Disease/Infection News

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Biota reports preliminary data from CS-8958 Phase III trial against influenza

Dr Seizaburo Kashiwagi presented the preliminary data from an influenza Phase III prophylaxis study conducted during the 2009/2010 pandemic flu season in Japan.

27 Jun 2011

SOGC launches first Facebook game about healthy sexuality for Canadians

Today, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada is launching its first Facebook game - Sex Quest - to help Canadians learn about healthy sexuality, contraception and STIs.

27 Jun 2011

Video monitors on public buses to help raise HIV testing awareness among African Americans

A University of Pennsylvania study will determine if public transit can convey more than people going from point A to point B. Video displays on public buses in Los Angeles will be used to help determine the efficacy of an innovative soap opera-like video program designed to increase HIV testing among low-income African Americans 14 to 24 years of age.

27 Jun 2011

Some HIV drugs can cause premature ageing

A class of anti-retroviral drugs commonly used to treat HIV, particularly in Africa and low income countries, can cause premature ageing, according to research published today in the journal Nature Genetics. The study shows that the drugs damage DNA in the patient's mitochondria - the 'batteries' which power their cells.

27 Jun 2011

Michelle Obama's message of leadership for 'HIV-free future'

U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby writes about First Lady Michelle Obama's trip to Africa and her focus on "youth leadership, education, health and wellness," including HIV/AIDS, in this Office of National AIDS Policy blog post.

24 Jun 2011

FDA approves second anti-HIV drug from Rutgers-Janssen collaboration

Two decades after Rutgers scientists began working with Paul Janssen, a legendary drug developer and founder of Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceutica, to create new and potent drugs to fight AIDS, the FDA has approved the second anti-HIV drug that came from this collaboration.

24 Jun 2011

Evolutionary-management strategies to limit spread of drug-resistant diseases

In the war between drugs and drug-resistant diseases, is the current strategy for medicating patients giving many drug-resistant diseases a big competitive advantage?, asks a research paper that will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

24 Jun 2011

Sexually transmitted infection and reinfection rates 'unacceptably high' among adult film performers

Rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea infection among adult film performers in Los Angeles County are "unacceptably high," according to a paper in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

24 Jun 2011

Congo's cholera outbreak spreads to crowded capital city

Three cases of cholera have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital of Kinshasa, "home to at least 9 million people, many of whom live in cramped, unsanitary conditions," Reuters reports.

24 Jun 2011

Migratory birds play a key role in global spreading of tick-borne disease

The most common tick-borne disease in humans is Lyme borreliosis. Extensive field and laboratory tests have revealed that the Borrelia bacterium is present in a larger proportion of ticks than has been shown by earlier studies.

24 Jun 2011

New York Times examines very rare E. coli strain responsible for German outbreak

The New York Times examines the E. coli strain responsible for the recent outbreak in Germany, saying the bacteria "have a highly unusual combination of two traits and that may be what made the outbreak among the deadliest in recent history, scientists there are reporting."

24 Jun 2011

Research offers avenue for creating Alzheimer's and HIV therapeutics

A new advance by UCLA biochemists has brought scientists one step closer to developing treatments that could delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease and prevent the sexual transmission of HIV.

24 Jun 2011

Researchers develop inexpensive saliva test for dengue

An inexpensive, non-invasive cheek swab saliva test for dengue has been developed by researchers in Singapore and is undergoing multi-center evaluation, SciDev.Net reports.

24 Jun 2011

Nature News examines controversy surrounding Indian HPV vaccine trial

After four teenage girls involved in a clinical trial in India testing vaccines for human papillomavirus (HPV) died last year, the study "threatens to have a dual legacy: inflaming unfounded fears about a lifesaving vaccine and raising new questions about the management of medical research in the country," Nature News reports.

24 Jun 2011

Researchers identify novel viral sensor complex

Double-stranded (ds) RNA viruses are a diverse group of viruses that include rotaviruses, a common cause of gastroenteritis. The ability of the immune system to detect and destroy viruses is critical for human health and survival.

24 Jun 2011

Global Fund signs onto International Aid Transparency Initiative

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced Thursday that "it has become a signatory of the International Aid Transparency Initiative, which "means that grant information currently on the Global Fund website will be aligned to an internationally agreed set of standards" and "financial and grant activity data and documentation will be accessible to a broader audience and will be comparable to information provided by other donors," according to a Global Fund press release.

24 Jun 2011

ITG researchers uncover unexpected sex between two different parasites

What we anxiously fear in the influenza virus - a cross between two strains, resulting in a new variant we have no resistance against - has occurred in another pathogen, the Leishmania parasite. This was uncovered by researchers of the Institute of Tropical Medicine.

24 Jun 2011

GeoVax opens third clinical trial site for testing HIV/AIDS vaccine

GeoVax Labs, Inc., a biotechnology company that creates, develops and tests innovative HIV/AIDS vaccines, announced today the opening of a third site for testing the therapeutic potential of its HIV/AIDS vaccine.

24 Jun 2011

Copenhagen chemist reveals mechanism behind deadly infections

Anthrax, septicemia and meningitis are some of the planet's most deadly infections. In part because doctors lack basic insights to prevent and cure diseases caused by so called Gram-positive bacteria. Now, a chemist from the University of Copenhagen has revealed the mechanism behind these deadly infections.

24 Jun 2011

Health Canada approves PURE Hard Surface disinfectant

PURE Bioscience, Inc., creator of the patented silver dihydrogen citrate (SDC) antimicrobial, today announced that Health Canada has approved PURE™ Hard Surface disinfectant for use in food premises, hospitals and health care facilities, domestic locations and institutional and industrial premises.

23 Jun 2011