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IGRAs effective for detecting confirmed active TB disease: CHEST

New data from a meta-analysis of existing literature published today in CHEST, the official journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, demonstrate that Interferon Gamma Release Assays are superior to the previous standard in diagnostics, the 100+-year-old tuberculin skin test, for detecting confirmed active Tuberculosis disease.

7 Apr 2010

PS-targeting antibodies can block HIV virus from entering into certain blood cells

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the publication of data showing phosphatidylserine -targeting antibodies can block one of the key ways the AIDS virus gains entry into certain blood cells. The data were generated by scientists at Duke University as part of their ongoing AIDS vaccine research.

6 Apr 2010

Health officials monitor cases of pandemic H1N1 flu in the Southeast

The continued spread of H1N1 influenza virus this spring is cause to pay heed to upper-respiratory maladies such as congestion, runny nose and cough, says David Kimberlin, M.D., a preeminent influenza specialist who co-directs the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

6 Apr 2010

Achievements of AFC, Abbott to be highlighted at AFC's 25th Anniversary Gala

Two events occurred in 1985 that proved pivotal in the local and national fight against AIDS: the founding of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the development of the first-ever diagnostic test licensed to identify HIV in the blood by Abbott.

6 Apr 2010

Findings may help devise new strategies for Cryptococcus infections

Highly dangerous Cryptococcus fungi love sugar and will consume it anywhere because it helps them reproduce. In particular, they thrive on a sugar called inositol which is abundant in the human brain and spinal cord.

6 Apr 2010

Dry-mouth and dry-eye symptoms often misdiagnosed by healthcare professionals

Results from a recent survey of 400 Sjogren's syndrome patients showed that half of those surveyed experienced common symptoms such as dry mouth or dry eyes for three or more years before receiving an accurate diagnosis from a healthcare professional.

6 Apr 2010

HHS grants $1.84 billion through Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program for HIV/AIDS care and medications

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced the release of more than $1.84 billion to ensure that people living with HIV/AIDS continue to have access to life-saving health care and medications.

6 Apr 2010

New muco-adhesive patch may help treat oral disorders

A newly developed time-released muco-adhesive patch for treating oral health conditions, including the widespread condition of dry mouth (xerostomia), has been shown to be more effective than a leading oral rinse, according to a newly-published study.

6 Apr 2010

Emory University researchers develop experimental clinical test for XMRV

The recently discovered retrovirus, xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV), has been identified in some prostate cancer patients. In light of conflicting data concerning XMRV, standardized diagnostic testing is important to identify patients in which XMRV is present and to determine whether it plays a role in the incidence of prostate cancer.

6 Apr 2010

SCYNEXIS' SCY-635 inhibitor abstracts accepted for presentation at EASL Annual Meeting

Drug discovery company, SCYNEXIS, Inc. today announced that multiple abstracts related to the Company's cyclophilin inhibitor, SCY-635, were accepted for presentation at the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Vienna, Austria, April 14-18, 2010.

6 Apr 2010

60 Minutes examines PEPFAR in Uganda

CBS News' 60 Minutes reports from Uganda about how PEPFAR has helped people living with HIV/AIDS throughout the country and the challenges Uganda still faces in fighting the spread of the virus. The show includes interviews with Peter Mugyenyi of the Joint Clinical Research Center in Kampala, Uganda, and other doctors on the ground, who discuss how HIV-positive children and adults are alive today as a result of PEPFAR and how the program has helped to improve the way Africans view the United States.

5 Apr 2010

Perrigo, Cobrek Pharmaceuticals receive FDA approval for generic Evoclin Foam 1%

Perrigo Company today announced that together with its partner Cobrek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. final approval has been received from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to manufacture and market Clindamycin Phosphate Foam 1%, a generic version of Evoclin® Foam 1% of Stiefel. As the ANDA was first to file with a Paragraph IV certification against Evoclin®, 180 days of generic exclusivity was granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

5 Apr 2010

Peregrine's PS-targeting antibodies block HIV from entry into blood cells

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the publication of data showing phosphatidylserine (PS)-targeting antibodies can block one of the key ways the AIDS virus gains entry into certain blood cells. The data were generated by scientists at Duke University as part of their ongoing AIDS vaccine research. The article titled "Anti-Phospholipid Human Monoclonal Antibodies Inhibit CCR5-Tropic HIV-1 and Induces β-Chemokines" is available online today and will be published in the April 12, 2010 edition of the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

5 Apr 2010

China's SFDA finds certain batches of Jiangsu Yanshen's human use rabies vaccine substandard

Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, a leading pharmaceutical company specializing in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of branded generic and proprietary pharmaceuticals in China, today reported that China's State Food and Drug Administration ("SFDA") issued a statement on its investigation into the human use rabies vaccine manufactured by Jiangsu Yanshen Biological Technology Stock Co., Ltd.. Simcere obtained a controlling stake in Jiangsu Yanshen on October 24, 2009.

5 Apr 2010

Wall Street Journal examines railway hospital in India

The Wall Street Journal examines Lifeline Express, "the world's first hospital on rails," which is run by Impact India, a group that "initially focused on immunization and prevention of diseases such as polio and malaria." Its success has spread to China and Zimbabwe, where three Lifeline Express trains are operated, and to "hospital river boats based on the India model have been set up to tend to patients in Bangladesh and Cambodia." It has also been used as a model for other health projects in India, according to the newspaper.

3 Apr 2010

Student hygiene education programs can help reduce school absenteeism

Inadequate access to safe water and poor sanitation infrastructure contribute to an estimated 1.87 million deaths per year from devastating diarrheal diseases, mostly among children less than five years of age in the developing world. But, according to a new study released in the April issue of the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, school-based student hygiene education programs can impact behavior in the home and significantly reduce absenteeism amongst students.

3 Apr 2010

Games for Life wins British Airways Business Opportunity Grant

Games for Life, a Tucson-based non-profit organization has won a British Airways Business Opportunity Grant which includes ten international flights and five international freight shipments.

3 Apr 2010

Greater Than AIDS: Clear Channel Communications announces new effort to broadcast HIV/AIDS information

Clear Channel Communications, Inc. has announced a bold new effort to broadcast information about HIV/AIDS and promote HIV testing as part of Greater Than AIDS, a coordinated response to AIDS in the United States. Leading up to National HIV Testing Day (June 27), Clear Channel Radio's Urban, Urban AC, and Inspirational/Gospel radio stations in more than 60 markets will air new public service announcements (PSAs) which will direct listeners to targeted online resources that provide lifesaving information about HIV/AIDS and local testing resources.

3 Apr 2010

Researchers explore microbial infection of human cells in space environment

In a first-of-its-kind experiment, the unique conditions of spaceflight will be used to examine how cells remain healthy or succumb to disease, particularly in the face of stress or damage.

3 Apr 2010

NewsHour examines research of HIV positive patients who can suppress the virus

PBS' NewsHour examines how a team of U.S. researchers is heading up a study in Lima, Peru, of patients living with HIV whose immune systems are able to suppress the virus.

3 Apr 2010