Immigrant screening misses majority of imported latent TB, finds study – Current UK procedures to screen new immigrants for tuberculosis (TB) fail to detect more than 70 per cent of cases of latent infection, according to a new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
FDA approves the first vaccine to prevent meningococcal disease in infants and toddlers – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the use of Menactra in children as young as 9 months for the prevention of invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, Y and W-135. Menactra already is approved for use in people ages 2 through 55 years.
New approach to defeating flu shows promise – New research on mice has shown that pulmonary administration of granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) significantly reduces flu symptoms and prevents death after a lethal dose influenza virus.
Interactive Autism Network releases findings on critical safety issue, launches new research survey on pregnancy – The Interactive Autism Network (IAN), reveals the preliminary results of the first major survey on wandering and elopement among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and announces the launch of a new research survey on the association between pregnancy factors and ASD.
NIH study finds omalizumab relieves seasonal asthma attacks in youth — Symptoms reduced in children and young people with moderate to severe disease – A drug that targets the antibody immunoglobulin E (IgE), a key player in asthma, nearly eliminated seasonal increases in asthma attacks and decreased asthma symptoms among young people living in inner city environments, a clinical trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health has found.
Research suggests HIV-infected patients at higher risk for bone fractures — Study compared fracture rates among HIV patients with general US population – Low bone mineral density in HIV-infected patients is common and raises concerns about increased risks of fracture, revealed by researchers.
Unilever Announces Recall of Skippy? Reduced Fat Peanut Butter Spread Due to Possible Health Risk Limited Recall of 6 Best-If-Used-By Dates – Unilever United States, Inc. announced a limited recall of Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy Reduced Fat Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread, because it may be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.
Surgery sooner rather than later better for children with perforated appendicitis – For children with a perforated appendix, early appendectomy appears to reduce the time away from normal activities and has fewer adverse events as compared to another common option, the interval appendectomy, which is performed several weeks after diagnosis.
Fetal surgery, pioneered at UCSF, is more effective than operating after birth – Thirty years ago, the first human fetal surgery was performed at the University of California, San Francisco. Now, a randomized controlled trial has proven definitively that fetal surgery can help certain patients before birth.
Indoor Coal Use Associated With Possible Impairment of Early Childhood Growth – Children raised in homes using indoor coal for cooking or heating appear to be about a half-inch shorter at age 36 months than those in households using other fuel sources.
Huge decline in HIV rates in Zimbabwe driven by fear of infection, says study – The big drop in the numbers of people infected with HIV in Zimbabwe is because of mass social change, driven by fear of infection, according to an international study reported in the journal PLoS Medicine.
Study suggests possible new treatment for severe 2009 H1N1 infection – Convalescent plasma therapy-using plasma from patients who have recovered from an infection to treat those with the same infection-has been used to treat multiple diseases.
