Tamiflu Resistance Confirmed in H7N9 Flu Cases — Drug resistance in new China bird flu raises concern – Resistance easily develops when patients take antiviral drugs such as oseltamivir (tamiflu) for treating h7n9 influenza infections. Researcher’s analysis, which includes 14 patients who were hospitalized in Shanghai within 2 days of starting therapy with Tamiflu, appears in The Lancet.
Plain cigarette packets to be introduced — Australia was the first country in the world to introduce plain pack cigarettes – Ireland first EU country to ban branding on cigarette packages – Putting all cigarettes in packs of uniform colour, size and design has not caused sales staff any problems in serving customers according to new research. Researchers examining the impact of plain, standardised tobacco packaging studied how long it took shop assistants to identify and retrieve cigarettes in small shops across Australia – twice before the rollout of standardised packaging in December 2012, and twice after.
SARS-Like Virus Kills Man in France — New SARS-like virus is a ‘threat to the entire world’ – A 65 year old man died in northern France from the new SARS like virus. The unnamed man became the first of two confirmed cases of the strain of coronavirus in France this month after returning from a trip to the United Arab Emirates in April.
Pesticide exposure linked to Parkinson’s disease — Pesticide Exposure Tied to PD Risk – Exposure to pesticides, weed killers and solvents is likely to be associated with a higher risk for developing Parkinson’s disease, revealed by researchers in the Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Venezuelan H1N1 flu outbreak has killed 17 and infected another 250, according to health sources – An outbreak of H1N1 flu has killed 17 people in Venezuela and infected another 250, private media and local authorities said on Monday. H1N1, often referred to as swine flu, was a flu strain that swept around in the world in a 2009/2010 pandemic.
Baby’s life saved with groundbreaking 3D printed device from University of Michigan that restored his breathing — Bioresorbable splint used for first time, successfully stopped life-threatening tracheobronchomalacia, case featured in New England Journal of Medicine – Every day, their baby stopped breathing, his collapsed bronchus blocking the crucial flow of air to his lungs. April and Bryan Gionfriddo watched helplessly, just praying that somehow the dire predictions weren’t true.
GlaxoSmithKline awarded up to $200 million by U.S. government to develop new antibiotics – GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) have agreed to a first of its kind collaboration that will support the development of several antibiotics to fight antibiotic resistance and bioterrorism.
Vitamin C and Tuberculosis — Study Finds Vitamin C Can Kill Drug-Resistant TB – In a striking, unexpected discovery, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have determined that vitamin C kills drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) bacteria in laboratory culture.
Tonsil surgery improves some behaviors in children with sleep apnea syndrome — NIH-funded clinical study may help inform decisions about this common surgical procedure – Children with sleep apnea syndrome who have their tonsils and adenoids removed sleep better, are less restless and impulsive, and report a generally better quality of life.
Bed sharing with parents increases risk of cot death fivefold — Rates of sudden infant death would plummet if parents avoided bed sharing, advise authors – Bed sharing with parents is linked to a fivefold increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), even when the parents are non-smokers and the mother has not been drinking alcohol and does not use illegal drugs.
Teens sharing more on social media – Facebook waning – Twitter winning – A survey by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society has mostly good news about how teens approach privacy issues on social-networking services.
Unlocking the manipulation of mosquitoes by malaria parasites – Female mosquitoes infected with malaria parasites are significantly more attracted to human odour than uninfected mosquitoes. This was demonstrated in a laboratory setting in which infected female Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto mosquitoes were attracted to human odours three times more than mosquitoes that were not infected with the malaria-causing Plasmodium falciparum parasite.
