A group at UCD is researching the effects on electrical activity in their brain, which is related to learning, of a chemical found in high concentrations in Alzheimer’s disease patients. The group — led by Dr Caroline Herron, Senior Lecturer at UCD’s School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science — is investigating the effects of agents [...]

A targeted programme of preventive antiviral medication, combined with the use of hand sanitisers and surface contamination, was associated with containing the spread of the H1N1 virus in a summer camp setting, according to a new report. With rare exceptions, the H1N1 virus has retained sensitivity to the antiviral medication oseltamivir phosphate. The drug has [...]

Among infants and children hospitalised in Kenya with severe pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) appears to be the predominant virus detected, according to a new study. In the study, doctors examined the viral causes of severe pneumonia among infants and children at a rural Kenyan district hospital using comprehensive and sensitive molecular diagnostic techniques. Participants [...]

In a tropical environment, influenza A(H1N1) appeared milder than seasonal flu, was less likely to cause fever and upset stomach and more likely to infect younger individuals, according to a new report. In 2009, a new rapid detection method was designed to detect genes from the new influenza A(H1N1) virus and was used during a [...]

Pregnant women who contract the H1N1 flu strain are at risk of developing obstetrical complications, including foetal distress, premature delivery, emergency Caesarean delivery and foetal death, according to a new report. It followed a study in which researchers analysed data from 18 patients admitted to two urban academic medical centres with a diagnosis of H1N1 [...]