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Ministers meet to discuss Global Plan to eliminate new HIV infections among children

UNAIDS and PEPFAR recently brought together the ministers of health and representatives of the 22 countries with the most new HIV cases among children to discuss progress on the Global Plan towards the Elimination of New HIV Infections among Children by 2015 and Keeping Their Mothers Alive, agreed to at the 2011 U.N. High-Level Meeting on AIDS, according to a UNAIDS press release.

25 May 2012

Peritonitis commonly arises in the weeks before many dialysis patients die

An infection called peritonitis commonly arises in the weeks before many dialysis patients die, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

25 May 2012

New method can screen for bacterial genes that are expressed during meningitis

Bacterial meningitis is an infection of the meninges, the protective membrane that covers the spinal cord and brain. Children, elderly patients and immunocompromised patients are at a higher risk for the development of severe bacterial meningitis. Recently, researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia sought to identify new vaccine targets in Streptococcus pneumoniae, which is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in the world.

25 May 2012

ICS may prevent parapneumonic effusion in patients with CAP

Prior treatment with inhaled corticosteroids in patients with respiratory disorders who develop community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is associated with a lower incidence and severity of parapneumonic effusion, according to a new study from researchers in Spain.

24 May 2012

Cepheid’s Xpert CT/NG system receives European CE marking

Cepheid today announced that both Xpert CT/NG and Xpert CT have received CE marking, with shipments expected to begin immediately.

24 May 2012

Experts, advocates urge continued funding for research into HIV, TB vaccines

"[P]articipants at a symposium held last week by the U.K. Consortium on AIDS and International Development warned that progress on HIV and tuberculosis (TB) vaccines could be jeopardized by the recent downturn in global health funding," BMJ reports.

24 May 2012

COPD patients with P. aeruginosa infection more likely to have poor clinical outcomes

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who become infected with the bacterium Pseudomonas aerguinosa are more likely to have worse clinical outcomes and experience more hospitalizations during the course of their disease than COPD patients who are not infected, according to researchers from Buffalo, N.Y.

24 May 2012

Scientific American examines global progress toward clean drinking water, sanitation goals

"U.N. Development Goals for better drinking water have already been reached, but a closer look shows that the measures fail to truly account for the lack of access to safe water," Scientific American reports in a feature story.

24 May 2012

IRIN examines WHO process of translating research results into policy recommendations

IRIN examines the WHO's regulatory approval process for making evidence-based recommendations, noting, "Governments will generally not implement an intervention without the WHO stamp of approval."

24 May 2012

Senate Appropriations Subcommittee approves FY13 State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs on Tuesday approved a $52.1 billion FY 2013 spending bill for state and foreign operations, The Hill's "Global Affairs" blog reports.

24 May 2012

Chronic diseases, bloodstream infections on the rise among HIV+ ICU patients

The expanded use of antiretrovirals, potent drugs used to treat retroviral infections such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), has been linked to significant decreases in hospital mortality rates among severely ill HIV-positive (HIV+) patients nationwide, primarily due to a decrease in opportunistic infections, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford University.

24 May 2012

PTH boosts AMPs to fend off infection-causing microbes

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are molecules produced in the skin to fend off infection-causing microbes. Vitamin D has been credited with a role in their production and in the body's overall immune response, but scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say a hormone previously associated only with maintaining calcium homeostasis and bone health is also critical, boosting AMP expression when dietary vitamin D levels are inadequate.

24 May 2012

No link between viral infections during infancy and wheezing in childhood

The number of viral infections during infancy is not associated with wheezing later in childhood, according to a new study from researchers in the Netherlands. While viral illnesses with wheezing in infancy predicted wheezing later in childhood, this association was due in part to decreased neonatal lung function.

24 May 2012

Study shows prevalence of drug-resistant HIV strains in Uganda rising, among highest in sub-Saharan Africa

"The prevalence of drug-resistant HIV strains in Uganda has risen from 8.6 percent to 12 percent in the last five years, one of the highest rates in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a recent study," PlusNews reports.

24 May 2012

Many women not screened for gonorrhea and chlamydia infection during pregnancy

Many women are not screened for chlamydia and gonorrhea infection during their pregnancy, and follow-up testing is not always performed as medically recommended for those who test positive for chlamydia, according to a study published online in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

From Quest Diagnostics 24 May 2012

Acne pills can cause eye infections

Millions of teenagers suffer from acne, and they deal with the embarrassing skin blemishes by taking popular prescription medications such as Accutane or Roaccutane. Now, however, research from Tel Aviv University shows that these pills can also cause eye infections such as conjunctivitis (pink eye) or sties.

24 May 2012

USPTO issues patent to MicuRx’s MRX-I antibacterial agent

MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately-held biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation antibiotics, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a composition of matter patent covering its clinical candidate, MRX-I. MRX-I is a novel antibacterial oxazolidinone that targets infections due to multi-drug resistant Gram-positive pathogens.

23 May 2012

Severe hypersensitivity reactions to anti-HIV drug occur through autoimmune mechanism

Potentially severe hypersensitivity reactions to the anti-HIV drug abacavir occur through an autoimmune mechanism, resulting from the creation of drug-induced immunogens that are attacked by the body's immune system, according to a study published online by the journal AIDS, official journal of the International AIDS Society.

23 May 2012

Few new chemicals are in development for malaria vector control

"This issue has been building for some time. It is really no surprise as insects have become resistant to nearly all insecticides given time and selection pressure. Few new chemicals are in development for malaria vector control, because there is little profit to be made by the poorest of the world's poor — who feel the brunt of the malaria burden.

23 May 2012

Proper care of diabetic foot infections can save limbs, lives

Diabetic foot infections are an increasingly common problem, but proper care can save limbs and, ultimately, lives, suggest new guidelines released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

23 May 2012