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EC approves Pfizer’s Prevenar 13 to prevent pneumococcal disease

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the European Commission has approved expanding the use of the company's pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Prevenar 13(pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine [13-valent, adsorbed]), to older children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years for active immunization for the prevention of invasive disease, pneumonia and acute otitis media caused by vaccine-type Streptococcus pneumoniae.

9 Jan 2013

NEJM examines global disease eradication efforts

"Since the last case of naturally occurring smallpox, in 1977, there have been three major international conferences devoted to the concept of disease eradication," an article in the New England Journal of Medicine reports and includes "a brief review of five diseases selected for eradication or elimination that illustrate the potential benefits of such efforts and some of the challenges they pose."

9 Jan 2013

Links between rodents' environment, climate and leptospirosis infection

Leptospirosis is a water-related bacterial disease with a high incidence in Southeast Asia. People usually become infected through exposure to water contaminated by the urine of infected animals, mainly rats and mice. In the framework of the CERoPath program, IRD researchers and their partners have revealed the relationship between rodents' environment and infection by leptospirosis bacteria.

9 Jan 2013

Mass. governor proposes new compounding pharmacy oversights

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is proposing the state exercise stricter control over compounding pharmacies by -- in part -- establishing new licensing requirements for the labs and letting the state assess fines against them if they break rules.

9 Jan 2013

Up to 1M people need food aid in Philippines areas hit by typhoon

"A month after Typhoon Bopha hit the southern Philippines, up to one million people need food assistance and thousands of others could be displaced for a second time, the United Nations says," AlertNet reports.

9 Jan 2013

New compound restores health of mice with MRSA infection

Researchers have discovered a new compound that restores the health of mice infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an otherwise dangerous bacterial infection. The new compound targets an enzyme not found in human cells but which is essential to bacterial survival.

8 Jan 2013

SNSF-funded professor to receive 2012 National Latsis Prize

On 10 January 2013, Jacques Fellay will receive the National Latsis Prize 2012 at the Rathaus in Berne. The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) is awarding the Prize to the SNSF-funded professor at EPF Lausanne in recognition of his work on the human genome and its defence mechanisms against viral diseases such as AIDS.

8 Jan 2013

Adolescents may lose hepatitis B virus protection despite vaccination as infants

New research reveals that a significant number of adolescents lose their protection from hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, despite having received a complete vaccination series as infants. Results in the January 2013 issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, suggest teens with high-risk mothers (those positive for HBeAg) and teens whose immune system fails to remember a previous viral exposure (immunological memory) are behind HBV reinfection.

8 Jan 2013

Support innovative financing mechanisms for global health

"Millions of lives are saved today in developing countries because of bold, innovative financing arrangements over last 10 years.

8 Jan 2013

Protection of health workers necessary to eradicate polio

"The murders of charity and aid workers in Pakistan has dealt a devastating blow to a national campaign to wipe out polio and other deadly diseases," a New York Times editorial states.

8 Jan 2013

Al Jazeera examines HIV in Russia

Al Jazeera continues its coverage of HIV in Russia, where "[t]he latest official figures show that about 200 new cases are being recorded every single day."

8 Jan 2013

Experts at December WHO meeting agree upon sleeping sickness elimination plan

Experts at a December 2012 WHO meeting agreed on a plan to eliminate sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis), the Lancet reports.

7 Jan 2013

New research shows rise in number of HIV infections in Russia, Al Jazeera reports

"New research has revealed an alarming spike in the number of HIV infections in Russia, with 200 people being diagnosed with the condition every day," Al Jazeera reports.

7 Jan 2013

Yearlong moratorium on H5N1 research soon lifted, new rules implemented, Science reports

"U.S. government officials say they expect to put the finishing touches this month on new rules designed to help funding agencies identify and regulate especially problematic H5N1 studies before they begin," which would allow influenza researchers "to lift a year-old, self-imposed moratorium on certain kinds of potentially dangerous experiments," Science reports.

7 Jan 2013

Editorial, opinion pieces address effects of health worker murders in Pakistan on polio eradication

Several news outlets published opinion pieces regarding the recent murders of polio vaccination and other aid workers in Pakistan.

7 Jan 2013

Inovio, MVI collaborate to advance malaria vaccine development and new delivery technologies

The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) and Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced a follow-on collaboration to advance malaria vaccine development and new vaccination delivery technologies.

7 Jan 2013

FDA proposes two new food safety rules to help prevent foodborne illness

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today proposed two new food safety rules that will help prevent foodborne illness.

7 Jan 2013

Reflecting on FDA approval of new TB drug

Noting "the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced that it has approved a new treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) that can be used as an alternative when other drugs fail," Kim Lufkin, communications officer at the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC), writes in the coalition's "Breakthroughs" blog, "There is a pressing and urgent need for even more new TB drugs, which makes this new FDA approval so significant."

7 Jan 2013

Report shows how P. gingivalis manipulates body's immune system to disable normal processes

A new research report published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows how the bacteria known for causing gum disease--Porphyromonas gingivalis--manipulates the body's immune system to disable normal processes that would otherwise destroy it. Specifically, the report shows that this pathogen prompts the production of the anti-inflammatory molecule Interleukin-10 (IL-10).

4 Jan 2013

Manipulating T cells with iPSC techniques could help develop effective immune therapies

The human body contains immune cells programmed to fight cancer and viral infections, but they often have short lifespans and are not numerous enough to overcome attacks by particularly aggressive malignancies or invasions.

4 Jan 2013

Disease/Infection News

EC approves Pfizer’s Prevenar 13 to prevent pneumococcal disease

NEJM examines global disease eradication efforts

Links between rodents' environment, climate and leptospirosis infection

Mass. governor proposes new compounding pharmacy oversights

Up to 1M people need food aid in Philippines areas hit by typhoon

New compound restores health of mice with MRSA infection

SNSF-funded professor to receive 2012 National Latsis Prize

Adolescents may lose hepatitis B virus protection despite vaccination as infants

Support innovative financing mechanisms for global health

Protection of health workers necessary to eradicate polio

Al Jazeera examines HIV in Russia

Experts at December WHO meeting agree upon sleeping sickness elimination plan

New research shows rise in number of HIV infections in Russia, Al Jazeera reports

Yearlong moratorium on H5N1 research soon lifted, new rules implemented, Science reports

Editorial, opinion pieces address effects of health worker murders in Pakistan on polio eradication

Inovio, MVI collaborate to advance malaria vaccine development and new delivery technologies

FDA proposes two new food safety rules to help prevent foodborne illness

Reflecting on FDA approval of new TB drug

Report shows how P. gingivalis manipulates body's immune system to disable normal processes

Manipulating T cells with iPSC techniques could help develop effective immune therapies

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

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