Chikungunya is turning out to be a national epidemic & a major calamity. There are horror stories of whole villages in Rajasthan being affected & old people who are so debilitated that they are not able to feed themselves.
Chikungunya fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a member of the genus Alphavirus, in the family Togaviridae.
Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI) today announced that the results of a Phase 1 clinical trial of HGS004 (CCR5 mAb) demonstrate that it was well tolerated and exhibited antiviral activity in patients who are infected with HIV-1, the retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The results were reported in San Francisco in an oral presentation at the American Society for Microbiology’s 46th Annual Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC).
Benzimate is the lead compound selected from a series of compounds known as benzimidazoles. The anti-cancer and anti-viral activity of the benzimidazoles was originally investigated by the Proctor & Gamble Company (P & G) beginning in the 1990’s.
For hikers, campers and others who enjoy the outdoors, summer can bring concerns about tick bites and related illnesses such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Researchers are investigating the role that antioxidants — alpha-lipoic acid and potentially others like green tea and vitamins C and E, for example – might play in preventing or treating the deadly rickettsia bacteria.
Serotonin syndrome (or hyperserotonemia) is a hyperserotonergic state, that is an excess of 5-HT (serotonin) in the central nervous system. It is usually associated with high doses of serotonergic drugs, when combinations of serotonergic agents are used together, or when antidepressants are changed without an adequate washout period between drugs.
Acemannan, a component of aloe gel, has been shown in laboratory tests to have immune-stimulating and anti-viral activities.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of RotaTeq, a live, oral, vaccine for use in preventing rotavirus gastroenteritis in infants. It is the only vaccine approved in the United States that can help protect against rotavirus, a viral infection that may cause diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and dehydration.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) for prevention (prophylaxis) of seasonal influenza (“flu”) in children 1 to 12 years of age who had close contact with an infected individual. This is the first drug approved for prevention of both influenza A and B in pediatric patients.
HIV-positive women diagnosed with genital herpes during pregnancy appear to be quite likely to pass HIV to their infants, according to a study conducted in New York City.