By Health Center: Immunology
FDA Approves Vaccines for the 2010-2011 Influenza Season
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it has approved vaccines for the 2010-2011 influenza season in the United States. Seasonal influenza vaccine protects against three strains of influenza, including the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, which caused the 2009 pandemic.
Scientists Find Antibodies that Prevent Most HIV Strains from Infecting Human Cells
Scientists have discovered two potent human antibodies that can stop more than 90 percent of known global HIV strains from infecting human cells in the laboratory, and have demonstrated how one of these disease-fighting proteins accomplishes this feat. According to the scientists, these antibodies could be used to design improved HIV vaccines, or could be further developed to prevent or treat HIV infection. Moreover, the method used to find these antibodies could be applied to isolate therape...
FDA Approves First Diagnostic Assay to detect both HIV Antigen and Antibodies
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first assay to detect both antigen and antibodies to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). This assay is approved for use as an aid in the diagnosis of HIV-1/HIV-2 infection in adults including pregnant women. It is also the first assay for use as an aid in the diagnosis of HIV-1/HIV-2 infection in children as young as two years old.
Novel Therapeutic Approach Shows Promise Against Multiple Bacterial Pathogens
A team of scientists from government, academia and private industry has developed a novel treatment that protects mice from infection with the bacterium that causes tularemia, a highly infectious disease of rodents, sometimes transmitted to people, and also known as rabbit fever. In additional experiments with human immune cells, the treatment also demonstrated protection against three other types of disease-causing bacteria that, like the tularemia bacteria, occur naturally, can be highly vi...
In Infants with Egg or Milk Allergy, Can Future Peanut Allergy Be Predicted?
Early results from a study of more than 500 infants with egg or milk allergy indicate that they are highly likely to test positive for allergic antibodies that are specific to peanuts. This unexpected finding suggests that these infants are at risk for developing peanut allergy later in life and should be evaluated by a health care professional before introducing peanuts into their diet.
Traditional Heel Stick Test Is Not an Effective Screening Tool for CMV in Newborns
A routine screening test for several metabolic and genetic disorders in newborns, the heel-stick procedure, is not effective in screening for cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, a leading cause of hearing loss in children, according to research published in the April 14 online issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Food Allergy-Related Disorder Linked to Master Allergy Gene
Scientists have identified a region of a human chromosome that is associated with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a recently recognized allergic disease. People with EoE frequently have difficulty eating or may be allergic to one or more foods. This study further suggests that a suspected so-called master allergy gene may play a role in the development of this rare but debilitating disorder.
Retrovirus XMRV Linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)
Scientists have discovered a potential retroviral link to chronic fatigue syndrome, known as CFS, a debilitating disease that affects millions of people in the United States. Researchers from the Whittemore Peterson Institute (WPI), located at the University of Nevada, Reno, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Cleveland Clinic, report this finding online Oct. 8, 2009, issue of Science.
The Importance of Monitoring Vitamin D Status in the U.S.
Dr. Howard Nash
The NIH Common Fund's Human Microbiome Project
The Shell Egg Rule - Protecting the Public From Salmonella Contamination
The Public Health Impact of Tobacco Product and Advertising Regulation
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