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Serpin-2 molecule may be a perfect target for preventing mosquito's immunity

Mosquitoes are becoming more resistant to current pesticides. That's troubling to Kansas State University biologist Kristin Michel, as it means malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases will continue spreading. A recent grant from the National Institutes of Health may change all that.

18 May 2011

Probability of contamination during handshaking could be lower than is commonly perceived

Graduations are a celebration of achievement and growth, but could all the pomp and circumstance increase your risk of exposure to harmful bacteria? A team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health examined the risk of acquiring pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) through shaking hands at graduation ceremonies across Maryland.

18 May 2011

Face masks worn by TB patients could cut transmission rates to non-infected patients

Face masks worn by patients infected with tuberculosis (TB) may be able to significantly cut transmission rates to non-infected patients, according to a new study by researchers from the U.S. and South Africa. The study was conducted in a specialized airborne infections research facility in South Africa, which was designed to allow study of methods to control the spread of TB.

18 May 2011

Kool Smiles inaugurates new Takoma Park dental office

Kool Smiles, a leading dental health provider for children and adults, now has opened its doors to additional families in Maryland with a new office location in Takoma Park. Kool Smiles of Takoma Park officially opened on May 2 as the organization continues to expand access to quality dental care for families in underserved communities across the nation.

18 May 2011

Routine Aedes aegypti mosquito control programs less expensive than ITC to fight dengue

The first-known study comparing costs of routine Aedes aegypti mosquito control programs and insecticide-treated curtains reveals that the cost of RACP is substantially lower than that of ITC implementation for dengue control and prevention.

18 May 2011

Early rainy season brings cholera to Cameroon's capital

An early rainy season has caused cholera to sweep through Cameroon's capital Yaounde, "causing more than 250 deaths in two months alone, according to the government," AlertNet reports.

18 May 2011

WHO Director-General outlines vision for reform in World Health Assembly opening address

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan on Monday laid out her vision for reforming the international health agency in the opening address of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, saying she sees "a WHO that gives a bigger voice to the many partners working on health, but encourages them to speak with a coherent voice that responds, first and foremost, to the needs and priorities as defined by recipient countries," Intellectual Property Watch reports.

18 May 2011

Epstein-Barr virus might cause multiple sclerosis, study confirms

The Epstein-Barr (EVB) virus -belonging to the herpesviruses family, which also includes the herpes simplex virus and the cytomegalovirus- is one of the environmental factors that might cause multiple sclerosis, a condition affecting the central nervous system, which causes are unknown.

18 May 2011

TFAH warns about impact of CDC budget cuts on America's future health

The Trust for America's Health warns that cuts to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal public health programs puts America's future health at risk.

18 May 2011

Study finds three-month TB treatment regimen just as effective as standard longer course

"Health officials on Monday celebrated a faster treatment for people who have tuberculosis but aren't infectious, after investigators found a new combination of pills knocks out the disease in three months instead of nine," the Associated Press/Seattle Times reports.

18 May 2011

Gut bacteria influences brain chemistry and behaviour: Research

For the first time, researchers at McMaster University have conclusive evidence that bacteria residing in the gut influence brain chemistry and behaviour.

18 May 2011

New experimental vaccine prevents infection of horses with deadly Hendra virus

CSIRO scientists have shown that a new experimental vaccine helps to protect horses against the deadly Hendra virus. Dr Deborah Middleton from CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) will announce the successful progress to develop the vaccine at the Australian Veterinary Association conference in Adelaide today.

18 May 2011

Thirty years of AIDS

Thirty years ago next month, the CDC released the first report on a mysterious disease among gay men in Los Angeles. The AIDS epidemic had begun. It has since claimed the lives of an estimated 600,000 Americans and is currently ravaging Africa.

18 May 2011

New research demonstrates how geographic profiling can help combat infectious diseases

Every 30 seconds, infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis kill as many people as Jack the Ripper did in his entire career. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal International Journal of Health Geographics demonstrates how the mathematical model of geographic profiling, used in the hunt for serial killers, can help combat infectious diseases.

18 May 2011

Opinion: Study will unite HIV advocates, add funding pressure to Obama administration

In a post on Foreign Policy's "Passport" blog, assistant managing editor Elizabeth Dickinson looks at the potential ramifications of a recent study, which found that early antiretroviral treatment in HIV-positive people can prevent transmission by 96 percent.

18 May 2011

Bill Gates urges wiser vaccine coverage worldwide to save millions

Tuesday this week, Bill Gates called for strengthened immunization programs against infectious diseases to save 4 million lives by 2015 and 10 million lives by 2020, calling it the best possible investment in global health. He was addressing the annual assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, attended by health ministers from the U.N. agency's 193 member states.

17 May 2011

Decision on destroying last of the stored small pox virus samples

Health experts from all over the world are to decide this week whether to hold on to the last remaining stockpiles of smallpox, one of the deadliest diseases in history – or to proceed with their destruction.

17 May 2011

Accelr8 presents initial ICU pilot study results at ATS International Conference

Accelr8 Technology Corporation announced that clinical investigators led by Ivor S. Douglas, MD/FRCP (UK) from Denver Health presented initial ICU pilot study results at the 2011 ATS International Conference.

17 May 2011

Uganda launches PEPFAR-supported mobile male circumcision clinic

U.S. Ambassador to Uganda Jerry Lanier on Friday in Kampala launched a Mobile Medical Male Circumcision clinic, a project of the PEPFAR-supported Makerere University Walter Reed Project, New Vision reports.

17 May 2011

AP reports on Global Fund's release of information on corruption, fund responds

After an Associated Press story on Friday reported that the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria "will make public more detailed information about money it has lost to corruption and mismanagement, but won't release other information critics have sought that might have made it possible to calculate how much of the money investigated is lost to corruption, or what percentage of the fund's overall disbursements are misspent".

17 May 2011

Disease/Infection News

Serpin-2 molecule may be a perfect target for preventing mosquito's immunity

Probability of contamination during handshaking could be lower than is commonly perceived

Face masks worn by TB patients could cut transmission rates to non-infected patients

Kool Smiles inaugurates new Takoma Park dental office

Routine Aedes aegypti mosquito control programs less expensive than ITC to fight dengue

Early rainy season brings cholera to Cameroon's capital

WHO Director-General outlines vision for reform in World Health Assembly opening address

Epstein-Barr virus might cause multiple sclerosis, study confirms

TFAH warns about impact of CDC budget cuts on America's future health

Study finds three-month TB treatment regimen just as effective as standard longer course

Gut bacteria influences brain chemistry and behaviour: Research

New experimental vaccine prevents infection of horses with deadly Hendra virus

Thirty years of AIDS

New research demonstrates how geographic profiling can help combat infectious diseases

Opinion: Study will unite HIV advocates, add funding pressure to Obama administration

Bill Gates urges wiser vaccine coverage worldwide to save millions

Decision on destroying last of the stored small pox virus samples

Accelr8 presents initial ICU pilot study results at ATS International Conference

Uganda launches PEPFAR-supported mobile male circumcision clinic

AP reports on Global Fund's release of information on corruption, fund responds

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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