Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

CFIDS Association of America issues statement in response to XMRV study

The CFIDS Association of America issued the following statement in response to a study published in today’s edition of PLoS One that failed to detect the XMRV virus in banked samples drawn from 186 CFS patients in the United Kingdom. A study published Oct. 8, 2009 in Science reported that 68 of 101 CFS patients from clinics in the U.S. tested positive for XMRV.

7 Jan 2010

Flu vaccine safe but ineffective for RA patients treated with rituximab

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are partially protected by the influenza vaccine 6-10 months after treatment with rituximab. Researchers determined that while the flu vaccine is safe, it is ineffective for RA patients in the first 6 months following rituximab treatment.

7 Jan 2010

Canada supports Mexico's pandemic response efforts

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, on behalf of the Government of Canada, has announced it will be providing five million doses of H1N1 flu vaccine to Mexico to help bridge that country's immediate pandemic vaccine requirements. This is not a donation. Mexico will replenish Canada's H1N1 vaccine supply by March 31, 2010.

7 Jan 2010

Developing countries reassess need for donated H1N1 vaccine

As the number of H1N1 (swine flu) cases in some regions of the world continues to fall, developing countries scheduled to receive donated H1N1 (swine flu) vaccines from the WHO are reassessing just how many vaccines their countries need, the Canadian Press reports.

6 Jan 2010

HHS introduces National Influenza Vaccination Week to raise awareness about flu vaccine

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has designated the week of January 10 through 16 as National Influenza Vaccination Week, in an effort to raise awareness about the importance of the flu vaccine.

6 Jan 2010

Rev protein plays essential role in spreading viruses within organism, discover researchers

Professor Denis Archambault of the Department of Biological Sciences of Universit- du Qu-bec - Montr-al (UQAM), and doctoral student Andrea Corredor Gomez have made a major discovery in the field of molecular biology. They have unlocked some of the secrets of a viral protein, known as Rev, which is very different from other proteins of the same type studied to date.

6 Jan 2010

Life-saving therapeutic interventions possible with early detection of hepatitis C recurrence

A recent study by doctors from the Hospital Cl-nic in Barcelona, Spain determined that repeated liver stiffness measurements (LSM) in the first year following liver transplant (LT) could discriminate between slow and rapid "fibrosers" (patients with fibrosis stage of F2-F4 one year post LT).

6 Jan 2010

Opinions: U.S. medical emergency response; micronutrients; rotavirus vaccine; antibiotic development

"[D]espite the tireless efforts of public health and health-care workers, America's experience with H1N1 shows that the nation is not prepared to deal with a flu pandemic," former Democratic Senator Bob Graham and former Republican Senator Jim Talent write in Washington Post opinion piece that examines U.S. preparedness for medical emergencies. The writers chaired the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.

6 Jan 2010

Medicare begins to reimburse for HIV screening

The Hartford Courant reports that "testing for the virus among those 65 and older lags far behind testing of other Americans, and experts say they worry that HIV cases in older adults go undiagnosed — some because of the stigma that the disease still carries, some because patients might dismiss the symptoms of the virus as signs of other conditions more frequently associated with aging and some because doctors can be hesitant to talk to older patients about sex or link their symptoms with HIV."

6 Jan 2010

Quercetin may prevent hepatitis C infection; findings may lead to less toxic treatments

Researchers have identified two cellular proteins that are important factors in hepatitis C virus infection, a finding that may result in the approval of new and less toxic treatments for the disease, which can lead to liver cancer and cirrhosis.

6 Jan 2010

Also in global health news: Aid in S. Somalia; virus-resistant mosquitoes; composting toilets in Haiti; U.S. Congressional Group visits India

The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) announced Tuesday that it has been forced to halt "aid distribution to about 1 million people in southern Somalia because of attacks against staff and demands by armed groups that aid groups remove women from their teams," the Associated Press reports.

5 Jan 2010

Circumcision lowers HIV risk; changes bacterial community on penis microbiome

Circumcision, which substantially lowers HIV risk in men, also dramatically changes the bacterial communities of the penis, according to a study led by scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Johns Hopkins University and published Jan. 6 in the scientific journal PLoS ONE.

5 Jan 2010

Increased coffee consumption linked to reduced hepatic fibrosis

Researchers from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) determined that patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) who consumed more than 308 mg of caffeine daily had milder liver fibrosis. The daily amount of caffeine intake found to be beneficial is equivalent to 2.25 cups of regular coffee.

5 Jan 2010

Annelie Wendeberg presents protocol for identification of environmental microbes

Metagenomics, the study of DNA isolated from samples of naturally occurring microbial populations, is rapidly growing. Improvements to cloning and sequencing techniques are allowing researchers to study microorganisms in environmental samples, and new knowledge of species interactions and community dynamics is emerging.

5 Jan 2010

Vienna scientists develop new technique for producing H1N1 vaccines

Scientists in Vienna have developed a new technique for producing vaccines for H1N1, 'swine flu', based on insect cells. The research, published today in the Biotechnology Journal, reveals how influenza vaccines can be produced faster than through the traditional method of egg-based production, revealing a new strategy for the fight against influenza pandemics.

5 Jan 2010

Coformulation of rilpivirine and Truvada HIV drugs will achieve sales of more than $2 billion in 2018

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, in 2018, the fixed dose coformulation of Tibotec's rilpivirine and Gilead's Truvada will achieve blockbuster sales of more than $2 billion in the HIV drug market in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan.

5 Jan 2010

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

CFIDS Association of America issues statement in response to XMRV study

Flu vaccine safe but ineffective for RA patients treated with rituximab

Canada supports Mexico's pandemic response efforts

Developing countries reassess need for donated H1N1 vaccine

HHS introduces National Influenza Vaccination Week to raise awareness about flu vaccine

Rev protein plays essential role in spreading viruses within organism, discover researchers

Life-saving therapeutic interventions possible with early detection of hepatitis C recurrence

Opinions: U.S. medical emergency response; micronutrients; rotavirus vaccine; antibiotic development

Medicare begins to reimburse for HIV screening

Quercetin may prevent hepatitis C infection; findings may lead to less toxic treatments

Also in global health news: Aid in S. Somalia; virus-resistant mosquitoes; composting toilets in Haiti; U.S. Congressional Group visits India

Circumcision lowers HIV risk; changes bacterial community on penis microbiome

Increased coffee consumption linked to reduced hepatic fibrosis

Annelie Wendeberg presents protocol for identification of environmental microbes

Vienna scientists develop new technique for producing H1N1 vaccines

Coformulation of rilpivirine and Truvada HIV drugs will achieve sales of more than $2 billion in 2018

Study examines relationship between parental vaccine refusal and risk of varicella infection in children

New York Times examines U.S. H1N1 reponse

H1N1 vaccine available at Walgreens pharmacies and Take Care Clinics

AP series examines worldwide impact of drug resistance

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