US FDA approves new seasonal influenza vaccine made using novel technology – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it has approved Flublok, the first trivalent influenza vaccine made using an insect virus (baculovirus) expression system and recombinant DNA technology. Flublok is approved for the prevention of seasonal influenza in people 18 through 49 years of age.
U.S. Flu Season Off To Early Start, CDC Urges Vaccination — Early Vaccine Coverage Data Shows Millions Unprotected Still – Significant increases in flu activity in the United States have occurred in the last two weeks, indicating that an early flu season is upon us. These increases in activity overlap with National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) being observed December 2-8, 2012.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine may benefit HIV infected women – Women with HIV may benefit from a vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV), despite having already been exposed to HPV, a study finds. Although many may have been exposed to less serious forms of HPV, more than 45 percent of sexually active young women who have acquired HIV appear never to have been exposed to the most common high-risk forms of HPV.
Hurricane Sandy and Power Outage — Food Storage And Food Safety Tips For Hurricane Preparedness — What To Do And When To Do It – Hurricane Sandy is already making an impact on the North Eastern coast, and being prepared for a storm as large as this is crucial. Hurricane Sandy could bring wind, flooding, heavy rain and possibly snow to the East Coast, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) urges people to take steps now to ensure they have access to safe food.
H1N1 vaccine associated with small but significant risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome – Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is usually characterized by rapidly developing motor weakness and areflexia (the absence of reflexes). “The disease is thought to be autoimmune and triggered by a stimulus of external origin.
HPV vaccine reduces infection, even in unvaccinated — Study shows evidence of herd protection – The HPV vaccine not only has resulted in a decrease in human papillomavirus infection in immunized teens but also in teens who were not immunized. The study is believed to be the first to show a substantial decrease in HPV infection in a community setting as well as herd protection ? a decrease in infection rates among unimmunized individuals that occurs when a critical mass of people in a community is immunized against a contagious disease.
New vaccine for nicotine addiction — Weill Cornell researchers develop novel anti-body vaccine that blocks addictive nicotine chemicals from reaching the brain – A single dose of novel vaccine protects mice, over their lifetime, against nicotine addiction. Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have developed and successfully tested in mice an innovative vaccine to treat nicotine addiction.
Natural HIV control may rely on sequence of T cell receptor protein — Protein on the surface of killer T cells appears to confer ability to suppress viral replication – The rare ability of some individuals to control HIV infection with their immune system alone appears to depend ? at least partially ? on specific qualities of the immune system’s killer T cells and not on how many of those cells are produced. Even among individuals sharing a protective version of an important immune system molecule ? the ability of HIV-specific killer T cells to control viral replication appears to depend on the particular sequence of the protein that recognizes HIV infected cells.
Flu shot during pregnancy shows unexpected benefits in large study – Getting a flu shot during pregnancy provides unanticipated benefits to the baby. A new study showed that H1N1 vaccination during the pandemic was associated with a significantly reduced risk of stillbirth, preterm birth and extremely small babies at birth.
Brain cancer vaccine proves effective — With help of patient groups, phase 2 clinical trial paves way for testing therapy that combines cancer vaccine with the drug Avastin – A new brain cancer vaccine tailored to individual patients by using material from their own tumors has proven effective in a multicenter phase 2 clinical trial at extending their lives by several months or longer. The patients suffered from recurrent glioblastoma multiforme-which kills thousands of Americans every year.
