Disease/Infection News

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Minor flu strains carry bigger viral punch

Minor variants of flu strains, which are not typically targeted in vaccines, carry a bigger viral punch than previously realized, a team of scientists has found. Its research, which examined samples from the 2009 flu pandemic in Hong Kong, shows that these minor strains are transmitted along with the major strains and can replicate and elude immunizations.

5 Jan 2016

Millions of older adults make infectious disease-related emergency department visits each year

Investigators estimate that during 2012, there were more than 3.1 million emergency department visits for infectious diseases among elderly US adults.

5 Jan 2016

Crowdsourcing: the answer for rare disease diagnosis?

Medical crowdsourcing is like the ultimate consult service. A question arises, it is asked on the forum, and you can get answers from multiple specialties within minutes. It is harnessing the brightest minds in one place and using that power to do what we enjoy doing most – helping people.

4 Jan 2016

Areas stricken by extreme poverty more likely to be associated with high rates of Ebola transmission

Since October 2014 the Ebola epidemic in West Africa has been diminishing and efforts have shifted from emergency response to prevention and mitigation of future outbreaks. Researchers from the Liberian Ministry of Health and the Yale Center for Infectious Disease Modelling and Analysis evaluated 3532 Ebola cases reported in 2014 in order to quantify the impact of poverty on the transmission and spread of Ebola.

4 Jan 2016

Treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis with regimens may improve outcomes

Treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) with regimens that include a greater number of drugs may improve outcomes, and baseline drug susceptibility testing (DST) could identify drugs with the greatest likelihood of success, according to a paper published this week in PLOS Medicine.

30 Dec 2015

SUNY Downstate study maps areas of high probability of plague across the western US

Researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center have identified and mapped areas of high probability of plague bacteria in the western United States.

29 Dec 2015

Newly discovered molecular mechanism may provide alternative explanation for antibiotic resistance

The bacterium B. cereus had so far been considered to be exclusively endospore-forming. In response to harsh conditions, the bacteria form protective endospores enabling them to remain dormant for extended periods. When conditions are more favourable, the endospores reactivate to become fully functioning bacteria.

28 Dec 2015

Study shows why immune system fails to develop immunity during malaria infection

Australian scientists have for the first time revealed how malaria parasites cause an inflammatory reaction that sabotages our body's ability to protect itself against the disease.

26 Dec 2015

Ebola virus and bats waging molecular battle for survival

Ebola virus and bats have been waging a molecular battle for survival that may have started at least 25 million years ago, according to a study led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the University of Colorado-Boulder (CU-Boulder) and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) that published online today in the journal eLife.

24 Dec 2015

Azithromycin remains effective in treatment of urogenital chlamydia, confirms UAB study

In one of the most tightly controlled trials ever conducted of drugs used to treat sexually transmitted infections, researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have confirmed that azithromycin remains effective in the treatment of urogenital chlamydia.

24 Dec 2015

Selexipag holds promise for treatment of pulmonary hypertension

Living with pulmonary arterial hypertension is challenging, but the chore of treating the rare heart disease may change following promising clinical trial data to be published in the Dec. 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

24 Dec 2015

Study on how immune systems of astronauts respond to seasonal flu vaccine

Every year, as influenza season - and flu shot season--rolls around, medical experts weigh in on just how effective it will be against that year's particular strain. What if that equation could take into account a person's own immune response?

24 Dec 2015

Simplified mathematical model to study spread of dengue fever in urban areas

Mathematics is often implemented in healthcare and medical research. From health management to the bio-pharmaceutical fields, math modeling can be used to predict the spread of diseases, how to prevent epidemics and so much more.

24 Dec 2015

Researchers identify 124 protein targets of artemisinin in most pathogenic malaria parasite

A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) 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.

24 Dec 2015

Single VRC01 antibody infusion could suppress HIV level in people not taking ART

A single infusion of a powerful antibody called VRC01 can suppress the level of HIV in the blood of infected people who are not taking antiretroviral therapy (ART), scientists at the National Institutes of Health report in a paper published today.

24 Dec 2015

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

Disease/Infection News

Minor flu strains carry bigger viral punch

Millions of older adults make infectious disease-related emergency department visits each year

Crowdsourcing: the answer for rare disease diagnosis?

Areas stricken by extreme poverty more likely to be associated with high rates of Ebola transmission

Treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis with regimens may improve outcomes

SUNY Downstate study maps areas of high probability of plague across the western US

Newly discovered molecular mechanism may provide alternative explanation for antibiotic resistance

Study shows why immune system fails to develop immunity during malaria infection

Ebola virus and bats waging molecular battle for survival

Azithromycin remains effective in treatment of urogenital chlamydia, confirms UAB study

Selexipag holds promise for treatment of pulmonary hypertension

Study on how immune systems of astronauts respond to seasonal flu vaccine

Simplified mathematical model to study spread of dengue fever in urban areas

Researchers identify 124 protein targets of artemisinin in most pathogenic malaria parasite

Single VRC01 antibody infusion could suppress HIV level in people not taking ART

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

Exploring the nanoscale: How AFM is transforming cosmetic science

Innovating Texture and Culture in Plant-Based Foods

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

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