Higher daily doses of rifampin, a cornerstone of tuberculosis treatment, killed more TB bacteria in sputum cultures, and the higher doses did so without increasing the adverse effects of treatment, according to a randomized controlled trial published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
A drug used to treat diabetes may point to new therapies for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis—inflammation and obstruction of the lungs' small airways. A multi-disciplinary team of Vanderbilt investigators has demonstrated that liraglutide reduces the inflammatory response to RSV infection in a mouse model of the disease. The findings were reported in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Even in areas with moderate-to-high levels of traffic pollution, regular physical activity reduced the risk of first and recurrent heart attack, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.
Forensic Medicine doctors have welcomed the idea of an online system to track post-mortem examination (PME) reports. At present, doctors jot down their findings manually after conducting a post-mortem or other medico-legal examinations such as estimation of age.
At a meeting between DGP M Mahendar Reddy and chief secretary SK Joshi, participants felt the online system would help in avoiding delays in releasing PME reports.
A novel drug based on capsaicin, the compound that gives chili peppers their spicy burn, caused long-term weight loss and improved metabolic health in mice eating a high-fat diet, in new studies from the University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy. The drug, Metabocin, was designed to slowly release capsaicin throughout the day so it can exert its anti-obesity effect without producing inflammation or adverse side effects.
A startup created by Purdue University professors is developing a sensor that can detect dangerous mosquito-borne tropical diseases faster and at a lower cost than current methods, giving health officials time to take action before the viruses are transmitted to humans.
A new commentary on a study by epidemiologists supports the viability of a potential way to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. When the authors looked at subjects who suffered severe herpes infection and who were treated aggressively with antiviral drugs, the relative risk of dementia was reduced by a factor of 10.
Scientists have produced pigs that can resist one of the world's most costly animal diseases, by changing their genetic code. Tests with the virus — called Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, or PRRS — found the pigs do not become infected at all. The animals show no signs that the change in their DNA has had any other impact on their health or wellbeing.
Biodiversity is disappearing at an alarming rate as infectious diseases increasingly spill over from wildlife to humans. Disease ecologists fervently debate whether biodiversity loss leads to an increased disease risk. Now, a University of Montana researcher has published a new study with some answers.
Boosting efforts to fight antibiotic resistance, researchers have found that a thin membrane, thought to be just a shrink wrap around some bacterial cell walls, has structural properties critical for survival. Drugs that destroy the membrane could be a new approach to treating the infection.
State minister for health Zahid Maleque said that the state of cancer treatment in Bangladesh was ‘poor’, which led the government to decide setting up cancer hospitals in eight divisions across the country. He said that at least 5,000 beds were needed for cancer patients in the country but there were currently only 500 beds for cancer treatment.
Currently, India spends only 1.2% of its GDP on healthcare. The government has passed the National Health Policy (NHP) to increase the public healthcare spending to 2.5% of the GDP with a special focus on the underprivileged. Once launched Modicare will be world's largest government-run insurance scheme of its kind.