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IAS announces 'Washington, D.C. Declaration' calling for global support to end AIDS epidemic

"A declaration calling for global support to end the AIDS epidemic was announced Tuesday by the International AIDS Society (IAS) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)," an IAS press release reports.

12 Jul 2012

IAS announces winners of awards recognizing HIV researchers to be presented during AIDS 2012

"The International AIDS Society (IAS) on Wednesday announced nine winners of four prestigious scientific awards to be presented during the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) to be held in Washington, D.C., 22–27 July," an IAS press release states.

12 Jul 2012

New York Times examines how CIA's decision to use vaccination team affecting polio eradication efforts

The New York Times examines how the CIA's 2011 decision to use a vaccination team to collect DNA samples and information from residents of Osama bin Laden's compound damaged efforts to vaccinate children for polio in Pakistan.

12 Jul 2012

SRI receives NIAID grant to develop HIV vaccine

The Scripps Research Institute has been awarded a grant expected to total more than $77 million from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

12 Jul 2012

Roundup: Iowa union files complaint over Gov. order on insurance; Fla. denies it covered up TB outbreak

Iowa's largest public employees' union filed a complaint today with the state alleging Gov. Terry Branstad broke the law when he signed an executive order that allows state workers to voluntarily pay 20 percent of their health insurance premiums. The prohibitive practice complaint filed with the Iowa Public Employment Relations Board alleges state law bans Branstad from making unilateral changes to health insurance plans because they are collectively bargained, said Danny Homan, president Council 61 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

12 Jul 2012

Genes responsible for immune function are almost different in middle age than in early adulthood

Important insights that explain why our ability to ward off infection declines with age are published in a new research report in the July 2012 issue of the Genetics Society of America's journal, GENETICS.

12 Jul 2012

Dolutegravir-based regimen demonstrates superiority over Atripla in treatment-naive adults with HIV-1

Shionogi-ViiV Healthcare LLC today announced that initial results have been received from the Phase III SINGLE (ING114467) study of the investigational integrase inhibitor dolutegravir in treatment-naive adults with HIV-1.

12 Jul 2012

Secure protocol allows linking of patient records without revealing personal information

Monitoring the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine in Canada requires that data from multiple registries and other data sources be combined. Linking registries can be problematic, however, since they are often managed by unrelated organizations. Privacy legislation may also restrict the sharing of data for such linkages.

12 Jul 2012

AFP examines rise in TB cases in Madagascar

Agence France-Presse examines a rise in tuberculosis (TB) cases in Madagascar, writing, "Last year alone, 26,700 people contracted TB, according to the health ministry, a jump of more than 16 percent compared with 2009, when a military coup precipitated an economic crisis as donors suspended aid to one of the world's poorest countries."

11 Jul 2012

WHO working on consolidated HIV treatment guidelines

The WHO "says comprehensive HIV treatment strategies are needed in developing countries to overcome stigma and discrimination," because "often those in need of HIV treatment and prevention are unable to receive the services because of their social status," VOA News reports.

11 Jul 2012

Exposure to H1N1 vaccine in pregnancy does not increase risk of adverse fetal outcomes

In studies examining the risk of adverse outcomes after receipt of the influenza A(H1N1) vaccine, infants exposed to the vaccine in utero did not have a significantly increased risk of major birth defects, preterm birth, or fetal growth restriction; while in another, study researchers found a small increased risk in adults of the nervous system disorder, Guillain-Barre syndrome, during the 4 to 8 weeks after vaccination, according to 2 studies in the July 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Jul 2012

HIV infection risk reduced by same drugs that treat HIV

People at high risk of HIV infection can reduce their risk of acquiring the disease by taking antiretroviral drugs, according to Cochrane researchers. In an update of a systematic review first published in 2009, the researchers found that uninfected people in relationships with HIV-infected partners, men who have sex with men and those in other high risk groups are at a lower risk of becoming infected with the virus if they regularly take drugs that are normally prescribed to treat people with HIV.

11 Jul 2012

Global Fund general manager appeals for donations, calling fund a 'good deal'

Gabriel Jaramillo, general manager of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, "took a new approach to appealing for donations last week, arguing to finance ministers from participating nations that the fund is a great investment," the New York Times reports.

11 Jul 2012

Microbiologists reveal how T. brucei’s key proteins organize to replicate its mtDNA

A group of diseases that kill millions of people each year can't be touched by antibiotics, and some treatment is so harsh the patient can't survive it. They're caused by parasites, and for decades researchers have searched for a "magic bullet" to kill them without harming the patient. Now, a team of microbiologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has made an advance that could one day lead to a new weapon for fighting parasitic diseases such as African sleeping sickness, chagas disease and leishmaniasis.

11 Jul 2012

New diagnostic test for drug-resistant TB allows 'new approach' to fight disease

The widespread incidence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) "calls for a new approach to TB in the developing world," a Bloomberg editorial states.

11 Jul 2012

Study investigates effect of SwabCap in catheter maintenance bundle

A disinfection cap used in IV therapy was the subject of an award-winning, multi-site study at a four-hospital, Chicago-area hospital system.

11 Jul 2012

Fatal outcome from HFMD is rare, says LUHS pediatric infectious disease specialist

A mysterious disease that has killed nearly 60 children in Cambodia has been identified by the World Health Organization as enterovirus 71. This virus is one among a family of viruses that cause a variety of illnesses, including a common childhood illness called hand, foot and mouth disease, but Andrew Bonwit, MD, pediatric infectious disease specialist at Loyola University Health System, says a fatal outcome from such illness is rare.

11 Jul 2012

Study assesses risk of GBS following H1N1 vaccine administration

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is usually characterized by rapidly developing motor weakness and areflexia (the absence of reflexes). "The disease is thought to be autoimmune and triggered by a stimulus of external origin. In 1976-1977, an unusually high rate of GBS was identified in the United States following the administration of inactivated 'swine' influenza A(H1N1) vaccines.

11 Jul 2012

Activists criticize President Obama for not confirming attendance at AIDS 2012 conference

"Activists are reigniting their attacks against President Obama's record on battling AIDS ahead of the International AIDS Conference in Washington later this month," The Hill's "Global Affairs" blog reports.

11 Jul 2012

July issue of Health Affairs examining PEPFAR impact to be discussed at briefing on Tuesday

The July 2012 issue of Health Affairs, published Monday, examines the impact of PEPFAR, focusing on "the origins of the program; the lessons learned from implementation; the successes achieved in terms of human health and well-being; and the opportunities that now exist to lay the groundwork for an 'AIDS-free generation,'" the Health Affairs Blog reports, noting, "The new Health Affairs issue will be discussed Tuesday morning at a Washington, D.C., briefing."

11 Jul 2012

Disease/Infection News

IAS announces 'Washington, D.C. Declaration' calling for global support to end AIDS epidemic

IAS announces winners of awards recognizing HIV researchers to be presented during AIDS 2012

New York Times examines how CIA's decision to use vaccination team affecting polio eradication efforts

SRI receives NIAID grant to develop HIV vaccine

Roundup: Iowa union files complaint over Gov. order on insurance; Fla. denies it covered up TB outbreak

Genes responsible for immune function are almost different in middle age than in early adulthood

Dolutegravir-based regimen demonstrates superiority over Atripla in treatment-naive adults with HIV-1

Secure protocol allows linking of patient records without revealing personal information

AFP examines rise in TB cases in Madagascar

WHO working on consolidated HIV treatment guidelines

Exposure to H1N1 vaccine in pregnancy does not increase risk of adverse fetal outcomes

HIV infection risk reduced by same drugs that treat HIV

Global Fund general manager appeals for donations, calling fund a 'good deal'

Microbiologists reveal how T. brucei’s key proteins organize to replicate its mtDNA

New diagnostic test for drug-resistant TB allows 'new approach' to fight disease

Study investigates effect of SwabCap in catheter maintenance bundle

Fatal outcome from HFMD is rare, says LUHS pediatric infectious disease specialist

Study assesses risk of GBS following H1N1 vaccine administration

Activists criticize President Obama for not confirming attendance at AIDS 2012 conference

July issue of Health Affairs examining PEPFAR impact to be discussed at briefing on Tuesday

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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