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NIH begins human clinical testing for dengue virus vaccine

After more than a decade of development at the National Institutes of Health, a vaccine to prevent infection by the mosquito-borne dengue virus has begun human clinical testing. The vaccine was developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and is undergoing clinical study at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.

10 Aug 2010

Researchers find disparities among children suffering from repeated ear infections

Research has documented that ethnic and socioeconomic disparities exist among patients with conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Now, a new study by researchers from UCLA and Harvard University has found disparities among children suffering from repeated ear infections. The findings, published in the August edition of the journal Laryngoscope, show that frequent ear infections plague white children and children living below the poverty level more than children of other racial or ethnic backrounds or income levels.

10 Aug 2010

H1N1 pandemic could be declared over soon, WHO's Chan says

The WHO's decision to declare the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic officially over could come within weeks, according to WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, the Canadian Press reports.

10 Aug 2010

Increase of alcohol taxes can reduce alcohol-related deaths

Adjusting the alcohol tax in Florida to account for inflation since 1983 would prevent 600 to 800 deaths each year in that state from diseases caused by chronic heavy alcohol use, according to a new study from the University of Florida. The Florida legislature last increased alcohol taxes in 1983.

10 Aug 2010

FDA approves Pfizer's Prefilled Dual-Chamber Syringe for XYNTHA administration in hemophilia A patients

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval of the use of a Prefilled Dual-Chamber Syringe for administration of XYNTHA® Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant) Plasma/Albumin-Free to hemophilia A patients. XYNTHA is a recombinant factor VIII product indicated for both the control and prevention of bleeding episodes in patients with hemophilia A (congenital factor VIII deficiency or classic hemophilia) and for surgical prophylaxis in patients with hemophilia A.

9 Aug 2010

Dr Reddy’s launches first generic darbepoetin alfa

Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. announced today the launch of Cresp® - the first generic darbepoetin alfa in the world, and the only darbepoetin alfa in India. Cresp® has been approved in India for the treatment of anemia due to chronic kidney disease and anemia due to chemotherapy.

9 Aug 2010

Myconostica announces CE marking for MycAssay Aspergillus and Pneumocystis on additional platforms

Myconostica Ltd, the UK-based medical diagnostic company developing and commercialising rapid and highly specific tests for life-threatening fungal infections, today announces the CE marking of its lead products MycAssay™ Aspergillus and MycAssay™ Pneumocystis on the Roche Lightcycler® 2.0 and Stratagene Mx3000 series platforms.

9 Aug 2010

Anti-viral drug addition to standard treatment regimen increases cure rate for hepatitis C

Adding a direct acting anti-viral drug to the standard treatment regimen for hepatitis C significantly increases the cure rate in the most difficult to treat patients, according to a research report published Monday in the online edition of the journal The Lancet.The research team, led by Paul Kwo, M.D., of Indiana University School of Medicine, reported that adding the drug nearly doubled the treatment's effectiveness when given for 48 weeks in one treatment arm of the study.

9 Aug 2010

Genetic factors lead to meningitis development: Study

Genetic differences that make some people susceptible to developing meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia, and others naturally immune, are revealed in a new study of over 6,000 people, published today in Nature Genetics.The research, led by Imperial College London and the Genome Institute of Singapore, is the largest ever genetic study of meningitis and septicaemia caused by meningococcal bacteria. It suggests that people who develop these diseases have innate differences in their natural defences that leave them unable to attack meningococcal bacteria successfully.

9 Aug 2010

GWA Study helps scientists identify genetic variant that increases tuberculosis susceptibility in African populations

Scientists have identified a genetic variant which increases susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB) in African populations using a technique known as a genome-wide association (GWA) study. This is the first novel disease variant to be identified using this technique in Africans and demonstrates that such studies are viable in African populations, which have a high degree of genetic diversity.

9 Aug 2010

First Salmonella lawsuit filed against Yum Brands

The first Salmonella lawsuit has been filed in the pair of Salmonella outbreaks that has sickened 155 people in 21 states. The lawsuit was filed against Yum! Brands (the parent company of Taco Bell) in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Franklin County Circuit Court. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a Scott county resident by food safety law firm Marler Clark.

7 Aug 2010

Department of Agriculture advises consumers to discard Jersey Hollow Farm's raw milk

The Department of Agriculture today advised consumers who purchased raw milk from Norman Z. and Edith B. Sauder, of Jersey Hollow Farm in Kutztown, Berks County, to discard the product immediately because of potential bacterial contamination.

7 Aug 2010

BMS to join ranks of AIDS drug companies to offer price concessions

Bristol-Myers Squibb will soon announce an agreement that will provide additional cost savings to cash-strapped ADAPs nationwide. The agreement, with the ADAP Crisis Task Force (ACTF) of the National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors, is expected to be announced any day. BMS has been the target of a sustained advocacy campaign led by AHF over its pricing of its key AIDS drug Reyataz.

7 Aug 2010

Bloomberg Businessweek explores growing trend in pharma to license, donate HIV drugs

"Pharmaceutical companies, once blasted as uncaring or downright greedy for charging thousands of dollars for a year's worth of AIDS medicines … in poor countries, lately have been slashing prices and licensing their drugs for free or nominal cost to nonprofits or local manufacturers in the developing world," Bloomberg BusinessWeek writes in an analysis piece that examines how this trend, combined with a growing capability among aid agencies to distribute drugs, has the potential to increase access to HIV/AIDS drugs worldwide.

7 Aug 2010

Clinical trials in Asia, Africa confirm safety, effectiveness of rotavirus vaccine

Two studies published online Thursday in the Lancet show that the rotavirus vaccine is safe and effective at preventing much of the gastrointestinal illness in developing countries, where rotavirus kills more than 400,000 children under age 5 annually, Reuters reports. Based on the findings in Asia and Africa, the studies' authors "urged the governments of developing nations to make the vaccines a priority," the news service writes.

7 Aug 2010

Boston Globe examines rise of polio in Tajikistan, other pockets of world

"Polio has reappeared in a corner of the world that had not seen cases in years - Tajikistan, the former Soviet republic - a chilling setback in the two-decade campaign to purge a dreaded cause of childhood paralysis from the planet," the Boston Globe reports in a story that examines the reemergence of polio in other areas of the world.

7 Aug 2010

Multiple tattoos increase risk of contracting hepatitis C: Study

Youth, prison inmates and individuals with multiple tattoos that cover large parts of their bodies are at higher risk of contracting hepatitis C and other blood-borne diseases, according to a University of British Columbia study.The researchers reviewed and analysed 124 studies from 30 countries, including Canada, Iran, Italy, Brazil and the United States, and found the incidence of hepatitis C after tattooing is directly linked with the number of tattoos an individual receives. The findings are published in the current issue of the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.

7 Aug 2010

Equatorial Guinea, ECCAS partner to form network to fight H1N1, HIV

Equatorial Guinea (Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial) and the Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, along with several Central African States, have partnered with the Economic Community of Central African States to form a network to fight H1N1 and HIV. The purpose of the network's recent forum was to share knowledge and best practices, and to collect data and prevention procedures among military health professionals in the region.

7 Aug 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

According to a Lancet Comment, "alcohol remains conspicuously absent from the larger field of research and programming in HIV and substance use. ... Patterns of hazardous alcohol consumption prevail in countries with the most severe HIV epidemics, notably eastern and southern Africa." In addition, "hazardous drinking patterns also dominate in the concentrated epidemics of eastern Europe and Asia, where alcohol use by injecting drug users and other marginalised groups might be an additional barrier to effective efforts to prevent HIV infection."

7 Aug 2010

Dermatologist discusses on common nail ailment prevention

For many people, the phrase "tough as nails" doesn't apply to their own nails. Instead of strong nails, their nails may be brittle and break or split easily. Or, nail fungus might cause nails to look unattractive and unhealthy. Fortunately, dermatologists can help people improve the health and overall appearance of their nails with proper diagnosis and treatment.

6 Aug 2010

Disease/Infection News

NIH begins human clinical testing for dengue virus vaccine

Researchers find disparities among children suffering from repeated ear infections

H1N1 pandemic could be declared over soon, WHO's Chan says

Increase of alcohol taxes can reduce alcohol-related deaths

FDA approves Pfizer's Prefilled Dual-Chamber Syringe for XYNTHA administration in hemophilia A patients

Dr Reddy’s launches first generic darbepoetin alfa

Myconostica announces CE marking for MycAssay Aspergillus and Pneumocystis on additional platforms

Anti-viral drug addition to standard treatment regimen increases cure rate for hepatitis C

Genetic factors lead to meningitis development: Study

GWA Study helps scientists identify genetic variant that increases tuberculosis susceptibility in African populations

First Salmonella lawsuit filed against Yum Brands

Department of Agriculture advises consumers to discard Jersey Hollow Farm's raw milk

BMS to join ranks of AIDS drug companies to offer price concessions

Bloomberg Businessweek explores growing trend in pharma to license, donate HIV drugs

Clinical trials in Asia, Africa confirm safety, effectiveness of rotavirus vaccine

Boston Globe examines rise of polio in Tajikistan, other pockets of world

Multiple tattoos increase risk of contracting hepatitis C: Study

Equatorial Guinea, ECCAS partner to form network to fight H1N1, HIV

Recent releases in Global Health

Dermatologist discusses on common nail ailment prevention

Exploring the nanoscale: How AFM is transforming cosmetic science

Innovating Texture and Culture in Plant-Based Foods

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

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