Disease/Infection News

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Discovery on Mycobacterium tuberculosis can offer new approaches for TB prevention

One third of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), which leads to tuberculosis (TB), a leading cause of death world-wide. A new discovery, led by a team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, offers hope for new approaches to the prevention and treatment of TB. The team's discovery of a novel mechanism that may contribute to immune recognition of MTB is published in the September issue of Nature Structural and Molecular Biology.

10 Sep 2010

AAOS releases clinical practice guideline for periprosthetic joint infection diagnosis

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) recently approved and released an evidence-based clinical practice guideline on the diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infections of the hip and knee. Clinical practice guidelines are one avenue the Academy uses to ensure that patients receive high quality care.

10 Sep 2010

ASNM to hold annual conference on nanomedicine

There is enormous excitement and expectation surrounding the multidisciplinary field of nanomedicine the science and technology of diagnosing, treating and preventing disease using nanotechnology. The American Society for Nanomedicine (ASNM) is holding its second annual conference on October 14-16, 2010 in the Washington, D.C. area, where some of the biggest stakeholders in this emerging technology operate and practice.

10 Sep 2010

USPTO issues patent for Advaxis’ live Listeria HER2/neu immunotherapy

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued to Advaxis, Inc.,the live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria) immunotherapy company, patent number 7,784,729 titled "Methods and Compositions for Immunotherapy of Cancer," based upon patent application 10/949,667.

10 Sep 2010

56% of Australians won’t vaccinate against Swine flu: Survey

Over fifty per cent of Australians were not vaccinated against the swine flu before winter arrived this year, with many of these people deliberately choosing not to be vaccinated.

9 Sep 2010

Researchers discover first compound to activate enzyme telomerase in human body

Sierra Sciences, in collaboration with TA Sciences, Geron Corporation, PhysioAge, and the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), has announced the first compound ever discovered that activates the enzyme telomerase in the human body - a critical prerequisite for technology that could arrest or reverse the aging process in humans.

9 Sep 2010

Scientists discover sensor in dendritic cells that recognizes HIV

Dendritic cells are the grand sentinels of the immune system, standing guard 24/7 to detect foreign invaders such as viruses and bacteria, and bring news of the invasion to other immune cells to marshal an attack. These sentinels, however, nearly always fail to respond adequately to HIV, the virus causing AIDS. Now a team of scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center has discovered a sensor in dendritic cells that recognizes HIV, spurring a more potent immune response by the sentinels to the virus.

9 Sep 2010

SDI's VaccineTrack data reports on season's flu vaccination

More than 690,000 Americans have already received this season's flu vaccine from their doctor, according to SDI's VaccineTrack data through Sept. 4. VaccineTrack provides syndicated weekly vaccine usage by physicians based on medical office electronic healthcare reimbursement claims data.

9 Sep 2010

One-third of Americans experience Hospital Acquired Infection: Xenex Healthcare survey

Nearly one-third of Americans have experienced a Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI) or have a friend or relative who contracted one, according to a new survey from Xenex Healthcare. HAIs (such as C. diff, MRSA, staph infections and pneumonia) are the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and while hospitals have stepped up efforts to prevent these deadly infections, more needs to be done.

9 Sep 2010

Study shows importance of formal education in preventing spread of HIV in Africa

Simply teaching people the facts about how to protect themselves from HIV may not be enough to prevent the spread of AIDS in Africa, a new study suggests.

9 Sep 2010

Scientists to develop test for Mad Cow Disease detection

The eyes may or may not be windows to the soul, as the old adage goes, but scientists are reporting evidence that a peek into the eyes of cattle may become the basis for a long sought test to detect infection with the agent that causes Mad Cow Disease. That test could help prevent the disease from spreading in the food supply. A study on using the tell-tale glow given off by eyes infected with the Mad Cow agent appears in ACS' semi-monthly journal Analytical Chemistry.

9 Sep 2010

Concerted action on antibiotic resistance discussed at Uppsala meeting

For 70 years the world has mismanaged the common good of antibiotics. The result is a growing global burden of antibiotic resistance, threatening to take health care back to an era where ordinary infections might once again become fatal.

9 Sep 2010

Advaxis receives USPTO patent for Listeria vaccine

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has approved Advaxis, Inc.,the live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria) immunotherapy company, intellectual property protection to patent application 11/223,945 - a live, attenuated Listeria vaccine that secretes novel fragments of the tumor antigen HER2/neu (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2), when using the company's proprietary listeriolysin O (LLO) fusion platform technology.

9 Sep 2010

Researchers reveal surface protein alteration mechanism of mycoplasma bacteria

Pathogenic bacteria have evolved a variety of mechanisms to avoid being killed by the immune systems of the humans and animals they invade. Among the most sophisticated is that practised by mycoplasmas, which regularly change their surface proteins to confuse the immune system. Recent work in the group of Renate Rosengarten and Rohini Chopra-Dewasthaly at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna has revealed surprising new details of the way they do so and at the same time raised important evolutionary questions.

9 Sep 2010

Multi-resistant CNS bacteria spread in Sweden hospitals

Genetically closely related skin bacteria that have developed resistance to several different antibiotics and that can cause intractable care-related infections are found and seem to be spreading within and between hospitals in Sweden.

9 Sep 2010

Groups call for mandatory flu vaccinations for health workers

USA Today: "The American Academy of Pediatrics plans to call for all health workers to get flu vaccinations, saying unvaccinated doctors, nurses and other medical staffers pose a threat to patients. The academy, which represents 60,000 pediatricians, is the latest of several organizations that now back mandatory flu shots for health workers

9 Sep 2010

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals to deliver new data on Aganocide compounds at ICAAC Conference

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class, anti-infective compounds for the treatment and prevention of antibiotic-resistant infections, will deliver four poster presentations on its compounds at the 50th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC).

9 Sep 2010

Insulin may reduce life-threatening bacterial infections in intensive care patients

Treating intensive care patients who develop life-threatening bacterial infections, or septicemia, with insulin potentially could reduce their chances of succumbing to the infection, if results of a new preliminary study can be replicated in a larger study.

9 Sep 2010

Team of scientists issues HIV vaccine strategy

The Council of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise on Tuesday released a new strategy for HIV vaccine research, which marked "the culmination of an 18-month effort that included the input of 400 scientists worldwide," VOA News reports (DeCapua, 9/7).

9 Sep 2010

Hemispherx Biopharma to present clinical data on XMRV retrovirus at International Workshop

Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. will present new clinical data on the possible inter-relationships of XMRV positivity/chronic fatigue syndrome/Ampligen responsiveness at the 1st International Workshop on XMRV being held at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, on September 7 and 8, 2010.

9 Sep 2010