Immune system Archives

40% higher HIV infection estimate in US

HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA) reported that higher HIV infection estimate in US shows need for routine screening, more funding for care. – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expected soon to increase the estimate of new HIV infections in the United States by 40 percent. This highlights the need to make HIV testing a routine part of medical care and provide better funding to care for those who test positive, according to the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA).

Jalapeno, Serrano peppers not connected to Salmonella Saintpaul Outbreak

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers that jalape?o and Serrano peppers grown in the United States are not connected with the current Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak. – Jalapeno and Serrano peppers grown in the United States are not connected with the current Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak, informed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

FDA should take steps to challenge bogus immunity claims

The US nonprofit nutrition watchdog urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to crack down on that and other deceptive ?structure/function? claims increasingly appearing on food labels. – US Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) urges FDA to crack down on food frauds saying that Kraft, General Mills, Dole, & others ripping off consumers with bogus immunity claims.

Avoid raw red tomatoes in New Mexico, Texas

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns consumers in New Mexico and Texas not to eat certain types of raw red tomatoes like raw red plum, red Roma, or round red tomatoes. – The Food and Drug Administration is alerting consumers in New Mexico and Texas that a salmonellosis outbreak appears to be linked to consumption of certain types of raw red tomatoes and products containing raw red tomatoes.

New therapy promising for melanoma skin cancer

The combination of two different biotherapies may be beneficial for patients with inoperable melanoma, according to a University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) study presented at the 44th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago. – The combination of two different biotherapies (interferon alfa-2b and tremelimumab) may be beneficial for patients with inoperable melanoma, revealed by researchers in US.

Second hand smoke increases infectious diseases risk in infants

Children exposed to second hand tobacco smoke are more likely to get severe infectious diseases and have to be admitted to hospital, finds research published online ahead of print in Tobacco Control. – Second hand smoke decreases immunity in infants and thereby raises risk of infectious diseases and early hospitalization even in the first year of life in infants, revealed by researchers in the BMJ journal Tobacco Control.

First-born babies’ have higher asthma and allergy rates

First-born babies’ higher asthma and allergy rates due to pregnancy conditions. Allergic reactions are programmed during pregnancy and then effect the disease in later life. – First-born children are at higher risk of developing asthma and allergy because of different conditions they experience in the uterus, revealed by researchers.

Gene variant CHI3L1 increases risk of asthma

A tiny variation in a gene known as CHI3L1 increases susceptibility to asthma, bronchial hyperresponsiveness and decline in lung function, researchers report early online in the New England Journal of Medicine. – A tiny variation in a gene known as CHI3L1 increases susceptibility to asthma, bronchial hyperresponsiveness and decline in lung function, researchers report early online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

CD16 monocyte could be a biomarker for progression of HIV

Expansion of a monocyte subset in HIV patients could serve as a biomarker for progression of the disease. – An increase in the CD163+/CD16+ monocyte subset could be a biomarker for the progression of HIV disease, according to researchers at Temple University, reported in the March issue of AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses.

Therapeutic cloning may treat Parkinson’s disease

Researchers showed that therapeutic cloning or SCNT has been successfully used to treat disease in the same subjects from whom the initial cells were derived. – Research led by investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) has shown that therapeutic cloning, also known as somatic-cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), can be used to treat Parkinson’s disease in mice.

ELISpot-Plus blood test to diagnose tuberculosis

The combination of ELISpot-Plus and tuberculin skin testing is able to rule out TB within 48 hours. – A new blood test called ELISpot-Plus could enable doctors to rule out tuberculosis (TB) infection within days rather than weeks, according to a new study published this week in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Race differences affect response to drugs and infections

Gene expression differences between those of European and African ancestry affect response to drugs and infections. – Differences in gene expression levels between people of European versus African ancestry can affect how each group responds to certain drugs or fights off specific infections, report researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center and the Expression Research Laboratory at Affymetrix Inc. of Santa Clara, CA.