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New details about how dendritic cells regulate fate of naive T cells

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists show that the molecule serves as a bridge between the two arms of the immune system that provides a new mechanism guiding T cell differentiation.

25 Jul 2011

House committee votes to reinstate 'global gag rule' on abortion

The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday voted to "reinstate a ban on providing foreign aid to groups that perform abortions or provide advice about the procedure," The Hill's "HealthWatch" blog reports on the "so-called 'global gag rule'".

25 Jul 2011

Report on versatility of nitric oxide in arming hosts against pathogens

A new target for nitric oxide has been revealed in studies of how it inhibits the growth of Salmonella. This bacterium is a common cause of food-poisoning.

25 Jul 2011

Combination strategies more effective for reducing population of tiger mosquitos

An experimental research carried out in Sant Cugat del Vall-s and Rub-, coordinated by researchers from UAB, assessed the efficacy of a combination of strategies to reduce the population of tiger mosquitos.

25 Jul 2011

Tel Aviv University researcher tracks clinical cases of West Nile Virus

Since 1999, several outbreaks of West Nile Virus, which causes fever or severe neurological symptoms and is transmitted from birds to humans by blood-sucking mosquitoes, have been seen in the U.S., usually during the summer months. But researchers aren't certain how the virus migrated here - and they don't know how, or where, it will appear next.

25 Jul 2011

Medicines Patent Pool can help many but has potential limitations for AIDS drug access in middle-income countries

In a post on the New York Times' "Opinionator" blog, author and journalist Tina Rosenberg writes about the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and describes how it can help purchase AIDS drugs for "vast numbers of people."

25 Jul 2011

Hendra virus continues in Queensland

Experts have confirmed the eighth outbreak of the deadly Hendra virus in Queensland in a horse on the western Darling Downs. It is not known yet if a large number of people have been exposed to the sick animal, with passers-by and neighbours possibly having stroked it on the Chinchilla property where it lived as a pet.

24 Jul 2011

Circumcision prevents HIV transmission & cocktail of anti-HIV drugs prolong life

Reports came in last Wednesday that circumcision reduces transmission of HIV, in regions where transmission is high. To researchers, this procedure proves to be a cost-effective way to handle the pandemic. In South Africa, a study reported that men with circumcisions reduced new HIV infections by 76%.

24 Jul 2011

Cholera hits Haiti again

Cholera the bacterial disease that rapidly leads to diarrhea and dehydration and kills millions worldwide ravaged Haiti last fall and has spread quickly to all regions of the Caribbean country. With the rainy season now in progress, clinics across the country are again bustling with seriously ill patients.

24 Jul 2011

Discovery challenges current thinking on origin of malaria parasite

The agent of malaria has been found in the greater spot-nosed monkey, also known as putty-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans), a small African primate derived from a line different to that of humans, gorillas and chimpanzees.

22 Jul 2011

Combination of strategies reduces more than half the number of tiger mosquitos

The combination of three complementary measures to eradicate tiger mosquitos - avoid having stagnant water, using insecticides to eliminate larvae and adults, and removing rubbish - reduces more than half the number of tiger mosquitos, according to a research coordinated by researchers at Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona.

22 Jul 2011

Contaminated nasal spray associated with rare bacterial outbreak

Infection control researchers investigating a rare bacterial outbreak of Burholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) identified contaminated nasal spray as the root cause of the infections, leading to a national recall of the product.

22 Jul 2011

Scientists identify bacterial attack pathway

When competing for food and resources, bacteria employ elaborate strategies to keep rival cells at bay. Scientists have now identified a pathway that allows disease-causing bacteria to attack other bacterial cells by breaking down their cell wall.

22 Jul 2011

IAS conference concludes with positive news on HIV prevention

"Scientists on Wednesday wrapped up their biggest forum in the 30-year history of AIDS, unveiling stunning weapons to prevent the spread of HIV," Agence France-Presse reports about the 6th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

22 Jul 2011

Financial Times examines product development partnerships developing drugs for neglected diseases

The Financial Times examines the rise of product development partnerships (PDPs), which are "non-governmental organizations that generate their own funding and build partnerships with universities, businesses, government and patients in low-income countries to develop new drugs, vaccines, prevention techniques and diagnostics for diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, cholera and meningitis."

22 Jul 2011

Hepatitis B immunization for health care students may fall short of current recommendations

A study in the August issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), suggests that documentation of hepatitis B vaccination for health care students may fall short of current recommendations.

22 Jul 2011

UK regulators approve Europe's first clinical trial of plant-derived antibody for HIV

UK regulators have approved Europe's first clinical trial of a monoclonal antibody produced from genetically modified plants. This landmark decision sets the stage for the testing, in humans, of an anti-HIV product made from genetically modified tobacco plants. It will open the door for trials of additional plant-derived medicines treating a range of diseases.

22 Jul 2011

Abbott's AACC workshops to showcase HIV and vitamin D diagnostics, lab informatics

Abbott announced its schedule of key workshops and scientific presentations at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) annual meeting, July 24-28 in Atlanta.

22 Jul 2011

Skin dendritic cells promote distinct and opposing antigen-specific responses

A new study reveals that just as different soldiers in the field have different jobs, subsets of a type of immune cell that polices the barriers of the body can promote unique and opposite immune responses against the same type of infection.

22 Jul 2011

HIV-infected MSM more likely to contract HCV through sex

Sexual transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is considered rare. But a new study by researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), provides substantial evidence that men with HIV who have sex with other men (MSM) are at increased risk for contracting HCV through sex.

22 Jul 2011