infected cells

ATS commends President Obama for release of National Action Plan to combat TB

Department of Health issues statement on CDC preliminary report regarding infection cluster at UPMC

FDA updates blood donor deferral recommendations to help ensure continued safety of blood supply

Roche announces availability of cobas HBVassay for use on cobas 4800 System

New easy-to-use computer program can quickly identify drug-resistant infections

BiondVax's patent application for universal flu vaccine accepted in Israel

Targeted alpha therapy has potential to reduce HIV-infected cells from central nervous system

Periodontal disease may increase breast cancer risk

Roche's cobas HIV-1 viral load test approved by FDA for use on cobas 6800 and cobas 8800 Systems

Flu vaccine: the facts. An interview with Dr Lisa Maragakis

Australian researchers develop new technique to combat chronic bacterial infections in hospitals

Luminex's NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen Panel obtains FDA clearance

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

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

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