http://medicineworld.org/news/infectious-disease-news.html MedicineWorld.Org brings daily infectious disease news from various sources to keep you updated on the latest events in the world on this topic. Medicineworld infectious disease news service is the most comprehensive infectious disease news service on the internet. We keep an archive of previous few days of news on this site. Please go down through the list to find the older news items Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:58 GMT en-us http://medicineworld.org/images/infectious-diseases.jpg http://medicineworld.org/news/infectious-disease-news.html 66 96 http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/why-hepatitis-is-harder-on-men.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/why-hepatitis-is-harder-on-men.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:58 GMT Researchers in China are reporting discovery of unusual liver proteins, found only in males, that may help explain the long-standing mystery of why the hepatitis B virus (HBV) sexually discriminates -- hitting men harder than women. Their study has been published online in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, a monthly publication........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/what-makes-pandemic-h1n1-tick.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/what-makes-pandemic-h1n1-tick.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:58 GMT As the number of deaths correlation to the pandemic H1N1 virus, usually known as "swine flu," continues to rise, scientists have been scrambling to decipher its inner workings and explain why the incidence is lower than expected in elderly adults. In a study available online and appearing in a future issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher and his collaborators in California show that the molecular makeup of the current H1N1 flu strain is strikingly different from prior H1N1 strains as well as the normal seasonal flu, particularly in structural parts of the virus normally recognized by the immune system........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/new-direction-for-hiv-vaccine-research.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/new-direction-for-hiv-vaccine-research.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:58 GMT A very close and detailed study of how the most robust antibodies work to block the HIV virus as it seeks entry into healthy cells has revealed a new direction for scientists hoping to design an effective vaccine. "Our study clearly showed that we've been overlooking a very important component of antibody function," says S. Munir Alam, Ph.D., an associate professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center and main author of the paper appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences....... ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/learning-bacterial-communications.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/learning-bacterial-communications.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:58 GMT Using imaging mass spectrometry, scientists at the University of California, San Diego have developed tools that will enable researchers to visualize how different cell populations of cells communicate. Their study shows how bacteria talk to one another an understanding that may lead to new therapeutic discoveries for diseases ranging from cancer to diabetes and allergies........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/new-synthetic-molecules-trigger-immune-response.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/new-synthetic-molecules-trigger-immune-response.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:58 GMT Scientists at Yale University have developed synthetic molecules capable of enhancing the body's immune response to HIV and HIV-infected cells, as well as to prostate cancer cells. Their findings, published online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, could lead to novel therapeutic approaches for these diseases........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/air-pollution-and-infants-bronchiolitis.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/air-pollution-and-infants-bronchiolitis.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:58 GMT Infants who are exposed to higher levels of air pollution are at increased risk for bronchiolitis, as per a newly released study. The study appears in the November 15 issue of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. "There has been very little study of the consequences of early life exposure to air pollution," said Catherine Karr, M.D. PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington and the paper's main author. "This study is unique in that we were able to look at multiple sources including wood smoke in a region with relatively low concentrations of ambient air pollution overall"........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/colorful-fruits-and-vegetable.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/colorful-fruits-and-vegetable.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:58 GMT Hoping to keep the flu at bay? A strong immune system helps. Enjoying the bounty of colorful fruits and vegetables available right now can be an important step toward supporting your family's immune system this cold/flu season. In addition to vitamins, minerals and fiber, fruits and vegetables contain phytonutrients, believed to come from the com-pounds that give these foods their vibrant colors. These phytonutrients provide a wide range of health benefits, includ-ing supporting a healthy immune system........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/flu-vaccine-to-women-during-pregnancy.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/flu-vaccine-to-women-during-pregnancy.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:58 GMT Infants born to women who received influenza vaccine during pregnancy were hospitalized at a lower rate than infants born to unvaccinated mothers, as per preliminary results of a research study that's ongoing by scientists at Yale School of Medicine. The team presented the study October 29 at the 47th annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America in Philadelphia........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/pancreatic-cancer-risk.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/11-2009/pancreatic-cancer-risk.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:58 GMT A Henry Ford Hospital study observed that hepatitis B does not increase the risk for pancreas cancer and that only age is a contributing factor. The results contradict a prior study in 2008 that suggested a link between pancreas cancer and prior hepatitis B infection. Hepatitis B is an inflammation of the liver caused by a viral infection........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/10-2009/antioxidants-against-the-flu-virus.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/10-2009/antioxidants-against-the-flu-virus.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:58 GMT As the nation copes with a shortage of vaccines for H1N1 influenza, a team of Alabama scientists have raised hopes that they have found an Achilles' heel for all strains of the fluantioxidants. In an article appearing in the November 2009 print issue of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) they show that antioxidantsthe same substances found in plant-based foodsmight hold the key in preventing the flu virus from wreaking havoc on our lungs........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/10-2009/learn-from-past-flu-season.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/10-2009/learn-from-past-flu-season.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:58 GMT Pregnant women who catch the flu are at serious risk for flu-related complications, including death, and that risk far outweighs the risk of possible side effects from injectable vaccines containing killed virus, as per an extensive review of published research and data from prior flu seasons. The review, a collaboration among researchers from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, Emory University and Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and published online Oct. 22 in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, found substantial and persistent evidence of high complication risk among pregnant women -- both healthy ones and those with underlying medical conditions -- infected with the flu virus, while confirming vaccine safety. The findings, scientists say, solidify existing CDC recommendations that make pregnant women the highest-priority group to receive both the H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/10-2009/psychological-trauma-in-hiv-patients.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/10-2009/psychological-trauma-in-hiv-patients.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:58 GMT The feeling of stigmatization that people living with HIV often experience doesn't only exact a psychological toll new UCLA research suggests it can also lead to quantifiably negative health outcomes. As per a research findings reported in the recent issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, scientists from the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA observed that a large number of HIV-positive individuals who reported feeling stigmatized also reported poor access to care or suboptimal adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART)........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/10-2009/major-swine-flu-outbreak-at-us-air-force-academy.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/10-2009/major-swine-flu-outbreak-at-us-air-force-academy.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:58 GMT With the 2009 influenza season upon us, characterization of the epidemiology and duration of shedding for the nH1N1 virus is critical. Investigators from the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine Epidemiology Consult Service capitalized on a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights about the natural behavior of the nH1N1 virus, including shedding patterns, during a recent large-scale swine flu outbreak at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA). Their results are reported in an article published online on October 20, 2009 by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine It is the first published study of its kind........ ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/10-2009/girls-aware-of-hpv-vaccines-benefits.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/10-2009/girls-aware-of-hpv-vaccines-benefits.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:58 GMT Contrary to concerns that the human papillomavirus vaccine might promote promiscuity, a national survey of girls and young women observed that the majority of respondents did not believe the HPV vaccine protected them against other sexually transmitted infections. The study, conducted by University of Illinois at Chicago and University of Chicago researchers, appears online and in the recent issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health....... ]]> http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/10-2009/misuse-of-antibiotics-not-the-only-cause.html http://medicineworld.org/stories/lead/10-2009/misuse-of-antibiotics-not-the-only-cause.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:58 GMT The perception that antibiotic resistance is primarily the undesirable consequence of antibiotic abuse or misuse is a view that is simplistic and inaccurate, as per a recent report by the American Academy of Microbiology. The reasons behind the spread of resistance are much more complex, including appropriate antibiotic use, lack of proper sanitation and hygiene, and even the environment........ ]]>