New lead on malaria treatment – Variation of natural compound cures malaria in mice. – Approximately 350 million to 500 million cases of malaria are diagnosed each year mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. While medications to prevent and treat malaria do exist, the demand for new treatments is on the rise, in part, because malaria parasites have developed a resistance to existing medications.
Novel vaccine approach offers hope in fight against HIV – Gene transfer technology may lead to an HIV vaccine. – A research team may have broken the stubborn impasse that has frustrated the invention of an effective HIV vaccine, by using an approach that bypasses the usual path followed by vaccine developers.
Study indicates that a common virus could cause high blood pressure – Cytomegalovirus affects majority of adults worldwide. – A new study suggests for the first time that cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common viral infection affecting between 60 and 99 percent of adults worldwide, is a cause of high blood pressure, a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.
Influenza A(H1N1) – update 31 – 39 countries have officially reported 8480 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection. – As of 06:00 GMT, 17 May 2009, 39 countries have officially reported 8480 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection.
AIDS patients with serious complications benefit from early retroviral use, Stanford study shows – HIV-positive patients who don’t seek medical attention until they have a serious AIDS-related condition can reduce their risk of death or other complications by half if they get antiretroviral treatment early on, according to a new multicenter trial led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Swine flu Influenza A H1N1 update 27, WHO – 33 countries have officially reported 5728 cases of influenza A. – Swine influenza (Swine flu) refers to influenza cases that are caused by Orthomyxoviruses. As of 06:00 GMT, 13 May 2009, 33 countries have officially reported 5728 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection.
UCI awarded $45 million for infectious disease research. Facility seeks to improve detection, treatment and vaccine development. – The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded UC Irvine $45 million over five years for infectious disease research.
Studies of GARDASIL, Merck’s Cervical Cancer Vaccine, and HPV 16 Vaccine Component of GARDASIL Presented at International Papillomavirus Conference – In a study of an extended follow up of 290 women na?ve to HPV type 16, the HPV 16 component of GARDASIL [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16, 18) Vaccine, Recombinant] was efficacious against HPV 16 infection for an average of 8.5 years after administration.
30 countries have officially reported 4694 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection. – As of 06:00 GMT, 11 May 2009, 30 countries have officially reported 4694 cases of Swine flu or swine influenza A(H1N1) infection, as per WHO.
Swine influenza or Swine flu – 29 countries have officially reported 4379 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection. – World Health Organization updated the Swine flu report as of 07:30 GMT, 10 May 2009, 29 countries have officially reported 4379 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection.
Influenza A(H1N1) – update 22 – 25 countries have officially reported 2500 cases. – As of 16:00 GMT, 8 May 2009, 25 countries have officially reported 2500 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection.
Study demonstrates modest reduction in HIV disease progression, leads to new insights about HIV transmission. – A recently completed international multi-center clinical trial has found that acyclovir, a drug widely used as a safe and effective treatment to suppress herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2), which is the most common cause of genital herpes, does not reduce the risk of HIV transmission when taken by people infected with both HIV and HSV-2.
