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Rite Aid pharmacies to offer regular seasonal flu shots throughout the flu season

Many Rite Aid pharmacists have already been giving regular seasonal flu shots following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advice that anyone who wishes to reduce the risk of getting the regular seasonal flu get a flu shot as soon as they are available.

31 Aug 2009

Fernando Pisani and 24 hockey players helped raise funds and awareness about Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis

The spirit of giving back was as strong as ever this weekend at the first ever Score for Colitis & Crohn's event, which raised $20,000 for four gastrointestinal and digestive disease patient organizations from across the country. The Score for Colitis & Crohn's initiative, which took place at the West Edmonton Mall's Ice Palace on Saturday, August 29th, featured Fernando Pisani of the Edmonton Oilers and 24 aspiring young hockey enthusiasts who were all on hand to help raise funds and awareness about Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, the latter of which Pisani was diagnosed with in 2007.

31 Aug 2009

FDA approves the usage of Valcyte for preventing CMV disease in pediatric patients

Roche announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Valcyte(R) (valganciclovir hydrochloride) for the prevention of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in pediatric kidney and heart transplant patients (4 months to 16 years of age) at high risk of developing CMV disease.

31 Aug 2009

Researchers develop an index scale to help physicians predict a patient's risk of dying from COPD

Researchers have developed an index scale to help physicians predict a patient's risk of dying from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The ADO index can help physicians assess the severity of a patient's illness to determine the appropriate level of treatment. COPD, which comprises emphysema and chronic bronchitis, is a major public health problem and it is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. The study of the ADO index is published in the August 29 edition of the Lancet.

29 Aug 2009

Antibiotic functioning as an off switch being developed for gene therapy of Parkinson's disease

A common antibiotic can function as an "off switch" for a gene therapy being developed for Parkinson's disease, according to University of Florida researchers writing online in advance of September's Molecular Therapy.

29 Aug 2009

Scientists study the impact of nerve growth factors for treating Parkinson's disease

Scientists in the Academy of Finland's Neuroscience Research Programme have reported promising new results with potential implications for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. They have been studying the impacts of nerve growth factors in the treatment of PD, and their latest results show that a certain growth factor can be used to halt the progress of damage brought on by a nerve poison and possibly even restore the function of damaged cells.

28 Aug 2009

HIV subtype D infected patients more likely to develop dementia

Patients infected with a particular subtype of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are more likely to develop dementia than patients with other subtypes, a study led by Johns Hopkins researchers shows. The finding, reported in the September Clinical Infectious Diseases, is the first to demonstrate that the specific type of HIV has any effect on cognitive impairment, one of the most common complications of uncontrolled HIV infection.

28 Aug 2009

Sinovac to supply its Anflu seasonal flu vaccine to the Beijing Public Health Bureau

Sinovac Biotech Ltd. (NYSE: SVA), a leading provider of biopharmaceutical products in China, announced today that the Beijing Public Health Bureau has selected Sinovac as one of the four manufacturers to supply Anflu(R), Sinovac's seasonal influenza vaccine, for the benefit of the citizens of Beijing. The Beijing Public Health Bureau completed the bidding process for the purchase of flu vaccines and corresponding services for 2009 on August 26, 2009. The agreement will be executed after the public notice period.

28 Aug 2009

NAT gains importance as traditional testing methods become inadequate

An expanding population of bacterial strains that are drug resistant, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), will be the most important justification for nucleic acid-based tests (NAT).

28 Aug 2009

NYP/Weill Cornell research reveals that prolonged QRS duration indicates abnormal pumping of the heart

QRS duration (QRSd) is one of several measures of heart function recorded during a routine electrocardiogram (ECG). It is a composite of waves showing the length of time it takes for an electrical signal to get all the way through the pumping chambers of the heart. Prolonged QRSd is a sign of an abnormal electrical system of the heart and is often found when the heart isn't pumping efficiently.

28 Aug 2009

WTN Services and Winetasting Network to be lead corporate sponsors of the Annual AIDS Walk Napa Valley

WTN Services(R) and the Winetasting Network(R) a division of 1-800-Flowers.com(R) have announced they have deepened the commitment to their existing plan of industry partnerships and projects that better the community.

28 Aug 2009

Urine LAM-ELISA's sensitivity of 50.7% in identifying TB disappoints

Urine LAM-ELISA does not appear to be useful as an independent diagnostic test for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). A trial of the new diagnostic, described in the open access journal BMC Infectious Diseases found that it was only capable of identifying 50.7% of TB cases.

28 Aug 2009

TRAF6 protein can activate a cell signalling molecule associated with cancer

The mainstay immune system protein TRAF6 plays an unexpected, key role activating a cell signaling molecule that in mutant form is associated with cancer growth, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the Aug. 28 edition of Science.

28 Aug 2009

Caucasians have a higher rate of HBV recurrence compared to Asian Americans and African Americans

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 1.5 to 2 million Americans are infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Prior studies have shown there to be significant racial differences in access to and outcomes of liver transplantation. Recently, doctors from across the U.S. conducted a multicenter retrospective-prospective study of the waitlist status and outcomes of liver transplant patients with HBV infection.

28 Aug 2009

Elorac offers Zithranol-RR for treating plaque psoriasis

Now patients with mild to moderate plaque psoriasis have a new topical treatment option available by prescription. Zithranol™-RR (anthralin rapid release microcrystalline encapsulated cream, 1.2%), is an innovative topical therapy for plaque psoriasis according to Elorac, Inc., a privately held emerging dermatology company. Zithranol™-RR provides an advanced delivery system for anthralin achieving long remission times with no long-term side effects in a steroid-free, silky cream.

28 Aug 2009

Infectious Disease Research Institute commences clinical trial of its leishmaniasis vaccine in Sudan

IDRI (Infectious Disease Research Institute) announced today the start of a clinical trial in Sudan to test its leishmaniasis vaccine candidate for the treatment of post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), a complication of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) which is observed in 50% of patients treated for VL in the country, predominantly affecting children.

28 Aug 2009

NIMH grants Xhale $1.7 million to develop the SMART medication adherence system for HIV/AIDS therapies

Xhale, Inc. has been awarded a $1.7 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant by the NIH National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to continue the development of SMART (Self Monitoring and Reporting Therapeutics), a breath-based medication adherence system for HIV/AIDS therapies.

28 Aug 2009

Maxim Health Systems' website provides detailed information about flu vaccination

Maxim's dedicated flu Web site provides detailed information about the flu vaccination and allows consumers to locate seasonal flu clinics in their area by searching by zip code. In addition, Maxim is preparing to launch several new online resources for consumers to protect themselves and their families this flu season.

28 Aug 2009

Chk1 and Fbx6 play an important role for the regulation of response to chemotherapy

Cell cycle checkpoints act like molecular tripwires for damaged cells, forcing them to pause and take stock. Leave the tripwire in place for too long, though, and cancer cells will press on regardless, making them resistant to the lethal effects of certain types of chemotherapy, according to researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

28 Aug 2009

Also in global health news: NTD study; false cholera cases in Zimbabwe; contaminated water in Kenya; doctor's strike ends

UPI reports on a recent review article in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases that analyzed the toll of neglected tropical diseases on populations in sub-Saharan Africa. "Researchers said helminth (parasitic worm) infections account for approximately 85 percent of the neglected tropical diseases, which overall might be equivalent to more than double that caused by tuberculosis and as much as half of the area's malaria disease burden," the news service writes (8/26).

28 Aug 2009

Disease/Infection News

Rite Aid pharmacies to offer regular seasonal flu shots throughout the flu season

Fernando Pisani and 24 hockey players helped raise funds and awareness about Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis

FDA approves the usage of Valcyte for preventing CMV disease in pediatric patients

Researchers develop an index scale to help physicians predict a patient's risk of dying from COPD

Antibiotic functioning as an off switch being developed for gene therapy of Parkinson's disease

Scientists study the impact of nerve growth factors for treating Parkinson's disease

HIV subtype D infected patients more likely to develop dementia

Sinovac to supply its Anflu seasonal flu vaccine to the Beijing Public Health Bureau

NAT gains importance as traditional testing methods become inadequate

NYP/Weill Cornell research reveals that prolonged QRS duration indicates abnormal pumping of the heart

WTN Services and Winetasting Network to be lead corporate sponsors of the Annual AIDS Walk Napa Valley

Urine LAM-ELISA's sensitivity of 50.7% in identifying TB disappoints

TRAF6 protein can activate a cell signalling molecule associated with cancer

Caucasians have a higher rate of HBV recurrence compared to Asian Americans and African Americans

Elorac offers Zithranol-RR for treating plaque psoriasis

Infectious Disease Research Institute commences clinical trial of its leishmaniasis vaccine in Sudan

NIMH grants Xhale $1.7 million to develop the SMART medication adherence system for HIV/AIDS therapies

Maxim Health Systems' website provides detailed information about flu vaccination

Chk1 and Fbx6 play an important role for the regulation of response to chemotherapy

Also in global health news: NTD study; false cholera cases in Zimbabwe; contaminated water in Kenya; doctor's strike ends

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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