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Researchers develop new gene-targeted approach to study chronic wasting disease in mice

Infectious proteins called prions cause a group of related, fatal and incurable neurodegenerative disorders, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy or Mad Cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, both of which affect humans.

12 Jun 2019

Study finds triple the number of Legionnaire's cases than previously reported

The first New Zealand-wide study of the burden of Legionnaire's disease has found triple the number of cases of this form of pneumonia than previously reported.

11 Jun 2019

Why sleeping with the TV on could cause weight gain

Exposure to artificial light at night while sleeping may be a risk factor for weight gain and the development of obesity, say researchers.

11 Jun 2019

Researchers succeed in conquering chronic infection with hepatitis B virus

Researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich, working in collaboration with researchers at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and the University Hospital Heidelberg, have for the first time succeeded in conquering a chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus in a mouse model.

11 Jun 2019

New study suggests bacteria-loaded mosquitoes may halt spread of Dengue fever

Dengue fever stopped spreading in an Australian city, called Townsville, after an army of mosquitoes infected with the Wolbachia bacterium was released on it.

11 Jun 2019

Researchers map the most common bacterial cause of pneumonia around the world

Researchers have mapped the most common bacterial cause of pneumonia around the world and revealed how these bacteria evolve in response to vaccination.

11 Jun 2019

Scorpion venom contains compounds that could help fight Staph and tuberculosis bacteria

Researchers at Stanford University and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) have found that a scorpion found in Eastern Mexico has a venom that could have antibacterial properties.

10 Jun 2019

Proteasome inhibitors show potential for combating multidrug-resistant malaria

Proteasome inhibitors have significant promise as components of novel combination therapies to treat multidrug-resistant malaria, according to a study published June 6 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by David Fidock, Caroline Ng, and Barbara Stokes of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Matthew Bogyo of Stanford University School of Medicine, and colleagues.

From PLOS ONE 10 Jun 2019

Researchers compare American, Pacific and Southeast Asian subtypes of Zika virus

Over recent years, Zika virus has spread eastward from Africa and Asia, leading to an epidemic in the Americas. Now, researchers comparing American, Pacific and Southeast Asian subtypes of the virus in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have concluded that the American-subtype strain has the highest ability to grow both in vitro and in vivo.

From PLOS ONE 10 Jun 2019

Doctors urged to prescribe woodland walks for mental health problems

The Woodland Trust says the Japanese practice of “forest bathing” should be prescribed by doctors to tackle stress and other mental health problems.

10 Jun 2019

How measles detectives work to contain an outbreak

On any given day, more than 4,000 people pass through the library at California State University-Los Angeles.

10 Jun 2019

NIH awards $23 million grant to study the diseases affecting people with HIV

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a seven-year, $23 million grant to researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System to study HIV and the chronic illnesses that often accompany HIV infection, including cardiovascular and lung disease, diabetes, and cancer.

8 Jun 2019

QUT researcher receives award for risk assessment tool for delayed healing of venous leg ulcers

Dr Parker's presentation on the assessment tool and its potential to help curb the $4 billion annual cost of treating chronic wounds received the top award at the CRC Association Collaborate Innovate 2019 Conference last week.

7 Jun 2019

A million a day: STIs are a worldwide epidemic, declares WHO

STIs continue to rise globally, with more than 1 million new STIs of just four types being reported every day, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). This comes to over 376 million new STIs a year among people between 15 and 49 years.

6 Jun 2019

Doing more harm than good: Scientists uncover harmful effects of dietary supplements

This week, two independent reports highlight the hidden dangers associated with widely available dietary supplements.

6 Jun 2019

Drugs designed with advanced computing technologies could help tackle hospital superbugs

Hospital superbugs such as MRSA or E.coli could soon be under attack from a new generation of drugs designed with the help of advanced computing technologies from STFC and IBM Research.

6 Jun 2019

War against mosquitoes saves lives and money in Sri Lanka

A large-scale drive against mosquitoes in Sri Lanka reduced the incidence of dengue fever and saved a lot of money as well, according to a study led by the New York University of Global Public Health.

6 Jun 2019

FDA approves first vaccine for prevention of dengue disease in endemic regions

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today the approval of Dengvaxia, the first vaccine approved for the prevention of dengue disease caused by all dengue virus serotypes (1, 2, 3 and 4) in people ages 9 through 16 who have laboratory-confirmed previous dengue infection and who live in endemic areas.

6 Jun 2019

Safe sex an elusive target; STIs continue to rise in England

The incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in England continues to go up, according to a new report released by Public Health England (PHE). The currently reported increase of 5% from 2017 brings the figure to almost 450 000 cases. Consultations at sexual health services went up by 7%, to over 3,500 000.

6 Jun 2019

‘Promising’ results for beating heart patch that repairs heart cells after cardiac arrest

Researchers have developed a blood test that flags up heart failure early on and a “pumping” patch that could help to repair heart damage after an attack.

4 Jun 2019