Virus Weekly articles from April 2002

Virus Weekly archives from April 2002

Markers of Hantavirus infection identified.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States have identified several factors which are useful for distinguishing between true Hantavirus infection and conditions with...

Two viruses team up to develop vaccine.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- U.S. government scientists have developed a hybrid vaccine that protects mice from West Nile virus (WNV) infection, as reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. The...

Simian virus found in human lymphoma samples.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Evidence of simian virus 40 (SV40) infection found in 42% of non-Hodgkin lymphoma samples could shed new light on the genesis of these blood cancers that have become more common over the past 30 years,...

Orthopedic surgeon transmits hepatitis C virus to patient.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - One of the first cases of an orthopedic surgeon transmitting hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection to a patient has been reported in Germany. Although much as...

Topical agent controls herpetic lesions by extinguishing neovascularization.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Topical agents containing plasmid DNA encoding for interleukin-12 can control lesions caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 by modulating chemokines that...

Virus levels in men significant in spread of HIV to women.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Higher HIV levels among men significantly increase the likelihood they will spread the virus that causes AIDS to their female sex partners, according to research conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg...

Transcription-mediated activation assay suitable for blood screening.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in California say that a novel assay for detecting and distinguishing between HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is suitable for use in blood...

Lamivudine effective for post-transplant hepatitis B reactivation.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The antiretroviral drug lamivudine can quickly resolve hepatitis B reinfection after bone marrow transplantation (BMT), researchers in Japan report. ...

Company awaits word from FDA on cold-busting drug.(ViroPharma Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Like the people it hopes to treat one day, ViroPharma, Inc. has seen its share of aches and pains. But officials at the pharmaceutical firm say they're optimistic their groundbreaking common cold drug...

New data demonstrate accuracy and reliability of Trugene HIV resistance test.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Visible Genetics, Inc., (VGIN) reported that data presented at the 9th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Seattle demonstrate that the Trugene HIV-1 Genotyping Kit is highly...

Study finds HIV/AIDS susceptible to tipranavir.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patients with virus resistant to multiple HIV/AIDS drugs were shown to achieve and maintain viral suppression with tipranavir (TPV)-based therapy, according to data presented at the recent Conference on...

Digene announces clearance to market Hybrid Capture 2 HPV Test in Japan.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Digene Corp. (DIGE) announced that it has received clearance by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to market its Hybrid Capture 2 HPV Test for the detection of human papillomavirus (HPV)...

Phase II study of lead product candidate in hepatitis B patients initiated.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Achillion Pharmaceuticals, a privately held pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative anti-infective agents, announced the commencement of a phase...

Digene files Hart-Scott-Rodino notification.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Digene Corp. (DIGE) announced that it has filed its notification and report form pursuant to the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 in connection with the execution, on February 19,...

Mandela endorses making key AIDS drugs available to all HIV-positive South Africans.(Nelson Mandela)(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Former South African President Nelson Mandela suggested that AIDS drugs be made accessible to all South Africans who need them but said he did not intend to contradict government policy. Speaking...

Institut Pasteur enters agreement to research treatments for hemorrhagic fever viruses.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Novirio Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., has announced that the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, has set up a program to evaluate Novirio's extensive library of compounds for antiviral activity against several...

Canadian group announces small animal model for hepatitis C.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A group in Canada says they have developed a way to study hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a more readily available and less costly animal model. HCV does not...

Hepatitis E virus in Taiwan swine suggests age differential for infection.
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Pigs in Taiwan tend to harbor active hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection during distinct periods of their lives, according to researchers at National Yang-Ming...

Eating breakfast may keep colds and flu at bay.(Brief Article)
April 2, 2002... 2002 APR 2 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Overall knowledge about the psychology of the common cold has greatly increased in recent years and one of the main findings has been the link between stress and susceptibility to colds. Research...

Caltech and Purdue scientists determine structure of virus.(California Institute of Technology)(Purdue University )(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists at the California Institute of Technology and Purdue University have determined the fine-detail structure of the virus that causes dengue fever. This advance could lead to newer and more...

Hantavirus protein interacts with proapoptotic cellular factor.(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Coat proteins produced by hantaviruses may affect the activity of factors that regulate programmed cell death, researchers in Finland say. "Hantaviruses...

Novel test detects early post-transplant cytomegalovirus infection.(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in England say that a novel molecuar assay can quickly and easily detect cytomegalovirus infection after bone marrow transplantation. "Bone...

Researchers develop first oral drug treatment.(smallpox)(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An oral drug that halts the deadly action of smallpox and related orthopox viruses in lab tissue culture cells and in cowpox-infected mice has been developed by researchers at the Veterans Affairs San...

Epstein-Barr viral load flawed but useful tool for post-transplant infection monitoring.(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Epstein-Barr virus levels after stem cell transplantation (SCT) can help determine which patients will develop lymphoproliferative disorders, researchers in...

Genetic testing could identify HIV patients at risk of hypersensitivity to HIV drug.(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HIV patients at risk of a potentially fatal hypersensitive reaction to the antiretroviral drug abacavir could be identified by genetic testing before drug therapy has started, suggest authors of a...

Drug-resistant viral resevoirs remain after treatment interruption.(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - HIV mutants resistant to powerful antiretroviral drugs remain in the body after treatment interruptions, researchers in Germany have found. "After the...

HIV protein stops cell division, leading to more virus and sicker patients.(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- T cells are supposed to be one of the body's best defenses against the invading intracellular foes like viruses and some bacteria. But when they encounter HIV, some of these immune system cells become...

LabCorp introduces new suite of molecular assays for hepatitis.(Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings)(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (LabCorp) announced an advanced suite of molecular assays developed to improve the management of patients with the hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C virus. ...

MediGene receives U.S. patent regarding cervical cancer vaccine.(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The German-American biopharmaceutical company MediGene AG (MDG) announced that the U.S. patent office has issued U.S. patent No. 6,352,696, "Papillomavirus truncated L1 protein and fusion protein...

Weekly treatment developed.(influenza drug)(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new form of influenza drug, which can be used as both a treatment and a preventative, has been developed by Biota and GlaxoSmithKline. It was presented at the international antiviral meeting in...

Court urged to deny South African government's appeal against AIDS drug order.(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AIDS activists have urged the country's High Court to block the government from appealing a court order that requires the state to supply an anti-AIDS drug to HIV-positive pregnant women. In...

Company identifies miniature swine that do not transmit pig retrovirus to humans.(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists at Immerge BioTherapeutics, Inc., a BioTransplant Inc. (BTRN)/Novartis Pharma AG (NYS) joint venture company, have identified miniature swine that failed to produce porcine endogenous...

Abacavir could play important future role in treatment of children with HIV-1.(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Results of the Paediatric European Network for Treatment of AIDS (PENTA) 5 Trial, published in the March 2, 2002, issue of the Lancet, suggest an important future role for the drug abacavir in the...

New drug therapy improves adherence and cure rate for hepatitis C.(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The side effects with the standard hepatitis C therapy (interferon in combination with ribavirin) are so unpleasant that patients frequently abandon treatment, even though when left untreated hepatitis...

Outbreak in Caribbean blamed on low rate of immunization mutation of virus in vaccine.(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An outbreak of polio in Haiti and the Dominican Republic has been traced to a weakened virus in a vaccine that mutated and spread disease among poorly immunized children. Even though Haiti and the...

News media portrayal of vaccine changed quickly following report of adverse event.(rotavirus)(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- News media coverage about vaccines can shift abruptly from positive to negative in response to scientific research and public health reports about adverse events, according to an article in the March...

Women with genital warts should be closely monitored for anogenital cancers.(Brief Article)
April 9, 2002... 2002 APR 9 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Infection with a common virus that causes genital warts is a serious risk factor for vaginal cancer, according a recent large-scale study of women in western Washington. The study, led by...

Glycoprotein genotype not linked to liver transplant outcome.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Variations in a cytomegalovirus coat protein do not have a significant impact on the outcome of liver transplants, researchers in Canada argue. "Based on...

RFI-641 effective against respiratory syncytial virus.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States say that a novel compound shows promise for the treatment of illnesses caused by respiratory syncytial virus. "Human...

Continuing lamivudine when hepatitis B mutants arise could be risky.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Doctors who continue to prescribe lamivudine for their liver transplant patients when hepatitis B virus mutants arise may be placing them in harm's way. ...

Lipid rafts needed for intercellular viral transport.(Ebola)(Brief Article)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States have identified a key structure used by filoviruses - including the Ebola and Marburg viruses - for cellular transport. ...

Alphavirus vectors show promise for Ebola, Lassa virus vaccines.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Alphavirus vectors may be useful for developing vaccines against Lassa and Ebola virus infections, researchers in the United States report. "Lassa and...

Next generation NNRTI, TMC125, shows antiviral effect in patients failing HIV therapy.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The first efficacy data of TMC125, a next generation nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, demonstrated significant antiviral activity in HIV patients infected with NNRTI-resistant virus and...

Company reports record second quarter in 2002.(Digene Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Digene Corp. (DIGE) reported that total revenues for the second quarter of 2002 increased 49% to a record $11.6 million, compared with $7.8 million in the comparable quarter last year. Net loss...

WHO says outbreak in central Africa under control.(World Health Organization)(Ebola)(Brief Article)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An outbreak of Ebola that killed 34 people in Gabon and Republic of Congo is under control, the World Health Organization has announced. "We are satisfied the epidemic has calmed," said David...

Company reports first quarter results.(CEL-SCI Corp. )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CEL-SCI Corp. (CVM) reported financial results for the 3 months ending December 31, 2001. Revenues were $176,244 during the first quarter of fiscal year 2002 versus $249,808 during the first quarter of...

Company reports fourth quarter, year-end results.(Antigenics Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Antigenics, Inc., (AGEN) reported financial results and operating highlights for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2001. For the 3 months ended December 31, 2001, the company incurred a net...

Quest Diagnostics announces improved Heptimax HCV.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Quest Diagnostics, Inc., (DGX), launched a newly improved version of its ultra-sensitive Heptimax hepatitis C viral load test using Roche Diagnostics' COBAS TaqMan platform. Heptimax testing...

Varicella virus vaccine effective over long term.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The varicella-zoster virus (VZV) vaccine provides long-term protection from severe chickenpox, researchers in the United States report. "The varicella...

CDC calls flu season a mild one, says plenty of vaccine still available.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. flu season is nearing its peak, with a rising number of cases in the past several weeks, the government said. About 14% of the specimens sent to a nationwide network of labs tested...

Renal recipients susceptible to hepatitis B mutants, chronic liver disease.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - In kidney transplant patients on long-term immunosuppression, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection sometimes leads to worsened liver illness or even liver...

Measles no longer endemic disease in U.S.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In 2000 a total of 86 confirmed measles cases were reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by state and local health departments, according to the Morbidity and Mortality...

Expert cites new opportunities to prevent perinatal HIV infection.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Treating HIV-positive women early in their pregnancies can dramatically reduce the chances of transmitting the virus to their babies, America's top AIDS expert says. "There's very little reason...

South African government criticizes plans over AIDS drug.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- South Africa's Health Ministry has denounced a decision by the nation's wealthiest province to make a key AIDS drug available, saying it was at odds with the national policy to combat the disease. ...

Low-intensity conditioning may hasten cytomegalovirus infections.(Brief Article)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Less-intensive conditioning regimens for allogeneic stem cell transplants may hasten the onset of posttransplant cytomegalovirus infections (CMV), researchers...

Bristol-Myers Squibb shows strong commitment to virology R&D.(research and development)(Brief Article)
April 16, 2002... 2002 APR 16 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMY) demonstrated its strong commitment to virology with presentations on research from its discovery, clinical development, and phase IV development programs at a top...