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Independent DSMB recommends Inhibitex to complete FV-100 Phase II clinical trial for shingles

Inhibitex, Inc. today announced that the independent data safety monitoring board (DSMB) responsible for reviewing safety data from the Company's ongoing Phase II clinical trial of FV-100 met, as scheduled, after the Company had provided it with complete 30-day follow-up safety data on the third quartile (75%) of the patients that the Company plans to enroll in the trial. Based upon its review, the DSMB recommended that the trial continue to completion without modification.

23 Jul 2010

Schizophrenia patients likely to sustain medical injuries during non-psychiatric hospital stay

People with schizophrenia are more likely than others to sustain medical injuries during non-psychiatric hospital stays, a large national study finds.These findings confirm that medical and surgical hospitalizations are an at-risk time for this group, and a national problem, said lead study author Elizabeth Khaykin, at the Department of Mental Health at Bloomberg Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

23 Jul 2010

Reusing syringes in anesthesia leads to viral transmission: Study

Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus can be transmitted during intravenous administration of anesthesia, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association Institute. In this study, doctors found that anesthesia contamination - not endoscopy contamination - was the cause of infection.

23 Jul 2010

Researchers discover fundamental entry mechanism of fungal microbes into plant and human host cells

A research team led by scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech has discovered a fundamental entry mechanism that allows dangerous fungal microbes to infect plants and cause disease. The discovery paves the way for the development of new intervention strategies to protect plant, and even some animal cells, from deadly fungal infections. The findings are published in the July 23 edition of the journal Cell.

23 Jul 2010

AIDS 2010 studies, releases: Criminalization, discrimination of high-risk groups; Test-and-treat; UNAIDS launches HIV prevention commission

The criminalization of men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people in Asia is holding back efforts to contain HIV/AIDS in the region, according to a report presented Wednesday by the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) and Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health at the International AIDS Conference-AIDS 2010, VOA News reports. The report "linked the criminalization of homosexual behavior to an increase in the infection rate of HIV and AIDS in Asia," the news service writes (Dewan, 7/21).

23 Jul 2010

AIDS 2010: Halving HIV/TB co-infection deaths; Financial transaction tax discussed, and more

UNAIDS and the Stop TB Partnership joined together on Thursday at the International AIDS Conference-AIDS 2010 in Vienna, Austria, with the goal of preventing 200,000 deaths annually from HIV and tuberculosis co-infection, Agence France-Presse reports. TB is the number one killer of people living with HIV/AIDS (Ingham, 7/22).

23 Jul 2010

New HIV drug on the block

Johnson and Johnson’s experimental HIV drug rilpivirine or TMC278, a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), is being developed for use in combination therapy for treating the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. Two clinical trials with the drug has shown that although its effectiveness was same as the existing anti-HIV drugs, its side effects were fewer. On the flip side nearly twice as many patients failed to respond to treatment with the new drug.

22 Jul 2010

Tibotec reports Phase 3 trial results of TMC278 vs. EFV in treatment-naive HIV-1-infected adults

Tibotec Pharmaceuticals announced today results from two pivotal Phase 3, double-blind, randomized clinical trials comparing the efficacy, safety and tolerability of its investigational non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) TMC278 (rilpivirine) versus efavirenz (EFV), each administered once daily with a nucleoside/nucleotide background regimen in treatment-naive, HIV-1-infected adults.

22 Jul 2010

Achillion nominates ACH-2928 NS5A clinical candidate for treatment of HCV

Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the discovery and development of treatments for the most challenging infectious diseases, today announced the nomination of a lead clinical candidate in its fourth proprietary program against hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The candidate, ACH-2928, is an NS5A inhibitor that in preclinical studies has demonstrated excellent potency against HCV RNA replication, as well as good pharmacokinetic and safety profiles.

22 Jul 2010

Towards a cure: HIV reservoirs and strategies to control them

Can HIV infection ever be cured? The prospect of efficiently controlling HIV persistence in infected persons was the topic of a high-level, two-day meeting of researchers gathered here on the eve of AIDS 2010, the biennial international conference of HIV researchers, funders, policy-makers and advocates.

22 Jul 2010

AHF calls upon Congress to immediately pass 'HIV/AIDS Saves Lives First Act of 2010'

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will host a press teleconference on Thursday, July 22nd, at 1:00 PM Eastern (U.S.A.)/10:00 AM Pacific to urge the United States Congress to immediately pass the HIV/AIDS Saves Lives First Act of 2010. Introduced in the Senate Wednesday by Senator Tom Coburn, MD (R-OK), the bill seeks to save lives by making better use of existing resources for PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), the US' successful global AIDS program.

22 Jul 2010

AHF hosts 'Test & Treat: Getting to 10 Million on ARVs' satellite session

As both cost containment of care and services and treatment-as-prevention gain greater prominence in the global fight against HIV/AIDS during the Vienna AIDS Conference, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which currently provides AIDS medical care to more than 139,000 individuals in 23 countries worldwide, will host a satellite session today, July 21st, titled "Test and Treat: Getting to 10 Million on ARVs" (IAC Mini Room #5 at 6:30pm) preceded by a press conference (5pm, Media Center, Room PCR #2).

22 Jul 2010

Correlates of HIV stigma in HIV-positive women: Study

For some women, planning a family can be the first step towards one of life's most rewarding experiences. But a study led by Ryerson University researchers has found strong evidence that some HIV-positive women feel that they are being judged negatively by their healthcare providers for wanting to become moms and feel stigmatized by their physicians due to their medical condition.

22 Jul 2010

Adult circumcision proposed for possible HIV prevention in gay men

Adult circumcision has been proposed as a possible HIV prevention strategy for gay men, but a new study by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health presented at the XVIII International AIDS Conference suggests it would have a very small effect on reducing HIV incidence in the United States.

22 Jul 2010

New era of scientific innovation to drive novel ways of treating, preventing HIV

The unwillingness of the global AIDS community to accept the status quo is fuelling a new era of scientific innovation to drive novel ways of treating and preventing HIV, organizers of the XVIII International AIDS Conference taking place in Vienna, Austria said today. And, with millions of lives dependent on expanding access to antiretroviral treatment to all those clinically in need, researchers and clinicians are partnering in new ways to find the most effective and efficient methods to deliver treatment and strengthen health systems.

22 Jul 2010

Childhood experiences, psychosocial health problems increase risk of HIV in bisexual men

Gay and bisexual men enrolled in a long-term study of HIV who reported sexual abuse and social shaming in childhood experience psychosocial health problems later in life that could put them at greater risk for HIV, report University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health researchers at the XVIII International AIDS Conference.

22 Jul 2010

New carbon nanomaterial fights disease causing bacteria

A new form of paper with the built-in ability to fight disease-causing bacteria could have applications that range from anti-bacterial bandages to food packaging that keeps food fresher longer to shoes that ward off foot odor. A report about the new material, which consists of the thinnest possible sheets of carbon, appears in ACS Nano, a monthly journal.

22 Jul 2010

Fera acquires investigational new drug for treatment of fungal otitis externa

Fera Pharmaceuticals announces the acquisition of an investigational new drug to treat fungal otitis externa (FOE).

22 Jul 2010

Study shows potential impact of syringe type on injection-related HIV epidemics among drug users

Syringe type affects HIV transmission among intravenous drug users, according to a study by researchers at RTI International. The study, published online in Addiction, used a mathematical model to illustrate the potential impact of syringe type on injection-related HIV epidemics in low- and high-risk intravenous drug user populations.

22 Jul 2010

Smoking cessation effectively alter subgingival microbiome in patients on periodontal therapy: Study

Patients with chronic gum disease who quit smoking in addition to undergoing nonsurgical therapy not only demonstrated a lower abundance of harmful oral pathogens, but also an increase in health-associated bacteria. The researchers from The Ohio State University, Columbus Ohio, and Newcastle University, United Kingdom report their findings in the July 2010 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

22 Jul 2010

Disease/Infection News

Independent DSMB recommends Inhibitex to complete FV-100 Phase II clinical trial for shingles

Schizophrenia patients likely to sustain medical injuries during non-psychiatric hospital stay

Reusing syringes in anesthesia leads to viral transmission: Study

Researchers discover fundamental entry mechanism of fungal microbes into plant and human host cells

AIDS 2010 studies, releases: Criminalization, discrimination of high-risk groups; Test-and-treat; UNAIDS launches HIV prevention commission

AIDS 2010: Halving HIV/TB co-infection deaths; Financial transaction tax discussed, and more

New HIV drug on the block

Tibotec reports Phase 3 trial results of TMC278 vs. EFV in treatment-naive HIV-1-infected adults

Achillion nominates ACH-2928 NS5A clinical candidate for treatment of HCV

Towards a cure: HIV reservoirs and strategies to control them

AHF calls upon Congress to immediately pass 'HIV/AIDS Saves Lives First Act of 2010'

AHF hosts 'Test & Treat: Getting to 10 Million on ARVs' satellite session

Correlates of HIV stigma in HIV-positive women: Study

Adult circumcision proposed for possible HIV prevention in gay men

New era of scientific innovation to drive novel ways of treating, preventing HIV

Childhood experiences, psychosocial health problems increase risk of HIV in bisexual men

New carbon nanomaterial fights disease causing bacteria

Fera acquires investigational new drug for treatment of fungal otitis externa

Study shows potential impact of syringe type on injection-related HIV epidemics among drug users

Smoking cessation effectively alter subgingival microbiome in patients on periodontal therapy: Study

Transforming Lab Workflows with Cell Culture Automation

Building Bridges to Scalable Allogeneic Cell Therapy

Edoardo Fabini

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