Bird Flu :: Flu viruses survive in frozen lakes
Bird flu or influenza virus can live for years in frozen lakes, and might be picked up and carried by birds to reinfect animals and peoples, researchers revealed.
Viral
Genome :: DOE JGI releases IMG 2.0 with all genomes refreshed from RefSeq
Version 2.0 of the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) data management system of the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute has been released to the public. The content of IMG 2.0 has been entirely refreshed and extended with the latest versions of genomes available from the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s (NCBI) Reference Sequence collection (RefSeq).
HIV :: International HIV/AIDS trial finds risks increase on episodic antiretroviral therapy
Results from one of the largest HIV/AIDS treatment trials ever conducted show that a specific strategy of interrupting antiretroviral therapy more than doubles the risk of AIDS or death from any cause. In the study, the investigators used two predetermined levels of CD4+ T cells, the primary immune cell targeted by HIV, to guide them in respectively suspending or restarting the study participants on antiretroviral therapy.
HIV :: Boehringer Ingelheim’s patent rights are no obstacle to access to ARV drugs in developing countries
On the occasion of World Aids Day 2006 Boehringer Ingelheim stated that its patent rights to Viramune (nevirapine) do not prevent access to this medication in low income countries.
Flu :: Flu can bide time in icy limbo before re-emerging – BGSU
It sounds like the stuff of a campy ’50s horror movie (“It Came from the Ice!”), but a Bowling Green State University biologist believes it’s a very real possibility.
Bird Flu :: Peramivir – new drug for bird flu
BioCryst’s Peramivir is a new flu drug that can kill deadly strains of bird flu, and this antiviral drug is promising to transform global preparations for an influenza pandemic.
Chikungunya :: Sri Lanka confirms Chikungunya viral fever epidemic – 5000 suspected
Sri Lanka has confirmed an epidemic of the mosquito-borne Chikungunya viral fever, a top health official said on Saturday. Doctors suspect it has infected 5,000 people in the island’s far north.
Flu :: GSK to supply and store H5N1 vaccine products for US flu pandemic stockpiling
GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK), one of the world?s largest vaccine manufacturers, today announced it has been awarded a contract to supply pre-pandemic vaccines to the US strategic national stockpile. The company has received an initial $40 million order under the contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for bulk H5N1 antigen – the substance in the vaccines that will help produce an immune response.
HIV :: 24-week results from Aptivus, tipranavir
Data from two 24-week analyses of the RESIST-1 and RESIST-2 studies, which evaluated Aptivus? (tipranavir) in treatment-experienced HIV-1 infected patients, were published in the 15 November issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases. Data demonstrate that at 24-weeks Aptivus, used with ritonavir (Aptivus/r) as part of combination antiretroviral therapy, achieved superior antiviral and immunological activity in treatment-experienced patients with multidrug-resistant HIV-1 infection.
Avian Flu :: UNH research uses satellite observation to track avian flu
An international, interdisciplinary team of researchers led by professor Xiangming Xiao of the University of New Hampshire is taking a novel scientific approach in an attempt to understand the ecology of the avian influenza, develop better methods of predicting its spread, and provide an accurate early warning system.