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UNICEF report highlights gains in child health, while 1b still lack essential services

A special edition of UNICEF's annual State of the World's Children report, released 20 years after the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, shows that "fewer youngsters are dying and more are going to school - but an estimated 1 billion still lack services essential to their survival and development," the Associated Press reports.

20 Nov 2009

University of Michigan scientists discover how SEVI works

Since the discovery in 2007 that a component of human semen called SEVI boosts infectivity of the virus that causes AIDS, researchers have been trying to learn more about SEVI and how it works, in hopes of thwarting its infection-promoting activity.

20 Nov 2009

Antimalarial drug resistance endangers malarial control measures

Evidence of resistance to the antimalarial drug artemisinin and its derivatives threatens efforts to control malaria in Southeast Asia, and experts fear artemisinin resistance may spread from the Thailand-Cambodia border to affect other malaria endemic countries. Evidence to such effect was presented today at the 58th annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH).

20 Nov 2009

New program to address mental health issues of youth and children

Every year, thousands of youngsters in Ontario experience a mental health crisis, yet the vast majority end up waiting months for psychiatric assessment and treatment because of the severe shortage of these specialists. Now a groundbreaking new program is bridging the gap between kids and care.

20 Nov 2009

Many pregnant Ugandan women avoid HIV screening

'Prevention is the best cure' is a common expression, but what happens if preventative measures are not used? A large proportion of pregnant Ugandan women are going out of their way not to be HIV tested, increasing the risk of mother-to-child transmission.

19 Nov 2009

Goosby says PEPFAR remains among 'highest priorities' of Obama administration, welcomes partnership with South African president Zuma

Eric Goosby, head of PEPFAR, on Wednesday reemphasized the U.S. commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS globally, the Associated Press reports. Despite concerns by international aid groups that the current economic climate might force HIV/AIDS funding to be scaled back, "Goosby said President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton have assured him his program remains among 'the highest priorities,'" the news service writes.

19 Nov 2009

Op-Eds: HIV travel ban; improving sanitation; counterfeit drugs

A "blot" on U.S. HIV/AIDS leadership "ended last month when President [Barack] Obama lifted the prohibition" that kept HIV-positive foreigners from visiting the U.S. or seeking residency, according to a Washington Post editorial. "The process for eliminating the travel ban started under President George W. Bush in July 2008, when he signed legislation that repealed the original statute."

19 Nov 2009

Also in Global Health News: HIV/AIDS grant giving; Africa's water resources; sex workers in Malawi

HIV/AIDS program grants made by U.S.-based foundations totaled $618 billion in 2008, an 11 percent increase from the previous year, according to a new report by Funders Concerned About AIDS, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reports. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation accounted for the majority of the grants, and when it was "excluded, foundation giving [for HIV/AIDS] actually declined 3 percent compared to 2007."

19 Nov 2009

UCLA study: Structural changes in brain may help offset vision loss and strengthen other senses

Visually impaired people appear to be fearless, navigating busy sidewalks and crosswalks, safely finding their way using nothing more than a cane as a guide. The reason they can do this, researchers suggest, is that in at least some circumstances, blindness can heighten other senses, helping individuals adapt.

19 Nov 2009

New online tool launched to encourage donations and fight global hunger

Mercy Corps is challenging Americans to put the "giving" back in Thanksgiving by matching the amount they spend on a meal this Thanksgiving Day with a donation that fights global hunger.

19 Nov 2009

Genetic identity of cellular receptor for the immune system's first-response antibody discovered

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have uncovered the genetic identity of a cellular receptor for the immune system's first-response antibody, a discovery that sheds new light on infection control and immune disorders. The discovery is such a crucial part of immunology that UAB researchers, in conjunction with Japanese researchers, are asking that the gene linked to this antibody receptor be renamed to better describe its role in early immune responses.

19 Nov 2009

UNGASS monitoring system provides the overall progress in the global response to HIV

Although much work remains to be done, a United Nations global reporting system on HIV/AIDS has already yielded an "unequaled wealth of data" on progress toward meeting UN targets for responding to the global HIV epidemic. An update on the development of the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) global reporting system appears in a special supplement to JAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

19 Nov 2009

BioAlliance Pharma wins first prize in Deloitte's Technology Fast 50 2009

BioAlliance Pharma SA, a company dedicated to the treatment and supportive care of cancer and AIDS patients, today announced that it has won first prize in Deloitte's Technology Fast 50 2009TM ranking of France's fastest-growth technology companies.

19 Nov 2009

Data from Phase 1 safety study of SB-728-T announced

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. announced today that data from the University of Pennsylvania investigator sponsored Phase 1 safety study of Sangamo's zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) based product, SB-728-T, for HIV/AIDS were inadvertently and prematurely disclosed on the internet.

19 Nov 2009

Opinions: Fighting TB; currency transaction tax

Though tuberculosis "is one of the world's leading killers … few citizens, scientists and policymakers are demanding more attention to TB research, treatment and prevention. … It's time to bring TB research into the 21st century," Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, writes in an MSNBC opinion piece.

19 Nov 2009

Request for pre-IND meeting to discuss IND application for therapeutic vaccine granted by FDA

GeoVax Labs, Inc. (the "Company"), an Atlanta-based, biopharmaceutical company developing human vaccines for diseases caused by HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and other infectious agents, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted its request for a pre-IND meeting to discuss the proposed Investigational New Drug (IND) application for GeoVax's therapeutic vaccine as a treatment for individuals already infected with HIV.

18 Nov 2009

MSF's volunteer physicians receive free access to Elsevier's electronic CDS tool

The physicians of the world renowned Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999, will receive free access to MD Consult (www.mdconsult.com), Elsevier's premier electronic clinical decision support (CDS) tool, as the result of a special new Elsevier campaign.

18 Nov 2009

Tax credit legislation can pave way for affordable hearing aids

Hearing aids for as many as ten million Americans living with untreated hearing loss could soon become a reality if Congress acts, according to Stephen Hansbrough, CEO of HearUSA (Amex: EAR), one of the nation's largest hearing care companies.

18 Nov 2009

Accurate diagnostic tests required to fight against major infectious disease

A rapid and accurate diagnosis is the first step towards treatment in the fight against infectious disease. However, a team headed by Dr. Madhukar Pai at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and McGill University in collaboration with researchers at the TDR* and the WHO*, has highlighted the poor quality of published studies that evaluate the accuracy of diagnostic tests for 3 major killer infectious diseases (TB, HIV/AIDS and malaria).

18 Nov 2009

Regulatory agencies offer marketing approval for new products to treat neglected diseases

New products to treat neglected diseases have received marketing approval from regulatory agencies at a steadily increasing rate in recent years as R&D funding for those diseases has increased, according to a recently completed study by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development.

18 Nov 2009

AIDS News and Research

UNICEF report highlights gains in child health, while 1b still lack essential services

University of Michigan scientists discover how SEVI works

Antimalarial drug resistance endangers malarial control measures

New program to address mental health issues of youth and children

Many pregnant Ugandan women avoid HIV screening

Goosby says PEPFAR remains among 'highest priorities' of Obama administration, welcomes partnership with South African president Zuma

Op-Eds: HIV travel ban; improving sanitation; counterfeit drugs

Also in Global Health News: HIV/AIDS grant giving; Africa's water resources; sex workers in Malawi

UCLA study: Structural changes in brain may help offset vision loss and strengthen other senses

New online tool launched to encourage donations and fight global hunger

Genetic identity of cellular receptor for the immune system's first-response antibody discovered

UNGASS monitoring system provides the overall progress in the global response to HIV

BioAlliance Pharma wins first prize in Deloitte's Technology Fast 50 2009

Data from Phase 1 safety study of SB-728-T announced

Opinions: Fighting TB; currency transaction tax

Request for pre-IND meeting to discuss IND application for therapeutic vaccine granted by FDA

MSF's volunteer physicians receive free access to Elsevier's electronic CDS tool

Tax credit legislation can pave way for affordable hearing aids

Accurate diagnostic tests required to fight against major infectious disease

Regulatory agencies offer marketing approval for new products to treat neglected diseases

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

Exploring the G:Box and for high-quality imaging

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