Disease/Infection News

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Vitamin D3 intake does not reduce incidence or severity of upper respiratory tract infections

Although some data have suggested a possible inverse association between serum vitamin D levels and the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections (colds), participants in a randomized controlled trial who received a monthly dose of 100,000 IUs of vitamin D3 did not have a significantly reduced incidence or severity of colds, according to a study in the October 3 issue of JAMA.

4 Oct 2012

ADA, Wiley partner to publish latest book in ‘Practical Guide Series’

John Wiley & Sons, Inc., recently announced a collaboration with the American Dental Association (ADA) to publish the latest book in their "Practical Guide Series," The ADA Practical Guide to Patients with Medical Conditions.

4 Oct 2012

HIV prevention, vaccine research progressing

In a guest post on the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog, Margaret McGlynn, president and CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), and William Snow, director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, discuss the recent AIDS Vaccine 2012 Conference that was held in Boston.

3 Oct 2012

LpxC-1 can effectively treat antibiotic-resistant infections

A new type of antibiotic can effectively treat an antibiotic-resistant infection by disarming instead of killing the bacteria that cause it. Researchers report their findings in the October 2 issue of mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

3 Oct 2012

IRIN examines allegations of Global Fund grant misuse in Uganda

IRIN reports on allegations that a grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to Uganda was misused. "Evidence of the mismanagement of a $51 million malaria grant to Uganda from the Global Fund resulted in the July arrest of three Ministry of Health employees and prompted a police investigation into the matter," the news service writes.

3 Oct 2012

RyMed Technologies to host symposium on origin of catheter-related bloodstream infections

RyMed Technologies will host a breakfast symposium on the origin of catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) and how to prevent them at the upcoming Annual Scientific Meeting of the Association for Vascular Access (AVA).

3 Oct 2012

NPR's 'Morning Edition' reports on increasing number of polio cases in Nigeria

NPR's "Morning Edition" host Steve Inskeep on Monday interviewed reporter Jason Beaubien, who is traveling in northern Nigeria, about the country's increase in polio cases this year. Beaubien discussed myths and fears surrounding polio vaccination in Nigeria, including beliefs that the immunization will sterilize children, but also said one of the most encouraging things ... is that the religious leaders in northern Nigeria are now really united.

3 Oct 2012

Chloroquine begins to work against malaria

Malaria-drug monitoring over the past 30 years has shown that malaria parasites develop resistance to medicine, and the first signs of resistance to the newest drugs have just been observed. At the same time, resistance monitoring at the University of Copenhagen shows that the previously efficacious drug chloroquine is once again beginning to work against malaria. In time that will ensure cheaper treatment for the world's poor.

3 Oct 2012

GW researcher to help HIV patients better understand treatments for cardiovascular issues

In 1980, men and women who were diagnosed with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) had little to no hope of living long, full lives. Thanks to advances in science and medicine, this is no longer the case. HIV patients now live a near-normal lifespan. However, as patients live longer, new medical issues arise.

3 Oct 2012

Scientific American examines intersection of humanitarian aid, economic development, climate change

Scientific American examines the intersection of humanitarian aid, economic development, and climate change, saying, "Environmental, humanitarian, and economic challenges do not exist in isolation, but that is how the world most often deals with them."

3 Oct 2012

Global Research Nurses to launch this week in Malawi

Today sees the launch of Global Research Nurses, a new interactive network which allows nurses around the world to become a leading voice in global health research.

3 Oct 2012

ONE blog interviews USAID nutrition chief

In the ONE blog, Kelly Hauser, ONE's policy manager focusing on agriculture, nutrition and U.S. food aid reform, interviews Anne Peniston, head of the nutrition division at USAID. Peniston discusses "her professional and personal experiences in the U.S. and abroad, her vision for USAID's nutrition strategy, and the role of NGOs in global nutrition," according to the blog.

2 Oct 2012

October issue of WHO Bulletin available online

The October issue of the WHO Bulletin features an editorial on the stockpiling oral cholera vaccine, a public health news roundup, a research article on rotavirus mortality in India, and an article examining a "new entity for the negotiation of public procurement prices for patented medicines in Mexico," among others.

2 Oct 2012

New SARS-like virus not spread easily, WHO reports

"A new strain of a potentially deadly virus related to SARS, which has killed one man in Saudi Arabia and left a Qatari man critically ill in London, does not appear to spread easily from person to person, the World Health Organization says," according to the New York Times.

2 Oct 2012

Proton pump inhibitors does not lead to higher rates of pneumonia

Previous studies that have associated the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) - which include popular anti-heartburn medications like Prilosec and Nexium - with an increased incidence of pneumonia may not have found a true cause-and-effect relationship.

2 Oct 2012

IPS examines debate over impact of climate change on health

"More intense rainfall, rising temperatures and climate-driven migration of human and animal populations due to repeated drought all affect the spread of tropical diseases," Inter Press Service writes in an article examining the impact of climate change on health, a topic that "generated debate among the experts attending the 18th International Congress on Tropical Medicine and Malaria, held Sept. 23-27 in Rio de Janeiro."

2 Oct 2012

Washington Post examines Haiti's efforts to fight lymphatic filariasis

The Washington Post reports on Haiti's efforts to fight lymphatic filariasis, a parasitic mosquito-borne disease that can cause elephantiasis and is present in 80 percent of the country.

2 Oct 2012

News outlets examine challenges to fighting polio in Pakistan, Nigeria

In Pakistan, one of only three nations worldwide where polio remains endemic, "rumors and conspiracy theories about the vaccine ... have helped the country maintain its unenviable status," recording 91 cases of the disease in 2011, Agence France-Presse reports.

2 Oct 2012

Case stories describe technical support for Global Fund grant recipients

On its website, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance describes a new publication, titled "Of Spices and Silk: Sharing Stories of Technical Support to Global Fund Grants in Asia," which presents 11 case stories showing how the Alliance's regional Technical Support Hubs have provided assistance to Global Fund grant recipients.

2 Oct 2012

Inhibiting DUSP6 protein can restore immune cells’ responsiveness to a more youthful state

The older we get, the weaker our immune systems tend to become, leaving us vulnerable to infectious diseases and cancer and eroding our ability to benefit from vaccination. Now Stanford University School of Medicine scientists have found that blocking the action of a single protein whose levels in our immune cells creep steadily upward with age can restore those cells' response to a vaccine.

1 Oct 2012