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Enrollment for ongoing phase 2b trial of RG7128 announced

Pharmasset, Inc. announced today that the enrollment of Cohort 2, led by its partner Roche, will continue for the remaining 300 genotype 1 and 4 patients in the ongoing phase 2b trial of RG7128, a first-in-class nucleoside analog polymerase inhibitor for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

23 Nov 2009

ASP's French affiliate acquires Gloster Europe

Advanced Sterilization Products (ASP), a leading global infection prevention solution provider, announced today the acquisition by its French affiliate, Apsis S.A.S., of Gloster Europe, a privately held developer of innovative disinfection processes and technologies to prevent healthcare-acquired infections. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

23 Nov 2009

OEPA reports substantial reduction of river blindness in six endemic countries

A regional initiative launched in the 1990s to eliminate onchocerciasis (river blindness) in the Americas has substantially reduced the prevalence of the disease in recent years, as evidenced by a 31% decrease in the number of individuals requiring mass drug administration in six endemic countries. Results were reported today at the 58th annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH).

23 Nov 2009

OMA praises health care workers for their hard work and dedication during flu season

At its annual fall meeting, the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) recognized front line health care workers for their hard work and dedication to patient during this unprecedented flu season. The OMA Council, which represents doctors from across the province, overwhelmingly passed a motion to express its thanks to Medical Officers of Health, physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals for their leadership.

23 Nov 2009

ASTMH symposium illustrates the need to generate new medicines for infectious diseases

An urgent need for new medicines to treat neglected infectious diseases in the developing world has prompted a growing number of collaborations among academic researchers, non-profit product development partnerships (PDPs), and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

23 Nov 2009

RSV found to cause more emergency department visits and hospitalizations than seasonal flu

Influenza, particularly H1N1, has understandably captured the attention of public health officials, the media and the public. However, an analysis from Children's Hospital Boston, based on patients seen in its emergency department (ED) during several recent flu seasons, shows that another virus - respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) - takes a substantially greater disease toll among young children than does seasonal flu.

23 Nov 2009

Experiments explain factors behind common malarial symptoms

When people have malaria, they are infected with Plasmodium parasites, which enter the body from the saliva of a mosquito, infect cells in the liver, and then spread to red blood cells. Inside the blood cells, the parasites replicate and also begin to expose adhesive proteins on the cell surface that change the physical nature of the cells in the bloodstream.

23 Nov 2009

Bacteria help in preventing inflammation after skin injury

On the skin's surface, bacteria are abundant, diverse and constant, but inflammation is undesirable. Research at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine now shows that the normal bacteria living on the skin surface trigger a pathway that prevents excessive inflammation after injury.

22 Nov 2009

Discovery holds promise in fighting cancer, AIDS and autoimmune disorders

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have uncovered the genetic identity of a cellular receptor for the immune system's first-response antibody, a discovery that sheds new light on infection control and immune disorders.

21 Nov 2009

Pennsylvania Department of Health commences H1N1 vaccination to members of priority groups

The Department of Health today began providing free H1N1 flu shots to members of priority groups that did not have previous access to the vaccine.

21 Nov 2009

Compliance directive issued to protect health care workers from 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus

For the protection of frontline health care and emergency medical workers at high risk of infection, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today issued a compliance directive to ensure uniform procedures when conducting inspections to identify and minimize or eliminate high to very high risk occupational exposures to the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus.

21 Nov 2009

Questionnaire study reveals half of barn workers experience cough or other ailments

The estimated 4.6 million Americans involved in the equine industry may be at risk of developing respiratory symptoms due to poor air quality in horse barns, according to a questionnaire study undertaken earlier this year by investigators at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.

21 Nov 2009

Climate change to have a profound impact on global public health

An emerging body of evidence suggests that the changing global climate is already affecting infectious disease transmission patterns. As noted today in a symposium at the 58th annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), such changes are expected to have a profound impact on global public health.

21 Nov 2009

Publication serves as a guide to build productive partnerships and overcome global health challenges

Meaningful and lasting progress in addressing global health challenges cannot be achieved without partnerships and collaboration, according to a publication released today, Case Studies for Global Health.

21 Nov 2009

Rates of infection by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus may have peaked in late October: Quest Diagnostics

Rates of infection by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus may have peaked in late October, but the pandemic flu virus continues to be a potential source of illness in all age groups, including the elderly, according to a new report by Quest Diagnostics Incorporated, the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services.

From Quest Diagnostics 21 Nov 2009

First nationwide human immunology registry for infectious disease research

RemedyMD (www.RemedyMD.com), the leading provider of disease registry software, today announced the first nationwide human immunology registry for infectious disease research. The new registry was developed to help clinicians and researchers better understand the human immune response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.

21 Nov 2009

UNICEF report highlights gains in child health, while 1b still lack essential services

A special edition of UNICEF's annual State of the World's Children report, released 20 years after the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, shows that "fewer youngsters are dying and more are going to school - but an estimated 1 billion still lack services essential to their survival and development," the Associated Press reports.

20 Nov 2009

Study recommends chest ultrasound for evaluating pediatric patients with complicated pneumonia

Chest ultrasound can serve as a viable alternative to chest CT in the evaluation of pediatric patients with complicated pneumonia and parapneumonic effusion (a build-up of fluid between the lung and chest wall), according to a study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

20 Nov 2009

Evidence does not connect H1N1 vaccine to patient deaths, WHO says

The deaths of 41 people from six countries who had received the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine were not directly linked to the vaccine, the WHO said Thursday, the Associated Press/MSNBC reports (11/19).

20 Nov 2009

News outlets examine malaria drug resistance, hope for malaria eradication in Africa

Experts at an American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting this week said that resistance to the best available drug to treat malaria "is more widespread in Southeast Asia than previously reported," Science News/Wired Science reports. Researchers have been monitoring drug resistance along the Thailand-Cambodia border where patients taking artemisinin combination therapy - the most potent treatment for malaria - have been clearing the parasite from their bodies more slowly.

20 Nov 2009

Disease/Infection News

Enrollment for ongoing phase 2b trial of RG7128 announced

ASP's French affiliate acquires Gloster Europe

OEPA reports substantial reduction of river blindness in six endemic countries

OMA praises health care workers for their hard work and dedication during flu season

ASTMH symposium illustrates the need to generate new medicines for infectious diseases

RSV found to cause more emergency department visits and hospitalizations than seasonal flu

Experiments explain factors behind common malarial symptoms

Bacteria help in preventing inflammation after skin injury

Discovery holds promise in fighting cancer, AIDS and autoimmune disorders

Pennsylvania Department of Health commences H1N1 vaccination to members of priority groups

Compliance directive issued to protect health care workers from 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus

Questionnaire study reveals half of barn workers experience cough or other ailments

Climate change to have a profound impact on global public health

Publication serves as a guide to build productive partnerships and overcome global health challenges

Rates of infection by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus may have peaked in late October: Quest Diagnostics

First nationwide human immunology registry for infectious disease research

UNICEF report highlights gains in child health, while 1b still lack essential services

Study recommends chest ultrasound for evaluating pediatric patients with complicated pneumonia

Evidence does not connect H1N1 vaccine to patient deaths, WHO says

News outlets examine malaria drug resistance, hope for malaria eradication in Africa

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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