It was hoped that as HIV treatment improved and as HIV-related public health initiatives encouraged people to be tested for the disease and seek care, that HIV-infected patients would seek care quickly. Unfortunately, a new study indicates that patients are actually sicker when they begin therapy. The study is published in the November 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, currently available online.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved labeling changes for erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs in the class that includes Cialis, Levitra, and Viagra, to display more prominently the potential risk of sudden hearing loss, and to guide consumers on what to do if they experience sudden problems with their hearing.
Chilean researchers have identified a region of the brain – the insular cortex – that plays a role in drug craving in amphetamine-addicted rats, according to a report published in the 26 October issue of the journal Science, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the nonprofit science society. This finding ultimately may help support the development of new therapies to treat drug addiction as well as certain behavioral side effects of medications.
The Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center announced research showing that intermittent nicotine treatment reduces medication-induced dyskinesias by as much as 50 percent in models of Parkinson’s disease. Lead by senior research scientist, Maryka Quik, Ph.D., the research will be published in an upcoming issue of the Annals of Neurology.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Early Communication about an Ongoing Safety Review of Aprotinin Injection (marketed as Trasylol), a drug used to control bleeding during heart surgery. Last week, FDA was notified that a Canadian research group stopped a study on Trasylol because the drug appeared to increase the risk for death compared to the other antifibrinolytic drugs used in the study.
Pennsylvania, US is a National leader in curbing spread of healthcare-associated infections. Pennsylvania health department suggests measures to reduce the spread of ‘MRSA’, superbug hospital infections.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today expanded the approved age range for Menactra, a bacterial meningitis vaccine, to include children ages 2 to 10 years.
Researchers have discovered a strain of bacteria resistant to all approved drugs used to fight ear infections in children, according to an article published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). A pair of pediatricians discovered the strain because it is their standard practice to perform an uncommon procedure called tympanocentesis (ear tap) on children when several antibiotics fail to clear up their ear infections. The procedure involves puncturing the child’s eardrum and draining fluid to relieve pressure and pain. Analyzing the drained fluid is the only way to describe the bacterial strain causing the infection.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today released consumer and industry advisories regarding safe sources of puffer fish. Many puffer fish, also known as fugu, bok, blowfish, globefish, swellfish, balloonfish, or sea squab, contain deadly toxins that affect the central nervous system, if consumed.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved doripenem injection, 500 mg intravenous infusion, for the treatment of complicated urinary tract and intra-abdominal infections. Doripenem injection, sold under the trade name Doribax, has been shown to be active against several strains of bacteria.