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Researchers report first evidence of Seoul hantavirus in wild rats in the Netherlands

In a paper just published in the peer reviewed journal Infection, Ecology & Epidemiology, researchers report discovering the first evidence of Seoul hantavirus (SEOV) in the wild rat population in the Netherlands. The discovery comes on the heels of similar ones in France, Belgium and the United Kingdom in recent years, and has some researchers concerned about the potential spread of the virus to humans.

16 Feb 2015

Changes in moles and skin cancer: an interview with Dr Anjali Mahto, Consultant Dermatologist & British Skin Foundation Spokesperson

Melanoma is the 5th most common cancer in the UK and its incidence is continuing to increase since the mid-1970s. Cancer Research UK reports that its rates have increased more rapidly than any of the current ten most common cancers in males and females. Whilst some of this may be attributed to better surveillance and earlier detection, the real problem lies with sun-seeking behaviour and exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

16 Feb 2015

Climate change causes emergence of more infectious diseases

The appearance of infectious diseases in new places and new hosts, such as West Nile virus and Ebola, is a predictable result of climate change, says a noted zoologist affiliated with the Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

16 Feb 2015

Experience with Ebola outbreak highlights local responses to global health threats

Experience with the Ebola outbreak highlights local health departments' essential role in responding to global health threats posed by infectious diseases, according to a special article in the March/April issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice.

16 Feb 2015

Consortium formed to develop program to improve health outcomes for Ebola patients

Scripps Translational Science Institute will lead a consortium of four partners to develop a program through which wearable, wireless health sensors, a wireless vital signs monitoring platform and advanced analytics technology will be tested in a new "precision medicine" approach designed to improve health outcomes for Ebola patients, increase the safety of health care workers and reduce risk of spreading the virus to others.

16 Feb 2015

Door-to-door campaing encourages people to get tested for hepatitis C and to get linked to care

In Philadelphia, as in many cities, neighborhoods with high rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) often also have limited access to screening and treatment. A new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine shows that when expert advocates made a focused effort in a medically underserved area, they were able to help vulnerable patients leap each of the many hurdles that often keep people out of care.

15 Feb 2015

Study: Ebola transmission from deceased patients may be possible

To determine how long Ebola virus could remain infectious in a body after death, National Institutes of Health scientists sampled deceased Ebola-infected monkeys and discovered the virus remained viable for at least seven days. They also detected non-infectious viral RNA for up to 70 days post-mortem. The study, published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, suggests that Ebola transmission from deceased individuals may be possible for an extended period of time following death, underscoring the importance of using safe practices for handling corpses.

15 Feb 2015

New antibody shows promise in increasing survival for patients suffering from influenza, pneumonia

Scientists from NTU Singapore, the world's No. 1 young university, have developed an antibody which boosts the survival chances for patients suffering from influenza and pneumonia.

14 Feb 2015

Risk of ovarian cancer increased with even short-term HRT use

There has been much uncertainty regarding the risk of cancer associated with taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for the menopause. An analysis of all available evidence published in The Lancet today shows that HRT, even when taken for only a few years, significantly increases the risk of developing the two most common types of ovarian cancer.

13 Feb 2015

Immune system exploits flu virus' dependence on host's machinery

Viruses are masters of outsourcing, entrusting their fundamental function - reproduction - to the host cells they infect. But it turns out this highly economical approach also creates vulnerability.

13 Feb 2015

Lenvatinib trial offers hope for thyroid cancer patients

A new targeted therapy called lenvatinib has been shown to improve progression-free survival among patients with advanced thyroid cancer that is not responsive to iodine-131.

13 Feb 2015

'Mad Cow' discovery points to possible neuron killing mechanism behind alzheimer’s and parkinson’s diseases

The new study, published recently in the journal Brain, revealed the mechanism of toxicity of a misfolded form of the protein that underlies prion diseases, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (“mad cow disease”) and its human equivalent, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

13 Feb 2015

Elusys presents positive results of obiltoxaximab for treating inhalational anthrax, post-exposure prophylaxis

Elusys Therapeutics, Inc. (Elusys), a biopharmaceutical company developing antibody therapies to treat infectious disease, presented data demonstrating that obiltoxaximab (ETI-204) demonstrated a statistically significant survival benefit across a range of disease severity in animal model studies assessing treatment of inhalational anthrax, as well as effectiveness in post-exposure prophylaxis.

13 Feb 2015

New study indicates that malaria-causing parasite is unlikely to cross from animals to humans

In recent years, public health experts have increasingly explored the idea of eliminating the most dangerous malaria-causing parasite. But they have questioned whether getting rid of this species, called Plasmodium falciparum, would allow other species of the parasite to simply jump into the gap and start infecting humans with malaria.

13 Feb 2015

Research provides new insights into rapid defence responses in human immune system

Researchers have uncovered a sieve-like structure in lymph nodes that regulates the transport of proteins and migration of white blood cells into lymph nodes.

12 Feb 2015

Researchers develop novel approach to identify potential antimalarial drugs

Each year nearly 600,000 people--mostly children under age five and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa--die from malaria, caused by single-celled parasites that grow inside red blood cells. The most deadly malarial species--Plasmodium falciparum--has proven notoriously resistant to treatment efforts.

12 Feb 2015

SRI Biosciences awarded contract to develop novel polymers to neutralize chemical, biological threats

SRI Biosciences, a division of SRI International, has been awarded a $10 million contract under a DARPA program to reimagine how proteins are constructed and to develop novel medicines and diagnostics as countermeasures to chemical and biological threats.

12 Feb 2015

Health Canada: Parents advised not to feed honey to infants less than one year old

In Canada, honey is the only food which has been linked to infant botulism – a rare but serious illness that is caused by ingesting the bacterium C. botulinum.

12 Feb 2015

AbbVie submits NDA in Japan for investigational, all-oral treatment of patients with chronic HCV infection

AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) seeking approval for the company's investigational, all-oral, ribavirin (RBV) and interferon (IFN)-free, 12-week, two direct-acting antiviral treatment of ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir (OBV/PTV/r), dosed once daily.

12 Feb 2015

Standard cleaning procedures in retail delis may not eradicate Listeria pathogen, study shows

Purdue University research shows that standard cleaning procedures in retail delis may not eradicate Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, which can cause a potentially fatal disease in people with vulnerable immune systems.

11 Feb 2015

Disease/Infection News

Researchers report first evidence of Seoul hantavirus in wild rats in the Netherlands

Changes in moles and skin cancer: an interview with Dr Anjali Mahto, Consultant Dermatologist & British Skin Foundation Spokesperson

Climate change causes emergence of more infectious diseases

Experience with Ebola outbreak highlights local responses to global health threats

Consortium formed to develop program to improve health outcomes for Ebola patients

Door-to-door campaing encourages people to get tested for hepatitis C and to get linked to care

Study: Ebola transmission from deceased patients may be possible

New antibody shows promise in increasing survival for patients suffering from influenza, pneumonia

Risk of ovarian cancer increased with even short-term HRT use

Immune system exploits flu virus' dependence on host's machinery

Lenvatinib trial offers hope for thyroid cancer patients

'Mad Cow' discovery points to possible neuron killing mechanism behind alzheimer’s and parkinson’s diseases

Elusys presents positive results of obiltoxaximab for treating inhalational anthrax, post-exposure prophylaxis

New study indicates that malaria-causing parasite is unlikely to cross from animals to humans

Research provides new insights into rapid defence responses in human immune system

Researchers develop novel approach to identify potential antimalarial drugs

SRI Biosciences awarded contract to develop novel polymers to neutralize chemical, biological threats

Health Canada: Parents advised not to feed honey to infants less than one year old

AbbVie submits NDA in Japan for investigational, all-oral treatment of patients with chronic HCV infection

Standard cleaning procedures in retail delis may not eradicate Listeria pathogen, study shows

Fourier 80: bringing benchtop NMR systems to the laboratory

How industrial hygiene flow calibration supports defensible exposure data

How electrical engineering ensures accurate calibration and patient safety

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