News From The Journal Of Clinical Investigation: April 23, 2012
GENE THERAPY: Inadvertent changes: how engineered viruses disrupt normal gene expression Gene therapy holds the promise of treating genetic conditions by restoring normal gene function. The field has developed slowly over the last several decades with high importance placed on safety to reduce the chance that introduced genes cause problems. Gene therapy often relies on engineered viruses that use viral machinery to deliver the desired gene product in cells. Two recent studies - led by Fulvio Mavilio of the Istituto Scientifico H.
Flu Vaccine Rates Improved Via Texting For Low Income Children
According to a study in the April 25 issue of JAMA, the coverage for children to get vaccinated against influenza increased amongst low-income, hard-to-reach, minority children and adolescents if their patients received education-related text message reminders, as compared with the standard care, even though the overall coverage remained low. The researchers explained: "Timely vaccination is the cornerstone of influenza prevention through vaccination of susceptible populations before illness becomes epidemic in communities.
Study Concludes Shingles Vaccine Safe
The herpes zoster vaccine, also known as the shingles vaccine, is generally safe and well tolerated according to a Vaccine Safety Datalink study of 193, 083 adults published online in the Journal of Internal Medicine. More than 1 million people develop shingles every year in the United States. Shingles is a painful contagious rash caused by the dormant chickenpox virus which can reactivate and replicate, damaging the nerve system. The elderly are especially vulnerable because immunity against the virus that causes shingles declines with age.