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Circumcision offers men some protection against HIV, discovers TGen-led study

Male circumcision reduces the abundance of bacteria living on the penis and might help explain why circumcision offers men some protection against HIV, according to a study led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute.

17 Apr 2013

Reports of H7N9 cases, deaths continue from across China

"Two more people have died in China from a new strain of bird flu, raising the death toll from the virus to 13, state media reported Sunday," the Associated Press reports.

16 Apr 2013

Production of synthetic artemisinin an attack against farmers currently growing the plant

"On Thursday, the founder of Amyris Biotech triumphantly announced production of 70 million doses of the anti-malarial compound artemisinin," Jim Thomas, research program director for ETC group, a technology watchdog that works with farmers' organizations, writes in The Guardian's "Poverty Matters" blog.

16 Apr 2013

Malaria strategies need to target at-risk populations, researchers say

New strategies are needed to fight malaria in countries with low prevalence, because "pockets of infection remain, mainly among men living or working outdoors," according to a paper published in The Lancet, BBC News reports.

16 Apr 2013

IRIN examines how mining industry in Mozambique increasing fears of HIV

IRIN examines how "[e]very mining boom brings the fear of a rising HIV infection rate, particularly in a country like Mozambique, where the estimated prevalence is already 11.3 percent."

16 Apr 2013

Global Fund has achieved impressive results, but more work remains

"This week I had the pleasure to host a preparatory meeting between donors of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria," European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs writes in the Huffington Post's "The Big Push" blog.

16 Apr 2013

Pneumococcal vaccine: an interview with Graham Clarke, CEO ImmBio

The pathogen that we are talking about is called streptococcus pneumoniae. That is a fairly common bacteria and if you did a nasal swab you would find that quite a lot of people have this bacterium living in their nasal passages.

16 Apr 2013

Benitec to conduct phase I/II clinical trial of TT-034 in patients with HCV in UCSD site

RNAi-based therapeutics company Benitec Biopharma Limited today announced the selection of the University of California, San Diego, Health Sciences as the second site for its upcoming phase I/II first-in-man trial for TT-034 in Hepatitis C infections.

16 Apr 2013

New study to discover preventive use of antibiotics for Lyme disease

At the start of the "Tick Week", the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment and Wageningen University are commencing a large-scale study to discover whether preventive use of antibiotics can stop Lyme disease developing after a tick bite.

16 Apr 2013

Luminex's MAGPIX instrument gets FDA approval

Luminex Corporation today announced it has received U.S. FDA clearance of its MAGPIX instrument, with its xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel.

From Luminex 16 Apr 2013

Study shows mathematical models can help assess effectiveness of HIV intervention combinations

South Africa is home to the largest HIV epidemic in the world with a total of 5.6 million people living with HIV. Large-scale clinical trials evaluating combination methods of prevention and treatment are often prohibitively expensive and take years to complete.

16 Apr 2013

Global commitment needed for polio eradication

"I have spent my career seeking to understand and tackling deadly viruses, from ebola to HIV. But polio stands out because, unlike these diseases, we already hold the key to its eradication: effective vaccines," Peter Piot, director and professor of global health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, writes in The Guardian's "Poverty Matters" blog.

15 Apr 2013

Malaria control strategies must adapt to rapidly changing patterns of infection

Malaria control strategies must keep up with the rapidly changing patterns of malaria infection in low transmission settings, according to the authors of a new Review, published in The Lancet. Whereas women and young children suffer from the greatest burden of malaria in high transmission areas, an increasing proportion of malaria cases in low transmission settings are occurring in adult men, sometimes concentrated in small geographic areas and sharing certain occupations or behaviours.

15 Apr 2013

New data on T cells' protective role suggests need for new approach to dengue vaccine design

As efforts to create a strong and effective vaccine for the dreaded dengue virus continue to hit snags, a new study from researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology offers surprising evidence that suggests the need for a revamped approach to dengue vaccine design.

15 Apr 2013

Cholera epidemic in Haiti expected to worsen with onset of rainy season, lack of funds

"Nearly 2.5 years after it began, Haiti's cholera epidemic is getting worse, not better, and efforts to treat the sick are desperately short of funds, say aid groups on the ground," The Lancet reports.

15 Apr 2013

Gates Foundation's programs complement new global plan to prevent 2M child deaths

John Grove, a senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gretchen Meller, a program officer at the foundation, write in the group's "Impatient Optimists" blog, "By addressing [pneumonia and diarrhea] together, the [Integrated Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhea] goes to the heart of the matter: both diseases are caused by a range of pathogens, and no single intervention alone will eliminate either disease.

15 Apr 2013

FDA approves Taro's NDA for Topicort Topical Spray

Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. reported today that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its New Drug Application Topicort (desoximetasone) Topical Spray, 0.25%.

15 Apr 2013

President's FY14 budget proposal encourages more donation to Global Fund

By proposing $1.65 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria "in his 2014 budget request to Congress, President Obama gave the world the next big shove it needs to control and end AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria," Kolleen Bouchane, director of ACTION, writes in the Huffington Post's "The Big Push" blog.

15 Apr 2013

Published report describes 3 cases of H7N9; Researchers developing quick test, vaccine

A new report by a team of Chinese researchers describing the cases of three people who died of the H7N9 avian flu strain in China "was published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine along with a commentary from American health officials, who said the disease 'raises many urgent questions and global public health concerns,'" the New York Times reports.

15 Apr 2013

Crash inspection program finds problems at some compounding pharmacies

After a crash inspection program, federal regulators said Thursday that they had found numerous unsafe practices at about 30 compounding pharmacies, the same type of facility responsible for the tainted drug that caused a deadly meningitis outbreak last year (Pollack, 4/12).

15 Apr 2013