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NIH-sponsored clinical trials examine safety, acceptability of HIV antiretroviral medicines

Two new clinical trials are examining the safety and acceptability of antiretroviral medicines administered via injection as a means of protecting against HIV infection. The studies are being funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, and conducted by the NIAID-funded HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN).

19 Feb 2015

NIAID expands Tuberculosis Research Units program to drive innovation in TB research

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, is expanding its Tuberculosis Research Units program in an effort to drive innovation in tuberculosis (TB) research. NIAID is awarding up to $15.2 million in fiscal year 2015 and as much as $105.3 million over seven years to fund four institutions that will act as a collaborative TBRU network.

19 Feb 2015

Weill Cornell receives NIH grant to study TB-causing bacteria

In an effort to stop tuberculosis (TB) from becoming progressively less treatable worldwide, the National Institutes of Health has awarded Weill Cornell Medical College more than $6.2 million in first-year funding to support a research collaboration among six institutions in close alliance with voluntary pharmaceutical partners.

19 Feb 2015

New molecule shows promise in controlling HIV without using daily antiretroviral drugs

Scientists have created a new molecule that shows promise for controlling HIV without daily antiretroviral drugs. The molecule foils a wider range of HIV strains in the laboratory than any known broadly neutralizing HIV antibody and is more powerful than some of the most potent of these antibodies.

19 Feb 2015

New clinical trial launched in South Africa to study investigational HIV vaccine regimen

A clinical trial called HVTN 100 has been launched in South Africa to study an investigational HIV vaccine regimen for safety and the immune responses it generates in study participants. This experimental vaccine regimen is based on the one tested in the U.S. Military HIV Research Program-led RV144 clinical trial in Thailand--the first study to demonstrate that a vaccine can protect people from HIV infection.

19 Feb 2015

UCSD researchers make new attempt to develop malaria vaccine candidate

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine used algae as a mini-factory to produce a malaria parasite protein. The algae-produced protein, paired with an immune-boosting cocktail suitable for use in humans, generated antibodies in mice that nearly eliminated mosquito infection by the malaria parasite.

19 Feb 2015

San Francisco AIDS Foundation unveils new mobile testing unit

On Valentine's Day, San Francisco AIDS Foundation unveiled a new mobile testing unit, an essential element in the plan to eliminate HIV transmission in San Francisco. The new unit—a 33-foot-long vehicle outfitted specifically for HIV and STI testing—will increase the availability of free testing in neighborhoods across the city at times when other HIV testing sites are closed.

19 Feb 2015

Scientists identify potential target to combat leishmaniasis

Research led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists has identified a potential target in the quest to develop a more effective treatment for leishmaniasis, a parasitic tropical disease that kills thousands and sickens more than 1 million people worldwide each year.

19 Feb 2015

TB Alliance announces initiation of first human trial of new TB drug candidate

TB Alliance has announced the start of the first human trial of a new tuberculosis (TB) drug candidate, designated TBA-354. It is the first new TB drug candidate to begin a Phase 1 clinical trial since 2009.

19 Feb 2015

Sugar intake and tooth decay: an interview with Professor Nigel Pitts

Globally, dental caries (the technical term for tooth decay) is the most prevalent non-communicable disease, affecting 80% of the global population. Healthy teeth support overall well-being, while dental caries can contribute to high levels of pain and anxiety, as well as leading to other medical problems.

18 Feb 2015

NICE measures for resisting microbial drug resistance

NICE has published draft guidelines to ensure that antibiotics continue to be effective in treating infections and are not rendered useless through the development of antimicrobial resistance.

18 Feb 2015

TSRI scientists develop new drug candidate against HIV

In a remarkable new advance against the virus that causes AIDS, scientists from the Jupiter, Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have announced the creation of a novel drug candidate that is so potent and universally effective, it might work as part of an unconventional vaccine.

18 Feb 2015

Nearly one out of two U.S. adults suffers from periodontal disease

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms that nearly one out of two U.S. adults age 30 and over—64.7 million Americans—has periodontitis, the advanced form of periodontal disease.

18 Feb 2015

Training modules for emergency department staff to treat infectious disease patients available on CDC's website

Four Web-based training modules developed by Johns Hopkins Medicine for emergency department personnel who treat patients with infectious diseases are now available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

18 Feb 2015

Corticosteroids decrease treatment failure among patients with community-acquired pneumonia

Among patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia and high initial inflammatory response, the use of the corticosteroid methylprednisolone decreased treatment failure, compared with placebo, according to a study in the February 17 issue of JAMA.

18 Feb 2015

UNICEF and UNAIDS go ‘All In’ to end the AIDS epidemic among adolescents

AIDS has become the second leading cause of death among adolescents globally. Just one in four children and adolescents under the age of 15 have access to life-saving antiretroviral treatment. Deaths are declining in all age groups, except among 10–19 year olds.

17 Feb 2015

Fusobacterium necrophorum often causes severe sore throats in young adults

New research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham suggests that Fusobacterium necrophorum more often causes severe sore throats in young adults than streptococcus — the cause of the much better known strep throat.

17 Feb 2015

Researchers describe new family of bacteria common in malaria mosquitoes

A new family of bacteria that are common in malaria mosquitoes has been described by researchers at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Uppsala University in Sweden, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Germany, and the Veterinärmedizinische Universität, Austria.

17 Feb 2015

Rutgers patient gets second chance at life following liver transplant

Mati Muñoz is 65 years old - filled with the enthusiastic energy that comes with a second chance at life. A decade ago, says Muñoz, who lives in Woodbridge Township, N.J., her liver was being destroyed by hepatitis C, a viral disease she believes she contracted as a girl in her native Cuba from a poorly sterilized needle used in a medical procedure.

17 Feb 2015

Breath test could detect Parkinson’s

The researchers, with funding from Parkinson’s UK and the British Council, will study around 200 people and see if just by looking at their breath they can determine which have Parkinson’s.

16 Feb 2015