Disease/Infection News

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Pacific Island region on track to meet TB MDG, drug-resistance remains a threat

Experts at the Fifth Pacific Stop Tuberculosis Meeting in Nadi, Fiji, concluded that the Pacific Islands region is on track to meet the Millennium Development Goal of halving TB prevalence by 2015, All Headline News reports in an article about the meeting, which recently concluded.

13 May 2010

AHF targets BMS over pricing and policies for its HIV/AIDS drug

AIDS Healthcare Foundation will host a protest Wednesday morning, May 12th at 10:30am targeting New York-based Bristol Myers Squibb Co. over the pricing and policies for its key HIV/AIDS drug, Reyataz, one of the most expensive first-line AIDS treatment in the US, during the Bank of America-Merrill Lynch 2010 Health Care Conference.

13 May 2010

U.S. expands HIV/AIDS programs in Caribbean

Representatives from the U.S. and Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on Tuesday signed an agreement to expand PEPFAR programs to 12 other Caribbean nations during a gathering in Georgetown, Guyana, Agence France-Presse reports (5/11).

13 May 2010

Microbiologists identify potential target in cattle to prevent E. coli strain

Microbiologists at UT Southwestern Medical Center, working with the Department of Agriculture, have identified a potential target in cattle that could be exploited to help prevent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses caused by a nasty strain of Escherichia coli.

13 May 2010

HIV caseload increasing among primary care providers

Primary care providers (PCPs) are increasingly caring for and treating people living with HIV, according to the HealthHIV State of HIV Primary Care survey released today.

12 May 2010

NIH awards PLx Pharma multiple grants for development of GI safer NSAIDs

PLx Pharma, a pharmaceutical company developing safer formulations of proven non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), today announced that it has been awarded multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) totaling approximately $2,000,000. This funding has been awarded to support further advancement of a range of products currently under development by PLx.

12 May 2010

MRSA Survivors Network to raise awareness on MRSA infections

More Americans die annually from invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections than from HIV/AIDS, H1N1 influenza and Parkinson's disease, yet the United States and many other countries' health officials continue to ignore the global crisis.

12 May 2010

Giardia's surface proteins may work as vaccines to help prevent infections: Research scholar

The intestinal parasite Giardia lamblia changes outfits nearly as often as a fashion model on a Parisian runway. With more than 200 protein coats in its molecular wardrobe, this troublesome creature-the cause of innumerable cases of diarrheal infections each year-can change its appearance from one instant to the next, throwing the body's immune cells off track.

12 May 2010

Preventable infectious diseases cause two-thirds of child deaths: The Lancet

Preventable infectious diseases cause two-thirds of child deaths, according to a new study published today by The Lancet. Experts from the World Health Organization and UNICEF's Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group assessed data from 193 countries to produce estimates by country, region and the world.

12 May 2010

Mutation causing light chain amyloidosis identified

Light chain amyloidosis, a deadly protein misfolding disease, is caused by multiple mutations in cells that are intended to protect the body. Instead, the mutations send misfolded bundles of proteins through the bloodstream, potentially destroying the heart, kidneys, liver or other organs. Mayo Clinic researchers have identified one of these mutations and have shown that the molecule's shifting position is as important as its unique shape. The findings appear in the current issue of the journal Structure.

12 May 2010

Periodontal disease treatment reduces blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetes patients

A study to be published in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library and led by researchers at the University of Edinburgh and supported by colleagues at the Peninsula Dental School, the University of Ottawa and UCL Eastman Dental Institute, suggests that the treatment of serious gum (periodontal) disease in diabetics with Type 2 diabetes may lower their blood sugar levels.

12 May 2010

MIT featured in U.S. Equity News

Micro Identification Technologies, Inc., a leader in rapid bacterial identification, today announces it was recently featured in an editorial published by U.S. Equity News that covers the history of bacteria, its life threatening effects, and publicly traded companies leading the fight against harmful bacteria.

12 May 2010

FDA Dermatology and Ophthalmology Drugs Advisory Committee to review Lux Biosciences’ Luveniq NDA

Lux Biosciences, Inc. today announced that the Dermatology and Ophthalmology Drugs Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is scheduled to review its New Drug Application (NDA) for Luveniq™ (oral voclosporin) for the treatment of non-infectious uveitis involving the intermediate or posterior segments of the eye on June 28, 2010.

12 May 2010

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health awarded Grand Challenges Explorations grant

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health announced today that it has received a $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant will support an innovative global health research project conducted by Jason Rasgon, PhD, an assistant professor with the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, and his research to develop an evolution-proof pesticide for eliminating mosquitoes that transmit malaria to humans.

12 May 2010

Health overhaul provisions raise moral, religious debates

The new health law has renewed concerns about some moral and religious issues, such as the government's role in providing sex education and health care workers' ability to opt out of providing end-of-life care and abortions.

12 May 2010

Preliminary data from Achillion Pharmaceuticals' Phase 1b clinical trial of ACH-1625 reported

Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported additional preliminary data from its Phase 1b clinical trial of ACH-1625, which demonstrated that both the third and fourth patient cohorts receiving treatment with ACH-1625 achieved meaningful reductions in HCV RNA after five-day monotherapy, with continued safety and tolerability in patients with hepatitis C.

12 May 2010

DNA Medicine Institute awarded Grand Challenges Explorations grant to develop finger scanner for malaria

The DNA Medicine Institute announced today that it has received a US$100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant will support an innovative global health research project conducted by Eugene Y. Chan, M.D. titled "Optomagnetic Finger Scanner for Malaria."

11 May 2010

FDA, CDC confirm connection between romaine lettuce and E.coli 0145 foodborne illness outbreak

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its state health partners have confirmed that the strain of E. coli O145 detected by the New York State Public Health Laboratory, Wadsworth Center, in Albany, in an unopened bag of shredded romaine lettuce distributed by Freshway Foods, matches the outbreak strain of E. coli O145.

11 May 2010

Napp introduces new alcohol-free hand sanitizer

Soft & Shield Hand Sanitizer and Moisturizer is a new alcohol-free hand sanitizer that contains ingredients that soften, smooth and moisturize the skin. As an added benefit, the Soft & Shield Hand Sanitizer and Moisturizer forms an invisible protective barrier that covers the outer layer of the skin to protect for up to four hours against harmful germs and bacteria.

11 May 2010

Older Americans staying sexually active but not practicing safe sex

Sexual activity continues to thrive with the 45+ demographic according to a new AARP sex survey, Sex, Romance, and Relationships: AARP Survey of Midlife and Older Adults, released today. However, older adults are not necessarily practicing what they preach to younger generations, with results showing a low use of protection among sexually active dating singles with only one in five reporting use of condoms regularly.

11 May 2010