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Microglia contribute to loss of neurons linked with Alzheimer's disease

Microglia are the cells responsible for immune surveillance in the brain, and they initiate protective inflammatory reactions in response to tissue damage and infection. An international team under the leadership of LMU neuroscientist Professor Jochen Herms has now shown that these cells may actually make a significant contribution to the loss of neurons associated with Alzheimer's disease.

22 Mar 2010

Chao BRAIN Center receives $5M gift for study of progressive neurodegenerative diseases

Dr. Stephen Wong has received a $5 million gift from the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation to study progressive neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's Disease. The gift will support The Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Center for Bioinformatics Research and Imaging for Neurosciences (BRAIN) at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute.

22 Mar 2010

Vical awarded contract to conduct Phase 1 clinical trial of Vaxfectin-formulated DNA vaccine against A/H1N1

Vical Incorporated announced today that the U.S. Navy, through the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., has awarded Vical a contract to conduct a Phase 1 clinical trial of the company's Vaxfectin®-formulated DNA vaccine against A/H1N1 pandemic influenza (swine flu).

22 Mar 2010

Researchers develop new compound to inhibit HIV transmission

A compound that can inhibit the transfer of HIV from one cell to another has been developed by researchers at the Institut de Biologie Structurale Jean-Pierre Ebel.

22 Mar 2010

Tricking TB into suicidal self-poisoning

Scientists have identified a new class of drug target that tricks tuberculosis bacteria into suicidal self-poisoning. New therapies are urgently required to control the tuberculosis pandemic. Even in the UK cases are on the rise.

22 Mar 2010

E. coli scare ends with assurance of safe dinking water

Amidst a water contamination scare people in Nerang, QLD were warned last Friday to boil their drinking water. The contaminating agent was a bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) that is one of the leading causes of gastrointestinal and urinary tract infections. The scare involved nearly 2,500 families.

22 Mar 2010

PharmAthene suspends work on SparVax research and development contract with BARDA

PharmAthene, Inc., a biodefense company specializing in the development and commercialization of medical countermeasures against chemical and biological threats, announced today that pursuant to the Federal Acquisition Regulations and pending a ruling in a protest recently filed by a competitor the Department of Health and Human Services, through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), has suspended work under the modification the Company announced on February 23, 2010 to its existing contract with BARDA for the research and development of SparVax™. June 11, 2010 is the deadline to rule on the protest.

22 Mar 2010

AARDA launches campaign on family AQ

In honor of the designation of March as National Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month by the U.S. Senate on March 4, 2010, the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) wants to help you learn your family's AQ. AQ is a play on IQ that stands for Autoimmune Quotient. It's about knowing how likely you or a loved one is to develop an autoimmune disease, based on the prevalence of these diseases and your family history. The campaign features AARDA National Spokesperson and Actress Kellie Martin, best known for her memorable roles on "E.R." and "Life Goes On."

22 Mar 2010

Phase II Topical Interferon Alpha-2b trial for AGW: Helix BioPharma achieves last-patient-out

Helix BioPharma Corp. announced today that it has achieved last-patient-out in its Phase II trial of Topical Interferon Alpha-2b for the treatment of ano-genital warts.

22 Mar 2010

SRI International researchers to disclose preliminary results of NTD detecting diagnostic at 239th ACS

SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development organization, will present preliminary results of a diagnostic to detect neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) at the 239th National Meeting & Exhibition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) being held on March 21-25 in San Francisco.

22 Mar 2010

SHEA, IDSA release new clinical practice guidelines for CDI in adults

A joint panel of experts from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology and the Infectious Diseases Society of America today released online new clinical practice guidelines for Clostridium difficile infection in adults. The guidelines, to be published in the May issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, update recommendations regarding the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and infection control and environmental management of this disease.

22 Mar 2010

HAIs in southeast U.S. community hospitals: Infection rates for CDI surpass MRSA's

Researchers studying epidemiology of healthcare-associated infections in community hospitals in the southeast U.S. found that rates of Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) surpassed infection rates for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Scientists also discovered that healthcare-associated CDI, which is a bacterium that causes diarrhea and more serious intestinal conditions such as colitis, occurs more often (21 percent) than healthcare-associated infections due to MRSA.

22 Mar 2010

'Dipstick' 3-in-1 test for detection of Chagas' disease, leishmaniasis and African trypanosomiasis

A new simple, inexpensive three-in-one test to diagnose a terrible trio of parasitic diseases that wreak havoc in the developing world is passing preliminary tests, scientists reported here today. Described during the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society the test is for Chagas' disease, leishmaniasis, and "sleeping sickness" or African trypanosomiasis.

22 Mar 2010

Novel ways of killing TB causing bacteria discovered

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found two novel ways of killing the bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB), a disease responsible for an estimated two million deaths each year. The findings, published in the March 21 online issue of Nature Chemical Biology, could lead to a potent TB therapy that would also prevent resistant TB strains from developing.

22 Mar 2010

Swine flu risk to pregnant women uncovered in landmark study

A study to be published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) today has found 11 percent of pregnant women admitted to intensive care units (ICU) with 2009 A/H1N1 (swine flu) died, with 12 percent of babies born to them dying from complications. None of the mothers had been immunised against seasonal flu.

22 Mar 2010

Influenza pandemic policies: WHO denies being improperly influenced by pharmaceutical industry

Providing independent advice to Member States is a very important function of the World Health Organization (WHO). We take this work seriously and guard against the influence of any improper interests. The WHO influenza pandemic policies and response have not been improperly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry.

20 Mar 2010

Bleach solution effective in reducing hospital-acquired infections

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is the one of the leading pathogens causing hospital-acquired infection in the United States. It may cause diarrhea, colitis, sepsis and lead to prolonged hospitalization and death.

20 Mar 2010

Inexpensive lab tests can help protect people from chronic kidney disease

No matter what Washington does on health reform, there's a lot you can do to reform your own health -- and two of the best places to start are your kidneys.

20 Mar 2010

Global malaria investments saving lives, more funds needed

A new study linking funding increases in the global fight against malaria to a drop in deaths from the disease also shows that resources from donor governments still fall short of those needed for maximum impact against the world's fourth-biggest killer of children, according to a global health policy analyst at international aid agency World Vision.

20 Mar 2010

New device detects bacterial and fungal contamination

Microorganisms are everywhere and most of them are harmless, but they can do a lot of damage in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals or in tissue transplants. With the aid of a new device, germs can be detected in artificial cartilage within a few hours.

20 Mar 2010

Disease/Infection News

Microglia contribute to loss of neurons linked with Alzheimer's disease

Chao BRAIN Center receives $5M gift for study of progressive neurodegenerative diseases

Vical awarded contract to conduct Phase 1 clinical trial of Vaxfectin-formulated DNA vaccine against A/H1N1

Researchers develop new compound to inhibit HIV transmission

Tricking TB into suicidal self-poisoning

E. coli scare ends with assurance of safe dinking water

PharmAthene suspends work on SparVax research and development contract with BARDA

AARDA launches campaign on family AQ

Phase II Topical Interferon Alpha-2b trial for AGW: Helix BioPharma achieves last-patient-out

SRI International researchers to disclose preliminary results of NTD detecting diagnostic at 239th ACS

SHEA, IDSA release new clinical practice guidelines for CDI in adults

HAIs in southeast U.S. community hospitals: Infection rates for CDI surpass MRSA's

'Dipstick' 3-in-1 test for detection of Chagas' disease, leishmaniasis and African trypanosomiasis

Novel ways of killing TB causing bacteria discovered

Swine flu risk to pregnant women uncovered in landmark study

Influenza pandemic policies: WHO denies being improperly influenced by pharmaceutical industry

Bleach solution effective in reducing hospital-acquired infections

Inexpensive lab tests can help protect people from chronic kidney disease

Global malaria investments saving lives, more funds needed

New device detects bacterial and fungal contamination

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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