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Time dwindling to meet IDSA goal of 10 new antibiotics by 2020

Despite the desperate need for new antibiotics to combat increasingly deadly resistant bacteria, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved only one new systemic antibiotic since the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) launched its 10 x '20 Initiative in 2010 - and that drug was approved two and a half years ago.

22 Apr 2013

TEDMED conference speaker highlights key actions to stop pandemics

Some 2,000 health professionals and thought leaders from all sectors of society are attending TEDMED at the Kennedy Center [in Washington, D.C.,] this week for a series of talks [focusing on medical technology and health care], which are also being televised in more than 80 countries.

22 Apr 2013

Edible malarial vaccine may work against other viral and bacterial infections

Can scientists rid malaria from the Third World by simply feeding algae genetically engineered with a vaccine? That's the question biologists at UC San Diego sought to answer after they demonstrated last May that algae can be engineered to produce a vaccine that blocks malaria transmission.

22 Apr 2013

Penn researcher wins Distinguished Clinical Research Achievement Award for innovations in gene therapy

A gene therapy study focused on finding a cure for a rare congenital blinding disease has been recognized as one of the ten most outstanding clinical research projects of the year by the Clinical Research Forum (CRF).

22 Apr 2013

Sleep related breathing disorders associated with cognitive and behavioral impairment in children

People lobbying for gun control may want to consider another culprit in the post-Newtown search for the answer to our unfathomable questions.

22 Apr 2013

Donors must 'seize this opportunity' to fully support the Global Fund

At a recent donor conference in Brussels, Belgium, "the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria presented a compelling case for funding the organization to not only tackle these diseases but also to accelerate gains against them.

22 Apr 2013

Genetic study defines link between primary sclerosing cholangitis and other autoimmune diseases

Researchers have newly associated nine genetic regions with a rare autoimmune disease of the liver known as primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). This brings the total number of genetic regions associated with the disease to 16.

22 Apr 2013

Researchers decipher the underlying mechanism of antiviral drug

A long-forgotten candidate for antiviral therapy is undergoing a renaissance: Since the 1970s, the small molecule CMA has been considered a potent agent against viral infections, yet it was never approved for clinical use.

22 Apr 2013

Study: Use of anti-TNF therapies in RA patients does not increase risk of herpes zoster

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who initiated use of anti-tumor necrosis factor therapies were not at a higher risk of developing herpes zoster (shingles), compared with patients who initiated nonbiologic treatment regimens, according to research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the Oregon Health and Science University. The findings appeared in the March 6, 2013, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

22 Apr 2013

Vaccine development expensive but worthy of investment from Congress

During the last three decades, the biopharmaceutical industry has invested significantly in new and improved vaccines, and the collaborative efforts of the [CDC], [the WHO], national governments and industry have led to major progress in addressing global immunization goals and reducing illness and death due to vaccine-preventable diseases.

22 Apr 2013

Study confirms effectiveness of UV-C-emitting device in combating pathogens in hospital environment

A recent study funded by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epicenters Program and published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ( Deverick H. Anderson , M.D., MPH et al., 2013) supports and expands on previously published studies confirming the effectiveness of an automated UV-C-emitting device to combat the pathogens Clostridium difficile (C. diff.), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and Acinetobacter spp. – some of the common culprits of health care-associated infections drawing increased attention for hospitals across the country.

20 Apr 2013

State Department hosts online discussions on foreign aid, HIV/AIDS

Richard Buangan, director of digital engagement at the U.S. State Department, notes in the agency's "DipNote" blog that Secretary of State John Kerry will participate in a Google+ hangout on Friday, April 19, at 1:15 pm EDT.

20 Apr 2013

Reports examine issues of HIV treatment among prisoners, sex workers, sexual minorities in Zambia

"The recent arrest of Zambian HIV treatment and human rights advocate Paul Kasonkomona for only talking about legal barriers to HIV and other health services for Zambians who are prisoners, sex workers or members of sexual minorities, raises the question of how those barriers can be addressed by the country's board charged with distributing money from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria" -- the Country Coordinating Mechanism, the Center for Global Health Policy's "Science Speaks" blog writes.

20 Apr 2013

Sustain U.S. global AIDS financing to achieve AIDS-free generation

"The persistent shortchanging of PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, is one of the more significant and perplexing trends in America's global health policy," Chris Collins, vice president and director of public policy at amfAR: The Foundation for AIDS Research, writes in the Huffington Post's "The Big Push" blog.

20 Apr 2013

Health experts in China working to identify source, transmission routes of H7N9 flu virus

"Fifteen global and Chinese health experts are on a mission in Beijing and Shanghai to learn more about the H7N9 bird flu virus that has killed 17 people and sickened 70 others, said Dr. Michael O'Leary, head of WHO's office in China," the Associated Press reports (Wong, 4/19).

20 Apr 2013

Editorials address China's response to emergence of H7N9 bird flu strain

"The H7N9 strain contains gene sequences that make it relatively effective, for a bird virus, at infecting humans and other mammals," Bloomberg writes.

20 Apr 2013

Circumcision lowers bacterial load, possibly allowing for HIV infection risk reduction, researchers say

"Circumcision reduces a man's risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, and now researchers have found a possible explanation: the procedure reduces the quantity and diversity of bacteria at the head of the penis," the New York Times' "Well" blog reports (Bakalar, 4/18).

20 Apr 2013

High dietary salt combined with ulcer infection greatly increases risk of gastric cancer

Numerous epidemiologic studies have shown that a diet high in salt is associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer.

19 Apr 2013

BIIR researchers report results of comparative study of molecular immune responses to influenza and pneumococcal vaccines

In a manuscript published today in Immunity, scientists at the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research (BIIR) and the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason report the results of a comparative study of the molecular immune responses to influenza and pneumococcal vaccines.

19 Apr 2013

Research shows respiratory syncytial virus can be transferred during pregnancy to unborn baby

The most common cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), can be transferred during pregnancy to an unborn baby, according to Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital research published online this week in the journal PLOS ONE.

19 Apr 2013

Disease/Infection News

Time dwindling to meet IDSA goal of 10 new antibiotics by 2020

TEDMED conference speaker highlights key actions to stop pandemics

Edible malarial vaccine may work against other viral and bacterial infections

Penn researcher wins Distinguished Clinical Research Achievement Award for innovations in gene therapy

Sleep related breathing disorders associated with cognitive and behavioral impairment in children

Donors must 'seize this opportunity' to fully support the Global Fund

Genetic study defines link between primary sclerosing cholangitis and other autoimmune diseases

Researchers decipher the underlying mechanism of antiviral drug

Study: Use of anti-TNF therapies in RA patients does not increase risk of herpes zoster

Vaccine development expensive but worthy of investment from Congress

Study confirms effectiveness of UV-C-emitting device in combating pathogens in hospital environment

State Department hosts online discussions on foreign aid, HIV/AIDS

Reports examine issues of HIV treatment among prisoners, sex workers, sexual minorities in Zambia

Sustain U.S. global AIDS financing to achieve AIDS-free generation

Health experts in China working to identify source, transmission routes of H7N9 flu virus

Editorials address China's response to emergence of H7N9 bird flu strain

Circumcision lowers bacterial load, possibly allowing for HIV infection risk reduction, researchers say

High dietary salt combined with ulcer infection greatly increases risk of gastric cancer

BIIR researchers report results of comparative study of molecular immune responses to influenza and pneumococcal vaccines

Research shows respiratory syncytial virus can be transferred during pregnancy to unborn baby

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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