Polio News and Research

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Poliomyelitis (polio) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that invades the nervous system and can cause severe paralysis. The virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralyzed, 5-10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. Polio mainly affects children under five years of age. Naturally occurring polio was eliminated in the U.S. in 1979 and in the Western Hemisphere by 1991; however, worldwide efforts are continuing towards eradication of this contagious and devastating disease.

Polio no more in Nigeria, WHO says

WHO announced today that polio is no longer endemic in Nigeria. This is the first time that Nigeria has interrupted transmission of wild poliovirus, bringing the country and the African region closer than ever to being certified polio-free.

26 Sep 2015

NanoPass to supply MicronJet600 device for use with Immune Design's ZVex discovery platform

NanoPass Technologies Ltd., a pioneer in intradermal delivery solutions for immunotherapies, announced today that it has entered into a clinical supply and support agreement for the supply of MicronJet600, its microneedle delivery device, for use with Immune Design's oncology immunotherapy products from its ZVex discovery platform.

8 Sep 2015

Researchers create method to watch activity of motor neurons in real time

When you're taking a walk around the block, your body is mostly on autopilot--you don't have to consciously think about alternating which leg you step with or which muscles it takes to lift a foot and put it back down. That's thanks to a set of cells in your spinal cord that help translate messages between your brain and your motor neurons, which control muscles.

3 Sep 2015

Vaccine exemption levels low, vaccination rates high in U.S.

Vaccine exemption levels for kindergarteners are low for most states and infant vaccination rates are high nationally, according to data from two reports published in this week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

28 Aug 2015

Discovery could help in development of novel cancer-selective viral therapies

Every organism--from a seedling to a president--must protect its DNA at all costs, but precisely how a cell distinguishes between damage to its own DNA and the foreign DNA of an invading virus has remained a mystery.

27 Aug 2015

Physical inactivity poses important clinical, public health and fiscal challenges for the U.S.

What do a prominent physiologist and two-time survivor of pancreatic cancer and a world-renowned researcher whose landmark discoveries on aspirin, drug therapies of proven benefit and therapeutic lifestyle changes that have saved more than 1.1 million lives have in common? They are both passionate about the importance of regular physical activity in reducing risks of dying from heart attacks and strokes, as well as developing diabetes, hypertension and colon cancer. And more importantly, enhancing mental health and fostering healthy muscles, bones and joints in all Americans from childhood to the elderly.

27 Aug 2015

WHO and health cluster partners cope with health needs of internally displaced persons in South Sudan

The World Health Organization and partners are racing to cope with the health needs of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northeastern South Sudan where fighting continues and the humanitarian situation remains dire.

21 Aug 2015

New combination vaccine may reduce number of injections for young children

A new combination vaccine may reduce the number of injections required to keep infants and toddlers up to date with the United States infant immunization schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a phase III trial reported in the August 2015 issue of Pediatrics, the vaccine was determined to be effective, safe and well-tolerated. Gary S. Marshall, M.D., professor of pediatrics at the University of Louisville, was the principal investigator of the multi-center trial and first author of the report.

13 Aug 2015

Loss of critical receptor in the brain may be responsible for autism, schizophrenia

The loss of a critical receptor in a special class of inhibitory neurons in the brain may be responsible for neurodevelopmental disorders including autism and schizophrenia, according to new research by Salk scientists.

12 Aug 2015

Sinovac Biotech releases results of 2015 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held in Beijing, PRC

Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, today announced the results of the Company's 2015 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held on Tuesday, August 11, 2015 in Beijing, PRC.

11 Aug 2015

Pennsylvania physicians examine back-to-school health, offer tips for parents and students

As students start heading back to classes for the upcoming academic year, Pennsylvania physicians take a close look at back-to-school health and offer some tips for parents and students who strive to stay in class and not home in bed sick.

7 Aug 2015

Breakthroughs against Plasmodium falciparum pave way for latest advancement

When the highly-influential European Medicines Agency announced its recommendation to approve what could be the world's first licensed vaccine against malaria in infants and children, there was much celebrating in the research community at NYU Langone Medical Center.

4 Aug 2015

Cincinnati Children's doctors remind parents about the importance of immunizing kids before sending them to school

Doctors at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center want to remind parents about the importance of immunizing their children when preparing to send their children back to school.

28 Jul 2015

Aggressive vaccination effort reduces transmission of measles among North American Amish communities

An aggressive vaccination effort in response to the 2014 measles outbreak among North American Amish communities in Ohio significantly reduced the transmission of measles and the expected number of cases, according to a new study, even though under-vaccination among the North American Amish and in other communities around the United States led to the highest national annual number of reported cases in 2014 in the last 20 years.

24 Jul 2015

Salk researchers move one step closer to making cures for genetic diseases a reality

Healthy brain, muscle, eye and heart cells would improve the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world with debilitating mitochondrial diseases. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute have gotten one step closer to making such cures a reality: they've turned cells from patients into healthy, mutation-free stem cells that can then become any cell type.

16 Jul 2015

Salk professor receives Allen Distinguished Investigator award to uncover biology of Alzheimer's disease

The Salk Institute today announced that Rusty Gage, Salk professor in the Laboratory of Genetics, has been selected as one of five recipients of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation's Allen Distinguished Investigator (ADI) program and will be awarded $1.5 million to conduct his research. These researchers have projects aimed at uncovering the elusive biological foundations of Alzheimer's disease.

15 Jul 2015

University of Georgia's Lynn Bailey leads international paper on folate biomarkers

A University of Georgia researcher is lead author on an international paper on folate biomarkers as part of an initiative to provide evidence-based guidance for the global nutrition and public health community.

1 Jul 2015

Dietary fat intake could potentially ease mitochondrial disease, shows research

Mice that have a genetic version of mitochondrial disease can easily be mistaken for much older animals by the time they are nine months old: they have thinning grey hair, osteoporosis, poor hearing, infertility, heart problems and have lost weight. Despite having this disease at birth, these mice have a "secret weapon" in their youth that staves off signs of aging for a time.

1 Jul 2015

Scientists develop small molecule drug that prevents autophagy from starting in cancer cells

As a tumor grows, its cancerous cells ramp up an energy-harvesting process to support its hasty development. This process, called autophagy, is normally used by a cell to recycle damaged organelles and proteins, but is also co-opted by cancer cells to meet their increased energy and metabolic demands.

26 Jun 2015

Nucleoporin proteins play significant role in maintaining embryonic stem cells

What if you found out that pieces of your front door were occasionally flying off the door frame to carry out chores around the house? That's the kind of surprise scientists at the Salk Institute experienced with their recent discovery that nucleoporins -- proteins that act as cellular 'doorways' to help manage what goes in and out of a cell's nucleus -- are actually much bigger players in expressing genes than previously thought.

19 Jun 2015