Infection
Skin odor may diagnose skin cancerChemists described the first identification of a specific "odor profile" for skin cancer, a discovery that could form the basis of a rapid, non-invasive test for diagnosing the most common type of cancer in the United States.
Avoid grapefruit juices when taking certain drugsGrapefruit and other common fruit juices, including orange and apple, decrease the absorption of drugs, potentially wiping out their beneficial effects.
Two HIV/TB global leaders announce merger talksFormal merger negotiations were announced between two global leaders on HIV and TB: Health & Development Networks (HDN) and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance - at the XVII International AIDS Conference which concluded in Mexico on 8_August 2008. The merger will create a new joint organisation with a global mandate, which will be part of the Alliance family.
India to develop HIV AIDS vaccine soonA second Phase I AIDS vaccine clinical trial in India was successfully completed, the Indian Council of Medical Research, the National AIDS Control Organization and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative announced.
HIV people not tested for tuberculosisA mere 1% of people living with HIV/AIDS are reported to have been screened for TB, according to the most recent global data available from the World Health Organization. Health experts and activists at the International AIDS Conference are calling upon HIV/AIDS programs and international donors to ensure universal TB screening of every person who has tested positive for HIV.
HIV risk high in indian women abused by husbandsMarried women in India who experience physical and sexual violence from their husbands have an increased risk of HIV infection, compared with women who are not abused by their husbands, according to a study in the August 13 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights.
Running slows the agingRegular running slows the effects of aging, according to a new study from Stanford University School of Medicine that has tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years. Elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life and are half as likely as aging nonrunners to die early deaths, the research found.
Dr. Ramadoss to Mexico to attend AIDS ConferenceIndian Health Minister Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India has left for Mexico city and New York on official tour today.
WHO's new HIV AIDS guideAt the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a package of priority interventions designed to help low- and middle-income countries move towards universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support.
International AIDS Society updates treatment guidelines for HIV infectionAn evaluation of recent data has led to an update in the guidelines and recommendations for antiretroviral treatment of adult human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, according to an article in the August 6 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on HIV/AIDS.
Chromosomal changes increase schizophrenia riskPeople with schizophrenia (mental illness variously affecting behavior, thinking, and emotion) have an increased number of unusual chromosomal changes, particularly structural changes that have the potential to alter the function of the genes.
Canada inspecting shipments of peppers from MexicoIn keeping with the Government's commitment to food safety, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is taking precautionary actions to prevent the implicated source of the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak in the United States (U.S.) from entering Canada.
40% higher HIV infection estimate in USThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expected soon to increase the estimate of new HIV infections in the United States by 40 percent. This highlights the need to make HIV testing a routine part of medical care and provide better funding to care for those who test positive, according to the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA).
Genetic variation in Africans raises HIV riskA genetic variation which evolved to protect people of African descent against malaria has now been shown to increase their susceptibility to HIV infection by up to 40 per cent, according to new research. Conversely, the same variation also appears to prolong survival of those infected with HIV by approximately two years.
Boxed warnings on fluoroquinolone antimicrobial drugsThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requests boxed warnings on fluoroquinolone antimicrobial drugs. FDA seeks this to strengthen warnings concerning increased risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture.
Cold sore's herpes simplex virus mechanism revealedNow that Duke University Medical Center scientists have figured out how the virus that causes cold sores hides out, they may have a way to wake it up and kill it.
Update of Salmonella Saintpaul Situation in CanadaPublic Health officials in Canada have reported a case of a Salmonella Saintpaul infection that matches those associated with the outbreak in the United States. The individual involved has indicated that he recently travelled to the United States. Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) officials will continue to work with their colleagues in Canada and the U.S. to monitor the situation and assess further cases.
Weight loss bariatric surgery can cut cancer riskThe latest study by Dr. Nicolas Christou of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University shows that Weight loss bariatric surgery decreases the risk of developing cancer by up to 80 percent.
HPV vaccine Cervarix in UK's immunisation programmeThe UK's leading cervical cancer charity, Jo's Trust, has welcomed the UK's Department of Health's announcement that the HPV vaccine, Cervarix will be used in the national immunisation programme for 12/13 year olds starting in September, 2008.
Malarial parasite plasmodium vivax more seriousPlasmodium vivax can cause severe malaria associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, show two studies published in PLoS Medicine this week. These findings challenge the current dogma that P. falciparum can be severe and life-threatening whereas Plasmodium vivax tends to be mild, according to the related commentary by Stephen Rogerson (University of Melbourne, Australia), an expert not connected with these studies.
Travelers' diarrhea vaccine skin patch for travelersResearchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health have found that patients given a travelers' diarrhea vaccine were significantly less likely to suffer from clinically significant diarrhea than those who received placebo, according to a study published in this week's edition of The Lancet.
Non earlobe body piercing raises complicationsOne in ten adults in England have had a piercing somewhere other than their ear lobe, with a quarter experiencing complications, and one in 100 piercings resulting in a hospital admission.
Avoid raw red tomatoes in New Mexico, TexasThe Food and Drug Administration is alerting consumers in New Mexico and Texas that a salmonellosis outbreak appears to be linked to consumption of certain types of raw red tomatoes and products containing raw red tomatoes.
Oestrogen makes male organ resistant to HIVTopical oestrogen applied to the human penis could stop the spread of HIV, revealed by Australian researchers at the University of Melbourne.
Antibacterial wipes may spread bacteriaAntimicrobial-containing wipes currently used to decontaminate surfaces in hospitals can spread pathogens after first use, revealed by researchers at the Welsh School of Pharmacy, Cardiff University, Wales, UK.
Second hand smoke increases infectious diseases risk in infantsSecond hand smoke decreases immunity in infants and thereby raises risk of infectious diseases and early hospitalization even in the first year of life in infants, revealed by researchers in the BMJ journal Tobacco Control.
Persistent HPV infection raises cervical cancer riskPersistent infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) could be a useful clinical marker for increased risk of cervical cancer, the second most common cancer in women worldwide, revealed by researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
OPAL Therapy cost-effective method of treating HIVAustralian researchers have unveiled a new immunotherapy technique to help prevent the progression from HIV infection to AIDS. Details of the simple, cost-effective technique are published May 2nd in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens.
Mothers less likely to vaccinate daughters against HPVU.S. mothers report they are less likely to vaccinate daughters under age 13 against human papillomavirus virus (HPV), even though the vaccine is recommended for girls at age 11 and 12, it's incumbent upon the healthcare community to work to improve mom's acceptance of the vaccination for younger daughters, say researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center who conducted the study.
Drug resistant tuberculosis rising in UKThe incidence of tuberculosis in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has been on the increase with more than 8000 cases reported in 2006. In addition, resistance to antituberculosis drugs has been increasing globally.
21% children not fully protected against vaccine-preventable diseasesThe U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) last week.
Monitoring AIDS treatment by physical signs is effectiveWhen millions of HIV-infected people in poor countries began receiving advanced drug therapies, critics worried that patient care would suffer because few high-tech laboratories were available to guide treatments. But according to a study being published in The Lancet, these concerns are as yet unfounded.
New bird flu vaccine may give long-term defenseA new vaccine under development may provide protection against highly pathogenic bird flu and its evolving forms, according to researchers at Purdue University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who discovered the new preventative drug and have tested it in mice.
GSK's new vaccine Rotarix to prevent gastroenteritis by rotavirusThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the approval of Rotarix, the second oral U.S. licensed vaccine for the prevention of rotavirus, an infection that causes gastroenteritis (vomiting and diarrhea) in infants and children. Rotarix is a liquid and given in a two-dose series to infants from 6 to 24 weeks of age.
CD16 monocyte could be a biomarker for progression of HIVAn increase in the CD163+/CD16+ monocyte subset could be a biomarker for the progression of HIV disease, according to researchers at Temple University, reported in the March issue of AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses.
VereFlu portable lab-on-chip for detection of bird fluFollowing the success of the evaluation trials conducted at the prestigious National University Hospital of Singapore, Veredus Laboratories and STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) announced the commercial availability of VereFlu, a portable lab-on-chip application for rapid detection of all major influenza types at the point of need.
HIV cases reduced in New ZealandThe New Zealand AIDS Foundation is welcoming the reduction in overall numbers of new HIV diagnoses in 2007, in particular that diagnoses among gay and bisexual men have remained equivalent to 2006 levels.
MRSA and community acquired staph pneumonia more commonPreliminary research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that community acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium may be more common than originally suspected, including that caused by antibiotic resistant strains.
MRSA infection risk after facelift surgeryAbout one-half percent of patients undergoing facelift surgery at one outpatient surgical center between 2001 and 2007 developed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, according to a report in the March/April issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Progress in TB diagnosis and control slowingThe Global tuberculosis control 2008, released by WHO, finds that the pace of the progress to control the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic slowed slightly in 2006, the most recent year for which data were available. The new information documents a slowdown in progress on diagnosing people with TB.
Protein Robo4 may reverse macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathyTwo major eye diseases and leading causes of blindness-age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy-can be reversed or even prevented by drugs that activate a protein found in blood vessel cells, researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine and several other institutions have announced in a new study.
Alarming rates of STDs among teenage girlsA US study found that one in four teenage girls aged 14 to 19 has a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Nearly half the African-Americans in the study were infected by one of the diseases. The survey, part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, did not ask about syphilis or gonorrhea, so it is likely the STD rates are actually higher.
HIV AIDS organisations to highlight progress and lessons learnedHIV/AIDS implementers from around the world will gather in Kampala, Uganda, from June 3-7 for the 2008 HIV/AIDS Implementers' Meeting. Recognizing the rapid expansion of HIV/AIDS programs worldwide, the focus of this year's meeting is building the capacity of local prevention, treatment, and care programs; enhancing quality; and promoting coordination among partners.
Avian influenza in West Bengal, no humans affectedIndian Department of Animal Husbandry has notified fresh poultry deaths in Jiaganj and Raghunathganj-II blocks of Murshidabad district of West Bengal on 9th_March, 2008 which has been confirmed as H5 infection of bird flu.
MRSA admission screening may not reduce staph infection ratesNew findings do not support the recommendation for universal screening on hospital admission for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to reduce the rate of hospital-acquired infections in surgical patients, according to a study in the March 12 issue of JAMA.
Bird flu resurfaced in West Bengal, IndiaBird flu virus has resurfaced in two blocks of West Bengal's Murshidabad district, prompting authorities to take up culling operations. Culling starts in Raghunathganj-ii and Jiaganj blocks of Murshidabad districts.
Gardasil HPV vaccine reduces abnormal pap test resultsA significant drop in abnormal Pap test results happened after girls and women were given Gardasil vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, according to a researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
ELISpot-Plus blood test to diagnose tuberculosisA new blood test called ELISpot-Plus could enable doctors to rule out tuberculosis (TB) infection within days rather than weeks, according to a new study published this week in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
Schistosomiasis more debilitating than estimatedThe health effects of one strain of schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease common in developing countries, are seven to 46 times greater than previously estimated, according to new Brown University research.
Race differences affect response to drugs and infectionsDifferences in gene expression levels between people of European versus African ancestry can affect how each group responds to certain drugs or fights off specific infections, report researchers from the University of Chicago Medical Center and the Expression Research Laboratory at Affymetrix Inc. of Santa Clara, CA.