Virus Weekly articles from August 2001

Virus Weekly archives from August 2001

Researchers Discover Possible Achilles Heel In Infection By Lethal Ebola And Marburg Viruses.
August 7, 2001... 2001 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The folate receptor, a protein expressed on the surface of many human cells, could be capable of transporting much more into the cell than just folic acid - the B vitamin involved in normal bodily...

Laboratory-Based Surveillance Might Detect HBV Outbreaks Faster.(hepatitis B virus)
August 7, 2001... 2001 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - The authors of a new study about HBV outbreaks caused by injection drug use in Denmark suggest that laboratory-based surveillance may be useful for...

Cidofovir Cream Effective For Anogenital Wart Treatment.
August 7, 2001... 2001 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Topical cidofovir cream is an effective therapy for clearing up anogenital warts in patients infected with HIV, researchers in Italy report. "Treatment...

Aged Mice Only Partly Protected By Adjuvant-Combined Vaccine.(influenza vaccine research)
August 7, 2001... 2001 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - A study appearing in Vaccine has found that influenza vaccines confer only partial protection on some strains of older mice, but completely protect younger...

ACE Inhibitor Captopril Diminishes Fibrotic Progression In Rodents.(treatment of chronic hepatitis C with liver fibrosis)
August 7, 2001... 2001 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Someday, the same drugs used for treating patients with hypertension, ACE inhibitors, might also be prescribed for treating chronic hepatitis C patients...

Interferon/Ribavirin Combination Therapy More Effective At Reducing HCV Load In HIV(+).(hepatitis C viral load)
August 7, 2001... 2001 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A clinical study has revealed that interferon/ribavirin combination therapy is more effective than interferon monotherapy at reducing hepatitis C viral load in HIV infected persons in the first 12...

Jet Injectors Capable Of Transmitting Blood-borne Pathogens.
August 7, 2001... 2001 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Jet injectors may be ideal for mass immunization programs but not until design refinements eliminate their capacity to transmit blood-borne infections, say...

Embargo Placed On Plant Shipments That Could Introduce New Mosquito Species To U.S.
August 7, 2001... 2001 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- On July 2, 2001, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) implemented an embargo on the importation of Dracaena shipments in standing water, which could introduce mosquito species...

Coupling Phospholipids With Existing Drugs Increases Effectiveness.(against viral diseases and cancer)
August 7, 2001... 2001 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Buoyed by continued successes of a novel method for targeting drugs inside the body, Louis S. Kucera, PhD, has formed Kucera Pharmaceutical Co. as a spinoff from Wake Forest University School of...

Global Warming Implicated In Tick-Borne Encephalitis, Spread Of Asian Tiger Mosquito.
August 7, 2001... 2001 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The increase in incidence of tick-borne encephalitis in Sweden reported over the past two decades is directly related to the country's increasingly mild climate over the same period, conclude...

Vaccine Improves Survival Of Poorest, Most Vulnerable Children.(measles vaccine usage in Bangladesh)
August 7, 2001... 2001 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study shows that vaccinating poor children against measles significantly improves their long-term chances for survival and dramatically reduces inequities in child health and survival. ...

EMS Workers Reduce Injury Risk With Switch To Self-Retracting Device.(emergency medical system workers reduce needle-stick injuries)
August 7, 2001... 2001 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A University of Arizona investigator proposes that by switching to self-retracting lancets, emergency medical system (EMS) workers can reduce their risk for...

New York Findings Do Not Bear Out Intussusception Risk In Young Children.(rotavirus vaccine complications)
August 7, 2001... 2001 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - The rate of intussusception among children younger than one year in New York was less than predicted during nine months of rotavirus vaccine use,...

Collaboration Targets Three Oncogenic Viruses.(Genencor International Inc. and Epimmune Inc. have collaboration that targets hepatitis B, C, and human papillomavirus)
August 7, 2001... 2001 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genencor International, Inc. (GCOR) and Epimmune Inc. (EPMN) announced that the two companies have initiated a 30-month collaboration focused on the development of therapeutic vaccines for three...

Model Of Episodes Associated With Upper Respiratory Infection In Adults Is Developed.(wheezing model created)
August 7, 2001... 2001 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Episodic wheezing associated with viral infections of the upper respiratory tract (URT) is a common problem in young children but also occurs in adults. Researchers hypothesized that an...

First Confirmed Case In Florida Reported, Georgia Case Not Yet Confirmed.(West Nile virus)
August 7, 2001... 2001 AUG 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The first confirmed Florida case of the dangerous West Nile virus has been discovered in a crow in the northern part of the state, health officials said on July 6, 2001. The disease,...

Minor Mutations In HIV Virus Have Major Impact.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) indicates that HIV can mutate key proteins in order to hide from an immune attack, and once these mutations occur they persist. ...

Long-Term Lamivudine Regimen Safe, Effective In Hepatitis B Patients.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Although long-term use of lamivudine therapy in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) may encourage the emergence of resistant viral mutants, the therapy...

Infection Susceptibility Increased In Cells With Activated Ras Signaling Pathway.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers in Canada report that activation of the Ras signaling pathway increases permissiveness to herpes simplex virus. Scientists sometimes use pathogens for therapy. Herpes simplex virus...

Teenage Participation in Vaccine Trials Requires Education of Parents.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - To get the participation of teenage girls in a trial of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, researchers should not discount the support of their parents,...

Vaccine Confers Protection On Tribal Children, Despite Malarial Endemicity.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Children from two tribes in the Amazon region benefited from a measles vaccination program, despite living in a remote area that is endemic for malaria,...

Hendra Virus Has A Growing Family Tree.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Australia's CSIRO scientists have found a long line of viruses emerging from the viral family of the Hendra virus, first detected in Queensland in 1994. CSIRO Livestock Industries scientists...

Age, Diabetes Status Independent Risk Factors For Infection.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Doctors along the eastern seaboard of the United States should routinely consider West Nile virus in the differential diagnosis of viral encephalitis and...

No HIV Mutation Found After Long-Term Treatment With Immune Therapy.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Trinity Medical Group USA, Inc. (TMGU) announced the presentation of clinical studies showing that random genotype testing in patients using its immune-based therapy for HIV, Remune(TM), did not...

Once-Daily Didanosine Is Safe, Effective, And Convenient.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Once-daily Videx(R) EC (enteric-coated didanosine) as part of a triple drug regimen provides an effective, well-tolerated anti-HIV therapy with antiviral activity similar to an AZT/3TC...

Human Papillomavirus Detection Now Possible From Pap Test Vials.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Dynacare, Inc. (DNCR) announced that it now provides human papillomavirus (HPV) testing directly from liquid-based Pap test vials. This advanced technology enhances Dynacare's HPV testing...

First Tests To Detect Hepatitis C Virus RNA Approved.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Roche's qualitative Amplicor(R) hepatitis C virus (HCV) tests could bring more accurate identification of liver disease to the clinical setting. Roche Diagnostics Corporation announced that...

Study Looks At Genomic Variability Of Hepatitis C In Patients Coinfected With HCV/HIV.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine has received a $2.5 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the U.S. National Institutes of Health to...

Flare-Up Treatment Reduced From Five Days To Three.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In another first for the leading genital herpes medication, Valtrex(R) (valacyclovir HCl) caplets, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a supplemental new drug application...

Condom Use Cuts Male-To-Female Transmission Risk.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Using condoms even 25% of the time can lower the chance of herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) transmission from infected men to uninfected women, researchers...

Most HCV Eliminated From Scopes With Glutaraldehyde.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A comparison between different concentrations of disinfectant shows manual cleaning and disinfecting with 3% glutaraldehyde is more effective for removing...

MMR Vaccine Should Be Made Compulsory In Jordan.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - The current measles vaccine coverage in Jordan is not enough to stop periodic outbreaks, and public health policy should mandate measles mumps rubella...

Crippled Herpesvirus Is Transformed Into A Better Cancer Killer.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists have found a way to greatly rev up the cancer-killing ability of a genetically engineered virus, a finding that may eventually lead to more potent anti-cancer therapies that capitalize...

Mexico Approves Immune System Enhancer.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- SciClone Pharmaceuticals (SCLN) announced that its immune system enhancer Zadaxin(R) has been approved for expanded indications in Mexico. Zadaxin may now be marketed for the treatment of hepatitis...

Interferon Response Rate Lower In African-Americans, Genotype A Factor.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Interferon, minimally effective for treating hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients infected with a certain classification of the virus, is even more ineffective...

Interferon/Ribavirin Combination Therapy Effective In HIV Patients.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A clinical study has revealed that interferon/ribavirin combination therapy is more effective than interferon monotherapy at reducing hepatitis C viral load in HIV infected persons in the first 12...

Researchers Discover How Immune System Rids Nervous System Of Mosquito-Borne Viruses.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2001... 2001 AUG 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have determined that neurons in the central nervous system react differently to the body's immune defenses to rid themselves of...

B95a Cell Line Offers Alternative For Mumps Culture.
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - The B95a cell line from rhesus monkeys is as sensitive for mumps detection as standard rhesus monkey kidney (RMK) cells, thus offering an alternative to...

Researchers Uncover How A Poxvirus Fools The Immune System.
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Research on a rabbit poxvirus has shed light on how some viruses sneak past our immune defenses. Scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have found three separate mechanisms by...

Engineered Poliovirus Vaccine May Protect Women From AIDS.
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A genetically engineered poliovirus vaccine appears to be an effective new strategy for an AIDS vaccine in women. Researchers from the University of California system and the U.S. National...

HTLV Not Linked To Mortality Risk For Drug Users.(human T-lymphotropic virus)
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Maryland say that human T-lymphotropic virus has little to do with the high mortality rates seen in injection drug users, despite its high...

Murine Model Produces Chance For More In-Depth Study Of HCV.(hepatitis C virus)
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Mice bearing chimeric human livers should afford researchers more information about hepatitis C virus pathogenesis, according to the developers of a new...

Analysis Suggests Infection Outbreak In U.S. Was Greater Than Previously Thought.(West Nile virus outbreak)
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A detailed analysis of the 1999 New York City outbreak of West Nile virus suggests that a substantial, and previously undiagnosed, outbreak of West Nile fever accompanied the 59 cases of West Nile...

First HIV Rat Seen As Best Model For Human Studies.
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- With more people living with AIDS than ever before, researchers will welcome a new rat model to study the pathogenesis and the development of new drugs to treating AIDS, say scientists in the July...

Specific Genotype Could Increase Resistance To HIV Drug Therapy.(C3435T alteration of the human MDR1 gene)
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A specific mutation of a gene that influences the expression of a glycoprotein transporter protein involved in the body's resistance to drugs and other toxins is detailed in a research letter in...

Nonprescription Drug Speeds Healing And Reduces Contagiousness.(Abreva (docosanol 10%) for the treatment of cold sores)
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- For the first time, a widely available U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved, non-prescription medication has been shown to be efficacious in the treatment of common cold sores. ...

Ultrasensitive Quantitative Test For HCV Hits Market.(Heptimax test for the diagnosis of hepatitis C virus)
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Quest Diagnostics, Inc. (DGX) announced the availability of a new ultra-sensitive viral load test for hepatitis C virus (HCV) that is approximately 10 times more sensitive than any other...

First Case Of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome In Northeast U.S. Reported.
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A case report in the July 20, 2001, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report points up the fact that hantavirus infection, though rare, can occur anywhere in the U.S. if the appropriate rodent vectors...

Nasal Vaccine Is Efficacious, But More Safety Data Needed.(FluMist influenza virus vaccine)
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) recommended that there are adequate data to support the efficacy of FluMist(TM)...

WHO Plans New Fight Against Flu.(World Health Organization)
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Far from being an innocuous "cold-like" infection, flu is a killer, causing approximately 20,000 deaths each year in the United States alone. The virus which causes flu is highly contagious....

Second-Generation Vaccine More Immunogenic In Mouse Model.(purified, inactivated vaccine against Japanese encephalitis)
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - A purified, inactivated vaccine (PIV) against Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus is as protective as the currently licensed vaccine in mice and is more...

Viral Vector Stimulates CTL, Th1 Responses In Young Mice.(cytotoxic T lymphocyte, Th1 responses against measles)
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - NYVAC(K1L)-HA is the first attenuated live viral vector that is capable of inducing adultlike antibody, Th1, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses...

Summer Camp Outbreaks Highlight Importance Of Hand Washing.(Norwalk-like virus)
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Outbreaks of Norwalk-like virus infections occurred at two recreational camps in Wisconsin in June 2001, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The infections were...

Study Finds HIV Requires Cholesterol To Infect.
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cholesterol is instrumental in HIV's ability to infiltrate cells, and removing this fatty material from a cell's membrane blocks infection, according to a Johns Hopkins study reported in the July...

Study Indicates Zinc Nasal Spray Has No Effect on the Duration of the Common Cold.
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Viral upper respiratory illness is a common and debilitating problem, with adults experiencing an average of two to three colds per year. While viral upper respiratory illnesses are self-limited,...

Immune System Enhancer Patented As Part Of Combination Therapy.(Zadaxin, lamivudine, and famciclovir for the treatment of hepatitis B)
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- SciClone Pharmaceuticals (SCLN) announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance for use of the company's lead drug, Zadaxin(R) plus lamivudine and famciclovir...

Phase Ib/II Study Of L-Nucleoside Initiated.(for the treatment of hepatitis B infection)
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Achillion Pharmaceuticals announced it has begun a Phase Ib/II clinical study of the compound ACH-126,443 (beta-LFd4C), an L-nucleoside, for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (HBV) infection....

Ribavirin OK For Dialysis Patients With Hepatitis C, But Close Monitoring Is Needed.
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Ribavirin can be used in conjunction with interferon (IFN)-alpha to combat hepatitis C virus (HCV) in dialysis patients, but close patient monitoring for...

Seven-Year Follow-Up Of Vaccine Confirms Long-Term Protection.(varicella vaccine)
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Children who are vaccinated against varicella and then exposed to the disease in their household have only a 10% chance of being infected, compared with a...

Hepatitis B X Protein Displays High Functional Significance In Nucleus.
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A London, England, research group says the hepatitis B virus (HBV) X protein (HBx) can be identified in nuclear material as well as cytoplasm, and nuclear...

CDC Urges More Mosquito-Control Efforts To Stop Spread.(of West Nile virus)
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned health agencies on August 2, 2001, to step up mosquito-control efforts and other measures to stop the spread of the dangerous West Nile...

Moving West: Infected Bird Found In Ohio.(West Nile virus moves west)
August 21, 2001... 2001 AUG 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A dead blue jay infected with the West Nile virus has been found in Ohio, the farthest west the disease has surfaced since it emerged along the East Coast in 1999. The bird was found in Lake...