Cholera News and Research

Latest Cholera News and Research

Floods: U.N. issues $459.7M appeal for Pakistan, China concerned about disease outbreaks after mudslides

The U.N. appealed for $459.7 million on Wednesday "to aid flood victims in Pakistan as the magnitude of the disaster widened, with about one-fifth of the country submerged and the annual monsoon season still potent," the New York Times reports (MacFarquhar, 8/11).

13 Aug 2010

The Australian examines development of low-cost water purifiers by Indian companies

The Australian reports on how four large businesses in India are developing low-cost water purifiers for some of the country's "poorest of the poor."

13 Aug 2010

U.N. says nearly 14M Pakistanis affected by floods

On Monday the U.N. said that 13.8 million people have been affected by the floods in Pakistan as the death toll has now reached 1,600, Agence France-Presse reports.

9 Aug 2010

Risk of epidemic is high in Pakistan: Canadian Red Cross

The Red Cross Red Crescent Movement is ramping up its relief operations in response to flooding in Pakistan. Over three million people have been affected as the worst flooding in 80 years wreaks havoc across 70 per cent of the country. Despite a rapid humanitarian response Red Cross officials warn that the worst may be yet to come.

6 Aug 2010

Pakistani officials fear cholera outbreak after massive flooding

After floods in northwest Pakistan have "already killed up to 1,200 people" and forced 2 million from their homes, authorities are now concerned about disease spread, the Associated Press reports.

2 Aug 2010

Researchers unveil mechanism of cholera bacteria to create cell energy

Researchers have found that an enzyme in the bacteria that causes cholera uses a previously unknown mechanism in providing the bacteria with energy. Because the enzyme is not found in most other organisms, including humans, the finding offers insights into how drugs might be created to kill the bacteria without harming humans.

29 Jul 2010

Neu5Gc in drugs provokes strong immune response

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that a kind of sugar molecule common to chimpanzees, gorillas and other mammals but not found in humans provokes a strong immune response in some people, likely worsening conditions in which chronic inflammation is a major issue.

26 Jul 2010

Biomagnetics Diagnostics reports positive test results of unique PVA film formulation

Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp., a developer of revolutionary diagnostic systems and technology for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis and malaria detection, and other innovative technologies, today announced the results of recent testing of the unique PVA film formulation produced by Lanzhou Sanhuan New Technology Development Ltd. of Ganzu, China. Earlier this week, Biomagnetics announced its intent to acquire Lanzhou as the first of several planned acquisitions to be done at a $1.00 share price valuation for Biomagnetics Diagnostics' common shares.

15 Jul 2010

Biomagnetics signs LOI to acquire Lanzhou Sanhuan New Technology Development

Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp., a developer of revolutionary diagnostic systems and technology for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis and malaria detection, and other innovative technologies, today announced the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Lanzhou Sanhuan New Technology Development Ltd. of Ganzu, China. This expected acquisition is the first of several planned acquisitions targeted at a $1.00 share price for Biomagnetics Diagnostics' common shares.

12 Jul 2010

Biomagnetics, LANL collaborate to develop device for tuberculosis diagnosis

Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp., a developer of revolutionary technology for diagnostic systems for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis and malaria detection, today announced the signing of an agreement with Los Alamos National Security, LLC where Los Alamos National Laboratory's scientific and engineering staffs will attempt to identify new potential human tuberculosis biomarkers and will develop a validated assay to detect human tuberculosis using a currently known biomarker to be used in combination with the waveguide-based optical biosensor platform.

9 Jul 2010

Biomagnetics Diagnostics signs new CRADA with Los Alamos National Security

Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp., a developer of revolutionary diagnostic systems and technology for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis and malaria detection, today announced the signing of a new Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the development of a waveguide-based integrated optical biosensor platform for the detection of disease causing pathogens.

7 Jul 2010

Researchers study mechanism of human brain

Because of its intricate organization, figuring out the wiring diagram that explains how the billions of neurons in the brain are connected, and determining how they work together, remains a formidable task.

29 Jun 2010

Increased mortality rates in Bangladesh is associated with arsenic exposure, study finds

Between 33 and 77 million people in Bangladesh have been exposed to arsenic in the drinking water-a catastrophe that the World Health Organization has called "the largest mass poisoning in history." A new study published in the current issue of the medical journal The Lancet provides the most complete and detailed picture to date of the high mortality rates associated with this exposure, which began with the widespread installation of tube wells throughout the country 30 years ago-a measure intended to control water-bourne diseases.

24 Jun 2010

Financial Times examines how GAVI's $2.6B shortfall might affect new vaccine programs in developing countries

GAVI Alliance's plan to introduce new vaccine projects in the developing world "is under threat amid the international economic downturn," the Financial Times reports. "Subsidies to extend the use of vaccines against rubella, HPV to tackle cervical cancer, cholera and Japanese encephalitis in the developing world are among those likely to be cancelled or delayed," according to GAVI's CEO Julian Lob-Levyt, the newspaper writes.

17 Jun 2010

Helicobacter pylori's helical shape helps it colonize the stomach

The bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which lives in the human stomach and is associated with ulcers and gastric cancer, is shaped like a corkscrew, or helix. For years researchers have hypothesized that the bacterium's twisty shape is what enables it to survive - and thrive - within the stomach's acid-drenched environment, but until now they have had no proof.

28 May 2010

Biomagnetics Diagnostics presents new series of videos on world's first handheld Integrated Optical Biosensor

Biomagnetics Diagnostics Corp., a developer of revolutionary diagnostic systems and technology for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis and malaria detection, today announced the availability of a new series of video taped interviews of CEO, Clayton Hardman where he presents the world's first handheld Integrated Optical Biosensor (IOBS), which was recently licensed under an agreement with Los Alamos National Security LLC.

25 May 2010

Using sari cloth to filter water protects household from cholera: Study

A five-year follow up study in Bangladesh finds that women are literally wearing the answer to better health for themselves, their families and even their neighbors. Using the simple sari to filter household water protects not only the household from cholera, but reduces the incidence of disease in neighboring households that do not filter.

20 May 2010

VBI researchers establish new tree of life for gamma-proteobacteria

A new "tree of life" has been constructed by researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech for the gamma-proteobacteria, a large group of medically and scientifically important bacteria that includes Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and other disease-causing organisms.

18 May 2010

Leaving food out in the sun can put you at risk for food-borne illness

Leaving food out in the sun too long can put a damper on your summer picnic.

14 May 2010

Scientists develop dry, inhalable measles vaccine, will begin testing in India this summer

CBSNews.com reports on the development of a dry, inhalable measles vaccine by researchers at the University of Colorado-Boulder (CU-Boulder), who hope that their work will "help pave the way for the inexpensive treatment of a range of other illnesses" (Cooper, 5/5).

10 May 2010