Disease/Infection News

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Central-line bloodstream infections rate vary in San Francisco hospitals

Hospitals in San Francisco vary dramatically in terms of how well their intensive care units (ICUs) prevent central-line bloodstream infections, a cause of death, disability, and expense in our nations' hospitals that is largely preventable.

2 Feb 2010

Infection rates in Boston hospitals vary substantially, says Consumer Reports Health

Hospitals in the Boston area vary dramatically in terms of how well their intensive care units (ICUs) prevent central-line bloodstream infections, a cause of death, disability, and expense in our nations' hospitals that is largely preventable.

2 Feb 2010

Hospitals in Houston area vary in terms of how well their ICUs prevent bloodstream infections

Hospitals in the Houston area vary in terms of how well their intensive care units (ICUs) prevent central-line bloodstream infections, a cause of death, disability, and expense in our nations' hospitals that is largely preventable.

2 Feb 2010

Four Detroit area hospitals announce worse than average infection rates

Hospitals in the Detroit area vary dramatically in terms of how well their intensive care units (ICUs) prevent central-line bloodstream infections, a cause of death, disability, and expense in our nations' hospitals that is largely preventable. On February 2, www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org will post hospital infection rates for 25 Detroit area hospitals, along with other critical patient safety and satisfaction information for consumers.

2 Feb 2010

New online ratings provide patients with easy access to hospital infection rates

Far too many hospitals expose patients to deadly central-line bloodstream infections despite the availability of a simple life-saving checklist proven to prevent hospital acquired infections, says a new investigative article in the March issue of Consumer Reports.

2 Feb 2010

Global AIDS Alliance calls for Congress to fully fund the Global Health Initiative

President Obama's budget, transmitted to Congress this morning, includes $8.5 billion for a Global Health Initiative. Based on projections to continue supporting robust U.S. programs to fight AIDS, TB and malaria and implement GHI priorities -- $16.4 billion is required in FY2011.

2 Feb 2010

Isogenica, Phylogica partner in Phylomer peptide development

Isogenica Ltd today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Australian based biopharmaceutical company Phylogica to use Isogenica’s CIS display technology to optimize the performance of three of Phylogica’s lead compounds targeting CD40 ligand (CD40L). CD40L is a key protein involved in many inflammatory diseases, such as Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

2 Feb 2010

Safer bone marrow transplants

If a team of American scientists are right, bone marrow transplants may become safer and more available to people in need of donations. In a new research paper appearing in the February 2010 print edition of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology (http://www.jleukbio.org), they explain how an anti-inflammatory agent called "ATL146e" may significantly improve the likelihood of success for bone marrow transplants by preventing or halting the progression of graft-versus-host disease, a complication of bone marrow transplants in which the donor marrow attacks the host. Although very rare, graft-versus-host disease can also occur after blood transfusions.

2 Feb 2010

Overview of newly evolving technologies for diagnosing and monitoring HIV infections

Rising consumer awareness that early diagnosis and treatment can delay the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to anti-immuno deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has had a telling impact on the sales of HIV tests.

2 Feb 2010

Pandemic H1N1 influenza of swine origin has distinct means of transmission from seasonal flu

Current research suggests that pandemic H1N1 influenza of swine origin has distinct means of transmission from the seasonal flu, yet does not result in the pathogenic severity of avian flu viruses.

2 Feb 2010

Also in Global Health News: Retrovirus enzyme; audit of USAID program; Africa's agriculture

A study published on Sunday in the journal Nature has shed light on the enzyme integrase, "which is found in retroviruses like HIV and is a target for some of the newest HIV medicines," Reuters reports. Scientists at the Imperial College London and Harvard University grew a crystal of integrase in the lab allowing them to see the enzyme's structure. According to the news service, the scientists "said that having the integrase structure means researchers can begin fully to understand how integrase inhibitor drugs work, how they might be improved, and how to stop HIV developing resistance to them," according to the news service (Kelland, 2/1).

2 Feb 2010

Studies suggest potential therapeutic targets for food poisoning, TB and autoimmune diseases

Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered how the virulent food-borne bacteria Listeria monocytogenes induces infected immune cells to sabotage their own defensive response.

2 Feb 2010

Study shows antiviral drugs could offer protection against HIV, Ebola, herpes and hepatitis C

The development of antibiotics gave physicians seemingly miraculous weapons against infectious disease. Effective cures for terrible afflictions like pneumonia, syphilis and tuberculosis were suddenly at hand. Moreover, many of the drugs that made them possible were versatile enough to knock out a wide range of deadly bacterial threats.

2 Feb 2010

U.S. government resumes medical evacuations from Haiti; new food voucher distribution targeting women begins

"The U.S. government said on Sunday it would resume military evacuation flights" within 12 hours for critically ill and injured Haitians who were harmed in the Jan. 12 earthquake, Reuters reports (Rosenberg/Brown, 1/31). Medical evacuations had been suspended for a few days, but the reason for the suspension "is unclear as various government authorities have provided different explanations," the Wall Street Journal reports.

2 Feb 2010

New therapeutic made from tobacco plants shown to arrest West Nile virus infection

A new therapeutic made from tobacco plants has been shown to arrest West Nile virus infection, according to a new study by Arizona State University scientist Qiang Chen and his colleagues.

2 Feb 2010

FDA and PATH collaborate to advance pneumococcal vaccine development for children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced a collaboration with PATH to advance development of a vaccine to protect children against diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), especially pneumonia.

2 Feb 2010

Study could help in developing therapeutic strategies for Chikungunya virus infection

A study published online on February 1 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (www.jem.org) shows that antiviral proteins called type I interferons (IFNs) are needed to fend off infection with an exotic mosquito-borne virus called Chikungunya virus.

2 Feb 2010

Serious liver disorder associated with use of HIV drug, FDA warns

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that non-cirrhotic portal hypertension, a rare, but serious, liver disorder, has been reported in some HIV patients taking Videx/Videx EC (didanosine).

2 Feb 2010

Researchers identify antiviral small molecule that is effective against numerous viruses

Viruses are insidious creatures. They differ from each other in many ways, and they can mutate - at times seemingly at will, as with HIV - to resist a host of weapons fired at them. Complicating matters further is that new viruses are constantly emerging.

2 Feb 2010

More details on Obama's global health strategy expected along with budget release, Wall Street Journal reports

"The Obama administration is expected to propose in its fiscal 2011 budget Monday new funding to combat preventable and tropical diseases, malnutrition and other conditions afflicting the world's poor, as part of a strategy to broaden its approach to global health," the Wall Street Journal reports.

2 Feb 2010

Disease/Infection News

Central-line bloodstream infections rate vary in San Francisco hospitals

Infection rates in Boston hospitals vary substantially, says Consumer Reports Health

Hospitals in Houston area vary in terms of how well their ICUs prevent bloodstream infections

Four Detroit area hospitals announce worse than average infection rates

New online ratings provide patients with easy access to hospital infection rates

Global AIDS Alliance calls for Congress to fully fund the Global Health Initiative

Isogenica, Phylogica partner in Phylomer peptide development

Safer bone marrow transplants

Overview of newly evolving technologies for diagnosing and monitoring HIV infections

Pandemic H1N1 influenza of swine origin has distinct means of transmission from seasonal flu

Also in Global Health News: Retrovirus enzyme; audit of USAID program; Africa's agriculture

Studies suggest potential therapeutic targets for food poisoning, TB and autoimmune diseases

Study shows antiviral drugs could offer protection against HIV, Ebola, herpes and hepatitis C

U.S. government resumes medical evacuations from Haiti; new food voucher distribution targeting women begins

New therapeutic made from tobacco plants shown to arrest West Nile virus infection

FDA and PATH collaborate to advance pneumococcal vaccine development for children

Study could help in developing therapeutic strategies for Chikungunya virus infection

Serious liver disorder associated with use of HIV drug, FDA warns

Researchers identify antiviral small molecule that is effective against numerous viruses

More details on Obama's global health strategy expected along with budget release, Wall Street Journal reports

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