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Current smokers with HIV more likely to get bacterial pneumonia

Bacterial pneumonia is one of the commonest and most serious infections occurring in people infected with HIV. A metanalysis of cohort and case control studies published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine finds that current smokers with HIV were at double the risk of bacterial pneumonia than non-smoking counterparts, but that when people stopped smoking their risk was reduced.

21 Jan 2013

NTD treatments are cost-effective, report shows

"Recently, Hudson Institute's Center for Science in Public Policy, in partnership with the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, published a new report to highlight the links between NTDs and socio-economic prosperity," according to the network's "End the Neglect" blog.

21 Jan 2013

Scientists identify new mechanism that turns CD4 helper T lymphocytes into killer cells

A research team led by the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology has discovered the mechanism that enables CD4 helper T cells to assume the more aggressive role of killer T cells in mounting an immune attack against viruses, cancerous tumors and other damaged or infected cells.

21 Jan 2013

Mature CD4+ helper T lymphocytes can be re-programed to gain killing functions

The fate of mature T lymphocytes might be a lot more flexible than previously thought. New research from the RIKEN Center for Allergy and Immunology (RCAI) in Japan and La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology (LIAI) in the USA shows for the first time that mature CD4+ helper T lymphocytes can be re-programed to become killer-like CD8+ T lymphocytes and gain killing functions.

21 Jan 2013

Carter Center Guinea worm eradication program in 'final stages'

"Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced today that the international Guinea worm eradication campaign spearheaded by the Carter Center has reached its final stages with only 542 cases reported worldwide in 2012," a Carter Center press release reports.

19 Jan 2013

DRC reducing mother-to-child HIV transmission, PlusNews reports

"The HIV infection rate has declined among pregnant women in the Republic of Congo from 3.4 percent in 2009 to 2.8 percent in 2012, according to a study by the Ministry of Health, which said it had taken specific action to help this section of the population," PlusNews reports.

19 Jan 2013

Accelerated partnerships critical to ensuring malaria elimination goals

Writing in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog in advance of the Monitoring & Evaluation Reference Group (MERG) meeting convened by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and taking place in Namibia this week, Lucy Chesire, executive director and secretary to the board of the TB ACTION Group, interviews Roly Gosling, current head of the Malaria Elimination Initiative at the University of California, San Francisco, "regarding malaria elimination, its importance, and why the Global Fund is critical to achieving that goal worldwide."

19 Jan 2013

G-CON completes delivery and installation of POD system in PaxVax's GMP production facility

G-CON today announced the completed delivery and installation of the ground-breaking POD system in PaxVax's licensed GMP production facility based in San Diego, California where PaxVax manufactures innovative and socially responsible oral vaccines against infectious diseases.

19 Jan 2013

Ban on thiomersal in vaccines would harm global immunization efforts

"Government representatives are meeting in Geneva this week to decide whether to introduce a global ban on mercury that could include thiomersal, a mercury-based preservative that has been used in some vaccine manufacturing since the 1930s to prevent bacterial or fungal contamination of multidose vials of vaccine," Seth Berkley, a medical epidemiologist and chief executive of the GAVI Alliance, writes in a New York Times opinion piece.

19 Jan 2013

Deriving lessons from cholera epidemic in Haiti and looking forward to future actions

Noting U.N. peacekeepers played a role in bringing cholera to Haiti, Victoria Fan, a research fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD), writes in the group's "Global Health Policy" blog, "Blame aside, there are undoubtedly lessons to be learned by looking back at how this epidemic came to pass in Haiti. More importantly, looking ahead there are key steps that should be taken to eliminate cholera in Haiti."

19 Jan 2013

Scientists figure out how to dodge HPV-triggered cancers by vaccination

In 2009, more than 30,000 people in the U.S. learned they had cancer linked to the human papillomavirus, or HPV. This virus is best known for causing cervical cancer, but it's also the culprit behind many cancers of the mouth, throat, anus, and genitals. Unlike many forms of cancer, for which we lack the knowledge and tools to prevent, scientists have figured out how to dodge HPV-triggered cancers — by HPV vaccination.

19 Jan 2013

New report highlights links between NTDs and socio-economic prosperity

A recently released report, entitled "Social and Economic Impact Review on Neglected Tropical Diseases," highlights links between neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and socio-economic prosperity.

19 Jan 2013

Leprosy bacteria able to change the make-up of Schwann cells

A discovery about the way in which bugs spread throughout the body could help to develop stem cell treatments.

19 Jan 2013

Calcium receptor – potential drug target for sleeping sickness

While its common name may make it sound almost whimsical, sleeping sickness, or African trypanosomiasis, is in reality a potentially fatal parasitic infection that has ravaged populations in sub-Saharan Africa for decades, and it continues to infect thousands of people every year.

19 Jan 2013

ECLS system supports flu patients in their recovery from severe respiratory problems

In recent weeks the intensive critical care units at University Health Network's Toronto General Hospital have used Extra Corporeal Lung Support (ECLS) to support five influenza (flu) patients in their recovery from severe respiratory problems.

19 Jan 2013

Rite Aid obtains more than 400,000 additional seasonal flu shots

In response to the nationwide flu epidemic and customer demand, Rite Aid Corporation announced today it has obtained more than 400,000 additional seasonal flu shots, which began arriving in stores earlier this week.

19 Jan 2013

Survey finds shortage of TB medicines in U.S.; Consequences similar to lack of access in developing countries, advocate says

"More than 80 percent of health departments in the United States that treat tuberculosis [TB] resistant to standard treatment have trouble obtaining the drugs they need to cure the disease, according to a national survey released on Thursday," Reuters reports.

18 Jan 2013

Researchers identify signaling pathway used by malarial parasites to destroy host cells

One of the most insidious ways that parasitic diseases such as malaria and toxoplasmosis wreak their havoc is by hijacking their host's natural cellular processes, turning self against self.

18 Jan 2013

Study to determine prevalence of abnormal anal cytology and HPV in at-risk women

A basic connection of statistics lead a researcher at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island to question whether women should be screened for anal cancer during a regular visit to the gynecologist, and what technique is most effective.

18 Jan 2013

WHO reports significant decrease in measles deaths over past decade but warns large outbreaks in certain regions jeopardize progress

"While the number of measles deaths around the world has significantly decreased over the past decade, large outbreaks in certain regions are jeopardizing progress, the United Nations health agency said [Thursday], adding that improved vaccination rates are critical to eliminate the disease," the U.N. News Centre reports.

18 Jan 2013

Disease/Infection News

Current smokers with HIV more likely to get bacterial pneumonia

NTD treatments are cost-effective, report shows

Scientists identify new mechanism that turns CD4 helper T lymphocytes into killer cells

Mature CD4+ helper T lymphocytes can be re-programed to gain killing functions

Carter Center Guinea worm eradication program in 'final stages'

DRC reducing mother-to-child HIV transmission, PlusNews reports

Accelerated partnerships critical to ensuring malaria elimination goals

G-CON completes delivery and installation of POD system in PaxVax's GMP production facility

Ban on thiomersal in vaccines would harm global immunization efforts

Deriving lessons from cholera epidemic in Haiti and looking forward to future actions

Scientists figure out how to dodge HPV-triggered cancers by vaccination

New report highlights links between NTDs and socio-economic prosperity

Leprosy bacteria able to change the make-up of Schwann cells

Calcium receptor – potential drug target for sleeping sickness

ECLS system supports flu patients in their recovery from severe respiratory problems

Rite Aid obtains more than 400,000 additional seasonal flu shots

Survey finds shortage of TB medicines in U.S.; Consequences similar to lack of access in developing countries, advocate says

Researchers identify signaling pathway used by malarial parasites to destroy host cells

Study to determine prevalence of abnormal anal cytology and HPV in at-risk women

WHO reports significant decrease in measles deaths over past decade but warns large outbreaks in certain regions jeopardize progress

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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