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Insulin resistance in Hepatitis C patients: Mostly in muscle and not in liver

We have known for several years that Hepatitis C, a common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer, also makes people three to four times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.

10 Mar 2010

AMT initiates dosing in Phase I/II gene therapy clinical trial for hemophilia B

Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics, a leader in the field of human gene therapy, announced today that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase I/II exploratory clinical trial with a gene therapy product for hemophilia B, a seriously debilitating and potentially lethal disease.

10 Mar 2010

UNAIDS director cautions against funding cuts to Global Fund

During an appeal to government and private donors to pledge money to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Monday, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe warned of the repercussions tightening budgets could play in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, the Associated Press reports.

10 Mar 2010

U.N. official addresses increasing drug addiction in developing countries

The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Monday warned of an impending "health disaster facing developing countries if wealthy nations fail to control drugs," Agence France-Presse reports. During a speech delivered in Vienna, UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa pointed to "increasing use of heroin in East Africa, cocaine in West Africa, and synthetic drugs in the Middle East and South East Asia as warning signs" of a growing drug problem in impoverished nations (3/8).

10 Mar 2010

Skin transplant surgery safe and effective for treating vitiligo

In the first study of its kind in the United States, Henry Ford Hospital showed that skin transplant surgery is safe and effective for treating vitiligo.

10 Mar 2010

Selective immunization of children may help reduce community transmission of influenza

Immunizing children and adolescents with inactivated influenza vaccine resulted in reduced rates of influenza in their community compared to a similar community in which children did not receive the vaccine, suggesting that vaccinating children may help prevent transmission of the virus and offer protection for unimmunized community residents, according to a study in the March 10 issue of JAMA.

10 Mar 2010

Opinions: Don't slow fight against HIV, TB, malaria; U.S. focus on women, girls

In a BusinessDay opinion piece, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Michel Kazatchkine reflects on the organization's progress and impact on global health outcomes since its creation in 2002, as detailed in the organizations' 2010 annual report. Kazatchkine writes, 2010 "will be a decisive year; the world will be reviewing progress on the millennium goals. But this is also the year of the fund's replenishment. The results of that will decide where the world will be in 2015 with regard to the millennium goals."

10 Mar 2010

Celltrion develops novel human monoclonal antibodies against influenza virus infection

Celltrion, Inc., a South Korean biopharmaceutical company, has developed novel human monoclonal antibodies against influenza virus infection, which neutralize a broad spectrum of influenza viruses, including pandemic H1N1 and the deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus. Preliminary tests in laboratory animals indicate that the novel human monoclonal antibodies can be used to prevent disease when given either before or after infection.

10 Mar 2010

False positives in screening tests

In many jurisdictions, tests for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are required screening for pregnant women. Some even suggest screening the entire population for HIV. The rationale is to administer powerful antiretroviral drugs to healthy individuals to "prevent transmission."

10 Mar 2010

Kidney donors have similar survival rates as healthy individuals, says study

An analysis of outcomes for live kidney donors in the U.S. over a 15 year period finds they have similar long-term survival rates compared to healthy individuals who were not kidney donors, according to a study in the March 10 issue of JAMA.

10 Mar 2010

UCSF prevention experts release Positive Prevention Toolkit for HIV/AIDS caregivers

UCSF prevention experts have released the Positive Prevention Toolkit, a collection of resources designed to enable HIV/AIDS caregivers to provide prevention messages when interacting with HIV-positive patients. The goal is to help patients modify their behavior to reduce risk and decrease the spread of HIV.

10 Mar 2010

Chimerix initiates CMX001 Phase 2 clinical trial in stem cell transplant patients for CMV

Chimerix, Inc., a biotechnology company developing orally-available antiviral therapeutics, today announced the initiation of a multi-center Phase 2 clinical trial designed to evaluate CMX001 in stem cell transplant recipients who are seropositive for cytomegalovirus (CMV).

9 Mar 2010

AHF’s Magic Johnson ‘Testing America’ Tour arrives in Charlotte, North Carolina

AHF’s Magic Johnson ‘Testing America’ Tour, a six month, 48 state national cross country HIV testing tour, arrives in Charlotte, North Carolina and will offer free HIV testing, along with local partner the Regional HIV/AIDS Consortium, today Tuesday, March 9th at Greater Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, 727 West Trade Street, from 12:00 noon until 6:00 pm.

9 Mar 2010

March designated as 'National Autoimmune Diseases Awareness Month'

On the evening of March 4, 2010, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution designating March as "National Autoimmune Diseases Awareness Month" and supporting efforts to increase awareness of autoimmune diseases and increase funding for autoimmune disease research. The Senate resolution (S.RES.372) was introduced by Michigan Senator Carl Levin on December 8, 2009.

9 Mar 2010

USF study: HHV-6 causes permanent infection by inserting its DNA into human chromosomes

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infects nearly 100 percent of humans in early childhood, and the infection then lasts for the rest of a person's life. Now, a team led by Peter Medveczky, MD, a professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at the University of South Florida, has discovered that in some individuals, HHV-6 causes such a permanent infection by inserting or "integrating" its DNA into human chromosomes.

9 Mar 2010

Heat therapy using Thermomed device effective for treatment of leishmaniasis

A single session of heat therapy using the Thermomed™ device appears to be as effective as a 10-day intravenous course of sodium stibogluconate (Pentostam) for the treatment of Leishmania major skin lesions, according to a new study by Naomi Aronson and her colleagues at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

9 Mar 2010

Saddle Up Safely campaign: Understanding how diseases of horse can affect humans

Although it is rare for humans to pick up a disease from a horse, education on the subject is the best source of prevention, and the Saddle Up Safely campaign addresses diseases, clinical signs and professional advice in a new booklet on this topic.

9 Mar 2010

Global Fund releases latest impact data, projections for improving global health in next decade

By 2015, mother-to-child HIV transmission will be virtually eliminated and deaths from malaria and tuberculosis will continue to decline if health investments for the diseases are maintained or scaled up, according to an annual results report published Monday by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Agence France-Presse/Africasia.com reports (3/8).

9 Mar 2010

New study may lead to expansion of drug arsenal used to fight HIV

New findings from a Universit- de Montr-al and the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute of Florida (VGTI) study, in collaboration with scientists from the NIH and the McGill University Health Center, may soon lead to an expansion of the drug arsenal used to fight HIV.

9 Mar 2010

Novel interventions for New World hemorrhagic fevers needed

New World hemorrhagic fevers are emerging infectious diseases found in South America that can cause terrible, Ebola-like symptoms. Current treatments are expensive and only partially effective.

9 Mar 2010

Disease/Infection News

Insulin resistance in Hepatitis C patients: Mostly in muscle and not in liver

AMT initiates dosing in Phase I/II gene therapy clinical trial for hemophilia B

UNAIDS director cautions against funding cuts to Global Fund

U.N. official addresses increasing drug addiction in developing countries

Skin transplant surgery safe and effective for treating vitiligo

Selective immunization of children may help reduce community transmission of influenza

Opinions: Don't slow fight against HIV, TB, malaria; U.S. focus on women, girls

Celltrion develops novel human monoclonal antibodies against influenza virus infection

False positives in screening tests

Kidney donors have similar survival rates as healthy individuals, says study

UCSF prevention experts release Positive Prevention Toolkit for HIV/AIDS caregivers

Chimerix initiates CMX001 Phase 2 clinical trial in stem cell transplant patients for CMV

AHF’s Magic Johnson ‘Testing America’ Tour arrives in Charlotte, North Carolina

March designated as 'National Autoimmune Diseases Awareness Month'

USF study: HHV-6 causes permanent infection by inserting its DNA into human chromosomes

Heat therapy using Thermomed device effective for treatment of leishmaniasis

Saddle Up Safely campaign: Understanding how diseases of horse can affect humans

Global Fund releases latest impact data, projections for improving global health in next decade

New study may lead to expansion of drug arsenal used to fight HIV

Novel interventions for New World hemorrhagic fevers needed

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

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