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IPS examines challenges to slowing spread of HIV in Eastern Europe, Central Asia

"Despite pledges from governments across Eastern Europe and Central Asia to fight HIV/AIDS -- one of the eight Millennium Development Goals -- the region has the world's fastest-growing HIV epidemic," Inter Press Service reports in an article examining challenges to stemming the spread of the disease, particularly among injection drug users.

5 Sep 2012

FDA clears Roche's automated type-specific herpes tests

Roche announced today that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its IgG Antibody to herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 assays for use on cobas modular platforms. The tests are intended for use with sexually active individuals and expectant mothers as an aid in the presumptive diagnosis of HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 5 Sep 2012

Ebola outbreak ending in Uganda, continues to affect neighboring DR Congo

"While Ebola continues to kill in the Democratic Republic of Congo, an outbreak of the virus in neighboring Uganda appears to be coming to an end, the World Health Organization said Monday, reporting that no new cases of the deadly virus had been confirmed in Uganda for a month," the Los Angeles Times' "World Now" blog reports.

5 Sep 2012

Delegates to Latin America, Caribbean Forum on AIDS, STIs discuss progress, challenges

"More than 4,000 delegates -- including government officials, health experts, community leaders, scientists, indigenous populations, youth and people living with HIV -- convened from 28-31 August in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for the 6th Latin American and Caribbean Forum on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)," UNAIDS reports in a feature story.

5 Sep 2012

Ultrastable RNA nanoparticles may help treat cancer and viral infections

A new study by University of Kentucky researchers shows promise for developing ultrastable RNA nanoparticles that may help treat cancer and viral infections by regulating cell function and binding to cancers without harming surrounding tissue.

4 Sep 2012

Study finds increase in HIV treatment use in the U.S.

Between 2000 and 2008, the proportion of HIV-infected patients in the U.S. receiving effective treatment known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) increased, and HIV-infected patients appeared to be less infectious and have healthier immune systems at death, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

4 Sep 2012

Whole-genome sequencing can track origin and movement of TB pathogens

Reconstructing the spread of killer diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) from person to person using DNA sequencing quickly identifies the origin and movement of pathogens. This approach is directly informing public health strategies to control infectious disease outbreaks, says a scientist speaking at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn Conference at the University of Warwick.

4 Sep 2012

Nottingham scientists develop novel antimicrobial catheter

A novel antimicrobial catheter that remains infection-free for up to twelve weeks could dramatically improve the lives of long-term catheter users. The scientists who have developed the new technology are presenting their work at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn Conference at the University of Warwick.

4 Sep 2012

High-dose vitamin D appears to help patients with TB recover more quickly

For decades before antibiotics became generally available, sunshine was used to treat tuberculosis, with patients often being sent to Swiss clinics to soak up the sun's healing rays. Now, for the first time scientists have shown how and why heliotherapy might, indeed, have made a difference.

4 Sep 2012

Scientists succeed in clarifying molecular signature of hantaviruses

Scientists at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Labor Berlin GmbH have succeeded in clarifying the molecular signature of the viruses that lead to an increasing size and number of hantavirus outbreaks in Germany.

3 Sep 2012

Researchers measure highest DDT levels in breast milk from South African nursing mothers

The highest levels ever of DDT in breast milk have been measured in mothers living in malaria-stricken villages in South Africa. The values lie well over the limits set by the World Health Organization. DDT has been used for many years in South Africa, sprayed indoors to fight malaria.

3 Sep 2012

Triple-threat approach can reduce invasive bloodstream infections in pediatric cancer patients

Hospitals can dramatically reduce the number of life-threatening central line infections in pediatric cancer patients by following a set of basic precautions, by encouraging families to speak up when they observe noncompliance with the protocol and by honest analysis of the root cause behind every single infection, according to a new Johns Hopkins Children's Center study.

3 Sep 2012

AIDS experts develop first accurate computer simulation to explain drug effects

Pooling data from thousands of tests of the antiviral activity of more than 20 commonly used anti-HIV drugs, AIDS experts at Johns Hopkins and Harvard universities have developed what they say is the first accurate computer simulation to explain drug effects. Already, the model clarifies how and why some treatment regimens fail in some patients who lack evidence of drug resistance.

3 Sep 2012

Western Schools offers new 4th Edition West Nile Virus continuing education course for nurses

West Nile virus is showing up earlier and producing more severe cases than normal this year, and nurses must be able to recognize who is at risk and how to best protect against it, an expert at Western Schools said today.

3 Sep 2012

Digested coconut oil able to attack the bacteria that cause tooth decay

Digested coconut oil is able to attack the bacteria that cause tooth decay. It is a natural antibiotic that could be incorporated into commercial dental care products, say scientists presenting their work at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn Conference at the University of Warwick.

3 Sep 2012

Scientists create mathematical model that helps to design new drug cocktails against HIV

For years, doctors treating those with HIV have recognized a relationship between how faithfully patients take the drugs they prescribe, and how likely the virus is to develop drug resistance. More recently, research has shown that the relationship between adherence to a drug regimen and resistance is different for each of the drugs that make up the "cocktail" used to control the disease.

3 Sep 2012

Complacency and apathy may have played a role in recent spike of West Nile cases

With almost 1,600 cases of West Nile Virus and 66 mortalities reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) nationwide, officials are calling the recent West Nile virus outbreak the largest ever seen in the United States.

1 Sep 2012

Reworking of PEPFAR in South Africa must be handled carefully to ensure continuation of care

"Government assurances that the scaling back of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program in South Africa (SA) will be carefully managed to protect patients are welcome, but ... [t]he reality is that the Department of Health is struggling to cope with severe medical staff shortages, financial resources that never seem to stretch far enough, inadequate infrastructure and maintenance programs, and administrative bottlenecks," a Business Day editorial states.

1 Sep 2012

Challenges to eradicating polio in Nigeria

John Campbell, Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, writes in his "Africa in Transition" blog that "[t]he Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) reports eight new polio cases in Nigeria, bringing the total in that country to 70 for 2012," with most of the cases occurring in the predominantly Muslim north.

1 Sep 2012

Boosting immune system can help reduce asthma attacks due to viral infections

Details of a treatment that could help asthmatics fight infections that trigger 80% of asthma attacks, developed by University of Southampton spin-out company Synairgen, will be presented to European respiratory experts on Sunday 2 September.

1 Sep 2012

Disease/Infection News

IPS examines challenges to slowing spread of HIV in Eastern Europe, Central Asia

FDA clears Roche's automated type-specific herpes tests

Ebola outbreak ending in Uganda, continues to affect neighboring DR Congo

Delegates to Latin America, Caribbean Forum on AIDS, STIs discuss progress, challenges

Ultrastable RNA nanoparticles may help treat cancer and viral infections

Study finds increase in HIV treatment use in the U.S.

Whole-genome sequencing can track origin and movement of TB pathogens

Nottingham scientists develop novel antimicrobial catheter

High-dose vitamin D appears to help patients with TB recover more quickly

Scientists succeed in clarifying molecular signature of hantaviruses

Researchers measure highest DDT levels in breast milk from South African nursing mothers

Triple-threat approach can reduce invasive bloodstream infections in pediatric cancer patients

AIDS experts develop first accurate computer simulation to explain drug effects

Western Schools offers new 4th Edition West Nile Virus continuing education course for nurses

Digested coconut oil able to attack the bacteria that cause tooth decay

Scientists create mathematical model that helps to design new drug cocktails against HIV

Complacency and apathy may have played a role in recent spike of West Nile cases

Reworking of PEPFAR in South Africa must be handled carefully to ensure continuation of care

Challenges to eradicating polio in Nigeria

Boosting immune system can help reduce asthma attacks due to viral infections

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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