Disease/Infection News

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Changing guidelines threaten important HIV drug trial

In the battle against HIV/AIDS conditions on the frontlines are constantly in flux as treatment, research and policy evolve. The landmark HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 052 study, which established that antiretroviral treatment in people who are HIV positive decreases the likelihood of transmitting HIV to their sexual partners, was no exception.

15 Jun 2012

Longer looks: Battling HIV in Washington; Adderall use among U.S. high schoolers

On a recent day not far from Capitol Hill and the White House, about a dozen HIV outreach workers toting bright yellow duffle bags stuffed with condoms and prevention information stood outside of the Anacostia Metro station. ... After a couple of hours, they had handed out hundreds of packs of condoms -- and had persuaded 21 people to take an HIV test with an oral swab in a Chevy van parked nearby. "You have to know your status, man. I'd rather be safe than sorry," said Alvern Harris, 25, as he waited for his results.

15 Jun 2012

Ethiopian government, PEPFAR to run 5-year HIV prevention program aimed at high-risk groups

"More than 100 million condoms will be distributed annually to sex workers, men who have sex with men, and other groups vulnerable to HIV as part of a new five-year program to be run by the Ethiopian government and the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)," PlusNews reports.

15 Jun 2012

GAVI Alliance pledges up to $162M to control, prevent measles outbreaks in developing countries

"Seeking to address the devastating resurgence of measles, the GAVI Alliance will provide up to an additional $162 million to control and prevent outbreaks in developing countries," a GAVI press release reports, noting, "This funding will help countries bridge critical gaps in their efforts to build sustainable systems to control this deadly disease."

15 Jun 2012

South African TB Conference hears demands from advocacy organizations to improve, decentralize treatment

The 2012 South African TB Conference opened Tuesday night in Durban, with the Treatment Action Campaign, Section27, and Oxfam delivering "a memorandum containing five demands to conference organizers shortly before the opening," health-e News Service reports.

15 Jun 2012

LabCorp launches new age-based test protocol for cervical cancer and STD screening

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings announced today the launch of an innovative age-based test protocol that aids physicians when ordering cervical cancer and sexually transmitted disease (STD) screening tests.

15 Jun 2012

NIH awards $9 million grant to study aging and immunity to infections

The Trudeau Institute today announced that faculty member Laura Haynes, Ph.D., was awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study how aging impacts the immune system's response to influenza infection and vaccination.

15 Jun 2012

Study strengthens link between HHV-6B and mesial temporal lobe epilepsy

A ten-year NIH-funded study has determined that a third of infants with prolonged seizures and fever suffer from either a new or reactivated roseola virus infection. Roseola viruses are the cause of the common childhood rash, but can also cause limbic encephalitis, a condition that frequently progresses to epilepsy. Investigators discovered one of the roseola viruses, human herpesvirus-6B (HHV-6B) in the blood of 32% of 169 infants with prolonged seizures, a condition known as status epilepticus.

15 Jun 2012

FDA approves GSK’s MenHibrix to treat meningococcal and Hib diseases

GlaxoSmithKline plc announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the vaccine MenHibrix [Meningococcal Groups C and Y and Haemophilus b Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate Vaccine].

15 Jun 2012

Study unveils crystal structure of H. pylori's acid receptor

University of Oregon scientists have discovered how the bacterium Helicobacter pylori navigates through the acidic stomach, opening up new possibilities to inactivate its disease-causing ability without using current strategies that often fail or are discontinued because of side effects.

15 Jun 2012

Theraclone Sciences commences TCN-202 Phase 1 trial in CMV infection

Theraclone Sciences, Inc., a therapeutic antibody discovery and development company, announced today first dosing of subjects in a Phase 1 clinical trial of TCN-202, a broadly protective, fully human monoclonal antibody in development for the treatment of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection.

15 Jun 2012

Single protein determines persistence of viral infection

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have shown a single protein can make the difference between an infection clearing out of the body or persisting for life. The results also show where the defects occur in the immune system without the protein and offer the possibility that targeting this signaling pathway could be beneficial for treatment of persistent viral infections in humans.

14 Jun 2012

Researchers identify primary player of the biochemical bugle call

Researchers have identified the primary player of the biochemical bugle call that musters the body's defenders against viral infection.

14 Jun 2012

U.N. holds panel discussion regarding strategic AIDS financing

"Coinciding with the 2012 General Assembly AIDS review, the Permanent Missions of Malawi and Luxembourg to the United Nations and UNAIDS organized a panel discussion to further understand the strategic investments needed for the AIDS response," a UNAIDS reports in a feature story on its webpage, adding, "The discussion brought together representatives of member states, U.N. organizations and civil society."

14 Jun 2012

Brazilian researchers say schistosomiasis vaccine could be available in 3 years

"Brazilian researchers say they have successfully tested a vaccine against schistosomiasis, a disease caused by parasitic worms that afflicts more than 200 million people worldwide," Agence France-Presse reports.

14 Jun 2012

IBBR, Sanaria to receive Phase II SBIR grant from NIAID for malaria vaccine

Sanaria Inc., a privately held company in Rockville, Maryland, and the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR) of the University of Maryland College Park announce the receipt of a multi-year Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

14 Jun 2012

Sabin initiates novel human hookworm vaccine Phase 1 clinical trial

Today, the Sabin Vaccine Institute, in partnership with the George Washington University and the Children's National Medical Center, began vaccinating participants for a Phase 1 clinical trial of a novel human hookworm vaccine.

14 Jun 2012

New chemical-screening method can discover compounds against HIV

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have used a powerful new chemical-screening method to find compounds that inhibit the activity of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS.

14 Jun 2012

Inovio to participate at Marcum Microcap Conference, BIO International Convention

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that Dr. Niranjan Sardesai, COO, will participate on a panel of senior vaccine experts at the 2012 BIO International Convention,the largest global event for the biotechnology industry. Dr. J. Joseph Kim, President and CEO, will present an overview of the company at the Marcum Microcap Conference, which is designed for investors interested in micro-cap companies.

14 Jun 2012

Roseola virus accounts for one third of febrile status epilepticus cases

New research shows that human herpesviruses (HHV)-6B and HHV-7, commonly know as roseola virus), account for one third of febrile status epilepticus (FSE) cases. Results of the FEBSTAT prospective study now available in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), suggest that HHV-6B may be involved in the development of epilepsy and further research is urgently needed.

14 Jun 2012