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H1N1 flu pandemic awareness helps Americans to be better prepared this year: Survey

With almost half of respondents saying they believe a sneeze travels eight feet or more, one might think you would be sick all the time. But a recent national survey of 1,017 U.S. adult men and women (age 18+) conducted by Matrixx Initiatives, Inc., maker of Zicam, found a majority of Americans polled surprisingly saw this cold and flu season as "about the same" (42%) or only "slightly worse" (21%) from last year, despite all the hype this past fall around H1N1.

19 Mar 2010

BioSense Technologies' Z-Sense Differential Impedance Sensing diagnostic system rapidly identifies drug susceptibility

BioSense Technologies, a pioneer in the development of diagnostic systems for rapid drug susceptibility testing, announced today that it presented key scientific findings at the National Foundation for Infection Disease 2010 Annual Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance, held in Bethesda, MD in early February.

19 Mar 2010

FDA drafts new rules for testing, approving drug cocktails; Public-private partnership for TB treatment development launched

The FDA is drafting new guidelines for testing and approving multidrug cocktails for life-threatening diseases, the Wall Street Journal reports. "Many diseases, such as AIDS, tuberculosis and cancer, require multidrug combinations. Such drug cocktails can prevent the development of drug resistance, because the microbe or cancer cell needs to undergo more mutations to escape several drugs than to escape just one. By attacking the disease in different ways, drug combinations also improve the chances of therapeutic benefit," the newspaper reports (Schoofs, 3/18).

19 Mar 2010

WHO estimates 440 000 MDR-TB cases in 2008

In some areas of the world, one in four people with tuberculosis (TB) becomes ill with a form of the disease that can no longer be treated with standard drugs regimens, a World Health Organization (WHO) report says.

19 Mar 2010

Scientists synthesize multifunctional polymer that can decontaminate biological and chemical toxins

In an ongoing effort to mirror the ability of biological tissues to respond rapidly and appropriately to changing environments, scientists from the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine have synthesized a single, multifunctional polymer material that can decontaminate both biological and chemical toxins. They described the findings recently in Biomaterials.

19 Mar 2010

Three scientists receive 2010 Discoverers Award for developing new class of HIV drug

Three scientists who led the 11-year quest to develop a groundbreaking HIV drug today received the 2010 Discoverers Award -- the highest honor given to scientists by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. The honorees are Tony Wood, Ph.D., Elna van der Ryst, M.D., Ph.D. and Manos Perros, Ph.D.

19 Mar 2010

CDIs are becoming significant issue in healthcare institutions: Study

Clostridium difficile infections are quickly becoming a significant issue in healthcare based upon recent studies. Preliminary data collected from nursing homes and highlighted in a Supplementary Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory shows that almost 40 percent of gastrointestinal infections reported are CDIs.

19 Mar 2010

Acne drug prevents HIV breakout

Johns Hopkins scientists have found that a safe and inexpensive antibiotic in use since the 1970s for treating acne effectively targets infected immune cells in which HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, lies dormant and prevents them from reactivating and replicating.

18 Mar 2010

Legacy Biotechnologies commences production of Reme-Flu

Nuvilex, Inc., announces today that Legacy Biotechnologies, Inc., its joint venture partner in Reme-Flu™, has commenced production of Reme-Flu™ and expects it to be ready for consumer purchase within the next 30 days. Reme-Flu™ is Legacy Biotechnologies’ unique 2-part homeopathic flu remedy designed to help treat symptoms of the flu. Initially, Reme-Flu™ will be offered on the top-rated website, www.nutralegacy.com.

18 Mar 2010

Lawsuit shows insurer targeted HIV patients for 'rescission'

A court case has revealed that the insurer Fortis, now called Assurant Health, automatically targeted customers diagnosed with HIV for fraud investigations geared toward finding reasons to revoke their coverage, Reuters reports. After a computer algorithm initiated the investigations, "their insurance policies often were canceled on erroneous information, the flimsiest of evidence, or for no good reason at all, according to the court documents and interviews with state and federal investigators."

18 Mar 2010

Gene regulation rather than genes make us unique

Once the human genome was sequenced in 2001, the hunt was on for the genes that make each of us unique. But scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, and Yale and Stanford Universities in the USA, have found that we differ from each other mainly because of differences not in our genes, but in how they're regulated - turned on or off, for instance.

18 Mar 2010

Genocea Biosciences acquires global license for novel Streptococcus pneumoniae antigens from Children’s Hospital Boston

Genocea Biosciences, a vaccine discovery and development company, today announced an exclusive worldwide license for developed countries to a portfolio of Streptococcus pneumoniae antigens from Children’s Hospital Boston. PATH and Genocea retain certain co-exclusive rights to the antigens for use in developing countries under their collaboration agreements with Children's Hospital Boston.

18 Mar 2010

Yellow fever outbreak in howler monkeys signals the need for human vaccination program

A group of Argentine scientists, including health experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society, have announced that yellow fever is the culprit in a 2007-2008 die-off of howler monkeys in northeastern Argentina, a finding that underscores the importance of paying attention to the health of wildlife and how the health of people and wild nature are so closely linked.

18 Mar 2010

USPTO allows Regulus Therapeutics' claims covering methods of antagonizing miR-181a for regulating immune response

Regulus Therapeutics Inc. announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has allowed claims in U.S. Application Serial No. 11/977,506 covering methods of antagonizing miR-181a to regulate immune response. This patent is owned by Stanford University and licensed exclusively to Regulus. miR-181a has been shown to regulate the response of immune cells, such as T lymphocytes, to specific stimuli and modulation of miR-181a could lead to a novel treatment of inflammatory disease.

18 Mar 2010

French National Program finds significant decreases in the rates of HAIs since 2004

Researchers evaluating France's national infection control program for healthcare facilities found significant decreases in the rates of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) since 2004. The drop in HAIs, including MRSA and surgical site infections, could be attributed to important changes in the national infection control system.

18 Mar 2010

Achillion Pharmaceuticals receives NIH SBIR grant for study of novel antibacterial compound series

Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the discovery and development of small molecule drugs to combat the most challenging infectious diseases, today announced that it has received a Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research Grant (SBIR) from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the further study and characterization of a back-up series of compounds related to its novel antibacterial, ACH-702.

18 Mar 2010

Modulating body's inflammatory response may help fight serious infection

Treating virulent influenza, sepsis, and other potentially deadly infections long has focused on looking for ways to kill viruses and bacteria. But new research from the University of Utah and Utah State University shows that modulating the body's own overeager inflammatory response to infection may help save more lives.

18 Mar 2010

Bleach-based disinfectants more effective against noroviruses

Some 40% of commercial disinfectants used to clean surfaces are believed to be ineffective in eliminating noroviruses, a group of viruses responsible for more than half of all foodborne gastroenteritis outbreaks. According to a recent study published by Universit- Laval researchers in the Journal of Food Protection, only bleach-based disinfectants drastically reduce the concentration of these viruses.

18 Mar 2010

New combination drug treatment for parasitic intestinal roundworms shows promise

Several drugs currently in use or in development control parasitic worms in the same way. That concerns health workers In developing countries where reinfestations often require repeated treatments. If worms develop resistance to one drug, the other treatments would likely fail as well.

18 Mar 2010

Bone marrow stem cells offer potential treatment for patients with peripheral arterial disease

Bone marrow stem cells suspended in X-ray-visible microbubbles dramatically improve the body's ability to build new blood vessels in the upper leg-providing a potential future treatment for those with peripheral arterial disease or PAD, say researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

18 Mar 2010

Disease/Infection News

H1N1 flu pandemic awareness helps Americans to be better prepared this year: Survey

BioSense Technologies' Z-Sense Differential Impedance Sensing diagnostic system rapidly identifies drug susceptibility

FDA drafts new rules for testing, approving drug cocktails; Public-private partnership for TB treatment development launched

WHO estimates 440 000 MDR-TB cases in 2008

Scientists synthesize multifunctional polymer that can decontaminate biological and chemical toxins

Three scientists receive 2010 Discoverers Award for developing new class of HIV drug

CDIs are becoming significant issue in healthcare institutions: Study

Acne drug prevents HIV breakout

Legacy Biotechnologies commences production of Reme-Flu

Lawsuit shows insurer targeted HIV patients for 'rescission'

Gene regulation rather than genes make us unique

Genocea Biosciences acquires global license for novel Streptococcus pneumoniae antigens from Children’s Hospital Boston

Yellow fever outbreak in howler monkeys signals the need for human vaccination program

USPTO allows Regulus Therapeutics' claims covering methods of antagonizing miR-181a for regulating immune response

French National Program finds significant decreases in the rates of HAIs since 2004

Achillion Pharmaceuticals receives NIH SBIR grant for study of novel antibacterial compound series

Modulating body's inflammatory response may help fight serious infection

Bleach-based disinfectants more effective against noroviruses

New combination drug treatment for parasitic intestinal roundworms shows promise

Bone marrow stem cells offer potential treatment for patients with peripheral arterial disease

Unlocking live single-cell functional insights

Fluidics in Modern Healthcare & Medical Device Innovation

How microRNA is transforming science: From discovery to diagnostics

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