Disease/Infection News

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Health situation deteriorates in Cote d'Ivoire as violence continues

Medecins Sans Frontieres on Sunday highlighted its concerns about the health situation in Cote d'Ivoire, Reuters reports.

12 Apr 2011

Non-specific recurring genital symptoms could be undiagnosed herpes

A study of patients attending sexual health clinics in Gothenburg found that just four out of ten patients with genital herpes actually knew that they had the disorder. However, a third of those who did not realise that they had been infected reported typical symptoms at a follow-up visit, reveals a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

12 Apr 2011

Depression can sabotage efforts to effectively treat Hepatitis C

Adherence to interferon, an important medication used to treat Hepatitis C, is critical to successfully clearing the virus that causes the disease. A new observational analysis by Medco Health Solutions, Inc. finds that when Hepatitis C patients are also being treated for depression -- a frequent side effect of interferon use -- they are more likely to remain on their interferon therapy.

12 Apr 2011

Strong bitter taste can cause nausea: Research

Swallow the good, spit out the bad. A new study from the Monell Center highlights the vital role taste plays as the body's gatekeeper. The research shows that strong bitter taste in and of itself can cause people to both report the sensation of nausea and display a pattern of stomach activity characteristic of actual nausea.

12 Apr 2011

Scientists develop new method to detect virus presence in cells

Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory Center for Bio-Molecular Science and Engineering have developed a method to detect the presence of viruses in cells and to study their growth.

12 Apr 2011

Opinions: Empowering women, reducing global hunger; wars justified by humanitarianism; climate change, human health; budget cuts to foreign aid

In a perspective piece in The Globalist, Contributing Editor Cesar Chelala calls for more attention to be paid to the role of women in reducing hunger worldwide. "Giving women the same tools and resources as men, such as financial support, education and access to markets, could reduce the number of hungry people worldwide by up to 150 million, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization," he writes.

12 Apr 2011

Gay men in Britain allowed to give blood after a decade of celibacy: Trust system

The ban on gay men in Britain donating blood is being lifted because it was decided that the rule could be discriminatory and might breach equality legislation.

11 Apr 2011

GeoVax Labs expands its HIV/AIDS vaccine program with NIAID, NIH and HVTN

GeoVax Labs, Inc., announced today that it is expanding its preventative HIV/AIDS vaccine development effort in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the HIV Vaccine Trials Network.

11 Apr 2011

Study confirms measles being under-reported

Measles is not always being reported in Germany as required by law, particularly when cases are sporadic. In this edition of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, Annedore Mette's working group presents its conclusions.

11 Apr 2011

AHF praises CA Treasurer for urging AIDS drug companies to reduce medication costs

Today AIDS Healthcare Foundation praised California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer for sending letters to the CEOs of eight AIDS drug companies—Abbott Laboratories, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, Merck & Co., Tibotec Therapeutics and ViiV Healthcare—urging them to reduce the price of their HIV/AIDS medications for California and its AIDS Drug Assistance Program.

11 Apr 2011

Enigma initiates ML system trial in patients with influenza

Enigma Diagnostics announced today that it has commenced clinical trials for its intended point of care Enigma ML Influenza A/B detection assay. Enigma will submit its application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval of the assay in 2012.

11 Apr 2011

Study unravels how interferon-induced factors inhibit viruses

When viruses attack, one molecule more than any other fights back. Interferon triggers the activation of more than 350 genes, and despite the obvious connection, the vast majority have never been tested for antiviral properties.

11 Apr 2011

Researchers manage to grow human rhinovirus in culture using sinus tissue

Using sinus tissue removed during surgery at University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have managed to grow a recently discovered species of human rhinovirus, the most frequent cause of the common cold, in culture.

11 Apr 2011

Synexus' Chief Medical Officer to discuss vaccine trial challenges at Washington event

Dr Glynis Neagle, Synexus' Chief Medical Officer will be discussing the challenges facing global vaccine trials at the World Vaccine Congress in Washington this week.

From AES - Accelerated Enrollment Solutions 11 Apr 2011

Viral infection likely to encourage pneumonia spread

Bacteria that cause pneumonia and meningitis are only able to spread when individuals are infected with flu, says a scientist reporting at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Harrogate. The work could have implications for the management of influenza pandemics and could help reduce incidence of pneumococcal infections in very young children, who are more susceptible to disease.

11 Apr 2011

Merck announces interim analysis from V710 Phase II/III trial in S. aureus infection

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, and Intercell AG today announced that following a pre-specified interim analysis from the Phase II/III clinical trial evaluating V710, an investigational vaccine for the prevention of Staphylococcus aureus infection, the independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended suspension of enrollment.

11 Apr 2011

IDSA, U.S. health officials describe ways to respond to global threat of antimicrobial resistance

To coincide with World Health Day on Thursday, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) released a policy paper with nine recommendations for how to control the "ever-growing threat of antimicrobial resistance," CIDRAP News reports.

11 Apr 2011

New dengue test receives FDA marketing clearance

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today allowed marketing of the first test to help diagnose people with signs and symptoms of dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever, a leading cause of illness and death in the tropics and subtropics.

11 Apr 2011

SpectraShield surgical respirator receives FDA clearance to reduce MRSA infections

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the SpectraShield 9500 N95 surgical respirator, a device that kills 99.99 percent of three different kinds of bacteria when exposed to its outer surface.

11 Apr 2011

VIGILAIR air cleaning technology greatly reduces HAI in NICU: Study

VIGILAIR Systems, an industry leader in Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation technology was instrumental in a newly published, and first of its kind hospital study that demonstrated a dramatic reduction in patient Hospital Acquired Infections with the application of VIGILAIR® air cleaning technology in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

11 Apr 2011