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Babies rarely became ill from MRSA infections: Study

The need to swab the noses of pregnant women and newborns for the presence of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) may be unfounded, according to a Vanderbilt study now available online and published in the May issue of Pediatrics.

20 Apr 2012

BuruliVac project getting closer to a vaccine

During a meeting in Lisbon, the partners of the BuruliVac research consortium found the project to be running smoothly, and getting closer to a vaccine against Buruli ulcer, a disfiguring and mutilating disease that causes a lot of suffering and now is difficult to treat. Several vaccine candidates work well in mice and are ready for further testing on blood of patients; one is ready for testing in mice.

19 Apr 2012

EASL publishes new clinical practice guideline on ALD

EASL today announced the publication of a new clinical practice guideline (CPG) in the area of Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD), bringing the number of CPGs published to date to eight.

19 Apr 2012

Two studies show true impact of liver disease across Europe

Two studies presented at the International Liver Congress- 2012 show the true impact that liver disease has across Europe. One highlights the financial cost of liver disease to the community and the second highlights the high mortality rates associated with cirrhosis.

19 Apr 2012

Final data from Santaris’ miravirsen Phase 2a trial on HCV to be presented at ILC 2012

Santaris Pharma A/S, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of RNA-targeted therapies, will present final data from a Phase 2a trial showing that miravirsen given as a four-week monotherapy treatment provided robust dose-dependent anti-viral activity with a mean reduction of 2 to 3 logs from baseline in HCV RNA (log10 IU/mL) that was sustained well beyond the end of therapy.

19 Apr 2012

CSIS report examines future of global health agenda

In a new report examining the future of the global health agenda, published by the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) on Tuesday, J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Center on Global Health Policy and a senior vice president at CSIS, writes, "The naught decade (2000–2009) saw remarkable, explosive growth, concentrated in low- and lower-middle-income countries, in dollars delivered to infectious diseases -- HIV/ AIDS, tuberculosis, along with maternal and child health, and health systems."

19 Apr 2012

Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen expand TMC435, BMS-986094 clinical collaboration agreement

Medivir AB, the research-based speciality pharmaceutical company focused on the development of high-value treatments for infectious diseases, announces that its development partner, Janssen R&D Ireland has broadened its clinical collaboration agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.

19 Apr 2012

U.S. delegation expresses support for two vaccination campaigns while in Haiti

"A campaign to introduce new childhood vaccines to Haiti will save tens of thousands of lives over the next decade, CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden told NPR's health blog 'Shots' at the end of a two-day tour of the beleaguered country," the blog reports.

19 Apr 2012

Trust, invest in African ministries of health to create sustainable health care solutions

"During the 1990s it had taken a while for the rest of the world to wake up to the tragedy of AIDS in Africa, but belatedly the alarm call had come," John Wright, a consultant in clinical epidemiology at Bradford Royal Infirmary in England, writes in a BMJ opinion piece.

19 Apr 2012

Poor ART adherence, understanding threatening to undermine gains against HIV/AIDS in Nepal

Though HIV prevalence in Nepal has dropped from 0.45 percent in 2005 to 0.3 percent in 2012, according to a new report (.pdf) from the government, "poor understanding of antiretroviral therapy (ART) amongst health officials, clinicians and patients in Nepal could undermine those gains ... and threaten future progress in lowering the number of new infections," PlusNews reports.

19 Apr 2012

Researchers, advocates meet in Sydney to discuss state of microbicide, HIV prevention research

"Three decades after the full onset of the global HIV tragedy, science appears to finally be developing preventative measures, including microbicides that would thwart infections in the first place, according to individuals at" the biennial International Microbicides Conference in Sydney, the Asia Sentinel writes.

19 Apr 2012

White House science adviser responds to inquiry regarding handling of H5N1 research controversy

"White House science adviser John Holdren has replied to questions asked last month by Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) about how the Obama Administration has handled the controversy surrounding two studies that showed how to make the H5N1 avian influenza virus transmissible between mammals," ScienceInsider reports.

19 Apr 2012

Researchers present findings of retrospective analysis of microbicide study at international conference

"More than three years after reporting the primary results of HPTN 035, one of the last trials of the so-called first generation microbicides, researchers from the National Institutes of Health-funded Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) reported two new sets of findings gleaned" from the study data at the International Microbicides Conference in Sydney on Tuesday, an MTN press release states.

19 Apr 2012

Secondary Speckle Sensing Microscopy may rapidly and accurately diagnose malaria

Correctly and quickly diagnosing malaria is essential for effective and life-saving treatment. But rapid detection, particularly in remote areas, is not always possible because current methods are time-consuming and require precise instrumentation and highly skilled microscopic analysis. Now, a promising new optical imaging system, described in a paper published today in the Optical Society's (OSA) open-access journal Biomedical Optics Express, may make the diagnosis of this deadly disease much easier, faster, and more accurate.

19 Apr 2012

Results from Presidio’s PPI-668 Phase 1a-1b trial on chronic HCV

Presidio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced results today from a Phase 1a-1b clinical trial of PPI-668, a potent, pan-genotypic HCV NS5A inhibitor being developed for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C.

19 Apr 2012

Scientists identify hypervirulent Salmonella bacteria

UC Santa Barbara researchers have discovered Salmonella bacteria that are up to 100 times more capable of causing disease. Their findings may help prevent food poisoning outbreaks that continue to plague public health and the food industry.

19 Apr 2012

Oral bacteria may cause problems in arthritis patients

The culprit behind a failed hip or knee replacements might be found in the mouth. DNA testing of bacteria from the fluid that lubricates hip and knee joints had bacteria with the same DNA as the plaque from patients with gum disease and in need of a joint replacement.

19 Apr 2012

Anti-HIV pill could prevent thousands of new infections: Study finds

A once daily pill to prevent HIV infection could significantly reduce the spread of the AIDS-causing virus. However it would only be cost-effective if limited to men at very high risk for HIV infection, according to a new study.

18 Apr 2012

Comparing publicly available hospital readmission rates can lead to misinformation

The odds that someone undergoing spinal surgery at a particular hospital will have to be readmitted to the same hospital within 30 days is an important measure of the quality of care patients receive. That's because these "hospital readmission rates" often reflect problems like hospital-acquired infections or complications from surgery.

18 Apr 2012

Strengthening collective voice, influence of biomedical researchers in global health field

In this post in the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' "End the Neglect" blog, guest blogger Jessica Taaffe, founder of Scientists for Global Health (SciGlo) and a postdoctoral fellow researching severe malaria immunopathogenesis at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, "discusses the importance of the biomedical community's contributions to improving health worldwide,"

18 Apr 2012

Disease/Infection News

Babies rarely became ill from MRSA infections: Study

BuruliVac project getting closer to a vaccine

EASL publishes new clinical practice guideline on ALD

Two studies show true impact of liver disease across Europe

Final data from Santaris’ miravirsen Phase 2a trial on HCV to be presented at ILC 2012

CSIS report examines future of global health agenda

Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen expand TMC435, BMS-986094 clinical collaboration agreement

U.S. delegation expresses support for two vaccination campaigns while in Haiti

Trust, invest in African ministries of health to create sustainable health care solutions

Poor ART adherence, understanding threatening to undermine gains against HIV/AIDS in Nepal

Researchers, advocates meet in Sydney to discuss state of microbicide, HIV prevention research

White House science adviser responds to inquiry regarding handling of H5N1 research controversy

Researchers present findings of retrospective analysis of microbicide study at international conference

Secondary Speckle Sensing Microscopy may rapidly and accurately diagnose malaria

Results from Presidio’s PPI-668 Phase 1a-1b trial on chronic HCV

Scientists identify hypervirulent Salmonella bacteria

Oral bacteria may cause problems in arthritis patients

Anti-HIV pill could prevent thousands of new infections: Study finds

Comparing publicly available hospital readmission rates can lead to misinformation

Strengthening collective voice, influence of biomedical researchers in global health field

The Proteoform Puzzle: Unlocking the Next Frontier

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

Modular, Scalable, Intelligent: How n6 Is Rethinking NGS Library Prep

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