Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

HIV/AIDS implementers' meeting closes in Uganda; participants call for increased prevention efforts

The 2008 HIV/AIDS Implementers' Meeting in Kampala, Uganda, closed on Saturday with participants calling for an increase in efforts to prevent the spread of the virus worldwide, Xinuahnet reports.

10 Jun 2008

Indonesia criticised over change in bird flu reporting policy

A decision by authorities in Indonesia to restrict the reporting of bird flu cases in humans to every six months, has been condemned as irresponsible.

9 Jun 2008

Global Business Coalition to award nine companies for efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria

The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria on Monday will award nine companies for their efforts to fight the three diseases among employees, South Africa's Business Day reports. The coalition is a group of 220 companies worldwide that aim to address HIV, TB and malaria in the workplace.

8 Jun 2008

Indian Government to establish small antiretroviral clinics to provide treatment to more people from rural areas

The Indian government plans to establish "link centers," or small antiretroviral clinics, in rural areas to address the challenges associated with accessing the drugs in isolated areas, Reuters reports. According to Reuters, long distances between clinics are hindering the country's efforts to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly in rural areas.

8 Jun 2008

Jamaican Health Ministry secures 40% of funding for $200 million plan to fight HIV/AIDS

The Jamaican Ministry of Health and Environment has secured 40% of the funding needed to implement a $200 million, five-year strategy to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country, Kevin Harvey -- treatment, care and support coordinator at the health ministry -- said recently, the Jamaica Observer reports.

8 Jun 2008

Role of breastfeeding in preventing infant death, HIV infection in developing countries

In many poor countries, mothers with HIV face a stark choice: to nurse their infants, and risk passing on HIV through their breast milk - or to formula feed, and deprive their infants of much of the natural immunity needed to protect against fatal diseases of early infancy. Now, two studies supported by the National Institutes of Health offer insights into preventing early death and HIV infection among breastfeeding infants of mothers with HIV in these countries.

5 Jun 2008

Bird flu hits the UK and the U.S.

Tests currently being conducted will determine just how virulent the H7 strain is and in the meantime a temporary inner control zone of 3km has been set up around the farm along with a 10km outer zone.

5 Jun 2008

Living condom gives protection from AIDS

Scientists in Australia have developed a natural condom which could prevent the spread of AIDS.

5 Jun 2008

New grant to enable University of Rochester to increase HIV research by 25 percent

The University of Rochester today announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a team of more than 50 researchers a five-year, $3.2 million grant.

4 Jun 2008

Cetuximab and chemotherapy combination proves safe, effective for head and neck cancer patients

Patients treated for locally advanced head and neck cancer may respond better to treatment with the addition of cetuximab to chemotherapy, according to a University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) phase II study. The results will be presented at the 44th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago as an oral presentation.

2 Jun 2008

Researchers find gene signature profile for metastasis

A common signature of tiny, specific pieces of non-coding genetic material known as microRNAs (miRNAs) may be directly involved in the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.

2 Jun 2008

New Imperial College centre to tackle respiratory infections

Think that colds and flu are easy to catch, hard to avoid and impossible to treat? That nobody ever dies of a cold? That's all wrong, say the medics and scientists at a new research centre which launches today (Monday 2 June).

1 Jun 2008

Self-assembled viruses

Viruses are true experts at importing genetic material into the cells of an infected organism. This trait is now being exploited for gene therapy, in which genes are brought into the cells of a patient to treat genetic diseases or genetic defects. Korean researchers have now made an artificial virus. As described in the journal Angewandte Chemie, they have been able to use it to transport both genes and drugs into the interior of cancer cells.

30 May 2008

Case involving HIV-positive man, saliva illustrates 'long way to go' in efforts to reduce stigma

"In the AIDS field, we often talk about how things were 20 years ago when widespread fear prevailed and knowledge of the virus was minimal," John Samuels -- administrative director of AIDS services at Beth Israel Medical Center -- writes in a New York Times letter to the editor written in response to a recent case involving an HIV-positive man who received a 35-year jail sentence for spitting into the mouth and eye of a Dallas police officer.

28 May 2008

University of Pennsylvania researcher to launch drug trial in Chinese province among IDUs

David Metzger, director of the HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Division at the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues plan to launch a trial in China among injection drug users to determine if a drug that reduces the craving for heroin also can reduce the spread of HIV through the sharing of contaminated needles, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

28 May 2008

Risk factors for spread of HIV in Afghanistan high, Health Ministry says

Although the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is relatively low in Afghanistan, the country's Ministry of Public Health recently said that the potential risk factors for the spread of the virus are high, Reuters reports.

28 May 2008

Why do Finnish children have type 1 diabetes and allergic symptoms approximately five times more often than children in Russian Karelia?

High living standards and the life style connected to them seem to promote the development of autoimmune diseases and allergic symptoms. This has lead to the assumption that the immune system begins to overreact to the organism's own structures or to exogenous non-infectious proteins, i.e. allergens, when it does not have to work hard enough to protect the individual from infections.

28 May 2008

New generation of insect repellents in the pipeline

The next generation of insect repellents could be in the pipeline with research from the U.S. suggesting seven possibilities.

27 May 2008

Warning about the danger of yet another bird flu virus

Scientists in the United States have identified a second H strain of bird flu that could cause a pandemic, they say the H5N1 strain of bird flu currently circulating the globe is not the only cause for concern.

27 May 2008

New treatments for viral and other diseases by blocking genes

The elusive goal of developing effective treatments for viral diseases such as AIDS and influenza has been brought closer by dramatic progress in the ability to interfere with viral genetic machinery. The stage was set for a coordinated European effort to accelerate research and stimulate development of new treatments against viral diseases at a recent research conference organised by the European Science Foundation (ESF).

26 May 2008

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

HIV/AIDS implementers' meeting closes in Uganda; participants call for increased prevention efforts

Indonesia criticised over change in bird flu reporting policy

Global Business Coalition to award nine companies for efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria

Indian Government to establish small antiretroviral clinics to provide treatment to more people from rural areas

Jamaican Health Ministry secures 40% of funding for $200 million plan to fight HIV/AIDS

Role of breastfeeding in preventing infant death, HIV infection in developing countries

Bird flu hits the UK and the U.S.

Living condom gives protection from AIDS

New grant to enable University of Rochester to increase HIV research by 25 percent

Cetuximab and chemotherapy combination proves safe, effective for head and neck cancer patients

Researchers find gene signature profile for metastasis

New Imperial College centre to tackle respiratory infections

Self-assembled viruses

Case involving HIV-positive man, saliva illustrates 'long way to go' in efforts to reduce stigma

University of Pennsylvania researcher to launch drug trial in Chinese province among IDUs

Risk factors for spread of HIV in Afghanistan high, Health Ministry says

Why do Finnish children have type 1 diabetes and allergic symptoms approximately five times more often than children in Russian Karelia?

New generation of insect repellents in the pipeline

Warning about the danger of yet another bird flu virus

New treatments for viral and other diseases by blocking genes

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