Study suggests HIV infected patients should start highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) sooner. – Under current treatment guidelines, highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) should be considered for HIV-infected patients when their CD4+ T-cell counts fall below 350 cells per cubic millimeter (mm3).
X PRIZE Foundation to help fight tuberculosis worldwide with Gates Foundation support. Gates Foundation providing grant to explore prize for innovative breakthroughs in TB Diagnostics. – The X PRIZE Foundation has received a planning grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop an X PRIZE for effective diagnosis of tuberculosis in the developing world.
Antiretroviral therapy with TB treatment for HIV patients reduces mortality up to fifty five percent. – A South African treatment study conducted by researchers in the Department of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health shows that mortality among TB-HIV co-infected patients can be reduced by a remarkable 55%, if antiretroviral therapy (ART) is provided with TB treatment at the same time.
US FDA Approves Updated Labeling for Psoriasis Drug Raptiva by Genentech; Safety concerns drove labeling changes. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced labeling changes, including a Boxed Warning, to highlight the risks of life-threatening infections, including progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), with the use of Raptiva (efalizumab).
‘Deadly dozen’ reports diseases worsened by climate change – Health experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society. – Health experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society released a report that lists 12 pathogens that could spread into new regions as a result of climate change, with potential impacts to both human and wildlife health and global economies.
Researchers looked at a UK sample of patients with AMD and controls, and screened 32 genes potentially involved in the condition. Results suggest an association with the SERPING1 gene. – A new genetic association is established with the eye condition age-related macular degeneration (AMD), revealed by researchers.
Medicare policy to withhold payments to hospitals that harm patients goes into effect october 1. Non-payment rules seek to spur hospitals to improve patient safety. – New US federal regulations to restrict Medicare payments to hospitals for the extra care required to treat patients harmed by certain preventable infections and medical errors go into effect on Wednesday, October 1.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Research team discovers brain pathway responsible for obesity. – University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, for the first time, have found a messaging system in the brain that directly affects food intake and body weight.
Childhood wheezing with rhinovirus can increase asthma risk later during childhood. – Infants who experience viral respiratory illnesses with wheezing are known to be at increased risk for developing asthma later during childhood. It is not known, however, whether every type of respiratory virus that produces wheezing presents similar risk.
Friendly? bacteria in stomach protect against type 1 diabetes, Yale researchers find. – In a dramatic illustration of the potential for microbes to prevent disease, researchers at Yale University and the University of Chicago showed that mice exposed to common stomach bacteria were protected against the development of Type I diabetes.
Bad teeth, bleeding gums and poor dental hygiene can end up causing heart disease, revealed by researchers at the Society for General Microbiology’s Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin. – People with poor dental hygiene and those who don’t brush their teeth regularly end up with bleeding gums, which provide an entry to the bloodstream for up to 700 different types of bacteria found in our mouths.
Typical patients of retail medical health clinics in the United States include patients who don’t have regular health care provider or doctor. – Retail medical clinics located in pharmacies and other stores typically attract insured and uninsured patients who are seeking help for a small group of easy-to-treat illnesses or preventive care and do not otherwise have a regular health care provider, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
