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Pope says condoms are justified in some cases to prevent HIV infection

Pope Benedict XVI says in a new book that condoms can be justified for male prostitutes seeking to stop the spread of HIV, a stunning comment for a church criticized for its opposition to condoms and for a pontiff who has blamed them for making the AIDS crisis worse, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

22 Nov 2010

New simple diagnostic tool to detect dangerous viruses

Boston University researchers have developed a simple diagnostic tool that can quickly identify dangerous viruses like Ebola and Marburg. The biosensor, which is the size of a quarter and can detect viruses in a blood sample, could be used in developing nations, airports and other places where natural or man-made outbreaks could erupt.

22 Nov 2010

State roundup: Calif. stem cell research; Mass. prisons change HIV medicine procedure; Native Americans' high suicide rates

When millionaire Silicon Valley real estate developer Bob Klein launched his ballot drive to create a $3-billion state fund for stem-cell research in 2004, he pitched it as a way of taking politics out of science and focusing on cures.

22 Nov 2010

Mimetogen initiates MIM-D3 Phase II clinical trial for dry eye disease

Mimetogen Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel small molecule compounds that mimic the effects of neurotrophins, today announced that it has initiated the first human clinical trial evaluating MIM-D3, a mimetic of nerve growth factor (NGF), in a Phase II clinical trial in patients with moderate to severe dry eye disease. MIM-D3 is a small cyclic peptidomimetic of NGF, a naturally occurring protein in the eye that is responsible for the maintenance of corneal nerves and epithelium, mucin and tear production.

22 Nov 2010

AHF hails Pope Benedict's remarks on condom usage to prevent HIV transmission

AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the largest global AIDS organization, today hailed recent remarks by Pope Benedict XVI on the "justified" use condoms to prevent the spread of potentially deadly diseases like HIV that suggest a softening the Roman Catholic Church's absolute opposition to condom use in all circumstances.

22 Nov 2010

President of Catholics issues statement on Pope's view to prevent HIV transmission

Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, issued the following statement after Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged that condoms have a role to play in preventing the transmission of HIV: We are delighted that the pope has acknowledged that condoms can help reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections including HIV. It is a marvelous victory for common sense and reason and a major step forward towards recognizing that condom use can play a vital role in reducing the future impact of the HIV pandemic.

22 Nov 2010

IVCC receives $50 million to develop new insecticides

The Innovative Vector Control Consortium has received $50 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to continue its work to develop new insecticides for the improved control of mosquitoes and other insects which transmit malaria, dengue and other neglected tropical diseases.

22 Nov 2010

Pritzker Olsen files lawsuit against Kanan Enterprises for wrongful death suit

Pritzker Olsen law firm has filed a lawsuit through its local counsel on behalf of the family of Nellie Napier, who died after eating peanut butter contaminated with Salmonella. The wrongful death suit was filed in the Court of Common Pleas, Cuyahoga County, Ohio against Kanan Enterprises, Inc., doing business as King Nut Companies, an Ohio Corporation.

20 Nov 2010

Vical to present results of Vaxfectin adjuvant at Conference in Hungary

Vical Incorporated today announced that the company is presenting an overview of results for its patented Vaxfectin adjuvant at the Modern Veterinary Vaccines & Adjuvants conference.

20 Nov 2010

Quercetin in Gene-Eden may be beneficial against flu virus: Research

Recently, researchers discovered that quercetin, a key ingredient in the natural antiviral supplement Gene-Eden, may be beneficial against the flu virus.

20 Nov 2010

Kenneth Cole Rubber Accessory Collection helps fight against HIV/AIDS

Save A Hide…Wear A Rubber this holiday season. Fashion designer Kenneth Cole invites customers to join in the fight against HIV/AIDS with the launch of the new Kenneth Cole Rubber Accessory Collection.

20 Nov 2010

Social limitation troubles teens with food allergies: Study

Teens with food allergies are troubled by the social limitations of their food allergies as well as the burden that this medical condition can place on others, according to the findings of a newly published study concerning the quality of life of American teenagers with food allergy.

20 Nov 2010

New international guidelines launched to protect health workers against HIV, TB

Health workers are at the frontline in providing prevention, treatment and care for people living with HIV and TB throughout the world. They are at risk of occupational exposure to HIV and TB but often themselves lack adequate access to protection and treatment. To address this gap, new international guidelines are being launched today by the International Labour Organization, WHO and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.

20 Nov 2010

Study refocuses on rare group of neutralizing antibodies against HIV

Although people infected with HIV produce many antibodies against the protein encapsulating the virus, most of these antibodies are strangely ineffective at fighting the disease. A new study suggests why some of the most common of these antibodies don't work: they target the protein in a form it takes after the virus has already invaded the cell, when it's too late, report researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and their colleagues.

20 Nov 2010

HRSA awarded $1.6M in grants to support Hepatitis C Treatment Expansion Initiative

The Health Resources and Services Administration has awarded $1.6 million in grants to support the Hepatitis C Treatment Expansion Initiative. The funds will aid organizations implementing effective, focused interventions designed to increase access to and completion of Hepatitis C treatment for HIV-positive patients.

20 Nov 2010

Tackling physical, mental health of prisoners would improve public health, researchers say

Providing the more than 10 million people incarcerated around the world "with better health care could prevent outbreaks of HIV and tuberculosis from spilling over into the general population experts say," the Associated Press/Washington Post reports.

20 Nov 2010

One-third of malaria-endemic countries are complying with WHO malaria drug efficacy monitoring standards, report says

Thirty-four percent of malaria-endemic countries are complying with WHO guidelines to monitor artemisinin resistance within their borders, the agency said in a report on Thursday, CBS News reports (11/18). Reuters reports that artemisinin "is the best drug available against malaria, especially when used in artemisinin combination therapy (ACT), which combines it with other drugs that finish off the [malaria] parasite" (Nebehay, 11/18).

20 Nov 2010

U.S. falling short of its goals to improve access to clean water, sanitation worldwide, report says

The U.S. is falling short on its goal of improving conditions for the 2.6 billion people worldwide without access to clean water and sanitation despite the fact the Water for the Poor Act became law in 2005, according to a report released Thursday by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), WaterAid, CARE and 11 other organization, Food Safety News reports.

19 Nov 2010

Toxic darts may yiled new strategies to control disease-causing pathogens

In nature, it's a dog-eat-dog world, even in the realm of bacteria. Competing bacteria use "toxic darts" to disable each other, according to a new study by UC Santa Barbara biologists.

19 Nov 2010

Improving immune system to defend against HIV infection

Researchers have been stymied for years over the fact that people infected with the AIDS virus do indeed produce antibodies in response to the pathogen - antibodies that turn out to be ineffective in blocking infection.

19 Nov 2010