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New approach allows researchers to trap and watch highly motile cells

Optical imaging of highly motile cells or cells in suspension, such as bacterial systems, yeast cells, and immune cells, is a challenging task, in many cases it is just not possible. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), for example, can spread very efficiently from an infected T cell to an uninfected T cell through direct cell-cell contact.

31 Mar 2015

Study provides insights into climate, social factors that trigger dengue outbreaks

Researchers at Upstate Medical University, in collaboration with a team of international investigators studying dengue fever, have discovered new information on climate drivers of the disease and social risk factors that may be contributing to its spread, according to two scientific papers recently published in BMC Infectious Disease and BMC Public Health, open access, peer-reviewed online journals.

30 Mar 2015

Ebola epidemic reveals critical weaknesses in global public health system

In the year since the World Health Organization (WHO) was first notified of an outbreak of what proved to be Ebola virus disease in the west African country of Guinea, more than 24,000 cases have been reported and over 10,000 individuals have died - primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

30 Mar 2015

Effective therapy enables immune system recovery in majority of children

Most children with HIV who have low levels of a key immune cell eventually recover levels of this cell after they begin treatment, according to a new study conducted by researchers at UCLA and other institutions in the U.S. and Brazil.

30 Mar 2015

Synthetic Biologics begins SYN-004 Phase 2a clinical trial to prevent C. difficile infection

Synthetic Biologics, Inc., a developer of pathogen-specific therapies for serious infections and diseases, with a focus on protecting the microbiome, today announced the initiation of a Phase 2a clinical trial to evaluate the gastrointestinal (GI) antibiotic-degrading effects and the safety of SYN-004, the Company's investigational oral beta-lactamase enzyme designed to protect the microbiome and prevent C. difficile infection (CDI).

30 Mar 2015

Rare genetic mutation explains why flu can kill in rare cases

Nobody likes getting the flu, but for some people, fluids and rest aren't enough. A small number of children who catch the influenza virus fall so ill they end up in the hospital — perhaps needing ventilators to breathe — even while their family and friends recover easily. New research by Rockefeller University scientists, published March 26 in Science, helps explain why: a rare genetic mutation.

30 Mar 2015

Study: Use of hand disinfection, aseptic techniques during risk-prone invasive procedures is very low

An observational study by Sahlgrenska Academy researchers at a large Swedish hospital found 2,393 opportunities for hand disinfection and/or aseptic techniques. Doctors and nurses missed 90% of the opportunities.

30 Mar 2015

Researchers harness gene editing technique in mosquito that infects people with deadly diseases

Traditionally, to understand how a gene functions, a scientist would breed an organism that lacks that gene - "knocking it out" - then ask how the organism has changed. Are its senses affected? Its behavior?

30 Mar 2015

Study suggests new approach to help prevent meningococcal outbreaks

Nasal drops of harmless bacteria can inhibit a related bug that sometimes causes meningococcal disease, according to new findings published online in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The study--conducted among college students, a group at higher risk for this often serious illness--suggests a new approach that could help suppress outbreaks of the disease, if supported by future research.

30 Mar 2015

Wearable collision warning device may help patients with peripheral vision loss

People who have lost some of their peripheral vision, such as those with retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, or brain injury that causes half visual field loss, often face mobility challenges and increased likelihood of falls and collisions.

30 Mar 2015

Fecal microbiota transplantation more successful for treating Clostridium difficile infections

Distasteful though it sounds, the transplantation of fecal matter is more successful for treating Clostridium difficile infections than previously thought.

30 Mar 2015

Research: Common bacteria poised to become antibiotic-resistant superbugs

Antibiotic resistance is poised to spread globally among bacteria frequently implicated in respiratory and urinary infections in hospital settings, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

30 Mar 2015

Two experimental Ebola vaccines appear to be safe in PREVAIL clinical trial in Liberia

Two experimental Ebola vaccines appear to be safe based on evaluation in more than 600 people in Liberia who participated in the first stage of the Partnership for Research on Ebola Vaccines in Liberia (PREVAIL) Phase 2/3 clinical trial, according to interim findings from an independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board review.

30 Mar 2015

Study finds C. difficile infection increases hospital readmission rates

Patients with Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) are twice as likely to be readmitted to the hospital as patients without the deadly diarrheal infection, according to a study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

30 Mar 2015

Researchers reveal risks of drinking raw milk

An analysis conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) found that the risks of drinking raw (unpasteurized) cow's milk are significant. Consumers are nearly 100 times more likely to get foodborne illness from drinking raw milk than they are from drinking pasteurized milk.

30 Mar 2015

NYUCD receives NIH grant to develop POC test to detect HIV antibodies and viral RNA

New York University College of Dentistry has received a sub-award in the amount of $335,000 from a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant from the National Institutes of Health to complete the development of a fully automated self-confirming assay that can simultaneously detect HIV/AIDS antibodies and viral RNA from the AIDS virus in a single specimen.

29 Mar 2015

Promising clinical trial results for ebola vaccines

Interim findings from a clinical trial (PREVAIL) in which two experimental Ebola vaccines were given to more than 600 people in Liberia indicate that the vaccines are safe for use in humans. Based on these positive results, the vaccines may continue into the next stage of clinical evaluation; a phase 3 trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

27 Mar 2015

New Ebola vaccine shows promise in first phase 1 clinical trial

Results from the first phase 1 trial of an Ebola vaccine based on the current (2014) strain of the virus are today published in The Lancet. Until now, all tested Ebola virus vaccines have been based on the virus strain from the Zaire outbreak in 1976. The results suggest that the new vaccine is safe, and provokes an immune response in recipients, although further long-term testing will be needed to establish whether it can protect against the Ebola virus.

27 Mar 2015

Guinean Government initiates first efficacy trial of Ebola vaccine in Basse-Guinée

The Guinean Government with the World Health Organization initiated the very first efficacy trial of an Ebola vaccine this week in an affected community of the Basse-Guinée, one of the areas where most Ebola cases are found in the country.

27 Mar 2015

Study sheds light on cataract development

The motion of coins in a "Penny Pusher" carnival game is similar to the movement of cells in the eye's lens, as described in a new study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS).

27 Mar 2015

Disease/Infection News

New approach allows researchers to trap and watch highly motile cells

Study provides insights into climate, social factors that trigger dengue outbreaks

Ebola epidemic reveals critical weaknesses in global public health system

Effective therapy enables immune system recovery in majority of children

Synthetic Biologics begins SYN-004 Phase 2a clinical trial to prevent C. difficile infection

Rare genetic mutation explains why flu can kill in rare cases

Study: Use of hand disinfection, aseptic techniques during risk-prone invasive procedures is very low

Researchers harness gene editing technique in mosquito that infects people with deadly diseases

Study suggests new approach to help prevent meningococcal outbreaks

Wearable collision warning device may help patients with peripheral vision loss

Fecal microbiota transplantation more successful for treating Clostridium difficile infections

Research: Common bacteria poised to become antibiotic-resistant superbugs

Two experimental Ebola vaccines appear to be safe in PREVAIL clinical trial in Liberia

Study finds C. difficile infection increases hospital readmission rates

Researchers reveal risks of drinking raw milk

NYUCD receives NIH grant to develop POC test to detect HIV antibodies and viral RNA

Promising clinical trial results for ebola vaccines

New Ebola vaccine shows promise in first phase 1 clinical trial

Guinean Government initiates first efficacy trial of Ebola vaccine in Basse-Guinée

Study sheds light on cataract development

How can super-resolution technology help study neurotransmission?

The Proteoform Puzzle: Unlocking the Next Frontier

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

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