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Doctors misuse antibiotics to treat patients with respiratory tract infections: Study

Doctors frequently misuse antibiotics when treating patients hospitalized with respiratory tract infections (RTIs), according to a study to be published in the November issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

23 Sep 2010

FDA approves Roche's COBAS AmpliPrep / COBAS TaqMan HBV Test v2.0

Roche Molecular Diagnostics announced today that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the COBAS® AmpliPrep / COBAS® TaqMan® HBV Test v2.0 for use in the United States. The new Roche test provides a fully automated solution for the quantitative detection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in human plasma or serum for patients on HBV antiviral therapy.

23 Sep 2010

Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation to initiate clinical trial of new investigational vaccine

At an international gathering of TB vaccine researchers in Tallinn today, the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation announced it will initiate a clinical trial of an investigational live recombinant tuberculosis vaccine to be led by researchers at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The announcement was made at the Second Global Forum on TB Vaccine Development.

23 Sep 2010

Scientists develop humanized mouse model to study typhoid fever

Better treatments and prevention for typhoid fever may emerge from a laboratory model that has just been developed for the disease. The model is based on transplanting human immune stem cells from umbilical cord blood into mice that are susceptible to infections.

23 Sep 2010

Researchers develop drug to eliminate disease transmission by cough

What if there was a drug that could completely eliminate airborne disease transmission that occurs when someone coughs. Researchers at the University of Alberta believe they have found a way to achieve this.

23 Sep 2010

Metabolon publishes biomarker validation study results for periodontal diseases

Metabolon, Inc., leaders in global metabolomics, biomarker discovery and biochemical analysis, announces the publication of "Assessment of Dentifrice on Periodontal Disease Biomarkers in Gingival Crevicular Fluid", in the Journal of Periodontology.

23 Sep 2010

Evotec AG collaborates with Almirall for ion channel validation in respiratory diseases

Evotec AG today announced that it has entered into a collaboration with Almirall S.A. to identify small molecule modulators of an ion channel target, selected by Almirall, involved in respiratory diseases.

23 Sep 2010

Study may help develop preventative treatments for womb infections

Researchers funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have established in mice the mechanism that detects and responds to the presence of bacteria in the womb a discovery that opens up the possibility of new preventative treatments for diseases like pelvic inflammatory disease and Chlamydia.

23 Sep 2010

Weight-based taribavirin reduces anemia, increases sustained virologic response

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and 50 other centers found that weight-based dosing of taribavirin reduces rates of anemia while increasing sustained virologic response (SVR) in patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV). Full details of this study are available in the October issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

23 Sep 2010

MDI and Integrated Sciences enter exclusive distribution agreement for Detect-Ready MRSA assay in Australia

Molecular Detection Inc. (MDI), a company developing Detect-Ready™ assays designed to increase the speed and accuracy of infectious disease diagnosis, and Integrated Sciences Pty. Ltd. today announced that they have entered into an exclusive distribution agreement for MDI's Detect-Ready MRSA assay in Australia.

22 Sep 2010

Nationwide Health Information Network tool to convey public health information

One hundred and sixty-six years after Samuel Morse used dots and dashes to telegraph "What hath God wrought?" opening up a whole new world of communication, Indiana has become the first state in the nation to use a potentially equally revolutionary tool, the Nationwide Health Information Network, to convey public health information to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

22 Sep 2010

G-CSF compound may activate virus, increases risk of infection: Research

Research conducted at Oregon Health & Science University's Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute may spur debate about the risks associated with administering a specific compound in some forms of bone-marrow transplantation. The research is published in the current edition of Cell Host and Microbe.

22 Sep 2010

Santaris Pharma paves way to conduct clinical trial of miravirsen in patients with HVC

Santaris Pharma A/S, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of RNA-targeted therapies, today announced that it has advanced miravirsen (SPC3649), the first microRNA-targeted drug to enter clinical trials, into Phase 2 studies to assess the safety and tolerability of the drug in treatment-naive patients infected with the Hepatitis C virus.

22 Sep 2010

Lilly's multidrug-resistant tuberculosis initiative honored with World Business and Development Award

An eminent international panel of judges has selected Eli Lilly and Company to receive a World Business and Development Award for demonstrating what can be achieved through successful partnerships in the battle against multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).

22 Sep 2010

Prevalence of periodontal disease in US higher than originally estimated

The prevalence of periodontal disease in the United States may be significantly higher than originally estimated. Research published in the Journal of Dental Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) suggests that the prevalence of periodontal disease may have been underestimated by as much as 50 percent. The implication is that more American adults may suffer from moderate to severe gum disease than previously thought.

22 Sep 2010

MIDAS researchers continue to model how H1N1 may spread

As the United States prepares for the upcoming flu season, a group of researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health continues to model how H1N1 may spread.

22 Sep 2010

Aeras and Crucell commence Phase II study of TB vaccine candidate in infants

Dutch biopharmaceutical company Crucell N.V. and the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation today announced the start of a Phase II clinical trial in infants of the jointly developed tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate, AERAS-402/Crucell Ad35.

22 Sep 2010

Immunization is critical to reduce child deaths

Immunising children against preventable diseases is critical to achieving United Nations-led goals to reduce child deaths, global health and development chiefs said in New York today.

22 Sep 2010

Novartis' SOM230 reduces cortisol levels in Cushing's disease patients

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today that the results of a Phase III study of SOM230 (pasireotide) showed a reduction in cortisol levels in patients with Cushing's disease, a condition in which a benign (non-cancerous) pituitary tumor causes the adrenal glands to produce excess cortisol and can be fatal. Results will be presented at the 14th Congress of the European Neuroendocrine Association (ENEA).

22 Sep 2010

First free-standing infectious disease hospital built in US in over 50 years

Many Americans think tuberculosis (TB) has been eliminated in this country. But, while it is no longer as common or deadly as it was decades ago, it is estimated that more than a third of the world's population is infected with the disease. The new Texas Center for Infectious Disease (TCID) hospital was designed to provide patients with the care and treatment needed to help curb the resurgence of TB in the United States and reduce the drug-resistance of strains developing worldwide.

22 Sep 2010