Disease/Infection News

RSS

People of faith can work together to make water safe worldwide

"We don't honor God when 4,500 children die every day -- but they do -- from the lack of something so simple, each of us takes it for granted: a safe glass of water," Rabbi Jack Bemporad, executive director of the Center for Interreligious Understanding, and journalist Susan Barnett write in Huffington Post's "Religion" blog.

17 Mar 2012

Cuts to health budget lead to increases in HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB incidence in Greece

"The savage cuts to Greece's health service budget have led to a sharp rise in HIV/AIDS and malaria in the beleaguered nation, said a leading aid organization on Thursday," the Guardian's "News Blog" reports.

17 Mar 2012

Zimbabwe's plan to conduct household HIV testing raises concerns among some advocates

PlusNews examines the challenges and concerns surrounding Zimbabwe's plan to conduct a door-to-door HIV testing campaign, which has not yet begun but "is already being met with skepticism by activists who feel this is not a priority for the country, especially with global HIV/AIDS funding on the decline."

17 Mar 2012

World Bank report urges African governments, development aid donors to increase HIV prevention efforts

"With much of the global economy facing slowing growth and uncertain prospects, especially in developed countries, a new World Bank report" -- titled "The Fiscal Dimension of HIV/AIDS in Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland, and Uganda" -- "urges African governments and their development aid donors to do significantly more to prevent new HIV infections" and "warns that current spending on HIV/AIDS relates to past infections and is a potentially misleading indicator of the long-term public cost of the fight against HIV/AIDS," a World Bank press release states.

17 Mar 2012

The northeastern U.S. should prepare for a surge in Lyme disease this spring

The northeastern U.S. should prepare for a surge in Lyme disease this spring. And we can blame fluctuations in acorns and mouse populations, not the mild winter. So reports Dr. Richard S. Ostfeld, a disease ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.

17 Mar 2012

Researchers describe preparation of chitosan nanoparticles

Nanoparticles containing chitosan have been shown to have effective antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Escherichia coli. The materials could be used as a protective wound-healing material to avoid opportunistic infection as well as working to facilitate wound healing.

17 Mar 2012

Only 21 states require public reporting of hospital data on surgical site infections

Only 21 states require public reporting of hospital data on surgical site infections and, even when disclosure is mandated, the information is often not easily accessible to patients who could use it to make decisions about their medical care, according to new Johns Hopkins research.

17 Mar 2012

Deletion of Hms1 protein inhibits Candida albicans infection

Scientists at the University of Toronto have found a molecular mechanism that plays a key role in the transition of Candida albicans yeast into disease-causing fungus-one of the leading causes of hospital-acquired infection.

17 Mar 2012

Gates Foundation grants biotech firm Aeras $220 million over 5 years to develop TB vaccines

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is "to give $220 million over five years to the non-profit biotech firm Aeras to develop vaccines to fight tuberculosis [TB], a company statement said Thursday," Agence France-Presse reports (3/15).

17 Mar 2012

Extremely contagious RSV virus can lead to serious illness in young children

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common virus that infects the lungs and breathing passage ways. Though it may only produce minor cold symptoms in adults, it can lead to serious illness in young children and those with compromised immune systems.

17 Mar 2012

Collaborative research discovers genetic marker that identifies pigs with reduced susceptibility to PRRS

A collaborative discovery involving Kansas State University researchers may improve animal health and save the U.S. pork industry millions of dollars each year.

16 Mar 2012

Study reveals why development of HIV treatments has been difficult

A new research report appearing in the March 2012 issue of the journal Genetics shows why the development of a cure and new treatments for HIV has been so difficult. In the report, an Australian scientist explains how he used computer simulations to discover that a population starting from a single human immunodeficiency virus can evolve fast enough to escape immune defenses.

16 Mar 2012

Joint initiative to support GBV programs with PEPFAR funding

Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer and U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby on Monday "announced a joint initiative to provide $4.65 million in small grants to grassroots organizations to address gender-based violence (GBV) issues" through HIV/AIDS programs, according to a State Department press release.

16 Mar 2012

CCN1 protein orchestrates cellular antiviral response in the extracellular matrix

Brain-tumor cells that are infected with a cancer-killing virus release a protein "alarm bell" that warns other tumor cells of the impending infection and enables them to mount a defense against the virus, according to a study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.

16 Mar 2012

U.S. must recommit itself to ending AIDS, scientifically and financially

"There is a lot of optimism now in the community of public health officials and advocates who work on AIDS. ... But, even as we know more, there are still disputes about how best to move forward on both prevention and treatment," commentator Richard Socarides, a former White House adviser under President Bill Clinton, writes in the New Yorker's "News Desk" blog.

16 Mar 2012

Rapid increase in number of HPV-related oral cancers in the UK

The number of oral cancer cases diagnosed each year in the UK has risen above 6,000 for the first time, new figures from Cancer Research UK show today.

16 Mar 2012

Japan makes largest-ever contribution to Global Fund

Japan on Monday provided a $340 million contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, "the highest amount that Japan has ever made in 10 years of vigorous support for the Global Fund," according to a fund press release.

16 Mar 2012

ARV given to HIV-positive children boosts preventive power of key malaria drug, study shows

An antiretroviral (ARV) drug given to HIV-positive children "can boost the preventive power of a key malaria drug," according to a study conducted in Uganda and presented last week at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, ScienceNow reports.

16 Mar 2012

Progress in AIDS fight must be an impetus for increasing investment, sustaining advancements in Africa

In this post in the Huffington Post's "Impact" blog, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe examines the role of the fight against AIDS in sustaining economic and social development in Africa. "Africa is breaking records," he writes, noting the economic growth, increased access to information, a rise in democracy, a decline in poverty, increased school enrollment -- especially for girls -- and a decline in AIDS-related deaths on the continent.

16 Mar 2012

Kyolic AGE may reduce duration of cold and flu symptoms by 61%

Americans looking to impact their cold and flu symptoms this season may have a new weapon at their disposal. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study just published by the University of Florida determined that Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract (AGE) may reduce the duration of symptoms associated with common colds or flus by as much as 61 percent.

16 Mar 2012

Disease/Infection News

People of faith can work together to make water safe worldwide

Cuts to health budget lead to increases in HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB incidence in Greece

Zimbabwe's plan to conduct household HIV testing raises concerns among some advocates

World Bank report urges African governments, development aid donors to increase HIV prevention efforts

The northeastern U.S. should prepare for a surge in Lyme disease this spring

Researchers describe preparation of chitosan nanoparticles

Only 21 states require public reporting of hospital data on surgical site infections

Deletion of Hms1 protein inhibits Candida albicans infection

Gates Foundation grants biotech firm Aeras $220 million over 5 years to develop TB vaccines

Extremely contagious RSV virus can lead to serious illness in young children

Collaborative research discovers genetic marker that identifies pigs with reduced susceptibility to PRRS

Study reveals why development of HIV treatments has been difficult

Joint initiative to support GBV programs with PEPFAR funding

CCN1 protein orchestrates cellular antiviral response in the extracellular matrix

U.S. must recommit itself to ending AIDS, scientifically and financially

Rapid increase in number of HPV-related oral cancers in the UK

Japan makes largest-ever contribution to Global Fund

ARV given to HIV-positive children boosts preventive power of key malaria drug, study shows

Progress in AIDS fight must be an impetus for increasing investment, sustaining advancements in Africa

Kyolic AGE may reduce duration of cold and flu symptoms by 61%

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Latest News