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Trovagene introduces urine-based HPV-HR DNA test for identifying high-risk HPV strains

Trovagene, Inc., today announced the commercial availability of its urine-based HPV-HR (high-risk) assay, a molecular human papillomavirus test.

27 Mar 2013

U.S. Office of Global Health Diplomacy should lead G20 efforts to ensure global NTD drug coverage

"Because they strike mostly forgotten people living on less than $2 per day, [neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)] have traditionally been thought of as a problem exclusive to low-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa," Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and president and director of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, writes in a Foreign Policy opinion piece

27 Mar 2013

Research paper highlights implementation of infectious disease curriculum in Boston Public Schools

A research paper published online this month in Academic Medicine highlights the successful development, implementation, and effects of an infectious disease curriculum that has now been piloted in five Boston Public Schools.

27 Mar 2013

South Africa to expand rollout of new TB testing machine, but concerns remain about capacity issues

"South Africa will expand its rollout of GeneXpert tuberculosis testing machines, which can diagnose TB and drug-resistant TB within 90 minutes, but concerns remain about the capacity to back up this commitment with supplies and treatment," IRIN reports.

27 Mar 2013

New York Times examines emergence of XDR-TB in Australia, PNG

"Australia's first death from XDR-TB -- extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, which is nearly incurable -- has alarmed health officials and added new heat to a debate over how to treat immigrants with dangerous diseases," the New York Times reports.

27 Mar 2013

Integration of TB/HIV services necessary to beat 'twin epidemics'

Swaziland "is struggling to overcome twin epidemics of HIV and tuberculosis," UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé writes in the Huffington Post "Healthy Living" blog.

27 Mar 2013

Indonesia to issue compulsory licenses for HIV, hepatitis B drugs still under patent

"The Indonesian government hopes to implement one of the largest ever examples of 'compulsory licensing,' which will enable the generic manufacture of drugs still under patent," IRIN reports.

27 Mar 2013

Penn researchers develop nanotechnology-inspired technique for diagnosing Lyme disease

Early diagnosis is critical in treating Lyme disease. However, nearly one quarter of Lyme disease patients are initially misdiagnosed because currently available serological tests have poor sensitivity and specificity during the early stages of infection.

27 Mar 2013

Researchers find HPV vaccination disparities among low-income females

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues at the University of Florida studied health care providers to determine the factors associated with disparities in Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among girls, ages 9 to 17, from low-income families.

27 Mar 2013

Study shows diagnosis, management of healthcare-associated infection have improved over time

In a nationwide study of patients undergoing surgery for cancer, Henry Ford Hospital researchers have found that while infections during hospital stays increased during a 10-year period, the death rate from those infections dropped.

27 Mar 2013

Presence of certain bacteria in stomach microbiota can prevent pathology from H. pylori

Mice with different naturally occurring stomach bacteria have distinct susceptibilities to disease caused by Helicobacter pylori, the well-known cause of ulcers in humans, according to a study published online ahead of print in the journal Infection and Immunity.

26 Mar 2013

U.N. must uphold 'moral obligations' in Haitian cholera epidemic

Noting the "aid group Doctors Without Borders said [on March 12] that the cholera crisis in Haiti was getting worse, for the most unnecessary and appalling of reasons: a lack of money and basic medical supplies," a New York Times editorial states, "The dreadful backdrop to this emergency is an abdication of responsibility by organizations that have pledged to help Haiti, particularly the United Nations."

26 Mar 2013

IRIN examines TB in southern African mines

Noting "South Africa's gold mines are estimated to have the highest number of new tuberculosis cases in the world, making the disease a leading export to neighboring countries," IRIN examines "the declaration meant to change this situation."

26 Mar 2013

Focused approach needed to end TB

Addressing the question of whether the international community can eliminate tuberculosis, Arundhati Maitra and Sanjib Bhakta of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of London write in an opinion piece in the AlertNet News Blog, "With an estimated 8.7 million reported cases and 1.4 million deaths due to TB in 2011, the question above poses one of the most serious challenges faced by the scientific community, health care industry, government and public organizations worldwide."

26 Mar 2013

Challenges remain in fight against TB, U.N. Secretary-General says

On World Tuberculosis Day, recognized on March 24, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "said that while there has been much progress since the World Health Organization declared TB a global health emergency two decades ago, there are still challenges to be met, mainly stopping the spread of multidrug-resistant TB, also known as MDR-TB, which threatens to reverse the gains achieved in past years," the U.N. News Centre reports.

26 Mar 2013

Blogs address issues surrounding TB, World TB Day

On Sunday, March 24, the international community observed World TB Day. The following is a summary of blog posts published in recognition of the day.

26 Mar 2013

New vaccine proves highly effective against H5N1 virus

Until now most experimental vaccines against the highly lethal H5N1 avian influenza virus have lacked effectiveness. But a new vaccine has proven highly effective against the virus when tested in both mice and ferrets. It is also effective against the H9 subtype of avian influenza.

26 Mar 2013

Study shows vitamin D can help people breathe better and protect against TB

Maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D can help people breathe better and may even protect against tuberculosis (TB), according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

26 Mar 2013

Study: Virus that causes cold sores may be associated with cognitive problems

The virus that causes cold sores, along with other viral or bacterial infections, may be associated with cognitive problems, according to a new study published in the March 26, 2013, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

26 Mar 2013

Additional resources needed to stave off TB resurgence

The release of new data by the CDC "showing that the number of people contracting tuberculosis in the U.S. has been declining for 20 years ... should be good news," but "as a physician and adviser working to control TB for more than 40 years, I'm more concerned than ever before about our ability to protect the public from this deadly airborne disease," Lee Reichman of the New Jersey Medical School Global Tuberculosis Institute writes in The Hill's "Congress Blog."

26 Mar 2013

Disease/Infection News

Trovagene introduces urine-based HPV-HR DNA test for identifying high-risk HPV strains

U.S. Office of Global Health Diplomacy should lead G20 efforts to ensure global NTD drug coverage

Research paper highlights implementation of infectious disease curriculum in Boston Public Schools

South Africa to expand rollout of new TB testing machine, but concerns remain about capacity issues

New York Times examines emergence of XDR-TB in Australia, PNG

Integration of TB/HIV services necessary to beat 'twin epidemics'

Indonesia to issue compulsory licenses for HIV, hepatitis B drugs still under patent

Penn researchers develop nanotechnology-inspired technique for diagnosing Lyme disease

Researchers find HPV vaccination disparities among low-income females

Study shows diagnosis, management of healthcare-associated infection have improved over time

Presence of certain bacteria in stomach microbiota can prevent pathology from H. pylori

U.N. must uphold 'moral obligations' in Haitian cholera epidemic

IRIN examines TB in southern African mines

Focused approach needed to end TB

Challenges remain in fight against TB, U.N. Secretary-General says

Blogs address issues surrounding TB, World TB Day

New vaccine proves highly effective against H5N1 virus

Study shows vitamin D can help people breathe better and protect against TB

Study: Virus that causes cold sores may be associated with cognitive problems

Additional resources needed to stave off TB resurgence

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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