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Researchers discover new way to disarm harmful bacteria

Rather than trying to kill bacteria outright with drugs, Université de Montréal researchers have discovered a way to disarm bacteria that may allow the body's own defense mechanisms to destroy them. "To understand this strategy one could imagine harmful bacteria being like Darth Vader, and the anti-virulence drug would take away his armor and lightsaber," explained Dr. Christian Baron, the study's lead author and Professor at the Department of Biochemistry.

24 Aug 2012

Researchers create super-sensor that can detect even single samples of viruses

By affixing nanoscale gold spheres onto a microscopic bead of glass, researchers have created a super-sensor that can detect even single samples of the smallest known viruses. The sensor uses a peculiar behavior of light known as "whispering gallery mode," named after the famous circular gallery in St. Paul's Cathedral in London, where a whisper near the wall can be heard around the gallery.

24 Aug 2012

Religion not a barrier to HIV testing, treatment, study finds

"Preachers who promise divine healing have often been blamed for turning desperate HIV-positive people against their life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) medication and risking their health, but recent research suggests that religious beliefs may not be a barrier to treatment after all," IRIN/Plus News reports.

24 Aug 2012

New disease causes AIDS-like symptoms but not spread through virus

"Researchers have identified a mysterious new disease that has left scores of people in Asia and some in the United States with AIDS-like symptoms even though they are not infected with HIV," the Associated Press reports.

24 Aug 2012

The Wistar Institute, MSKCC partner to publish first annotated atlas of Epstein-Barr virus genome

Researchers from The Wistar Institute and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) have teamed to publish the first annotated atlas of the Epstein-Barr virus genome, creating the most comprehensive study of how the viral genome interacts with its human host during a latent infection. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which is thought to be responsible for one percent of all human cancers, establishes a latent infection in nearly 100 percent of infected adult humans.

24 Aug 2012

Scripps Research Institute scientist to uncover workings of the immune system

A team led by a scientist at The Scripps Research Institute has received a $22.5 million, five-year project renewal from the National Institutes of Health to uncover the workings of the immune system.

24 Aug 2012

Gates blog examines potential impact of improving access to contraceptives globally

In this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog, Max Kamin-Cross, a self-proclaimed political junky and youth activist, writes that by improving access to contraceptives, "we could lift millions of people of all races and both genders out of poverty throughout the world," "we could significantly decrease the number of premature deaths, as well as the number of lives claimed by deadly infections like HIV," and "the quality of life for millions more people would be drastically improved."

24 Aug 2012

Bristol-Myers Squibb terminates BMS-986094 Phase II development for treatment of hepatitis C

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company announced today that the Company has discontinued development of BMS-986094 (formerly known as INX-189), a nucleotide polymerase (NS5B) inhibitor that was in Phase II development for the treatment of hepatitis C.

24 Aug 2012

OUP, prestigious Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene journals announce partnership

The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene's two prestigious journals will join the Oxford University Press (OUP) collection in a new partnership announced between the organizations.

24 Aug 2012

Influenza virus can change microRNA expression to control immune responses in human lung cells

When you are hit with the flu, you know it immediately -- fever, chills, sore throat, aching muscles, fatigue. This is your body mounting an immune response to the invading virus. But less is known about what is happening on the molecular level.

24 Aug 2012

Researcher describes structure and function of tuberculosis efflux pump regulator

Edward Yu took note of the facts - nearly 2 million deaths each year, 9 million infected each year, developments of multidrug-resistant, extensively drug-resistant and now totally drug-resistant strains - and decided to shift his research focus to tuberculosis.

23 Aug 2012

Food insecure HIV-infected poor people more likely to visit ERs

UCSF researchers found that poor HIV-infected individuals living in San Francisco are significantly more likely to visit emergency rooms and to have hospital stays if they lack access to food of sufficient quality and quantity for a healthy life.

23 Aug 2012

Blog examines Nicaragua's national deworming program

This post in the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' "End the Neglect" blog, part of a six-part series of blog posts covering interesting elements of the Nicaragua experience highlighted in the case study entitled "Worms and WASH(ED)," examines how the country's "history in ensuring a national deworming program has shed light on the potential for success."

23 Aug 2012

New book sparks debate over whether vaccines cause autism

The bitter debate over whether vaccines cause autism is masking real problems with the modern inoculation schedule and encouraging a growing number of parents to refuse recommended vaccines for their children, argues a Michigan State University scholar.

23 Aug 2012

University of Tübingen microbiologist wins 2012 Sofja Kovalevskaja Award

Samuel Wagner examines how bacteria start infections - aiming to stop the mechanism and maybe use it in treatment. The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation has announced that one of this year's Sofja Kovalevskaja Awards goes this year to microbiologist Prof. Dr. Samuel Wagner, a junior professor at the University of Tübingen.

23 Aug 2012

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases announces HIV vaccine initiative awards

"Researchers at 14 institutions will explore new approaches to designing a vaccine against HIV with awards that are part of an anticipated four-year, $34.8 million initiative, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [NIAID] announced Tuesday," the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog reports.

23 Aug 2012

Nearly half of Lesotho population faces food insecurity in coming months, Prime Minister warns

"Years of bad luck and record-breaking maize prices have led land-locked Lesotho into a crisis," the Devex "Development Newswire" reports. "Prime Minister Tom Thabane declared a food security emergency on August 10, and a national vulnerability assessment warns that nearly 45 percent of the nation's 2.2 million people will face moderate to severe food insecurity in the next few months," the news service writes.

23 Aug 2012

Mosquitoes in the U.S. can be infected with Chikungunya virus from Asia

New research from SRI International finds that mosquitoes commonly found in the United States can be infected with a disease-causing virus from Asia. The research findings are from a recent study that modeled how mosquito-borne infections can become introduced.

23 Aug 2012

CDC-funded ACP program to increase adult immunization rates in five states

The American College of Physicians (ACP) was awarded an initial $175,000 grant for 2012-13 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to create a three-year, evidence-based program to increase adult immunization rates in five states.

23 Aug 2012

Aeras, IDRI announce start of first ID93 + GLA-SE Phase I trial for tuberculosis

Aeras and the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) announce today the start of the first clinical trial of IDRI's novel tuberculosis vaccine candidate, ID93 + GLA-SE.

23 Aug 2012

Disease/Infection News

Researchers discover new way to disarm harmful bacteria

Researchers create super-sensor that can detect even single samples of viruses

Religion not a barrier to HIV testing, treatment, study finds

New disease causes AIDS-like symptoms but not spread through virus

The Wistar Institute, MSKCC partner to publish first annotated atlas of Epstein-Barr virus genome

Scripps Research Institute scientist to uncover workings of the immune system

Gates blog examines potential impact of improving access to contraceptives globally

Bristol-Myers Squibb terminates BMS-986094 Phase II development for treatment of hepatitis C

OUP, prestigious Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene journals announce partnership

Influenza virus can change microRNA expression to control immune responses in human lung cells

Researcher describes structure and function of tuberculosis efflux pump regulator

Food insecure HIV-infected poor people more likely to visit ERs

Blog examines Nicaragua's national deworming program

New book sparks debate over whether vaccines cause autism

University of Tübingen microbiologist wins 2012 Sofja Kovalevskaja Award

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases announces HIV vaccine initiative awards

Nearly half of Lesotho population faces food insecurity in coming months, Prime Minister warns

Mosquitoes in the U.S. can be infected with Chikungunya virus from Asia

CDC-funded ACP program to increase adult immunization rates in five states

Aeras, IDRI announce start of first ID93 + GLA-SE Phase I trial for tuberculosis

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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