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Vatican to host one-day international HIV/AIDS conference in May

The Vatican on Thursday announced it "will host an international conference in May on preventing [HIV/AIDS] and caring for those afflicted with it amid continued confusion over its position concerning condoms as a way to prevent HIV transmission," the Associated Press reports.

8 Feb 2011

Breakthrough in Thermal Gradient's fast PCR technology for molecular diagnostics

Thermal Gradient, a Rochester, NY biotech company, announces a breakthrough in its fast PCR technology for molecular diagnostics. PCR is the preferred critical step in virtually all forms of DNA testing.

8 Feb 2011

Researchers develop new method for drug discovery using math to combat HIV, other diseases

Using mathematical concepts, Princeton researchers have developed a method of discovering new drugs for a range of diseases by calculating which physical properties of biological molecules may predict their effectiveness as medicines.

8 Feb 2011

Journal of International Affairs examines humanitarian licensing

More students are pushing universities to make medicines more available to people in the world’s poorest countries. An article in the new issue of the Journal of International Affairs examines “humanitarian licensing.”

7 Feb 2011

CMD co-founder receives Prize4Life award for discovery of new ALS biomarker

Convergence Medical Devices (CMD) today announced that its co-founder, Dr. Seward Rutkove, Chief of the Division of Neuromuscular Disease at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, received Prize4Life's prestigious award for the discovery of a new biomarker for ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

7 Feb 2011

BAI releases 2011 State of AIDS in Black America report

The Black AIDS Institute ("BAI"), the only national HIV/AIDS think tank focused exclusively on the Black community in the US, today released its 2011 State of AIDS in Black America report, Deciding Moment. 2011 marks the 30th anniversary of the AIDS epidemic in America and presents unique opportunities to curtail the HIV/AIDS pandemic, but key challenges remain to moving forward in the AIDS response in Black America.

7 Feb 2011

Technique that cleared mouse of HIV-like virus sparks hope for new therapy

In a breakthrough, Australian researchers have developed a method to boost the immune system. This technique is seen to be capable of clearing an “HIV-like” infection from a mouse. This could in future lead to a cure for HIV and other chronic viral infections in humans. The findings from Melbourne’s Walter and Eliza Hall Institute are centred on a naturally occurring cell signalling hormone called interleukin-7 (IL-7).

6 Feb 2011

Patient need to share medication side effects with health care team: Retired family doctor

"I had a wonderful gentleman patient who had resistant blood pressure," recalls Vicki Koenig, M.D., a retired family doctor in Exmore, VA. "When he came for a blood pressure check on the latest new med and it was great, I was ecstatic. Then he said, 'But I notice my urine's a little dark.' His was one of the first cases of fatal liver complications from this medication."

5 Feb 2011

HHS Secretary releases statement on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

On February 7, the nation will observe the 11th annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the first reports of AIDS in the United States.

5 Feb 2011

Studies show growing problems of non-communicable diseases in low-, middle-income countries

Obesity rates have doubled worldwide since 1980," according to a study published Friday as part of a series in the Lancet that also looked at global blood pressure and cholesterol trends, ABC News reports (Carolo, 2/4).

5 Feb 2011

New community for women survivors of gender violence opened in Bukavu, DRC

V-Day and the Fondation Panzi (DRC), with support from UNICEF, announce today the opening of City of Joy, a revolutionary new community for women survivors of gender violence in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo.

5 Feb 2011

AIDS United awards new grants to improve lives of people with HIV/AIDS

Thousands of individuals living with HIV/AIDS in low-income and/or rural areas will now receive local, high quality care, thanks to new grants awarded by AIDS United for its Access to Care initiative.

5 Feb 2011

The Female Health Company first quarter FY2011 net revenues decrease 33%

The Female Health Company, which manufactures and markets the FC2 Female Condom, today reported its operating results for the first quarter of FY2011.

5 Feb 2011

Recent releases in Global Health

"Africa should be one of the leading regions in shaping global food security policies and feeding the future instead of others shaping it for Africa. Developing practical, integrative and more small-scale solutions for agricultural inputs and outputs, farming, and for managing both land and water resources, will help Africa provide for future generations on the Continent and elsewhere," Robin Renee Sanders, the U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, writes in a Huffington Post blog post.

5 Feb 2011

Opinions: Global Fund; Accountability for Haiti Aid

Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson writes of the "breathless Associated Press story" about the uncovering of some corruption in grants given by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the subsequent reaction: "When scandals fit preexisting ideological narratives, they assume a life of their own. This particular narrative - the story of useless, wasted aid - is durable. It is also misleading and might be deadly."

4 Feb 2011

Research roundup: Comparing profit and nonprofit hospice care; Hospital mortality and spending; High-deductible insurance plans

Association Of Hospice Agency Profit Status With Patient Diagnosis, Location of Care, and Length of Stay - "The current Medicare Hospice Benefit reimburses hospices at a fixed per diem rate that does not consider the patient's diagnosis, location of care, or hospice LOS [length-of-stay]," and as such, "profit can be maximized by caring for patients with certain diagnoses that require fewer skilled services, patients residing in nursing homes, or patients with longer hospice stays."

4 Feb 2011

Merck reports GAAP net income of $861 million for 2010

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2010. The company reported non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings per share (EPS) for the fourth quarter of $0.88, which excludes purchase accounting adjustments, restructuring costs and merger-related expenses.

4 Feb 2011

Report examines how health worker shortages could keep developing countries from achieving universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment

A shortage of healthcare workers in developing countries may hold developing countries back from achieving the U.N. Millennium Development Goal to achieve universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment by 2015, according to a report by the WHO/Global Health Workforce Alliance, IRIN/PlusNews writes.

4 Feb 2011

American Cancer Society report released on World Cancer Day

A new American Cancer Society report says cancers associated with lifestyles and behaviors related to economic development, including lung, breast, and colorectal cancers, will continue to rise in developing countries if preventive measures are not widely applied. The finding comes from the second edition of Global Cancer Facts & Figures and its academic publication, Global Cancer Statistics, published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

4 Feb 2011

At Global Chiefs of Mission Conference, Sec. Clinton, Shah discuss QDDR

As part of a week-long meeting with U.S. diplomats from around the world taking place in Washington, D.C., this week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday gathered with 300 U.S. diplomats from around the world to discuss "strategies to energize diplomacy and streamline development," the New York Times reports.

4 Feb 2011