What Is the Most Common Type of Cardiomyopathy?
Discussion
Barth syndrome is characterized by a dilated cardiomyopathy, proximal skeletal muscle weakness, neutropenia and short stature that usually presents at birth or soon after. It is a rare X-linked recessive disease process caused by mutations in the TAZ gene. The TAZ gene codes for tafazzin which alters cardiolipin in mitochondria. Characteristic facies can be seen especially in infancy including a tall and broad forehead, prominent chin and full cheeks, larger ears, and deep-set eyes. Most patients present at birth or soon afterwards but some may not until later in life. Life expectancy is reduced with many childr...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - February 25, 2019 Category: Pediatrics Authors: pediatriceducationmin Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
Outfitting T cell receptors to combat a widespread and sometimes deadly virus
(American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) Researchers have engineered 'antibody-like' T cell receptors that can specifically stick to cells infected with cytomegalovirus, or CMV, a virus that causes lifelong infection in more than half of all adults by age 40. These receptors represent a new potential treatment option, could aid the development of CMV vaccines and might also be used to target brain tumors. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - February 22, 2019 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
New vaccine offers fresh take on malaria fight
(Oregon Health& Science University) Early research on a new approach to protecting against malaria is offering promising, potentially long-lasting results against the persistent parasite that sickens hundreds of millions people each year. The approach uses a cytomegalovirus-based platform that's already being used in vaccines being developed to battle HIV and tuberculosis. This new vaccine reduced the malaria-causing parasite's release from the liver and into the blood of infected rhesus macaques by 75 to 80 percent, reports a paper published in the journal PLOS ONE. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - January 23, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Effect of cytomegalovirus reactivation on the time course of systemic host response biomarkers in previously immunocompetent critically ill patients with sepsis: a matched cohort study
The authors of this journal article state thatcytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation in previously immunocompetent critically ill patients is associated with increased mortality, which has been hypothesized to result from virus-induced immunomodulation. They studied the effects of CMV reactivation on the temporal course of host response biomarkers in patients with sepsis. CMV reactivation was not independently associated with changes in the temporal trends of host response biomarkers in comparison with non-reactivating patients. They therefore conclude that these markers should not be used as surrogate clinical endpoin...
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - January 17, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Scientists learn how common virus reactivates after transplantation
(Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center) A new study in Science challenges long-held theories of why a common virus -- cytomegalovirus, or CMV -- can reactivate and become a life-threatening infection in people with a compromised immune system, including blood cancer patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. (Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer)
Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer - January 17, 2019 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news
Strain-specific antibody therapy prevents cytomegalovirus reactivation after transplantation
Cytomegalovirus infection is a frequent and life-threatening complication that significantly limits positive transplantation outcomes. We developed preclinical mouse models of cytomegalovirus reactivation after transplantation and found that humoral immunity is essential for preventing viral recrudescence. Preexisting antiviral antibodies decreased after transplant in the presence of graft-versus-host disease and were not replaced, owing to poor reconstitution of donor B cells and elimination of recipient plasma cells. Viral reactivation was prevented by the transfer of immune serum, without a need to identify and target s...
Source: ScienceNOW - January 17, 2019 Category: Science Authors: Martins, J. P., Andoniou, C. E., Fleming, P., Kuns, R. D., Schuster, I. S., Voigt, V., Daly, S., Varelias, A., Tey, S.-K., Degli-Esposti, M. A., Hill, G. R. Tags: Immunology, Medicine, Diseases reports Source Type: news
What are Some of the Causes of SGA?
Discussion
Intrauterine growth retardation or fetal growth retardation is due to a pathological process that causes decelerated fetal growth velocity. Small-for-gestational age (SGA) is an infant with growth parameters below the normal range for gestational age. More commonly, SGA is defined as a birth weight < 10% for gestational age. This may be due a pathological or non-pathological process (e.g. constitutionally small fetus). Using these standards, remember that 10% of all infants will be < 10% for weight, and they do not necessarily have an underlying problem and infants who are constitutionally small do not hav...
Source: PediatricEducation.org - December 10, 2018 Category: Pediatrics Authors: pediatriceducationmin Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: news
FDA OKs First Diagnostic Aid for Congenital Cytomegalovirus FDA OKs First Diagnostic Aid for Congenital Cytomegalovirus
The Alethia CMV Assay Test System detects the DNA of CMV in the saliva of newborns and should only be used in conjunction with the results of other diagnostic tests and clinical information.FDA Approvals (Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines)
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines - December 3, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Ob/Gyn & Women ' s Health News Alert Source Type: news
FDA authorizes first test to aid in detecting a type of herpes virus in newborns called cytomegalovirus
(Source: Food and Drug Administration)
Source: Food and Drug Administration - November 30, 2018 Category: American Health Source Type: news
Infant HIV Infection Ups Risk for Congenital CMV Infection
THURSDAY, Oct. 25, 2018 -- HIV-exposed infants have high rates of congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection, and in utero HIV infection seems to be a major risk factor for cCMV, according to a study published in the October issue of The Pediatric... (Source: Drugs.com - Pharma News)
Source: Drugs.com - Pharma News - October 25, 2018 Category: Pharmaceuticals Source Type: news
HIV-positive infants are at high risk for acquiring congenital cytomegalovirus infection
FINDINGSInfants born to HIV-positive mothers had high rates of congenital cytomegalovirus, or CMV. Infants who also were infected before birth by the virus that causes AIDS were especially prone to CMV infection.The researchers found that 23 percent of the infants who became infected with HIV during the mother ’s pregnancy also were infected with CMV; 18 percent who were infected with HIV either during pregnancy or birth acquired congenital CMV; and 4.9 percent who were exposed to HIV but remained uninfected with that virus also acquired congenital CMV.Overall, HIV-infected infants were four times as likely to have acqui...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - October 15, 2018 Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news
HIV-positive infants are at high risk for acquiring congenital cytomegalovirus infection
(University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences) Infants born to HIV-positive mothers had high rates of congenital cytomegalovirus, or CMV. Infants who also were infected before birth by the virus that causes AIDS were especially prone to CMV infection. (Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases)
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - October 15, 2018 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
Pregnant mothers warned not to eat a child ’s leftovers
Scientists at St George's University of London have cautioned pregnant mothers that cytomegalovirus can be transmitted through children's saliva and infect unborn babies. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - September 11, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Scientists find a new way to attack herpesviruses
(Gladstone Institutes) A team of scientists led by Leor S. Weinberger, PhD, the William and Ute Bowes Distinguished Professor and director of the Gladstone-UCSF Center for Cell Circuitry, uncovered the mechanism that allows cytomegalovirus to replicate. Their study, published in the scientific journal PNAS, could open new therapeutic avenues to treat several herpesviruses. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - August 28, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
UC Davis researchers find quiet viruses alter body's response to vaccines, pathogens
(University of California - Davis Health System) UC Davis researchers have shown that low levels of cytomegalovirus (CMV) have a significant impact on microbe and immune cell populations and how the immune system responds to the influenza vaccine. The study was published in the Journal of Virology. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - August 3, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
