Vaccine against childhood pneumonia shows promise
A vaccine against pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease, a severe form of bacterial infection, can substantially reduce hospital admissions and improve the survival of children in developing countries, concludes a trial published in this week's issue of THE LANCET. The authors believe the vaccine should be made available to children in Africa, where rates of severe invasive pneumococcal dis...NIAID initiates trial of experimental avian flu vaccine
Fast-track recruitment has begun for a trial to investigate the safety of a vaccine against H5N1 avian influenza, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced today. ...... Sites in Rochester, NY, Baltimore and Los Angeles will enroll a total of 450 healthy adults. The clinical sites are part of the NIAID-sponsored V...Depression linked to insomnia in HIV patients
Depression appears to be a major cause of insomnia in people with HIV, according to a new systematic review of 29 studies on the topic....... Steven Reid, Ph.D., of Imperial College in London, lead author of the review, says that "given the prevalence of anxiety and depression reported in HIV infection, it is not surprising that psychiatric disorders should be associated with sleep disturbance in...Invasive pneumonia and antibiotic resistance decreased after childhood vaccine introduced
ATLANTA--The problem of increasing antibiotic resistance in cases of Streptococcus pneumoniae, a major cause of pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis, was dramatically reversed following the licensing and use of a new conjugate vaccine for young children in February 2000, according to research conducted at Emory University, the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Centers for Disease Control a...Brain imaging study may hold clues to onset of schizophrenia in people at high risk
CHAPEL HILL -- Images of brain activity may hold clues to the onset of schizophrenia in people at high risk for the disease, according to a study headed by psychiatry researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.... The new findings appear in the March issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, a journal of the American Medical Association. ... A decline in...Common schizophrenia symptoms often overlooked by physicians, according to expert panel
NEW YORK, NY (March 7, 2005) Treatment of schizophrenia has largely focused on controlling positive symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions, while another set of symptoms that are equally important to patients is frequently overlooked by physicians, according to the findings of a new national consumer survey and the authors of a new consensus statement aimed at raising the bar for the tre...Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) biennial meeting
The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) will hold its biennial meeting in Atlanta, April 7-10, 2005, at the Marriott Marquis and the Hilton Atlanta. More than 5,000 leading national and international experts will be attending the meeting to hear and present the latest research in child development. ...... Some of the topics that might interest reporters include:... ... Adoptions fr...Miniaturized lab permits saliva screening on the go
WASHINGTON A team of scientists and engineers led by Daniel Malamud at the University of Pennsylvania has developed a robust means of analyzing oral samples. They believe their work will lead to a kit, not much bigger than a credit card, which could detect exposure to a variety of substances, from narcotics to anthrax to common bacteria and viruses. Their plan would increase ease of detection...Pivotal brain processor decreased in schizophrenia
Irvine, Calif. -- Levels of a pivotal signal processor in the brain are reduced significantly in people with schizophrenia, a study by scientists at UC Irvine, Weill Cornell Medical College and Rockefeller University has found....... The findings suggest that the processor, which helps regulate key neurotransmitters in an area of the brain linked to schizophrenia, could eventually play a key role...Wayne State and Virginia chemist wins national award for work with drugs
Carl R. Johnson of Hartfield, Va., will be honored August 20 by the world's largest scientific society for helping develop more efficient ways to invent and produce pharmaceutical drugs. He will receive the 2002 Arthur C. Cope Senior Scholar Award from the American Chemical Society at its national meeting in Boston....... During his 40-year career at Wayne State University in Detroit, Johnson's w...Pennsylvania chemist wins national award for pharmaceutical research
Xumu Zhang of University Park, Penn., will be honored August 20 by the world's largest scientific society for developing tools to tailor-make drug molecules. He will receive the 2002 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award from the American Chemical Society at its national meeting in Boston....... "Our particular research field is related to ways of making modern-day medicines," said Zhang, an organic chemi...NIAID Phase III HIV vaccine trial to determine correlates of protection will not proceed
...... The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) of the Department of Defense (DoD), support a broad, comprehensive HIV/AIDS research and development program. Two recent decisions will substantially contribute to a coordinated and comprehensive U.S. governm...Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Enhances Short-Term Brain Plasticity
. For the first time, scientists studying how the brain reorganizes itself.have shown that they can modify this process using a technique called.transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The finding suggests new ways to helppeople recover normal function after stroke, amputation, and other injuries.. . TMS is a non-invasive technique that consists of a magnetic field.emanating from...NIAID seeks applicants to lead clinical trials units for revamped HIV/AIDS networks
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) today announced that it is soliciting applications from U.S. and overseas research institutions seeking to become Clinical Trials Units (CTUs) in the Institute's revamped HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Networks. NIAID, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), supports the world's largest portfolio of clinical research in HIV...South Africa in denial over number of deaths from HIV/AIDS
Deaths from HIV/AIDS in South Africa are being misclassified because of the social stigma associated with the disease, states an editorial in this week's issue of THE LANCET. ...... A recent study attempting to quantify misclassification of HIV/AIDS deaths concluded that for the year 200001, the number of deaths related to HIV/AIDS was likely to be almost three times as high as that published in...NIAID begins enrolling volunteers for novel HIV vaccine study
A large clinical trial of a novel HIV vaccine has begun enrolling volunteers at sites in North America, South America, the Caribbean and Australia. Organizers are seeking 1,500 participants....... The trial is co-funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. Inc. Merck develo...Study shows strengths, gaps in quality of care for kids in California's public mental health clinics
A UCLA-led study of children's patient records at California's public mental health clinics identifies strengths and gaps in quality of care. ...... Published in the February edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the study examines safety and appropriateness of care for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder and major depress...Anti-psychotic drugs may be associated with increased risk of diabetes in schizophrenia patients
CHICAGO Patients treated with the atypical anti-psychotic agents clozapine and olanzapine may be at an increased risk for insulin resistance, which is a major risk factor for diabetes mellitus, according to a study in the January issue of The Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.... ..."Compared with the general population, life expectancy in patients with schizophre...Web-based tool to help clinicians make schizophrenia treatment decisions
A new Web-based tool will be available January 1, 2005 to help clinicians determine the best medication for patients with schizophrenia. An international team led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Herbert Meltzer, M.D., recently completed the new algorithms, or step-by-step protocols, which will provide clinicians a resource as they make treatment decisions....... The value of the algorit...Rare type of pneumonia occurring at higher than normal rate among US troops in Iraq
Two deaths have been attributed to a rare type of pneumonia that is occurring among U.S. troops in Iraq at a higher than normal rate, according to a study in the December 22/29 issue of . ...... Acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP) is a rare disease characterized by a fever, respiratory failure, and an infiltration of the lungs, according to background information in the article. Generally, patien...Discovery of key protein's shape could lead to improved bacterial pneumonia vaccine
Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered that the shape of a protein on the surface of pneumonia bacteria helps these germs invade the human bloodstream. This finding, published Dec. 16 online by the EMBO Journal, could help scientists develop a vaccine that is significantly more effective at protecting children against the disease.... The St. Jude researchers determin...Expert panel calls for raising the bar in treating schizophrenia
NEW YORK, NY (December 20, 2004) — A panel of experts says doctors treating patients with schizophrenia should be targeting symptoms beyond hallucinations and delusions, and focus in on the common, but often overlooked, symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as the inability to think clearly. Patients agree, ranking these symptoms as major concerns in a recent national survey. As a re...USC researchers highlight disparities in cancer rates among racial and ethnic groups in California
LOS ANGELES (Dec. 14, 2004) - Among Californians, black men face the highest risk of being diagnosed with cancer, and their rates are almost three times as high as those among South Asian groups, according to statistics from the California Cancer Registry and researchers at the Los Angeles Cancer Surveillance Program at USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.... ...Cancer incidence and mortali...NIAID-sponsored clinical trial aims to boost flu vaccine supply
In an effort to expand the supply of flu vaccine available in the United States in the future, a clinical trial of an influenza vaccine widely used in Europe has begun recruiting participants at four sites nationwide. Funding for the study comes from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, which is collaborating with the vaccin...Dairy Council of California program receives high marks from teachers & students
Sacramento, CA December 1, 2004 Healthy Choices, Healthy Me!, a first and second grade nutrition education program that reinforces language arts and math while teaching health in an innovative way, has received exceptionally positive marks in a formative evaluation by WestEd. Developed by the Dairy Council of California, the program is available free of charge to all teachers in California.......NIAID seeks applicants to lead revamped HIV/AIDS clinical trials networks
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) today announced that it is restructuring its HIV/AIDS clinical trials networks and soliciting investigators and institutions to lead the reorganized effort. This reorganization, designed in response to both the changing face of the AIDS epidemic and evolving scientific challenges, will enable NIAID and its many collaborators to eff...Undertreatment spurs new arrests among drug ofenders diverted under California's Proposition 36
A new UCLA study released Nov. 26 reports higher arrest rates among drug offenders diverted to treatment during the first six months of California's Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act (SACPA), commonly known as Proposition 36. The findings show SACPA clients were 48 percent more likely to be arrested for a drug offense within a year of admission than clients entering treatment through other...Insomnia poorly understood by medical profession
A seminar in this week's issue of THE LANCET outlines the common but poorly understood condition of insomnia, concluding that awareness and assessment of insomnia by family doctors is a priority. ... ...Estimates suggest that between 5 and 35% of people experience insomnia. Michael J Sateia (Dartmouth Medical School, USA) and colleagues outline how effective management of insomnia begins with rec...NIAID launches influenza genome sequencing project
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced a joint influenza genome sequencing project with several scientific partners. The project will help researchers understand how flu viruses evolve, spread and cause disease. According to its leaders, it has the potential to minimize the impact of annual flu outbreaks...Senior citizens at risk for pneumonia
The recent flu vaccine shortage has focused attention on elderly people's risk for infection. Like the flu, pneumonia can also cause serious health problems for older people. More than 900,000 cases of community-acquired pneumonia occur each year among seniors in the United States, according to an article in the December 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online....... Pneumon...Study pinpoints schizophrenia brain glitch
BOSTON - Scientists for the first time have identified a fault in the brain waves of schizophrenics that may explain their hallucinations and disturbed thinking. The study, by a team at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School, appears in the Nov. 8 . ...... The researchers studied the brain waves of normal and schizophrenic patients as they responded to imag...University of Pennsylvania Health System launches life-saving eICU technology
(Philadelphia, PA) The University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) will be the first health system in the tri-state area (Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware) to go live with eICU technology on November 15th. The Health System's Penn E-lert will permit remote "live" coverage of Intensive Care Units (ICUs) by practicing, critical-care physicians intensivists via a comprehensive telemedic...GSA confers 2004 Nathan Shock New Investigator Award to UTHSC's Marciniak
The Gerontological Society of America has chosen Dr. Robert A. Marciniak of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio to receive its 2004 Nathan Shock New Investigator Award. The distinction is given for outstanding contributions to new knowledge about aging through basic biological research.... ...The award presentation will take place at GSA's 57th Annual Scientific Meeting,...NIAID launches program to improve medical tools against emerging infectious diseases
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded 14 contracts totaling more than $73 million to fund the Large-Scale Antibody and T Cell Epitope Discovery Program, an initiative aimed at quickly identifying the regions of selected infectious agents that elicit immune reactions. The study of these regions, known as epit...Enzyme linked to mania and schizophrenia impairs higher brain functions
Overactivity of protein kinase C (PKC), an enzyme that is implicated in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, markedly impairs higher brain functions in animals, according to a Yale study published Oct. 29 in ....... The research adds to mounting evidence that excessive activity of PKC may underlie the distractibility, impaired judgment, impulsivity, and disturbed thinking seen in bipolar disorder...Research on nerve cell circuitry reveals clue about schizophrenia
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Animal research at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has found how one of the genes linked to schizophrenia might function to cause the disease. The work was reported today at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego. ......"Our research in mice suggests that defects in a gene may interfere with communication between nerve cells in the brain...Use of stomach acid-suppressive medications associated with increased risk of pneumonia
Individuals who use gastric acid-suppressive medications may be at an elevated risk of developing community-acquired pneumonia, according to an article in the October 27 issue of JAMA.... ...According to background information in the article, 20 to 40 percent of the general population experiences at least one episode of indigestion or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD, a backflow of acid from...NIA establishes new demography centers to enhance knowledge about older americans
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has established four new Centers on the Demography of Aging at Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of North Carolina, and Pennsylvania State University. The new programs, which join nine ongoing Centers at institutions around the U.S., will focus on social and behavioral research on health, savin...Washington -- Researchers at the Boston Veterans Affairs Health Care System Brockton Division, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Massachusetts-Boston are using new imaging technology to gather valuable information about the brains of people with schizophrenia. This new variety of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Using DTI on patients with...Children of older fathers are more likely to develop schizophrenia in later life, concludes new research published on today....... These findings add weight to the theory that accumulating mutations in the sperm of older fathers contributes to the overall risk of schizophrenia....... The study involved over 700,000 people born in Sweden between 1973 and 1980. The analysis was based on records o...