Virus Weekly articles from May 2002

Virus Weekly archives from May 2002

Human herpesvirus 8 strongly affects endothelial cell gene expression.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2002... 2002 MAY 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The virus thought to be responsible for a number of AIDS-related cancers has a profound effect on gene expression by dermal microvascular endothelial cells...

Liver microanatomy predictive of cirrhosis following liver transplantation.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2002... 2002 MAY 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Pretransplantation liver histology could be the best predictor for the development of cirrhosis following liver transplantation due to hepatitis C virus (HCV),...

DNA vaccine provides long-term protection.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2002... 2002 MAY 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States say that an enhanced DNA vaccine against cytomegalovirus (CMV) offers long-term protection from viral proliferation. "We...

Study finds acute measles supresses HIV replication.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2002... 2002 MAY 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Replication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is briefly suppressed during acute measles, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. A study of HIV-infected...

Mysterious protein involved in virion production.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2002... 2002 MAY 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States have shed new light on the activity of a poorly understood protein found in cells infected by yellow fever virus. "Little...

Study supports triple combination therapy for HIV.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2002... 2002 MAY 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New evidence in the British Medical Journal supports the use of up to three antiviral drugs (triple therapy) to treat people with HIV. Researchers in Birmingham, England, reviewed 54 trials...

Cell Genesys reports positive preclinical studies of oncolytic virus therapy.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2002... 2002 MAY 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cell Genesys, Inc., (CEGE) reported encouraging data from preclinical studies evaluating CG8840, a proprietary oncolytic virus therapy for bladder cancer. Significant antitumor activity was...

Link to uncircumcised males found.(greater cervical cancer risk for women)(Brief Article)
May 7, 2002... 2002 MAY 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Women whose sex partners are circumcised may be less likely to get cervical cancer, a study suggests. Cervical cancer is caused by the same virus responsible for genital warts. The study in...

Phase II trials begin for a low-dose oral interferon product.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2002... 2002 MAY 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Atrix Laboratories, Inc., (ATRX) has commenced phase II clinical trials for a proprietary formulation of a low dose oral interferon-alpha product for the treatment of oral warts caused by human...

Abbott wins sole supplier contract for blood screening tests.(Abbott Laboratories )(Brief Article)
May 7, 2002... 2002 MAY 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Abbott Laboratories (ABT) announced it has been awarded a multiyear contract as the exclusive supplier of six infectious disease tests used for screening blood donated to the American Red Cross. ...

New patent awarded for Zicam secures, expands exclusive cold remedy formula.(Brief Article)
May 7, 2002... 2002 MAY 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Gum Tech International, Inc., (GUMM) announced that on April 2, 2002, the U.S. Patent Office issued a new patent for Zicam Cold Remedy, its unique product that has been shown to significantly reduce the...

Psychological symptoms may arise in the untreated hepatitis C patient.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Patients who do not receive antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis C may encounter more emotional distress than others do. That's the conclusion of a...

Lipid levels can identify high-risk pediatric patients.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Plasma lipid levels can be used to identify children with the most severe cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), researchers say. Dr. Eric C.M. van Gorp...

Viral loads reduced during measles.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Infection with measles virus causes a brief but significant suppression of HIV proliferation, researchers say. William J. Moss and colleagues at Johns...

Mechanism for long-term survival discovered.(telomeres and Epstein-Barr virus)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects almost every person worldwide at some point in life. Once infection occurs, the virus usually survives in the host forever, lying dormant and causing no symptoms....

Iminosugar derivative inhibits flavivirus activity.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - An iminosugar derivative dubbed NN-DNJ shows promise for the treatment of flavivirus infections, researchers report. "Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)...

Chimpanzee virus may be key to better vaccines, study shows.
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Immunologists know that human adenoviruses, a common cause of respiratory tract infections in people, can be retooled in the laboratory to serve as effective vaccines against an array of viral...

Trinity Medical Group USA announces study to broaden use of Remune.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Trinity Medical Group USA, Inc., (TMGU) announced that the Thai National Ethical Committee, Ministry of Public Health, has approved an advanced study of Remune, an immune-based therapy to treat...

CCR5 is safe target for therapeutic agents.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Denmark say that the CCR5 receptor needed for HIV cell entry can be safely targeted by potential antiviral treatments. "The CC chemokine...

Allergens and viruses act together to worsen asthma.
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Common allergens (such as dust mite and grass pollen) and viruses may act together to exacerbate asthma, concludes a study in the British Medical Journal. Sixty patients (ages 17 to 50) admitted to...

FDA committee declines to approve Picovir.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ViroPharma, Inc., (VPHM) and Aventis Pharmaceuticals (AVE) have announced that the Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted to not recommend Picovir...

Pegasys-a, new hepatitis C treatment, clears important regulatory hurdle in Europe.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The European Union's Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products (CPMP) issued a unanimous recommendation that Pegasys-a, a new generation pegylated interferon therapy, be approved for the treatment...

ViroLogic raises $10 million through private placement.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ViroLogic, Inc. (VLGC) announced it has closed a transaction to sell newly designated shares of 6% convertible preferred stock to several large investors in a private placement resulting in gross...

Company awarded $1M research grant to develop a new docosanol formulation.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Avanir Pharmaceuticals (AVN) has received a $1 million research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a docosanol-based product as a topical treatment for reducing the severity...

One-day valaciclovir treatment shortens course.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Clinical trials with a high dose of orally administered valaciclovir given orally for one day shortened the duration of cold sore episodes appearing in patients infected with type 2 herpes virus,...

New compounds developed after 30 years.(antiherpes drugs)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The herpes simplex virus (HSV) is responsible for the cold sores and genital herpes that plague a great many people. Fortunately, the introduction of acyclovir in the 1970s has offered widespread...

Product R granted patent for topical use in treatment of skin diseases, eye afflictions.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Advanced Viral Research Corp. (ADVR) has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 6,355,226 entitled "Topical Treatment of Skin Disease and Eye Afflictions." The patent protects the use of Product R, the...

First cases in two years confirmed in Scotland.(measles)(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health officials confirmed the first cases of measles in Scotland in two years, as new figures revealed a decline in the number of children being given a vaccine against the illness. Dr. Mac...

Plant extract proves effective for limiting hepatitis C-associated cancer.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Glycyrrhizin, a plant extract used in Asia for treating hepatitis, might be useful for preventing chronic hepatitis C-related liver cancer. Hepatitis C...

New U.S. patent covers oral respiratory syncytial virus drug.(Brief Article)
May 14, 2002... 2002 MAY 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Microbiotix, Inc., has announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent No. 6,337,390 entitled "Compounds Comprising Sulfated Nonulonic Acid Having Antiviral Activity." ...

Bacterial pathogens reactivate CMV during surgery.(cytomegalovirus)(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Bacterial pathogens play a key role in the surgical resurgence of latent cytomegalovirus infections, researchers in the United States argue. "Critically...

Single rotavirus genotype linked to gastroenteritis outbreaks.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - A single, distinctive type of rotavirus may be responsible for the vast majority of rotavirus-induced gastroenteritis, researchers report. Dr. Dixie D....

Apoptotic mechanisms a hallmark of liver cell damage in viral hepatitis.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - Medical researchers in Greece believe increased apoptosis, or programmed cell death, observed in the liver biopsies of patients with chronic viral hepatitis...

HPV plus Pap every 2 years can add years to life, is cost-effective.(human papillomavirus)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Screening for the human papillomavirus (HPV) virus, which increases the risk of cervical cancer, along with using Pap tests every 2 years appears to save additional years of life at reasonable costs,...

Nicaraguan study shows hospitalization a risk for viral hepatitis in young.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - One of the most important risk factors for acquiring either hepatitis C or hepatitis B virus (HCV, HBV) infections among children in Nicaragua who are...

ViroLogic announces expanded drug-development agreement with GlaxoSmithKline.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ViroLogic, Inc., (VLGC) announced that the company signed an expanded agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to use ViroLogic's proprietary HIV resistance testing technology in the phase III clinical...

Digene enters contract with U.S. Army for Hybrid Capture 2 HPV DNA Test.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Digene Corp. (DIGE) announced that the United States Army is adopting testing for human papillomavirus (HPV), using the company's Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2) HPV DNA Test, in its worldwide cervical cancer...

Inex reports progress with a therapeutic vaccine to treat cancer.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Inex Pharmaceuticals Corp. (IEX) presented data to the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in San Francisco, California, that showed the company's OligoVax therapeutic...

Agent induces apoptosis to kill cancerous and precancerous cervical cells.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Sonia Nichols, senior medical writer - A new agent now being tested in phase II clinical trials of patients with cervical cancer kills not only cancerous cells but also precancerous cells by...

FDA clears Visible Genetics next generation HIV resistance interpretation software.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Visible Genetics, Inc., (VGIN) (VGI) received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the next generation interpretation software for the TRUGENE HIV-1 Genotyping Test. The...

Biodefense working group releases recommendations for biological attack.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A biological attack using hemorrhagic fever viruses (HFVs), such as Ebola and certain other viruses could cause an outbreak of illnesses 2-21 days after the attack was launched. Clinicians'...

Schering-Plough reports results of clinical studies of Pegintron and Rebetol combination therapy for hepatitis C.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Schering-Plough International reported that results of several clinical studies presented at the 37th annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) further demonstrated...

Drug breaks for HIV-infected individuals may put certain immune cells at risk.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Disruption of antiretroviral therapy by patients infected with HIV may be putting certain T cells in their bloodstream at greater risk for infection with the deadly virus if it is allowed to rebound, a...

Neonatal respiratory syncytial virus infections trigger diverse immune response.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Infants who contract respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection show wide-ranging antiviral immune activity, according to researchers in the United States....

Successful vaccination feasible in low-income countries.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Results of a study in the May 4, 2002, issue of the Lancet highlight the success of a WHO-recommended measles elimination strategy in southern Africa. Authors of the study emphasize how such strategies...

5000 protest South Africa AIDS drug ruling.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nearly 5000 demonstrators marched to the Constitutional Court on May 2, 2002, to protest the South African government's appeal of a ruling forcing it to provide a key AIDS drug to HIV-positive pregnant...

DynCorp enters phase I smallpox vaccine clinical trial.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- DynPort Vaccine Company LLC (DVC), a joint venture between DynCorp of Reston, Virginia, and Porton International, Inc., announced that it will enter into a large phase I clinical trial consisting of...

Some families told to wait on vaccine.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Children in North Dakota may have to wait to get their shots to prevent chickenpox, due to a vaccine shortage. Officials say the vaccine for chickenpox, as well as others, is in short supply in...

Vaccinating against chickenpox may cause pain later.(Brief Article)
May 28, 2002... 2002 MAY 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Although chickenpox is nasty, vaccination might not be the answer It's a unique public health conundrum, and a stark reminder of how difficult it is to eliminate even the most mundane diseases. As...