Disease/Infection News

RSS

Experimental vaccine reduced TB rate among HIV-positive people in Tanzania, Study finds

An experimental vaccine was found to reduce the rate of tuberculosis infections in patients living with HIV, "the first time a shot has been shown to reduce cases of the most common AIDS-related cause of death in poor nations," Bloomberg reports (Bennett, 1/29). Tuberculosis accounts for up to one-third of AIDS deaths worldwide, CBC News reports.

1 Feb 2010

TOPICA's IND for onychomycosis antifungal agent accepted by FDA

TOPICA Pharmaceuticals, a privately-held biotechnology company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted the company's Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the use of luliconazole, its lead product candidate, in patients with onychomycosis (nail and nail bed fungal infections).

1 Feb 2010

Romark Laboratories commences enrollment in Alinia clinical trial for acute uncomplicated influenza

Romark Laboratories announced that it has initiated enrollment of patients in a clinical trial of Alinia® (nitazoxanide) for treating acute uncomplicated influenza including illness caused by the currently circulating H1N1 strain.

1 Feb 2010

Denim blue jeans ribbon campaign: an initiative to raise awareness about children with rare diseases

Hope – It's In Our Genes.™ The Children's Rare Disease Network (http://www.crdnetwork.org) today announced the Global Genes Project (http://www.globalgenesproject.org), an initiative designed to raise awareness about the prevalence of rare diseases that afflict millions of children worldwide. Rare disease advocates organizing the campaign selected a blue jeans denim ribbon as the international symbol of hope for children suffering from life threatening and chronically debilitating rare diseases.

1 Feb 2010

WHO pneumonia expert honored with PACE Global Leadership Award

WHO pneumonia expert Dr. Thomas Cherian will be honored by a group of the world’s leading infectious disease experts today for his pivotal work to accelerate access to vaccines preventing pneumococcal disease, the world’s leading vaccine-preventable killer of children under age five.

31 Jan 2010

Breakthrough in HIV research leads to better treatment potential

Researchers have made a breakthrough in HIV research that had eluded scientists for over 20 years, potentially leading to better treatments for HIV, in a study published today in the journal Nature.

31 Jan 2010

Study identifies key demographic and psychological factors that predict protective behaviour during pandemics

A study that looked at how people behave during pandemics has identified key demographic and psychological factors that may predict protective behaviours. The study is published online today, 30th January 2010, in the British Journal of Health Psychology.

30 Jan 2010

U.S. Marshals seize unapproved ozone generators from Applied Ozone Systems

At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals today seized 79 ozone generators, models AOS-1M and AOS-1MD, from Applied Ozone Systems of Auburn, Calif. The seized goods, which are medical devices, are valued at $75,900.

30 Jan 2010

One-third of dairy products exceed microbe contamination levels, says study

One-third of samples of milk and dairy products analysed in various restaurants exceed the microbe contamination limits set by the European Union, according to a study carried out by researchers from the University of Valencia (UV). The experts advise against keeping milk in jugs and suggest that these foodstuffs need to be better handled.

30 Jan 2010

Wrestlers are at higher risk for skin infections than other athletes

As high school and college wrestlers return to the mats in preparation for February tournaments and post-season championships, their risk for the skin infection Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) increases significantly.

30 Jan 2010

New vaccine effective in preventing TB in HIV patients

Investigators from Dartmouth Medical School (DMS) have reported results of a clinical trial showing that a new vaccine against tuberculosis, Mycobacterium vaccae (MV), is effective in preventing tuberculosis in people with HIV infection.

30 Jan 2010

At World Economic Forum, Gates Foundation announces 10-year, $10B vaccine commitment

Bill and Melinda Gates announced Friday during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that their foundation would commit $10 billion over the next decade to research, develop and deliver vaccines for the world's poorest countries, the New York Times reports (McNeil, 1/29). The Gateses "said they hope the commitment would spur support by governments, corporations, and other donors for vaccinations efforts," the Chronicle of Philanthropy writes (Wilhelm, 1/29).

30 Jan 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

Rajiv Shah's appointment as USAID administrator "comes at a crucial time of challenge and opportunity for the Agency to improve the nutritional well-being of impoverished societies," write the authors of a Lancet Comment that examines the U.S. Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative. Though the initiative "sends a clear message to the world about U.S. intent to partner with poor nations to achieve their national food and nutrition goals … the Initiative's nutrition plan, unlike its detailed agricultural blueprint, currently lacks a comprehensive set of aims, activities, research needs, and programme benchmarks," the authors write.

29 Jan 2010

Agent-enhanced CT scan plays a supporting role in diagnosing severe cases of H1N1 flu virus

Published reports on the usefulness of CT scans for complicated H1N1 cases have spurred use of these procedures in U.S. hospitals. According to healthcare market research publisher Kalorama Information, this opens up a pathway of diagnostics for physicians and overall is a positive sign not only for the technology but also for companies making chemical agents for procedures.

29 Jan 2010

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation commits $10 billion for vaccine research and development

Bill and Melinda Gates announced today that their foundation will commit $10 billion over the next 10 years to help research, develop and deliver vaccines for the world's poorest countries.

29 Jan 2010

Mechanical tenderization linked to E. coli outbreaks, safe food attorney calls for specific FSIS label

Safe food attorney Bill Marler has called for the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to label meats that have undergone mechanical tenderization. The controversial process has been linked to numerous outbreaks of the dangerous pathogen E. coli O157:H7, yet there is currently no disclosure required.

29 Jan 2010

Econiche vaccine cited in February, 2010 issue of Scientific American

Bioniche Life Sciences Inc., a research-based, technology-driven Canadian biopharmaceutical company, today announced that Econiche(TM), the world's first vaccine developed to reduce the shedding by cattle of Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157, has been cited in the February, 2010 issue of Scientific American (Vol. 302, # 2).

29 Jan 2010

Discovery may help in designing drugs for sun-damaged skin

Researchers at Ohio State University have found a new way to study how enzymes move as they repair DNA sun damage -- and that discovery could one day lead to new therapies for healing sunburned skin.

29 Jan 2010

New understanding of CD44 receptor's role in immune cell survival

Investigators at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) have discovered a new way the cell surface protein, CD44, helps specific T helper (Th1) cells develop immunologic memory.

29 Jan 2010

Experimental vaccine protects mice and monkeys against chikungunya virus

An experimental vaccine developed using non-infectious virus-like particles (VLP) has protected macaques and mice against chikungunya virus, a mosquito-borne pathogen that has infected millions of people in Africa and Asia and causes debilitating pain, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have found.

29 Jan 2010

Disease/Infection News

Experimental vaccine reduced TB rate among HIV-positive people in Tanzania, Study finds

TOPICA's IND for onychomycosis antifungal agent accepted by FDA

Romark Laboratories commences enrollment in Alinia clinical trial for acute uncomplicated influenza

Denim blue jeans ribbon campaign: an initiative to raise awareness about children with rare diseases

WHO pneumonia expert honored with PACE Global Leadership Award

Breakthrough in HIV research leads to better treatment potential

Study identifies key demographic and psychological factors that predict protective behaviour during pandemics

U.S. Marshals seize unapproved ozone generators from Applied Ozone Systems

One-third of dairy products exceed microbe contamination levels, says study

Wrestlers are at higher risk for skin infections than other athletes

New vaccine effective in preventing TB in HIV patients

At World Economic Forum, Gates Foundation announces 10-year, $10B vaccine commitment

Recent releases in Global Health

Agent-enhanced CT scan plays a supporting role in diagnosing severe cases of H1N1 flu virus

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation commits $10 billion for vaccine research and development

Mechanical tenderization linked to E. coli outbreaks, safe food attorney calls for specific FSIS label

Econiche vaccine cited in February, 2010 issue of Scientific American

Discovery may help in designing drugs for sun-damaged skin

New understanding of CD44 receptor's role in immune cell survival

Experimental vaccine protects mice and monkeys against chikungunya virus

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

Modular, Scalable, Intelligent: How n6 Is Rethinking NGS Library Prep

Shaping the future of lab automation through AI and robotics

Latest News