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Public health information website to provide information about advanced disinfectants launched

TouchSurfaces.Org launches a public health information website alerting visitors on how the hard surfaces in the home, the work place, and in public venues can act as host to a multitude of infectious viruses and bacteria including H1N1, MRSA, HIV, and others.

10 Dec 2009

Despite worldwide outbreak of H1N1 virus, American adults not eager to get vaccinated

American adults are not being vaccinated against the seasonal flu any more often than they were last year, despite increased public discussion of the importance of influenza vaccines resulting from the worldwide outbreak of the H1N1 virus, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

10 Dec 2009

BIOGUARD barrier gauze dressings offer high antiviral efficacy against H1N1

Derma Sciences, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: DSCI), a specialty medical device and pharmaceutical company focused on advanced wound care, today released an independent laboratory report indicating that the company's BIOGUARD barrier gauze dressings exhibit high antiviral efficacy against the H1N1 virus.

10 Dec 2009

Roche launches new automated clinical laboratory system for HPV and CT/NG tests

Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today the launch of a new clinical laboratory system designed to increase laboratory testing efficiency and to accommodate current and long-term molecular diagnostic needs.

10 Dec 2009

Patients' urine may provide rapid diagnosis of pneumonia

Doctors may soon be able to quickly and accurately diagnose the cause of pneumonia-like symptoms by examining the chemicals found in a patient's urine, suggests a new study led by UC Davis biochemist Carolyn Slupsky.

10 Dec 2009

Sanofi Pasteur expands dengue vaccine clinical program in Latin America

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the sanofi-aventis Group (EURONEXT: SAN and SNY), announced today the expansion of its dengue vaccine clinical program in Latin America with a new multicenter study in children and adolescent in Mexico, Colombia, Honduras and Puerto Rico. This new multicenter study complements an earlier study in Mexico and an ongoing study in Peru.

10 Dec 2009

Study reveals increased discussion on flu vaccines has no significant impact on public's behavior

Seasonal flu vaccination rates among American adults have only slightly improved over last year, despite increased public discussion of the importance of influenza vaccines resulting from the worldwide outbreak of the H1N1 virus.

10 Dec 2009

Scientists discover the potential basis for urine test to diagnose CAP

Scientists are reporting a discovery of the potential basis for a urine test to diagnose community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), a difficult-to-diagnose disease that is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

10 Dec 2009

U.N. weather agency predicts heightened disease spread with rising temps; Globe and Mail examines potential health effects of climate change in Africa

The decade 2000-2009 "is very likely to be the warmest since record-keeping began in 1850, and 2009 could rank among the top-five warmest years," the World Meteorological Organization said on Tuesday at the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen, the Associated Press reports.

10 Dec 2009

WHO issues report on global tobacco use

"Tobacco use kills at least 5 million people every year, a figure that could rise if countries don't take stronger measures to combat smoking, the World Health Organization said Wednesday," during the release its Global Tobacco Epidemic report, the Associated Press reports (Cheng, 12/9).

9 Dec 2009

Washington Post, New York Times examine PEPFAR

The Washington Post examines the Obama administration's goal "to get the 'emergency' out of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief" and integrate HIV/AIDS programs more into the health infrastructure of recipient countries. A five-year strategy for PEPFAR was released last week.

9 Dec 2009

Also in global health news: Illegal drug trade in E. Africa; Somalia humanitarian crisis; alcohol, IV drug use in Russia; HIV/AIDS in China; FBOs engage in HIV fight

"[D]ozens of people" from China's Henan province who contracted HIV/AIDS from blood transfusions "demonstrated in front of the country's health ministry in Beijing" to highlight the challenges facing Chinese AIDS patients, the Irish Times reports.

9 Dec 2009

Pacific Beach BioSciences signs licensing agreement with major pharmaceutical company

Pacific Beach BioSciences, Inc. today reported that it has granted non-exclusive rights to a large pharmaceutical company for the use of one of its anti-fungal compounds required for the manufacturing of a clinical stage product.

9 Dec 2009

DOTS has cured 36m People, prevented up to 8m TB deaths over 15 years, WHO says

Since the WHO developed Directly Observed Therapy, Short-course (DOTS) in 1994 for the treatment of tuberculosis, approximately 36 million people have successfully completed treatment and been cured over the past 15 years, according to new data released by the WHO on Tuesday, health-e reports (Thom, 12/8).

9 Dec 2009

NIH awards Lentigen a SBIR grant for program to generate Hepatitis C Virus-Like Particles

Lentigen Corporation, a biotechnology company specializing in the development and manufacture of lentiviral gene delivery technologies, announced today that it has received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) small business innovation research (SBIR) grant for a program on "A Novel Method of Generating Hepatitis C Virus-Like Particles using Lentivirus". In this program, Lentigen will collaborate with Epixis SA (Paris, France).

9 Dec 2009

Medicare to pay for HIV testing

Reuters: "Americans enrolled in the U.S. government-run Medicare health insurance program will now be covered for tests that screen for HIV, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees the program for the elderly and disabled, said on Tuesday.

9 Dec 2009

Phase 3 clinical trial results of RG1068 to be discussed

Repligen Corporation announced today that the Company President and Chief Executive Officer, Walter C. Herlihy, Ph.D., will host a conference call and webcast on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. EST, to discuss results of its Phase 3 clinical trial of RG1068 in MRI imaging of the pancreas.

9 Dec 2009

Laser technique used to change metal colors could have important implications for medicine

University of Rochester optics professor Chunlei Guo made headlines in the past couple of years when he changed the color of everyday metals by scouring their surfaces with precise, high-intensity laser bursts.

9 Dec 2009

Human blood stem cells can be engineered to kill HIV and other chronic viral diseases

Researchers from the UCLA AIDS Institute and colleagues have for the first time demonstrated that human blood stem cells can be engineered into cells that can target and kill HIV-infected cells - a process that potentially could be used against a range of chronic viral diseases.

9 Dec 2009

Medicare covers HIV screening: AHF lauds CMS

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, today lauded the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), for its decision earlier today to cover HIV testing for Medicare beneficiaries who may be at increased risk for HIV exposure (MSM, IDU) as well as women who are pregnant, and beneficiaries of any age that request to be tested. The decision is effective immediately.

9 Dec 2009

Disease/Infection News

Public health information website to provide information about advanced disinfectants launched

Despite worldwide outbreak of H1N1 virus, American adults not eager to get vaccinated

BIOGUARD barrier gauze dressings offer high antiviral efficacy against H1N1

Roche launches new automated clinical laboratory system for HPV and CT/NG tests

Patients' urine may provide rapid diagnosis of pneumonia

Sanofi Pasteur expands dengue vaccine clinical program in Latin America

Study reveals increased discussion on flu vaccines has no significant impact on public's behavior

Scientists discover the potential basis for urine test to diagnose CAP

U.N. weather agency predicts heightened disease spread with rising temps; Globe and Mail examines potential health effects of climate change in Africa

WHO issues report on global tobacco use

Washington Post, New York Times examine PEPFAR

Also in global health news: Illegal drug trade in E. Africa; Somalia humanitarian crisis; alcohol, IV drug use in Russia; HIV/AIDS in China; FBOs engage in HIV fight

Pacific Beach BioSciences signs licensing agreement with major pharmaceutical company

DOTS has cured 36m People, prevented up to 8m TB deaths over 15 years, WHO says

NIH awards Lentigen a SBIR grant for program to generate Hepatitis C Virus-Like Particles

Medicare to pay for HIV testing

Phase 3 clinical trial results of RG1068 to be discussed

Laser technique used to change metal colors could have important implications for medicine

Human blood stem cells can be engineered to kill HIV and other chronic viral diseases

Medicare covers HIV screening: AHF lauds CMS

Exploring the nanoscale: How AFM is transforming cosmetic science

Innovating Texture and Culture in Plant-Based Foods

Advancing brain microphysiological systems (bMPS)

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