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New links discovered between Paul Klee's work and his 'scleroderma'

In 1933 Paul Klee's work was branded as 'Entartete Kunst' (Degenerate Art) by the National Socialists and he was dismissed from his professorial post at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts. This led him, together with his wife Lily, to return to his 'real home' of Bern. Here his avant-garde art was not understood and Klee found himself in unasked for isolation. In 1935 Klee started to suffer from a mysterious disease. The symptoms included changes to the skin and problems with the internal organs.

31 May 2010

Mucosis receives € 3M innovation credit line from Dutch Ministry for development of FluGEM influenza vaccine

Dutch vaccine development company Mucosis B.V. announced today that it has received an innovation credit line of approximately € 3 million from Agentschap NL, an agency of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. Mucosis will use this loan towards the clinical development of its lead product FluGEM™, an influenza vaccine that can be administered by a simple spray in the nose. The loan will be redeemed only if the FluGEM™ clinical development program is concluded successfully.

31 May 2010

AHF's Magic Johnson Testing America Tour arrives in Baltimore to offer free HIV testing

AHF's Magic Johnson 'Testing America' Tour, a six month, 48 state national cross country HIV testing tour, arrives in Baltimore, Maryland and will offer free HIV testing, along with local partner Coppin State University from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM today, Saturday, May 29th on the Coppin campus (2500 West North Ave.) adjacent to the James Weldon Johnson Auditorium.

29 May 2010

Yeast produce a hormone that triggers fungal cells to become more infectious

In their ongoing studies of how yeast (fungi) can infect a host and cause disease, a research team at the Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has made an unexpected discovery. They found that yeast produce a hormone previously known to be made by plants, and that the presence of that hormone in sufficient quantity within the yeast's immediate environment triggers the fungal cells to become more infectious.

29 May 2010

RNA viruses hijack cellular enzyme to create viral replication factories on cell membranes

Nihal Altan-Bonnet, assistant professor of cell biology, Rutgers University in Newark, and her research team have made a significant new discovery about RNA viruses and how they replicate themselves.

29 May 2010

Research to understand potential role of sexual lubricants in HIV transmission

Today at the 2010 International Microbicides Conference in Pittsburgh, Dezzutti presented the results of tests conducted with five of the most widely used lubricants, chosen from the results of an IRMA web-based survey that collected information on the lubricant preferences of nearly 9,000 men and women from over 100 countries. Dezzutti's findings indicated that some of the products studied had toxic effects on cells and rectal tissue.

29 May 2010

RNAi therapy shuts down gene critical to RSV, prevents virus replication

John DeVincenzo, MD, professor and researcher in the Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has proven for the first time that a totally new concept in drug design can be used to treat human disease. Dr. DeVincenzo, who also serves as a children's infectious diseases specialist at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, conducted his study at the Children's Foundation Research Center, a UT Health Science Center partner located at Le Bonheur.

29 May 2010

Study demonstrates protection against Ebola infection in nonhuman primates using RNAi

Scientists using tiny particles of genetic material to interfere in the replication process of the deadly Ebola virus have successfully prevented monkeys exposed to that virus from dying of hemorrhagic fever. The proof-of-concept study, published in this week's issue of The Lancet, suggests that such protection also should be possible in humans.

29 May 2010

HSV-1 may cause cognitive deficits: Study

Exposure to the common virus that causes cold sores may be partially responsible for shrinking regions of the brain and the loss of concentration skills, memory, coordinated movement and dexterity widely seen in patients with schizophrenia, according to research led by Johns Hopkins scientists.

29 May 2010

Research roundup: Reform's impact on health spending; Cultural/Racial differences in medicine; Swine flu lessons

The Impact Of Health Reform On Health Spending - This issue brief "projects the effect of national reform on total national health expenditures and the insurance premiums that American families would likely pay. We estimate that, on net, the combination of provisions in the new law will reduce health care spending by $590 billion over 2010-2019 and lower premiums by nearly $2,000 per family.

29 May 2010

Allergic reactions prevent people with allergic asthma from generating healthy immune response to influenza

New research from UT Southwestern Medical Center suggests that allergic reactions to pet dander, dust mites and mold may prevent people with allergic asthma from generating a healthy immune response to respiratory viruses such as influenza.

29 May 2010

Study highlights need for earlier diagnosis and treatment of HIV

Despite growing evidence that the earlier people are diagnosed with HIV and get access to care, the better their clinical outcomes, many HIV-infected people in the United States and Canada are not receiving the care they need early enough.

29 May 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

A Lancet Infectious Diseases Leading Edge article examines the history of the global efforts to control polio and the challenges associated with targets to globally eradicate the disease. "The eradication of polio seems imminent, but with so few cases, there is a temptation to think an acceptable level of infection has been achieved. Not so.

29 May 2010

Globe and Mail examines links between maternal health, HIV/AIDS ahead of G8 summit

"While the G8 is putting maternal health at the top of its agenda for next month's summit, fears are growing that the club of wealthy nations is neglecting one of the biggest killers of women: AIDS," the Globe and Mail reports in a piece that examines the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and what the newspaper describes as the G8's "backtracking" on previous pledges to provide universal access HIV/AIDS drugs.

29 May 2010

Previous recommendations on H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine still stand: SAGE

Previous recommendations on who should be vaccinated with the H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine still stand according to the World WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, the principal advisory group to WHO for development of policy related to vaccines and immunization.

28 May 2010

Advanced Life Sciences expands partnership with U.S. Government to assess Restanza against STI's

Advanced Life Sciences Holdings, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of novel drugs in the therapeutic areas of infection, oncology and respiratory diseases, today announced the expansion of its collaboration with the U.S. Government to include the evaluation of Restanza's activity against sexually transmitted infections (STI's), such as gonorrhea.

28 May 2010

Effective infant vaccination against pneumonia needed in sub-Saharan Africa

Researchers at the University of Warwick, and the Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kilifi, Kenya, have found that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) appears to be the predominant virus detected among infants and children hospitalized in Kenya with severe pneumonia, according to a study in the May 26 issue of JAMA. The contribution to this severe disease by an individual pathogen stresses the need for effective infant vaccination.

28 May 2010

Researchers see plectasin as promising lead compound for new antibiotics

An active compound from fungi and lower animals may well be suitable as an effective weapon against dangerous bacteria. We're talking about plectasin, a small protein molecule that can even destroy highly resistant bacteria . Researchers at the Universities of Bonn, Utrecht, Aalborg and of the Danish company Novozymes AS have shed light on how the substance does this.

28 May 2010

Infectious diseases specialist from Walter and Eliza Hall Institute receives Frank Fenner Award

Infectious diseases specialist Dr Marc Pellegrini from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute will today receive the Frank Fenner Award from the Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases, recognising Dr Pellegrini's efforts to understand human responses to chronic infections.

28 May 2010

Discovery may pave way to help reduce health hazards

A discovery that may pave the way to helping reduce health hazards such as E. coli in water could also make chemicals and drugs such as insulin cheaper to produce and their production more environmentally friendly.

28 May 2010

Disease/Infection News

New links discovered between Paul Klee's work and his 'scleroderma'

Mucosis receives € 3M innovation credit line from Dutch Ministry for development of FluGEM influenza vaccine

AHF's Magic Johnson Testing America Tour arrives in Baltimore to offer free HIV testing

Yeast produce a hormone that triggers fungal cells to become more infectious

RNA viruses hijack cellular enzyme to create viral replication factories on cell membranes

Research to understand potential role of sexual lubricants in HIV transmission

RNAi therapy shuts down gene critical to RSV, prevents virus replication

Study demonstrates protection against Ebola infection in nonhuman primates using RNAi

HSV-1 may cause cognitive deficits: Study

Research roundup: Reform's impact on health spending; Cultural/Racial differences in medicine; Swine flu lessons

Allergic reactions prevent people with allergic asthma from generating healthy immune response to influenza

Study highlights need for earlier diagnosis and treatment of HIV

Recent releases in Global Health

Globe and Mail examines links between maternal health, HIV/AIDS ahead of G8 summit

Previous recommendations on H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine still stand: SAGE

Advanced Life Sciences expands partnership with U.S. Government to assess Restanza against STI's

Effective infant vaccination against pneumonia needed in sub-Saharan Africa

Researchers see plectasin as promising lead compound for new antibiotics

Infectious diseases specialist from Walter and Eliza Hall Institute receives Frank Fenner Award

Discovery may pave way to help reduce health hazards

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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