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Haiti requires additional trained nurses, doctors to address cholera epidemic, U.N. official says

Haiti needs about 1,000 additional trained nurses and at least 100 more physicians to control the cholera epidemic, Valerie Amos, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said during a recent visit to the capital of Port-au-Prince, Reuters reports.

30 Nov 2010

To reduce spread of HIV/AIDS, IFRC calls for more focus on IDU programs

Ahead of World AIDS Day, the International Federation of the Red Cross on Friday released a report (.pdf) calling for governments around the world to do more to help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS among populations of injecting drug users (IDUs), the Associated Press reports (Heilprin, 11/25).

30 Nov 2010

Merck announces initial results from ISENTRESS Phase III study in HIV-1

Merck today reported initial results from the Phase III study investigating the efficacy and safety of a treatment regimen including ISENTRESS® (raltegravir) Tablets once daily in treatment-naïve adult patients infected with HIV-1. ISENTRESS is indicated in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced adults.

29 Nov 2010

NovaBay announces meeting with FDA to discuss Aganocide compound for impetigo

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class, anti-infective compounds for the treatment and prevention of antibiotic-resistant infections, announces a successful meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss the Company's clinical development of its Aganocide compound NVC-422, intended for use in the treatment of impetigo.

29 Nov 2010

QIAGEN to supply point-of-need molecular veterinary diagnostics for disease detection in emerging countries

QIAGEN has been selected to contribute to the fight against infectious diseases in animals in emerging countries by supplying an international pilot project associated with the United Nations with portable devices to perform ultra-fast molecular testing in the field.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 29 Nov 2010

New laboratory test for pregnant women to detect GBS infections

A more rapid laboratory test for pregnant women to detect Group B strep (GBS), the most common cause of life-threatening infections in newborns, is being studied by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

29 Nov 2010

Overexposure to triclosan may negatively influence immune system: Study

Young people who are overexposed to antibacterial soaps containing triclosan may suffer more allergies, and exposure to higher levels of Bisphenol A among adults may negatively influence the immune system, a new University of Michigan School of Public Health study suggests.

29 Nov 2010

SaneVax Team congratulates Senator for examining NCI ethical questions

In a letter addressed to U.S. Senator Charles Grassley, the SaneVax Team congratulated the senator on his recent efforts to examine ethical questions raised by National Cancer Institute (NCI) employees accepting extensive travel sponsored by private companies and identified two senior NCI scientists who knowingly promote unreliable human papillomavirus (HPV) tests for patient care, and the development/monitoring of genotype-specific HPV vaccines to promote an unproven virology-based cervical cancer prevention business agenda.

29 Nov 2010

Superantigens can disrupt immune system, can cause more illnesses

Superantigens, the toxins produced by staphylococcus bacteria, are more complex than previously believed, reveals a team of researchers from the University of Gothenburg in an article published today in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Their discovery shows that the body's immune system can cause more illnesses than realised.

29 Nov 2010

New irreversible covalent approach to inhibit viral protease

Avila Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel targeted covalent drugs, has published research in Nature Chemical Biology demonstrating the first-ever selective irreversible inhibition of a viral protease using a targeted covalent drug.

28 Nov 2010

Whooping cough outbreak in Oklahoma

Oklahoma is witnessing an outbreak of whooping cough with more people falling ill. Health authorities are urging all people over 7 years of age to get vaccinated against the disease.

28 Nov 2010

Researchers synthesize iron compounds that inhibit growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

A team of researchers from Spain and Latin America have synthesized two iron compounds that inhibit the in vitro growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. Due their low level of toxicity in mammel cells, the compounds could be used in the future as therapeutic agents and hospital disinfectants.

26 Nov 2010

Hepatitis C outbreak investigation continues

A hepatitis C outbreak investigation has led detectives to a nursing director of the clinic at the centre of their inquiry. The woman in question is Carol Richards, 68, from Croydon Hills who will appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court today charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice.

25 Nov 2010

Looking back and moving forward: 100 years of Pneumococcal vaccination

"Since the introduction of smallpox vaccination by Sir Edward Jenner in 1796, it took 184 years until the WHO could declare the world free of smallpox. How long will it take to eliminate pneumococcus from the world?"

25 Nov 2010

Humanitarian benefits of rapid cholera vaccines deployment to at risk areas could be enormous

In the wake of devastating cholera outbreaks in refugee camps in earthquake-wracked Haiti, a group of leading experts from Harvard Medical School, George Washington University, and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) have urged the United States to create an emergency stockpile of cholera vaccines for future humanitarian use.

25 Nov 2010

WHO/UN-HABITAT report documents health disparities facing women in developing country urban areas

Womens News Network/Guardian Development Network examines a WHO/United Nations Human Settlements Programme report released last week that highlighted the health disparities affecting populations living in urban areas.

25 Nov 2010

Specialists suggest U.S. should stockpile cholera vaccines for rapid deployment at disease outbreak

As the cholera epidemic in Haiti continues to rage, public health workers are focusing their efforts on treating the tens of thousands who have already been hospitalized with cholera-like symptoms and providing clean water and adequate sanitation to control the disease's spread.

25 Nov 2010

How HIV kills CD4 T cells

Researchers appear to have an explanation for a longstanding question in HIV biology: how it is that the virus kills so many CD4 T cells, despite the fact that most of them appear to be "bystander" cells that are themselves not productively infected. That loss of CD4 T cells marks the progression from HIV infection to full-blown AIDS, explain the researchers who report their findings in studies of human tonsils and spleens in the November 24th issue of Cell, a Cell Press publication.

25 Nov 2010

Haiti cholera death toll increases, U.N. boosts estimate for number of expected cases

"The cholera epidemic in Haiti is gathering pace and some violence is expected when the country holds elections this week, U.N. officials warned Tuesday," Agence France-Presse reports. The official death toll from cholera is now above 1,400, but "experts believe that the real toll is close to 2,000 dead and the number of cases is between 60,000 and 70,000 rather than the 50,000 given by the authorities, Nigel Fisher, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Haiti said," according to the news service (11/23).

25 Nov 2010

Media outlets continue to follow major HIV/AIDS developments this week

Media outlets continued to track the major developments in HIV/AIDS this week, including: prevention research using an antiretroviral; new UNAIDS estimates of HIV/AIDS around the world; and Pope Benedict XVI's stance on condoms for HIV prevention.

25 Nov 2010