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State Highlights: St. Jude lawsuits could change medical-device liability protection; Calif. weighs charity minimum for nonprofit hospitals

A raft of lawsuits filed Thursday against St. Jude Medical Inc. over an implanted heart device could challenge the broad liability protection that medical-device makers have enjoyed since a key Supreme Court ruling in 2008.

6 Apr 2013

Research roundup: Looking at CHIP to gauge effect of health law on doctors; Insurers' spending on quality improvements

In this study published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, researchers analyzed the 1997 Children's Health Insurance Program to evaluate the potential changes in physicians' work hours in response to a large expansion in coverage.

6 Apr 2013

Advocates, community leaders to participate in Keep the Promise on HIV/AIDS March and Rally today

Hundreds of advocates and community leaders are expected to participate in the "Keep the Promise on HIV/AIDS" March and Rally on Saturday, April 6th beginning at 12:00 noon in Cadman Plaza Park in Brooklyn, New York.

6 Apr 2013

Researchers map immune response to HIV, say findings could inform vaccine science

In research that could help in the search for an HIV vaccine, "American researchers have minutely tracked one person's powerful immune response to the virus to see how a series of mutations led to an antibody that can defeat many HIV strains," the New York Times reports (McNeil, 4/3).

5 Apr 2013

Research: Hepatitis A virus steals membranes from infected cells to protect it from antibodies

Viruses have historically been classified into one of two types - those with an outer lipid-containing envelope and those without an envelope.

5 Apr 2013

Study offers new possibilities for developing potent antibacterial drugs

A new study which was performed jointly at Ume- University and the University of Washington in Seattle, USA, discovered that bacteria can degrade the cell membrane of bacterial competitors with enzymes that do not harm their own membrane.

5 Apr 2013

Not all mice that come into contact with Borrelia contract Lyme disease, study finds

Like humans, mice can become infected with Borrelia. However, not all mice that come into contact with these bacteria contract the dreaded Lyme disease: Animals with a particular gene variant are immune to the bacteria, as scientists from the universities of Zurich and Lund demonstrate.

5 Apr 2013

Anti-vaccination messages spread more easily than positive ones on Twitter, researchers find

On Twitter, a popular microblogging and social-networking service, statements about vaccines may have unexpected effects -- positive messages may backfire, according to a team of Penn State University researchers led by Marcel Salath-, an assistant professor of biology.

5 Apr 2013

Editorial, opinion pieces address emergence of new bird flu strain in China

"Memories of China's repression of news during its tumultuous 2002-03 SARS outbreak could fuel panic and unrest at home and suspicion in the West," Hall, a novelist, writes.

5 Apr 2013

China reports 2 more cases of H7N9; Researchers continue to investigate transmission routes

"China has found two more cases of a new strain of bird flu and one of the victims has died, state media said on Wednesday, bringing to nine the number of confirmed human infections from the previously unknown flu type," Reuters reports (Blanchard/Kelland, 4/3).

5 Apr 2013

Metallothioneins play major role in virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans

Metallothioneins, proteins able to capture metal ions, play a major role in the virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans, a fungal pathogen which causes severe infections in immunodeficient and immunocompetent individuals (AIDS patients, transplant receivers, etc.)

5 Apr 2013

Roundup: Calif. hospitals to close after homeless care controversy; Texas hospitals spar over indigent care payments

Hospital owner Pacific Health Corp. said it will close its three remaining Southern California hospitals, citing the fallout from a federal fraud case last year in which the company admitted paying to recruit homeless people off skid row in Los Angeles and billing the government for unnecessary care (Terhune, 4/3).

5 Apr 2013

Observation of antibody evolution in HIV-1 patient provides insights into vaccine development

Observing the evolution of a particular type of antibody in an infected HIV-1 patient, a study spearheaded by Duke University, including analysis from Los Alamos National Laboratory, has provided insights that will enable vaccination strategies that mimic the actual antibody development within the body.

5 Apr 2013

Research findings provide insight into severe bacterial infectious diseases

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report that a pathogen annually blamed for an estimated 90 million cases of food-borne illness defeats a host's immune response by using a fat-snipping enzyme to cut off cellular communication.

5 Apr 2013

Banning trans fat may prevent some of the world’s biggest killer diseases

Banning the use of trans fats in the preparation of foodstuffs is one of the most effective ways to prevent some of the world’s biggest killer diseases, but many governments are not taking such action because they do not think these bans work, according to a University of Sydney study published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization today.

4 Apr 2013

Researchers study specific bacteria that contribute to overactive bladder

Thousands of women suffer from overactive bladder (OAB) or the sudden need to urinate, yet many don't get relief from medication. Researchers at Loyola University Health System believe certain bacteria may be to blame.

4 Apr 2013

Schizophrenia patients experiencing relapse are more likely to develop UTIs

Schizophrenia patients experiencing relapse are 29 times more likely than healthy individuals to have a urinary tract infection, researchers report.

4 Apr 2013

To meet TB treatment goals, latent TB cases must be diagnosed

"If everyone in the world were tested for latent infection with tuberculosis (a status that predisposes people to develop active disease) today, at least one billion people would be positive," Ray Chambers, U.N. special envoy for health financing, writes in the Huffington Post's "The Big Push" blog.

4 Apr 2013

Information technology can improve TB screening, treatment programs

In a Center for Health Market Innovations blog post, Arjun Vasan of the Results for Development Institute uses preliminary research and analysis data collected by CHMI and the University of Toronto to examine "innovative ways to improve privately delivered TB care."

4 Apr 2013

Finding solutions to protect U.S. troops against invisible killers

A Saint Louis University researcher has received a contract worth up to $980,000 to see if two cancer medications have the potential of protecting U.S. troops from biological agents that could be unleashed during an attack.

4 Apr 2013

Disease/Infection News

State Highlights: St. Jude lawsuits could change medical-device liability protection; Calif. weighs charity minimum for nonprofit hospitals

Research roundup: Looking at CHIP to gauge effect of health law on doctors; Insurers' spending on quality improvements

Advocates, community leaders to participate in Keep the Promise on HIV/AIDS March and Rally today

Researchers map immune response to HIV, say findings could inform vaccine science

Research: Hepatitis A virus steals membranes from infected cells to protect it from antibodies

Study offers new possibilities for developing potent antibacterial drugs

Not all mice that come into contact with Borrelia contract Lyme disease, study finds

Anti-vaccination messages spread more easily than positive ones on Twitter, researchers find

Editorial, opinion pieces address emergence of new bird flu strain in China

China reports 2 more cases of H7N9; Researchers continue to investigate transmission routes

Metallothioneins play major role in virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans

Roundup: Calif. hospitals to close after homeless care controversy; Texas hospitals spar over indigent care payments

Observation of antibody evolution in HIV-1 patient provides insights into vaccine development

Research findings provide insight into severe bacterial infectious diseases

Banning trans fat may prevent some of the world’s biggest killer diseases

Researchers study specific bacteria that contribute to overactive bladder

Schizophrenia patients experiencing relapse are more likely to develop UTIs

To meet TB treatment goals, latent TB cases must be diagnosed

Information technology can improve TB screening, treatment programs

Finding solutions to protect U.S. troops against invisible killers

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

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