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South Africa could reduce HIV-associated costs, extend lives with earlier treatment, study says

If South Africa followed WHO recommendations for earlier therapy for people living with HIV, thousands of lives could be extended and the country would start saving money after 16 years, according to a study recently published online in PLoS One, United Press International reports.

27 Jul 2011

UBC research projects receive CIHR grants to promote greater equity in global health

Three research projects at the University of British Columbia have won five-year grants totaling nearly $6 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to promote greater equity in global health.

27 Jul 2011

Early initiation of HIV therapy would save money, lives of South Africans

If the South African government followed a recent recommendation by the World Health Organization to start antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-infected residents earlier in the progress of the disease, the policy shift would start saving the country money after 16 years and would extend thousands of lives for dozens of years, according to a new study.

27 Jul 2011

Positive data from two GSK's Promacta Phase III studies on hepatitis C-related thrombocytopenia

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that its partner GlaxoSmithKline has announced that it received positive data from ENABLE-1, the first of two Phase III studies examining Promacta in patients with hepatitis C-related thrombocytopenia, and that full data will be released at an upcoming scientific conference.

27 Jul 2011

Dog owners told not to worry about Hendra virus

After the Hendra virus outbreak among horses in Queensland, there are new worries that it may have jumped to a dog, the first such infection outside a laboratory. But Queensland authorities have moved to allay any fears of a widespread outbreak among dogs.

26 Jul 2011

Physician-targeted education campaign reduces outpatient antibiotic use in Quebec

Antibiotic overuse and resistance have emerged as major threats during the past two decades. Following an outbreak of Clostridium difficile infections, which often result from antibiotic use, health care professionals in Quebec, Canada targeted physicians and pharmacists with an education campaign that reduced outpatient antibiotic use, according to a study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and now available online.

26 Jul 2011

CANARY software can protect nation's water systems from contamination

Americans are used to drinking from the kitchen tap without fear of harm, even though water utilities might be vulnerable to terrorist attacks or natural contaminants.

26 Jul 2011

Zinc lozenges might treat natural common cold infections

Depending on the total dosage of zinc and the composition of lozenges, zinc lozenges may shorten the duration of common cold episodes by up to 40%, according to a study published in the Open Respiratory Medicine Journal.

26 Jul 2011

Preventing bioterrorism worldwide

Around the globe, many nations are realizing that the potential for bioterrorism isn't just about the U.S., officials say. And because an intentional introduction of bacteria, a virus or a toxin could happen anywhere, the World Organization for Animal Health is issuing a paper aimed at prevention.

26 Jul 2011

Sediments buried beneath the Black Sea contain ancient virus and host DNA

A scientist analyzing ancient plankton DNA signatures in sediments of the Black Sea has found that the same genetic populations of a virus and its algal host can persist--and coexist--for centuries.

26 Jul 2011

CNBG, Aeras sign MOU to develop TB vaccines in China and around the world

Aeras and the China National Biotech Group (CNBG) today announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the organizations to pursue opportunities to jointly develop tuberculosis (TB) vaccines in China and potentially other parts of the world.

26 Jul 2011

Chicken pox vaccine reduced related deaths by 88%

The team of researchers found that although in 2006 a second dose was added to the vaccination roster, the decrease in deaths occurred largely during the time when just one shot was recommended. While chickenpox-related deaths are now relatively rare, the new two-dose regimen may eliminate them altogether, they said. The double dose will further reduce sick days and medical care associated with chickenpox and its complications, the study authors said.

25 Jul 2011

Salmonella outbreak linked to Mexican papayas

Mexican-grown papayas are being recalled after concerns that they may have led to a salmonella outbreak involving 97 people in 23 states. Agromod Produce announced Saturday that it is recalling papayas sold before July 23, which comes in four brands: Blondie, Mañanita, Tastylicious and Yaya.

25 Jul 2011

Guidance needed on recent HIV prevention findings

"In the absence of the anticipated guidance from WHO, the euphoria felt by participants at Rome that the latest science can allow us for the first time to consider eliminating HIV was tempered by utter confusion among program managers as to what to do next," Nathan Ford, medical coordinator for Medecins Sans Frontiere's International Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines, writes in the PLoS "Speaking of Medicine" blog.

25 Jul 2011

African leaders must invest in malaria prevention

In a Daily Caller opinion piece, Richard Tren, director of Africa Fighting Malaria, highlights a finding in a recent malaria report that the U.S. government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation "were responsible for 85% of the steep increase in malaria funding between 2007 and 2009." But "[i]f 30 African heads of state were to give up their private jets, a fund of well over $500 million could be generated," Tren writes.

25 Jul 2011

Nanoviricides lead anti-HIV candidate as good as HAART cocktail therapy

NanoViricides, Inc. reports that its lead anti-HIV candidate achieved anti-HIV efficacy equivalent to a HAART triple drug cocktail in its recently completed animal study.

25 Jul 2011

Researchers characterise protein complex linked to malaria and toxoplasmosis

Maryse Lebrun, Research Director at Inserm, and her fellow researchers at the Laboratoire Dynamique des interactions membranaires normales et pathologiques, have characterised a protein complex that allows the agents that cause malaria and toxoplasmosis to infect host cells.

25 Jul 2011

New WHO policy recommendation warns against use of blood tests for active TB

A new policy recommendation released on 20 July by the World Health Organization (WHO) warns against the use of serological (blood) tests to diagnose active tuberculosis.

25 Jul 2011

NAACP, AHF offer free HIV and STD testing at Los Angeles Convention Center

On Saturday, July 23, 2011 from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, please join AIDS Healthcare Foundation and the NAACP with free HIV rapid testing and testing for other STDs, including gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis.

25 Jul 2011

Radiofrequency identification device for studying spread of infection

Participants in a congress were asked to wear a tag for two days in order to study their movements and interactions within a population. The data, collected by a French-Italian team including researchers from CNRS, Inserm, the Université Claude Bernard Lyon1 and the CHU de Lyon, makes it possible to envisage the simulation of the spread of infection risks within a population, or even the optimization of the response to the expansion of an epidemic.

25 Jul 2011