Study examines family lineage of King Tut, his possible cause of death – Malaria and bone abnormalities appear to have contributed to the death of Egyptian pharaoh King Tutankhamun, revealed by researchers.
Promising candidates for malaria vaccine revealed – Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers have uncovered a group of proteins that could form the basis of an effective vaccine against malaria.
Measuring and modeling blood flow in malaria — Fluid Dynamics Conference in Minneapolis highlights – When people have malaria, they are infected with Plasmodium parasites, which enter the body from the saliva of a mosquito, infect cells in the liver, and then spread to red blood cells.
Gates Foundation funds development of coffee ring stain diagnostic test for malaria – The US’ Gates Foundation funds development of coffee ring stain diagnostic test for malaria. Vanderbilt University received a $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Scientists decode genome of deadly parasitic worm — Schistosoma mansoni — that causes intestinal schistosomiasis. – Researchers have sequenced the genome of the parasite — Schistosoma mansoni — that causes intestinal schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia or snail fever), a devastating tropical disease that afflicts more than 200 million people in the developing world.
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.
Ranbaxy commences phase-iii clinical trials for its new anti-malarial molecule. The drug aims to transform the treatment of malaria in developing countries. – Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited (Ranbaxy) announced the commencement of Phase-III clinical trials for its new Anti-malaria combination drug, Arterolane maleate + Piperaquine phosphate in India, Bangladesh and Thailand.
Some rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria perform exceptionally well in tropical temperatures and can detect even low parasite densities in blood samples. – The largest-ever independent, laboratory-based evaluation of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria has shown that some tests on the market perform exceptionally well in tropical temperatures and can detect even low parasite densities in blood samples, while other tests can detect parasites only at high densities.
Zambia is the latest African country to reach the Roll Back Malaria target of a more than 50% reduction of mortality from malaria compared to 2000. – Malaria deaths reported from health facilities in Zambia have declined by 66%. This result along with other supporting data indicates that Zambia has reached the 2010 Roll Back Malaria target of a more than 50% reduction in malaria mortality compared to 2000.
Pest control and eradication of bedbugs is challenging due to insecticide resistance, lack of effective products, and health concerns about spraying mattresses with pesticides. – A review of previously published articles indicates there is little evidence supporting an effective treatment of bites from bed bugs, that these insects do not appear to transmit disease, and control and eradication of bed bugs is challenging, according to an article in the April 1 issue of JAMA.
A team of Monash University researchers has made a major breakthrough in the international fight against malaria. – Australian researchers have made a major breakthrough in the international fight against malaria, which claims the life of a child across the world every 30 seconds.
‘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.
