Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) is the etiological agent of Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS). Both KSHV and HIV infections are endemic in Uganda, where KS is among the most common cancers in HIV-infected individuals.Recent studies examined the use of small RNAs as biomarkers of disease, including microRNAs (miRNAs), with viral and tumor-derived miRNAs being detected in exosomes from individuals with … [Read more...]
HIV treatment reduces risk of malaria recurrence in children
A combination of anti-HIV drugs has been found to also reduce the risk of recurrent malaria by nearly half among HIV-positive children, according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health. … [Read more...]
HIV Antiretrovirals May Help Fight Malaria
Bed nets and insecticides form the cornerstone of malaria prevention, with antimalarial drugs being used mainly to treat people who become ill with the disease. The drugs do have some protective effect, but it quickly wanes. Now a study in Uganda suggests that an antiretroviral drug given to HIV-infected children can boost the preventive power of a key malaria drug. … [Read more...]
Mosquitoes and AIDS
QUESTIONCan mosquito cause AIDS, and why?ANSWERNo, HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) cannot be transmitted via mosquitoes. When the virus was first discovered, there was a fear that it could be transmitted via the blood ingested by mosquitoes as they feed between humans. However, it was shown very quickly that the virus was too unstable to survive within the mosquito, and so … [Read more...]
Pharma Service Company Quintiles Selected for Gates Foundation Consortium Clinical Trials Work
Quintiles,an integrated biopharmaceutical company, has been named a preferred provider to a consortium of 14 global health Product Development Partnerships (PDPs), funded in part by the Bill and Melina Gates Foundation . PDPs are not-for-profit entities formed for the purpose of advancing global health and the health of the world’s poorest by the discovery, development and delivery of new … [Read more...]
Malaria Co-infection with Other Diseases of Global Public Health Importance
Effects of co-infection on human health, the need for further research and steps towards integrated controlIntroductionIn large parts of the world, the Plasmodium protozoans that cause malaria co-exist alongside a number of other pathogens and parasites, many of which are also infectious to humans. One of the foremost challenges in tackling the huge burden of malaria … [Read more...]
The Effects of Maternal Helminth and Malaria Infections on Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission
Objective: To investigate the effect of helminth and/or malaria infection on the risk of HIV infection in pregnant women and its transmission to their offspring.Design: A retrospective cohort study of pregnant Kenyan women and their offspring from term, uncomplicated vaginal deliveries (n = 936) with a nested case-control study.Methods: We determined the presence of HIV, malaria, … [Read more...]