Virus Weekly articles from June 2000

Virus Weekly archives from June 2000

Protective Antibody Responses Induced by Novel Vaccine Delivery System.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Type two herpes simplex virus (HSV-2) antigens formulated in novel vaccine delivery systems induced protective antibody responses in mice. "The immunogenicity of a HSV-2 antigen preparation following its...

HIV Type 1 Protease Mutation Increases Sensitivity to Amprenavir.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to a recent study published in the Journal of Virology, the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease inhibitor amprenavir is a good salvage therapy for patients who have had unsuccessful...

New Virus Isolated from Human Brain Cells.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- For the first time, Borna disease virus (BDV) has been isolated from brain tissue of a schizophrenic patient. Researchers in Hokkaido University, Osaka University, Rakuno Gakuen University, the National...

Latent Human Herpesvirus 7 Reactivates in Patients with HIV.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- A study conducted in Switzerland has shown that the human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) can be mostly found in lymph nodes rather than in spleen tissue and this virus replicates significantly more in the presence of...

Trial Participants Try Intradermal Immunization.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to a Canadian study, higher-dose intradermal administration of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine may be a cost-effective, viable method for inoculating vaccine recipients. Currently, the...

Anal Cancer Screening for Gay and Bisexual Men Would Save Lives and Be Cost-Effective.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Just as use of Pap smears has led to a dramatic drop in cervical cancer, so screening for anal cancer among gay and bisexual men would save many lives at a reasonable cost, according to a study conducted at...

Mixed Results Seen in Study of Interferon on Immune Response.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia report that interferons play both a major and minor role in the immune system response to influenza A virus infection. These findings, demonstrated in a study...

Rapid Assay Eliminates Unnecessary Use of Antibiotics.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- A new study conducted by researchers at the Texas Children's Hospital in Houston indicates that faster diagnosis of the influenza virus in pediatric patients with symptoms of respiratory infections can lead to...

Human Herpesvirus 8 Studied for Immunologic Role in Pathogenesis.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- A new study conducted in Sao Paulo, Brazil, adds additional evidence linking human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), a malignant skin disease sometimes seen in patients with the human...

Disinfection of Disposable Laparoscopic Devices Yields Poor Results.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- As medical costs soar and hospitals attempt to use available resources without jeopardizing patient safety, the issue of reusing disposable laparoscopic devices has moved to the forefront. A study recently...

Dendritic Cells a Potential Adjuvant for CD8(+) T-Cell Clearance.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers at Atlanta, Georgia's Emory University School of Medicine suggest that dendritic cells may prove to be important adjuvants for influencing the clearance of polyomavirus by CD8(+) T cells. ...

Experimental Drug Blocks Cold Virus Replication.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- An experimental compound not only inhibits replication of the common cold virus in experimental cell lines, but also reduces the production of cytokines that are responsible for cold symptoms. Researchers...

Liver Target Needed for Effective Antiviral Response.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- New evidence from a study conducted by researchers at the University of Ulm in Germany finds that the microenvironment of the liver needs to be primed in order to be more effectively targeted by hepatitis B...

Virulence a Hurdle to Overcome for HIV Type 1 Vaccine.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- One of the major factors that researchers must address when determining the best way to design a vaccine against the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is viral virulence. Scientists at the...

DNA Vaccines Under Development for Lassa Fever Virus.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in the United States are exploring vaccines for emerging arenaviruses. "Lassa fever virus is a rodent-borne arenavirus endemic to West Africa," explained M.J. Buchmeier and colleagues from...

Virus Infects Cells without Glycosphingolipids.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Neither glycosphingolipids nor gangliosides are required for the early stages of influenza virus infection, researchers report. "To test whether gangliosides are essential for the virus entry into cells,...

Data Suggest Treatment Provides Improved Quality of Life and Liver Histology.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- A host of studies on the investigational treatment Pegasys (peginterferon alfa-2a) in patients with chronic hepatitis C were presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW), held in San Diego, California, during May...

Viral Infection Reduces Natural Killer T Cells in Liver.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Results of a murine study of viral infection on natural killer T cells in the liver were presented at the 56(th) Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, recently held in San...

Mucin is Early Defense Response.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Epithelial mucin production in the context of respiratory viral infections is an early defensive response, researchers say. "Respiratory viral infections are associated with both copious secretion of mucus...

Daily Combination Therapy for Hepatitis C Virus Works Well.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- A collaborative research effort led by investigators at the Hepatitis Resource Network in Tacoma, Washington, has determined that daily use of interferon (IFN) and ribavirin works as well as or better than a...

Researchers Report on Effects of Mutation.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers recently reported on a mutation of the alphavirus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE). Mutation of the virus, which is an important human and equine pathogen, resulted in a virus that...

Next-Generation 'Virtual' HIV Resistance Testing Program is Available.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- VirtualPhenotype, a powerful new quantitative approach to HIV resistance testing, is now available in the U.S. via Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Virco announced. The greatly enhanced system,...

Genetically Altered Tobacco Being Studied to Help Fight HIV.(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2000... 2000 JUN 6 - (NewsRx.com) -- A vaccine against the HIV virus may lie in a plant blamed for millions of deaths each year: tobacco. Researchers at CropTech Corporation, a biotechnology firm, are working to genetically alter the leaf to...

Viruses Replicate in the Presence of Interferons with Antiviral Properties.
June 13, 2000... 2000 JUN 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Although viruses in the same family have many common characteristics, they also can differ in the way they live and react in cells that express antiviral cytokines. A study recently conducted by...

Morphogenesis Distinct from Other Bunyavirid Viruses.
June 13, 2000... 2000 JUN 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- A new hantavirus, Black Creek Canal virus (BCCV), is associated with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Investigation of BCCV demonstrated the distinction between morphogenesis in hantaviruses and other...

Kidney Disease Attributed to Reaction to Antiviral.
June 13, 2000... 2000 JUN 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Medical investigators at Indiana University's School of Medicine report that patients taking the drug indinavir, an antiretroviral agent used in treating patients with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV),...

Genetics a Factor in Susceptibility.
June 13, 2000... 2000 JUN 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- A Mayo Clinic study has shown that genetic coding plays a significant role in susceptibility to acquiring autoimmune hepatitis, according to a report published in Immunological Reviews. In this study,...

Oseltamivir Reduces Flu Symptoms.
June 13, 2000... 2000 JUN 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- The drug oseltamivir could reduce the duration of influenza symptoms by up to 40%, according to research published in the May 27, 2000 issue of The Lancet. The use of some antiviral drugs for influenza...

Antigen Assay after Transplantation Prevents Cytomegalovirus.
June 13, 2000... 2000 JUN 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- According to a study published in Clinical Nephrology, early pp65 antigen detection can prevent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in patients who have received kidney transplants. The study was conducted by...

Oral Doses of Ganciclovir Effective Against Cytomegalovirus after Transplantation.
June 13, 2000... 2000 JUN 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- The antiviral agent ganciclovir can be administered as an oral agent in patients who have received lung transplants, according to researchers reporting in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. ...

Children Experience Milder Illness than Adults.(tick-borne encephalitis )
June 13, 2000... 2000 JUN 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- A study comparing the symptomatology and severity of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) has shown that adults suffer more than children when they acquire this disease. The study was conducted by researchers at...

Researchers Report Importance of CD46 Receptor.(measles virus )
June 13, 2000... 2000 JUN 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- At a recent conference, researchers confirmed the relevance of the complement regulatory protein CD46 as a cell-surface receptor in natural measles virus (MV) infection. "Receptor usage by primary patient...

Researchers Report on Structure-Function Relationships.(reovirus particles )
June 13, 2000... 2000 JUN 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- New knowledge of structure-function relationships in reovirus particles has been gained through cryoelectron microscopy, X-ray crystallography, and by methods for assembly of particles from recombinant...

Accumulation of Viral Membrane Glycoproteins in Golgi Complex Studied.
June 13, 2000... 2000 JUN 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in Sweden have examined accumulation in the two membrane glycoproteins G1 and G2 of Uukuniemi virus in the Golgi complex. "Enveloped viruses acquire their lipoprotein coat by budding at one...

Filovirid Glycoprotein Cleavage Studied.
June 13, 2000... 2000 JUN 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers in Germany have examined the cleavage process of glycoprotein (GP) in Marburg and Ebola viruses of the filovirus family. The Filoviridae consists of enveloped viruses containing a...

NDA Submitted in U.S. for Investigational Protease Inhibitor Therapy.
June 13, 2000... 2000 JUN 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Abbott Laboratories announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market ABT-378/r, also known as lopinavir/ritonavir, its investigational...

Treating Hepatitis C with Combination Therapy Benefits Patients Coinfected with HIV.
June 13, 2000... 2000 JUN 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- A new clinical study has found that the leading hepatitis C treatment is effective in patients coinfected with HIV, does not interfere with HIV medications, and may even make it possible for more HIV patients...

Pegintron Approved to Treat Hepatitis C in European Union.
June 13, 2000... 2000 JUN 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Enzon, Inc. (ENZN), Piscataway, New Jersey, announced that Schering-Plough Corp. (SGP) was informed that the European Union Commission of the European Communities has granted marketing authorization to...

Pegintron Approved to Treat Hepatitis C in European Union.
June 13, 2000... 2000 JUN 13 - (NewsRx.com) -- Enzon, Inc. (ENZN), Piscataway, New Jersey, announced that Schering-Plough Corp. (SGP) was informed that the European Union Commission of the European Communities has granted marketing authorization to Pegintron...

Hepatitis A Vaccine Schedule Determined for Infants.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- Initial hepatitis A vaccines should be administered at 18 months and the second at 24 months, recommend researchers in Israel. M.S. Green and colleagues with the Israel Center for Disease Control in Tel...

Predictors of Virological Success or Failure Studied.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- Predictors of virological success or ensuing failure for HIV-1 patients undergoing highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) were evaluated in a study conducted in Europe. "Predictors of virological...

Sustained Response Indicates OK to Discontinue Cytomegalovirus Retinitis Therapy.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- New findings from a study conducted in Texas indicate that patients who are positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and who also have a history of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis can discontinue...

Scientists Conclude HIV Began in 1930s Africa.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- HIV evolved from a benign simian infection into a human virus in the early 1930s, long before it was recognized as a disease, but it stayed in remote Africa until jet travel, urban environments, and the...

Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells' Response to Rhinovirus Infection Studied.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- The immune response to rhinovirus (RV) infections is considered to be a factor in the development of upper respiratory symptoms. The immune response may also play a role in the dysfunction of the lower airway...

Six-Month Data Analysis Shows Positive Outcome for Drug Resistance Genotype Testing.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- Visible Genetics Inc. (VGIN), Toronto, Ontario, Canada, reported that preliminary six-month data from the Narval study showed a benefit to HIV infected patients who received HIV drug resistance genotype...

Rare Co-infection Documented in Taiwan.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- Scientists have detected cases of hepatitis A and E virus (HAV and HEV) co-infection among residents of Taiwan, though the source of the infections is uncertain. Based on the report by C.H. Wang, a...

DAPD Antiviral Activity Presented in HIV Patients with Multiple Drug Failure.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (VIRS) presented data on the antiviral activity of DAPD in HIV infected patients who have failed multiple antiviral drugs at the 4th International Workshop on HIV Drug...

Data Reported from Phase I/II Study of Protease Inhibitor.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- Triangle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (VIRS), Durham, North Carolina, presented the initial results of a Phase I/II dose escalation combination study conducted outside the U.S. of DMP-450, a protease inhibitor for...

Study Indicates Need for Increased HIV Resistance Testing.(Statistical Data Included)
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- Data presented by Virco at the 4th International Workshop on HIV Drug Resistance and Treatment Strategies, held in Sitges, Spain, during June 2000, demonstrates that 27.2% of 11,990 HIV patients being surveyed...

Green Onions Likely Source of Hepatitis A Outbreak.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers say that a hepatitis A virus (HAV) outbreak that occurred in the U.S. in late 1998 was probably due to the consumption of contaminated green onions. After 43 people who had dined at the same...

Experts Gather to Sharpen Focus on Prevention Strategies Against Hepatitis A.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- A multidisciplinary group of experts gathered to sharpen the focus on prevention strategies against hepatitis A, which, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), remains one of...

Hepatitis B Virus DNA Persists in Serum Despite Clearance of Viral Antigens.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA may persist in the serum of children who successfully respond to interferon-(alpha) (IFN(alpha)) therapy, researchers in Poland reported. "The aim of this study was to assess...

Hepatitis B Immune Plasma Superior to Hepatitis B Immune Globulin for Immunotherapy.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- Hepatitis B immune plasma (HBIP) is a safer and more effective method than the short-lived hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) of controlling HBV infections arising from orthotopic liver transplant (OLT),...

Canadian University to Test New Gels.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- Researchers at Laval University are recruiting women for clinical trials using microbicide gels known as invisible condoms. Dr. Michel Bergeron told an international conference on HIV and AIDS that the...

Primary Hepatitis C Sources Identified.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- A recent study determined that the majority of hepatitis C virus (HCV) cases in the U.S. result from injection drug use and high-risk sexual activity. Between 1991 and 1998, I.T. Williams, from the U.S....

Possible Animal Source of Hepatitis E Virus Identified.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- An increased incidence of antibodies to hepatitis E virus (anti-HEV) among pig farmers has led scientists to associate pigs and HEV infection. J. Drobeniuc and colleagues from the U.S. Centers for Disease...

Agreement Signed to Develop Pulmonary Delivery System for Monoclonal Antibody.
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- MedImmune, Inc. (MEDI), Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Alkermes, Inc. (ALKS), Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced that they have signed an agreement to develop an inhalable formulation of a monoclonal antibody...

Chickens Act as Sentinels Along U.S./Canadian Border.(West Nile virus)
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- Wary of a killer mosquito-borne virus, Health Canada has placed 600 live chickens along 1,550 miles of its border with the U.S. to help monitor the spread of such maladies as the West Nile virus. The...

Colorado Scientists Prepare to Prevent an Outbreak.(West Nile virus )
June 27, 2000... 2000 JUN 27 - (NewsRx.com) -- Colorado State health officials are setting up a system to test for the West Nile virus that struck New York last summer, killing seven and sickening 55. The outbreak was the first time that the virus had...