Disease/Infection News

RSS

Measuring HIV programs' impacts will improve return on investment, 'drive better performance'

Noting that Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in his annual letter "argued that it is essential to carefully measure progress in innovation and global health," Stefano Bertozzi, director of HIV at the Gates Foundation, writes in a SciDev.Net opinion piece, "This is because while measuring the quantity of interventions is important, we also need to determine which interventions -- and which approaches to them -- create the greatest long-term impact."

16 Mar 2013

Maintaining funding for global health programs will ensure success

"The ongoing budget negotiations in Washington will require many hard choices to be made in the coming weeks," and "[w]ith respect to global health programs, these decisions may mean, literally, the difference between life and death," Peter Chernin -- chair and CEO of the Chernin Group, chair of Malaria No More, and a board member of Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – writes in an AlertNet opinion piece.

16 Mar 2013

Historical review provides lessons for control of plague

Today archaeologists unearthed a 'Black Death' grave in London, containing more than a dozen skeletons of people suspected to have died from the plague. The victims are thought to have died during the 14th century and archaeologists anticipate finding many more as they excavate the site.

16 Mar 2013

CSIS report examines U.S., South Africa efforts to transition HIV/AIDS programming

The Center for Strategic & International Studies on Thursday released a report, titled "The Future of the U.S.-South Africa HIV/AIDS Partnership," examining the joint U.S.-South Africa effort "to transition responsibility for HIV/AIDS programming and policies to the South African government," the center reports on its webpage.

16 Mar 2013

ABC News examines how newly selected Pope's stance on contraception might impact Catholic organizations working on HIV/AIDS

ABC News examines how the selection of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina to be Pope might impact Catholic organizations' work in disease prevention, including HIV/AIDS prevention.

16 Mar 2013

Study: Flagellin plays a critical role in regulating host innate defences against UTIs

A new study by British scientists reveals that motile Escherichia coli isolates demonstrated significant activation of NF-κB signaling suggesting that flagellin plays a key role in up-regulating the host innate defences against urinary tract infections (UTIs).

15 Mar 2013

Previously unknown cell discovered in the urethra of mice

A recent study conducted by a group of German scientists revealed the presence of a previously unknown cell in the urethra of mice. These chemosensory cholinergic brush cells are in close contact to sensory neurons that express cholinergic receptors.

15 Mar 2013

Study: Novel strategy could lead to universal influenza vaccine that can provide long-lasting protection

Seasonal epidemics of influenza result in nearly 36,000 deaths annually in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Current vaccines against the influenza virus elicit an antibody response specific for proteins on the outside of the virus, specifically the hemagglutinin protein.

15 Mar 2013

South Sudan hospital sees influx of kala azar, malaria patients

VOA News examines an influx of patients suffering from kala azar, also known as visceral leishmaniasis, and malaria in a South Sudan hospital, writing, "The pediatric ward at the main hospital in Bentiu is overcrowded and under-staffed as an unusually high number of children suffering from kala azar and malaria have been brought in for treatment."

15 Mar 2013

Researchers identify enzymes that activate coronavirus for infection

Scientists all over the world are on a quest for an antidote since the first patient died from the new coronavirus in summer 2012. Infection Researchers from the German Primate Center have now identified enzymes that activate the virus for infection.

15 Mar 2013

New issue of 'Global Fund News Flash' available online

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has published Issue 15 of its newsletter, the "Global Fund News Flash."

15 Mar 2013

New approach to reduce gap between Western and traditional medicine

Scientists are reporting an advance toward overcoming a major barrier to tapping the potential of traditional Chinese medicine and India's Ayurvedic medicine in developing new and more effective modern drugs.

15 Mar 2013

Completion rates for HPV vaccine series continue to remain low, say UTMB researchers

Completion rates for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine series across both genders continue to remain alarmingly low nearly seven years after its introduction, suggesting that better patient education and increased public vaccine financing programs are needed, according to new research from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB).

15 Mar 2013

Varicella vaccine prevents hospital admission, saves lives

The widespread introduction of a chicken pox vaccine in Australia in 2006 has prevented thousands of children from being hospitalized with severe chicken pox and saved lives, according to new research.

14 Mar 2013

Steroids used for treating TB may reduce death rates from all types of TB

The routine use of steroids to treat tuberculosis may help reduce deaths from all types of the disease, according to a new review of existing research.

14 Mar 2013

Griffith University researchers discover critical weakness in leukaemic cells

Scientists at Griffith University's Institute for Glycomics and The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles have discovered a critical weakness in leukaemic cells, which may pave the way to new treatments.

14 Mar 2013

H1N1 flu vaccination associated with small excess risk of acquiring Guillain-Barré syndrome, but benefits outweigh risks

A meta-analysis of safety data gathered during the 2009 H1N1 vaccination programme in the US has established that the vaccination was associated with a small excess risk – about 1.6 extra cases per one million people vaccinated – of acquiring Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disorder of the nervous system which can result in temporary or more long-lasting paralysis and infrequently death. The authors conclude that the benefits of the 2009 H1N1 vaccination campaign greatly outweighed the risks.

14 Mar 2013

ST131 infection is more prevalent in LTCF residents and elderly population

Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) continues to proliferate, driven largely by expansion of a strain of E. coli know as sequence type ST131. A new study points to hospitals and long-term care facilities (LTCF) as settings in which this antibiotic-resistant strain is increasingly found.

14 Mar 2013

VOA examines implications of sequestration on U.S. military malaria vaccine research

VOA News examines the implications of sequestration on the U.S. military's infectious disease research, noting "officials say the mandatory budget cuts ... will affect further testing of a potentially cutting-edge malaria vaccine, soon to be published."

14 Mar 2013

WHO reports 9th death from new SARS-like virus

"A Saudi man infected with a deadly new virus from the same family as SARS has died, becoming the ninth patient in the world to be killed by the disease which has so far infected 15, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday," Reuters reports.

14 Mar 2013

Disease/Infection News

Measuring HIV programs' impacts will improve return on investment, 'drive better performance'

Maintaining funding for global health programs will ensure success

Historical review provides lessons for control of plague

CSIS report examines U.S., South Africa efforts to transition HIV/AIDS programming

ABC News examines how newly selected Pope's stance on contraception might impact Catholic organizations working on HIV/AIDS

Study: Flagellin plays a critical role in regulating host innate defences against UTIs

Previously unknown cell discovered in the urethra of mice

Study: Novel strategy could lead to universal influenza vaccine that can provide long-lasting protection

South Sudan hospital sees influx of kala azar, malaria patients

Researchers identify enzymes that activate coronavirus for infection

New issue of 'Global Fund News Flash' available online

New approach to reduce gap between Western and traditional medicine

Completion rates for HPV vaccine series continue to remain low, say UTMB researchers

Varicella vaccine prevents hospital admission, saves lives

Steroids used for treating TB may reduce death rates from all types of TB

Griffith University researchers discover critical weakness in leukaemic cells

H1N1 flu vaccination associated with small excess risk of acquiring Guillain-Barré syndrome, but benefits outweigh risks

ST131 infection is more prevalent in LTCF residents and elderly population

VOA examines implications of sequestration on U.S. military malaria vaccine research

WHO reports 9th death from new SARS-like virus

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

Latest News