Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Brown University researchers find no link between overlapping sexual partners and the HIV epidemic in Africa

Contrary to conventional wisdom, scientific evidence proving that overlapping multiple sexual partners - concurrency - drives the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa is actually quite limited, Brown University researchers have concluded.

23 Oct 2009

Notificateur communications tool: Preventive measure for influenza A virus

In preparation for the second wave of the influenza A (H1N1) virus, Hi-VOS proposes a fast and effective communications tool to help public institutions and businesses better communicate with various groups among the Canadian population: employees, parents, students and clients.

23 Oct 2009

MedImmune announces interim data from its live attenuated influenza vaccine studies

MedImmune announced today that interim data from human studies of its nasal spray vaccine for the 2009 novel Influenza A (H1N1) virus demonstrate a similar clinical profile in children and adults 2 to 49 years of age as previously studied seasonal formulations of the vaccine.

23 Oct 2009

Some hospital revenues could decline if H1N1 becomes pandemic

"While it's common for hospitals to see a revenue boost at the onset of seasonal influenza season, the additional threat of cases from the H1N1 swine flu virus could complicate this fall's and winter's financial picture for such health facilities," The Chicago Tribune reports.

23 Oct 2009

Adjuvanted and non-adjuvanted H1N1 vaccines safe for pregnant women, say Canadian experts

After discussion with the Public Health Agency of Canada, and based on the evidence for other adjuvanted vaccines as well as experience around the world to date with the adjuvanted H1N1 vaccine, Canadian experts say that both the adjuvanted and non-adjuvanted H1N1 vaccines are safe for pregnant women.

23 Oct 2009

AFP examines recent HIV vaccine findings

Agence France-Presse examines how two recent studies have "boosted morale" among HIV vaccine researchers who have struggled for decades to develop a viable vaccine to protect people from the virus. "On September 3, researchers in the United States discovered two potent antibodies -- the frontline troops in the immune system -- that expose what may prove to be a viral Achilles' heel," the news service writes.

22 Oct 2009

FDA grants Response Biomedical a Special 510(k) clearance for the RAMP Influenza A/B Assay

Response Biomedical Corporation announced that the Company has been granted a Special 510(k) U.S. FDA clearance for an update to the Company’s RAMP® Influenza A/B Assay Package Insert to include analytical reactivity information for a strain of the 2009 H1N1 virus cultured from positive respiratory specimens.

22 Oct 2009

Bristol-Myers Squibb reports strong sales and earnings growth for third quarter 2009

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today reported strong sales and earnings growth for the third quarter 2009.

22 Oct 2009

eHealthInsurance releases answers for FAQs on swine flu and their health insurance

eHealthInsurance (NASDAQ: EHTH) today released a list of answers to questions frequently asked from people concerned about the H1N1 virus (also called swine flu) and their health insurance, who have called into its Customer Care Center, which includes a call center staffed with licensed insurance agents. Getting answers to these questions is particularly important for high-risk individuals: pregnant women, children and seniors.

22 Oct 2009

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices supports the permissive use of GARDASIL

Merck & Co., Inc. announced today that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) supports the permissive use of GARDASIL® [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16 and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant] for boys and young men ages 9 to 26, which means that GARDASIL may be given to males ages 9 to 26 to reduce the likelihood of acquiring genital warts at the discretion of the patient's health care provider.

22 Oct 2009

Awareness campaign to educate families on H1N1 flu virus, seasonal flu and common cold

Dial Complete Antibacterial Foaming Hand Wash, the #1 doctor-recommended brand, today announced it is working together with other leading brands to raise awareness and educate families to ‘Plan, Prepare and Defend’ against the H1N1 flu virus, seasonal flu and the common cold.

22 Oct 2009

FDA uses Wolters Kluwer Pharma Solutions' prescription data for tracking viral treatments

Wolters Kluwer Pharma Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of market data and competitive intelligence to the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, announced today that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is using its prescription data to track the treatment of H1N1 and other influenza viruses.

22 Oct 2009

Widely used ssqPCR assay is not reliable, say researchers

In the course of doing research on the mosquito-borne pathogens chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and o' nyong-nyong virus (ONNV), Virginia Tech researchers have discovered an inconvenient truth about an assay, strand-specific quantitative real-time PCR (ssqPCR), increasingly being used to detect and measure replicating viral RNA in infected cells and tissues. The method most labs are using for ssqPCR is unreliable.

22 Oct 2009

Emerging Pandemic Threats program to combat newly emerging diseases of animal origin

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is launching an Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) program that builds on the successes of the Agency's long-standing programs in disease surveillance, training, and outbreak response, particularly those addressing avian and pandemic influenza.

22 Oct 2009

Guardian examines how Uganda's drought, food shortages affect HIV-positive people

The Guardian examines how "famine and acute food shortages" in Uganda could affect people living with HIV/AIDS. "The situation is beginning to undermine efforts to fight the virus in the north and east of Uganda, the areas most affected by the drought," according to the Guardian.

22 Oct 2009

Women more likely than men to curb swine flu

A new American Red Cross poll shows that while concerns about exposure to the H1N1 (swine flu) virus remain high, women are more likely than men to make extra efforts to cover coughs and sneezes with tissue, wash their hands more carefully and use hand sanitizer more often.

22 Oct 2009

Research suggests latent cytomegalovirus infection exacerbates inflammatory bowel disease

Current research suggests that latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may exacerbate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The related report by Onyeagocha et al, "Latent cytomegalovirus infection exacerbates experimental colitis," appears in the November 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.

21 Oct 2009

Novavax, Xcellerex enter into collaboration to accelerate the development of Novavax's 2009 H1N1 vaccine

Novavax, Inc. and Xcellerex, Inc. have entered into a strategic collaboration to accelerate the development of Novavax's vaccine manufacturing process to commercial scale and begin immediate production of Novavax's novel 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine for potential commercial sale.

21 Oct 2009

Markers that cause primary liver cancer identified

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or primary liver cancer forms in the epithelial tissue of the liver and is most commonly caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV). In the U.S., the National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates that 15,000 men and 6,000 women are diagnosed with HCC each year.

21 Oct 2009

Study suggests superiority of CT scans over X-Rays in detecting abnormalities in patients with the H1N1 virus

Computed tomography (CT) scans are better than standard radiography (X-rays) in showing the extent of disease in patients with the H1N1 virus, according to a study to be published online Oct. 21, 2009, in the American Journal of Roentgenology. The study will be published in the December issue of the AJR.

21 Oct 2009

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Brown University researchers find no link between overlapping sexual partners and the HIV epidemic in Africa

Notificateur communications tool: Preventive measure for influenza A virus

MedImmune announces interim data from its live attenuated influenza vaccine studies

Some hospital revenues could decline if H1N1 becomes pandemic

Adjuvanted and non-adjuvanted H1N1 vaccines safe for pregnant women, say Canadian experts

AFP examines recent HIV vaccine findings

FDA grants Response Biomedical a Special 510(k) clearance for the RAMP Influenza A/B Assay

Bristol-Myers Squibb reports strong sales and earnings growth for third quarter 2009

eHealthInsurance releases answers for FAQs on swine flu and their health insurance

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices supports the permissive use of GARDASIL

Awareness campaign to educate families on H1N1 flu virus, seasonal flu and common cold

FDA uses Wolters Kluwer Pharma Solutions' prescription data for tracking viral treatments

Widely used ssqPCR assay is not reliable, say researchers

Emerging Pandemic Threats program to combat newly emerging diseases of animal origin

Guardian examines how Uganda's drought, food shortages affect HIV-positive people

Women more likely than men to curb swine flu

Research suggests latent cytomegalovirus infection exacerbates inflammatory bowel disease

Novavax, Xcellerex enter into collaboration to accelerate the development of Novavax's 2009 H1N1 vaccine

Markers that cause primary liver cancer identified

Study suggests superiority of CT scans over X-Rays in detecting abnormalities in patients with the H1N1 virus

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Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

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