Leading diagnostic test solutions provider Quidel Corporation (QDEL) has won the European CE Mark for its new virus test dubbed the “Quidel Molecular RSV + hMPV Assay” designed for the detection of respiratory syncytial virus (“RSV”) and human metapneumovirus (“hMPV”). RSV and hMPV are two distinct viruses that cause respiratory illness with very similar symptoms.

RSV infection, a viral disease of the lungs, is a major cause of respiratory illness (such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia) in young children. according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, RSV infection is responsible for between 75,000 and 125,000 hospitalizations annually in the U.S. Virtually all infants suffer from an RSV infection before the age of two. Early detection and management are critical, given the potentially serious complications associated with RSV infection.

Identified in 2001 by investigators from the Netherlands, hMPV is the second most common cause (after RSV) of upper and lower respiratory infection in young children. Studies have shown that most children are exposed to hMPV infection by the age of five. the condition which manifests itself through symptoms such as cough, runny nose, nasal congestion and fever, affects roughly 7% of children who are hospitalized with respiratory infection.

the Quidel Molecular RSV + hMPV assay is among the several promising upcoming assays from the California-based company’s expanding molecular diagnostics programs. it is the company’s third molecular diagnostic test to be cleared for marketing in Europe. Quidel received CE Mark for the Influenza A+B and hMPV tests (its first and second molecular diagnostic tests, respectively) in August and September 2011, respectively.

Quidel noted that the European approval of the RSV + hMPV assay has opened the path for the launch of another molecular test for infectious disease in Europe. the test is yet to be approved for sale in the U.S.

Quidel develops and markets diagnostic solutions aimed at improving patient outcomes and offering economic benefits to the healthcare system. the company’s products are designed to detect and diagnose a host of critical diseases such as influenza, RSV, herpes and thyroid disease. Quidel competes with Alere Inc (ALR) among others.

the company’s rapidly expanding range of molecular diagnostics tests is expected to offer a number of important benefits to the end-users including increased ease of use and lower processing time.

Read the full analyst report on QDEL

Read the full analyst report on ALR

Date: Monday Jan. 9, 2012 1:13 PM ET

TORONTO — Were you out of commission for most of the holidays? Laid low by some alien that invaded your throat and-or chest and-or sinuses and wouldn’t let go?

Well, you weren’t alone. There seems to be a whole lot of coughing, sneezing and nose-blowing going on.

But if you put it down to flu, you probably ought to think again. There’s been very little influenza activity in Canada so far this year, though surveillance data suggests it is just now starting to pick up. if you’ve been sick already this winter, it likely wasn’t with influenza — which means, unfortunately that there’s still time to catch flu too.

So if it wasn’t influenza, what did you have? Well, there are a bunch of viruses that cause what the medical world describes as an “ILI” or influenza-like illness.

Human metapneumoviruses, parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV for short), adenoviruses and rhinoviruses — the commonest cause of the common cold — can all trigger head colds or more severe cold- and flu-like symptoms.

But people rarely see doctors when they are suffering from uncomplicated colds or the flu, and when they do, doctors rarely run a test to identify the cause. why bother? if it’s a virus — and chances are good this time of year whatever is ailing you is viral — the medical arsenal has little to offer. the infection just has to run its course.

So there’s no way for the average person to know what the culprit is. Heck, even the experts don’t generally know.

Dr. Danuta Skowronski, an influenza specialist at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, was sick over the entire Christmas season. Two weeks later, her voice still sounds like it belongs to someone else. while she knows a lot about respiratory ailments, she can only make an informed guess about what it was that hit her.

“I’m quite sure it’s not influenza. I didn’t have the fever, the general aches,” Skowronski says. “Whatever it is, it’s hung on for a good long time, so I don’t think it’s a rhinovirus. RSV or human metapneumo are options … but I’ve not been tested so I don’t know.”

Every Friday during the fall, winter and spring, the Public Health Agency of Canada publishes a report on influenza activity called FluWatch. it contains a graph showing the percentage of positive tests for a handful of respiratory viruses as well as flu.

The data present a national picture, which may not help you home in on what’s going around in your particular community. but it does show that right around the end of the year there was a big surge in cases of RSV. Most of the activity has centred around new Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario.

The virus attacks the lungs and breathing passages, according to material on the website of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Most people recover within a week or two, though infection can be severe in premature infants, toddlers with heart or lung problems, children and adults with compromised immune systems and people over the age of 65.

RSV is the most common cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis — inflammation of the small airways of the lung — in children under 12 months old in the U.S., the CDC says. That’s probably true about Canada as well, says Dr. John Spika, director general of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s centre for immunization and respiratory infectious diseases.

“We are hearing about more people being out ill. And it may well be that some of that illness may be due to RSV at this point in time,” Spika says.

RSV circulates every year, though it doesn’t sweep across the entire country in the way flu does, Spika says. He notes, though, that RSV causes a lot of problems in remote northern communities, where young kids who come down with it often have to be flown out for hospital care down south. “They develop an asthma-like illness.”

While it might be interesting to know what to blame your illness on, from a public health or personal care point of view, it doesn’t make a lot of difference.

The messaging from health professionals will be pretty much the same whether you have RSV or a rhinovirus, says Dr. Richard Rusk, the medical officer of health for communicable diseases with Manitoba Health.

Take care of yourself — get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids — and try to prevent spreading your bug to others by washing your hands, covering your cough and staying home if you can.

If your ailment left you speechless — in other words, laryngitis claimed your voice — you can also blame a virus.

“It’s kind of a good news, bad news thing when people develop laryngitis,” says Rusk. “I always tell my patients: ‘Well, the good news is you don’t have a severe bacterial infection that could end up hospitalizing you. you just have a virus. but the bad news is it could take you two weeks to get over it.”‘

With reports of flu activity picking up, it’s likely you’ll be hearing more about sick friends, family members or colleagues in the next few weeks.

The proportion of infected people who are too sick to go to work or who need to go to hospital is much higher with influenza than with the other respiratory viruses, says Dr. Allison McGeer, an infectious diseases specialist at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital.

And McGeer says something else may be looming on the horizon, at least in some parts of the country. It’s not a respiratory virus — it doesn’t spread though coughing and sneezing. but it does make people miserable.

There have been 11 norovirus outbreaks in long-term care facilities in the Toronto area since Christmas, McGeer says, noting that could be a sign this may be an active norovirus year.

The Public Health Agency of Canada says that of the provinces and territories that report data to the National Enteric Surveillance Program, all have experienced norovirus outbreaks in long-term care and other institutions over the past few weeks.

Noroviruses attack the intestinal tract, triggering explosive diarrhea and vomiting. Like respiratory viruses, they also circulate during winter.

Your current web browser must be updated to version 7 of Internet Explorer (IE7) to take advantage of all of template’s capabilities. Why should I upgrade to Internet Explorer 7? Microsoft has redesigned Internet Explorer from the ground up, with better security, new capabilities, and a whole new interface. Many changes resulted from the feedback of millions of users who tested prerelease versions of the new browser. the most compelling reason to upgrade is the improved security. the Internet of today is not the Internet of five years ago. There are dangers that simply didn’t exist back in 2001, when Internet Explorer 6 was released to the world. Internet Explorer 7 makes surfing the web fundamentally safer by offering greater protection against viruses, spyware, and other online risks.

Get free downloads for Internet Explorer 7, including recommended updates as they become available. To download Internet Explorer 7 in the language of your choice, please visit the Internet Explorer 7 worldwide page.

Sound familiar? do you know this? How it affects men? HPV or human papillomavirus is a family of over 100 viruses that are transmitted by contact. Men HPV through genital contact (during sex vaginal or anal). HPV usually causes no symptoms, so can most men and women, HPV and never pass without noticing. HPV can remain passive in the body of a person, even after years since the sexual encounter in which they acquired the disease.

HPV can even years, passively, without any signs of infection. the most common sign of HPV infection is warts – common in the genital area. this may, in a few weeks after sexual contact with an infected person or appear months or years before they are posted. the warts may not even appear.

There are signs in search of men who develop health problems associated with warts, anal cancer and penile cancer. What warts, search one or more growths on the genitals (penis, testicles, groin, thighs, or anus) warts are different, can be flat or cauliflower-not evil, but this rule, weeks or months of warts after sexual contact with may appear.

an infected anal cancer has shown no signs or symptoms, but symptoms can include anal bleeding, pain, itching or discharge, swollen lymph nodes in the groin or the anus and changes in bowel habits or stool form. signs to be aware of penile cancer are color changes, skin thickening or accumulation of tissue in the penis, penis growth, or a painful feeling. Penile cancer showed no symptoms until the cancer has progressed a lot.

before I think of all the happy and full of generic drugs, weight, sex Capades for a minute. You have to go all the packaging you need condoms? they are packing up the loading dose of sex you need to go with the whole situation, to be sure? have you tested before, to prevent further infections? she did? (Well, if you do not know, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to confirm the date and yet they will be able to do so for their own protection). No cure yet been found for the treatment of HPV. Take precautions. Warts can be surgically removed or frozen off, but your daughter in cancer of the cervix could be cured so easily.

Incoming search terms:breakthrough cancer (2),catsuit-gaga (2)

How often do you think about your liver? The liver is in fact one of the most important organs in the body and we cannot survive without one. Hepatitis is a kind of inflammation of the liver due to the liver being injured. In medical jargon an inflammation that lasts for a period of less than 6 months is termed acute hepatitis. Inflammation that continues beyond the 6 month mark is termed chronic hepatitis.

The causes of liver inflammation have been broadly classified by doctors to form two main categories. There is viral hepatitis and non infectious hepatitis. Viral hepatitis is a very confusing disease and is categorized into five viruses named from Hepatitis A to Hepatitis E. Each of the viruses causes a different type of hepatitis and spreads differently as well. some forms of the disease are infectious as well.

Non infectious hepatitis on the other hand is due to certain chemicals found in alcohol or medication. Then there are other health issues like obesity or genetic disorders among that can cause the disease. This type of hepatitis cannot be spread from one person to another.

Hepatitis C is a very persistent form of the disease, far more so than hepatitis A or B. it is transferred for the most part through blood. it should be clearly understood that it cannot be transferred through casual contact, hugging, sharing food or drink, coughing or sneezing. it can be transferred through sharing drug equipment like needles or tattooing needles that have not been sterilized properly. it can also be transferred during a blood transfusion, sex or other forms of contact with an infected person’s blood.

Strangely enough some people do not have any symptoms when they get infected with the hepatitis C virus despite the fact that it damages the liver. it is possible that the symptoms may emerge at a later stage and can even take months or as long as 20 years to appear. it is also possible that a person can develop the disease and the immune system will work to eradicate it completely without their knowledge.

When the symptoms for hepatitis C do appear, they may include: nausea, vomiting, flu like symptoms, loss of appetite, diarrhea, jaundice, fatigue, itchy skin and pain over the liver, just under the rib cage.

If you suspect that you may have hepatitis C or have been exposed to hepatitis C it is important that you be tested. you can schedule a visit with your doctor to be tested or there are home testing kits available as well which will be a less expensive testing option.

If somebody found sexual active in various women and it is consider her/his risk effect of STD. although condom is one option to protect and other way to get knowledge of protection aligned with various disease and viruses. Nowadays STDs are very common and what steps should be take immediate to recover from STD disease, the faster you look treatment.

Genital Herpes – Genital Herpes is a communicable STD which frequently gives no symptoms or signs to aware the infected. when you feeling itching, pain in genital area, inner thighs, open sores in genitals or small red bumps at that moment you should know that you are going to face STD.

HPV Infections –  HPV stand for human papillomavirus and it creates genital warts. It is very general STDs and its symptoms consists of cluster of warts and imaged looks like bleeding in intercourse, cauliflower, genital areas little swellings, it may be gray or flesh colored, discomfort and feeling itch in genital area.

Hepatitis – hepatitis divide in three categories of STF;  a, B and C, all generate liver problems. May be the STD indicates up to several weeks after infection and take in abdominal pain, fatigue, appetite less, skin yellowing and eye color changing, muscle, nausea and joint pain.

Gonorrhea – Gonorrhea is an infection of bacteria in the genital tract & symptoms may appear after exposure of ten days or it may extend up to several months to know the symptoms. Patient can suffer several time urine, pain or burning before pain, intercourse after pain, liberation from vagina or penis.

Chlamydia – Chlamydia is known as silent effect of STD, Chlamydia creates huge problem to detect in early stage because from this disease we can not get any clue. Once diseases come to eye-catching that moment we can see the size change of pennies or vagina, feeling pain in intercourse for women, painful urination and lower abdominal.

HIV – HIV virus happens various sexual activities through various women. when we found HIV virus our disease protection hormone slowly get ill. the primary stage of symptoms happens in between two week to one month. Some case it takes minimum 10 yrs after infection. the symptoms consist of headache, fatigue, swollen lymph glands and fever. the more severe symptoms include weight loss, diarrhea, consistent and unexplained fatigue, fever of at least 100 degrees F and shaking chills.

Just about everywhere you turn, it seems, ?people are coughing and spluttering. Yet a recent study by the University of Leicester found that although coughs are one of the most common ?complaints seen by GPs, only 60 per cent of people find a cause.

Coughs are mainly a protective reflex to remove foreign ?bodies, mucus or irritants such as dust from the respiratory tract, explains Alyn Morice, professor of respiratory ?medicine at the University of Hull, and one of the country’s leading experts.

‘But persistent coughs can also be caused by viruses and ?infections,’ he says.

Symptom of an underlying problem: Persistent coughs can be caused by viruses and ?infections

If your cough lasts for more than eight weeks, he advises ?seeing a GP.

‘a chest X-ray should be ?performed to rule out any serious ?underlying ?disease. however, see your doctor immediately if you experience ?symptoms you’ve never had before, such as coughing up blood.’

Here, we talk to the UK’s cough experts to help you work out what’s behind your symptoms  . . .

A stubborn dry cough that comes and goes, but never quite ?disappears. it usually occurs during the day, prompting a coughing fit that lasts around ten minutes. In extreme cases, sufferers experience ?incontinence and even fractured ribs.

CAUSE: Such coughs used to be ?simply written off as ‘unexplained’. But doctors have recently ?discovered that in some cases the problem is hypersensitivity in the upper ?airways, triggered by a reflux of gas from the stomach.

‘This gas is like a mist — ?containing air, bits of food and stomach enzymes, which irritate the upper area of the throat,’ explains ?Professor Morice.

Once this hypersensitivity has set in, sufferers will have a coughing fit if anything — such as dust or cold air — touches their throat. however, not everyone who has gas reflux will develop a cough as a symptom.

TREATMENT: Some antihistamines and small doses of ?morphine, ?prescribed by a specialist, might help, says Professor Morice. for ?immediate relief, suck a strong menthol ?lozenge, such as Fisherman’s Friend.

CHRONIC, TICKLY COUGH

Although this cough doesn’t ?produce phlegm, you feel as if mucus or catarrh is dripping down the back of your throat. sometimes it can also feel as if there’s a lump in the throat.

CAUSE: This is known as a post-nasal drip — the cause of about 7 per cent of coughs, says Professor Peter Barnes, head of ?respiratory medicine at Imperial College, London.

Normally, we produce up to four pints of clear thin mucus every day from the glands which line the nose and sinuses. This usually drips ?unnoticed down your throat.

However, when mucus becomes thick or if there is a lot of it — usually due to an allergy or ?infection, such as a cold or flu — it triggers a ?coughing reflex as it drips down the throat.

TREATMENT: Products such as Otrivin, a non-steroid, can give immediate relief by reducing ?swelling in the nose and the post-nasal drip.

Administer the drops with the head down and forward, so that the ?liquid flows into the sinuses — don’t tip your head back or the drops will go straight into your stomach.

However, Professor Barnes advises only using these for a few days.

‘if used for longer, once you stop you get a rebound effect and the condition gets worse.’

If post-nasal drip is caused by an allergy, such as cats, house dust or hay fever, you might need a topical nasal steroid, such as Beconase, to dampen down the inflammatory responses ?causing the drip, says Dr Anindo Banerjee, a consultant respiratory physician at ?Southampton General Hospital. see your GP about allergy tests.

The cough might be accompanied by some wheezing, but no phlegm. it occurs at night and intermittently during the day.

CAUSE: This cough usually happens after a bout of cold, flu or other ?respiratory infections and might be caused by increased inflammation in the airways, says Dr Nicholas ?Hopkinson, a consultant respiratory physician at the Royal Brompton Hospital.

TREATMENT: In most cases, it should go away by itself after a few weeks, says Professor Barnes. Lozenges can help — choose those with a strong ?flavour, as they will promote ?salivation to help coat and soothe a sore throat.

Symptoms might also be eased by leaning over a bowl of boiling water with a towel over your head, as ?moisture from the steam will soothe and lubricate the airways. Adding a few drops of menthol might help.

SPASMS OF DRY COUGHING

A painful cough could be caused by bronchitis

A coughing fit starts as a tickle at the back of the throat; in some cases, coughing can lead to vomiting.

CAUSE: certain ?medications can cause coughing, particularly ACE inhibitors, prescribed for high blood pressure, explains Professor Barnes.

This ?usually happens in about 15 per cent of people who use them — possibly because the drugs stop the ?breakdown of a naturally-occurring chemical called bradykinin which, in turn, makes the nerve endings in the lungs more sensitive to irritation.

TREATMENT: Your GP can ?prescribe alternative blood pressure ?medications, such as ?angiotensin II receptor antagonists, advises ?Professor Ron Eccles, director of the Common cold Centre at Cardiff University.

Around 90 per cent of users who swap medication clear their cough within a week or so, although it can take up to three months.

PAINFUL, HACKING COUGH

A constant cough, that is ?particularly bad in the morning. it tends to bring up thick yellowy/grey or green/rust-coloured mucus. there might also be pain behind the breast bone, a sore throat, ?wheezing and a blocked nose.

CAUSE: the likely cause is acute bronchitis, an infection of the large airways of the lungs (bronchi), which causes them to become ?irritated and inflamed. This often starts after a respiratory infection, such as a cold.

Acute bronchitis itself is usually caused by a virus — but around 5 to 10 per cent of cases are triggered by bacteria; in bacterial infections, the phlegm will be green or rust ?coloured, says Dr Sneh Khemka, medical ?director of BUPA International.

This cough could be confused with a swine flu cough. however, a cough caused by swine flu would usually be accompanied by a high fever (usually above 38C) sore throat, headache, aching muscles, chills and shivers, a fever, upset stomach and general exhaustion, says Dr Banerjee.

TREATMENT: Bed rest and drinking lots of fluids to prevent ?dehydration and to thin the mucus, making it ?easier to cough up. Over-the-?counter products might relieve your cough, although they cannot speed up your recovery.

‘look for medicines containing linctus,’ says Professor Morice, ‘as this ingredient lessens the cough by lining the back of the throat.’

Products such as Robitussin ?contain the cough suppressant dextromethorphan. however, many over-the-counter cough ?medicines also contain ?paracetamol, so if you are already taking it to relieve your headaches or fever, make sure you don’t exceed the maximum dose.

If you are breathless, feel unwell or the cough lasts longer than a week, or the phlegm coughed up is a green, rusty colour, see your GP.

THROAT-?CLEARING COUGH

It feels like you have a lump in your throat and coughing leaves you with a nasty, bitter taste in the mouth. the cough can be ?triggered by talking, laughing, singing or eating particularly dry food. it also tends to occur at night.

CAUSE: the most likely cause is stomach acid splashing up the ?gullet — this affects about 25 per cent of the adult Western ?population and is known as reflux. As the lining of the gullet is extremely soft and sensitive, this leads to inflammation, which ?triggers a coughing fit.

Reflux can lead to a condition called Barrett’s Oesophagus — this causes ?abnormalities in the cells and raises the risk of ?oesophageal cancer.

TREATMENT: Over-the-counter ?antacids such as Alka-Seltzer can neutralise acid in the stomach.

Other drugs, known as H2 ?blockers (available both on ?prescription or over the counter) act on acid production. cut back on ?exacerbating factors, such as ?coffee, high-fat food or going to bed shortly after a large meal, and try to avoid eating after 9pm, says Professor Morice. if you suffer with reflux for a ?couple of months, see your GP.

DRY COUGH WITH WHEEZE

You tend to cough more during the night or first thing in the morning.

CAUSE: one likely culprit is asthma. ‘Ten per cent of asthma sufferers don’t realise they have it,’ says Dr Keith Prowse, of the British Lung Foundation. when someone with asthma comes into contact with something that irritates their airways, the muscles around the airways tighten.

An asthma cough can be triggered by a cold, exposure to certain foods or irritants, such as pollen. it is not known why the cough is worse at night or in the morning.

TREATMENT: Your GP can normally diagnose asthma with tests. the first line of ?treatment involves inhalers to open up the airways and make it easier to breathe.

If inhalers are ineffective, inhaled steroids can ease a severe or ?prolonged attack of asthma and reduce the inflammation in the airways.

BREATHLESS, PAINFUL COUGH

A persistent cough ?accompanied by shortness of breath.

Other symptoms might include coughing up blood, loss of ?appetite, losing weight and a dull ache or sharp pain in the lung area when you cough or take a deep breath. This cough is unrelenting and ?happens most of the time.

CAUSE: one possibility is lung ?cancer. ‘the problem is that it is possible to mistake these ?symptoms for a chest infection,’ explains Dr Jesme Fox, medical director of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.

‘the difference is that the cough persists for weeks, with little sign of getting better.

‘though lung cancer is quite rare, it’s vital you don’t ignore these symptoms and get checked out by your GP, just to be sure,’ she adds.

TREATMENT: This depends on the type of lung cancer — though often it involves surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. 

This brings up lots of phlegm — and there can be wheezing, chest ?tightness and some ?difficulty breathing.

It’s often worse in the mornings and the ?winter, as it’s exacerbated by viruses that affect the lungs.

CAUSE: Chronic Obstructive ?Pulmonary Disease (COPD) — the ?collective name for lung ?conditions, such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD is commonly caused by smoking.

However, about 10 per cent of cases happen in non-smokers due to exposure to dust, air pollution and family history.

It usually affects people over 40, as the damage to the lungs that causes COPD happens gradually.

‘the ?important thing is to notice symptoms that haven’t happened before, such as this chesty cough or breathlessness,’ says Dr Keith Prowse, of the British Lung ?Foundation.

‘it could be a sign of the disease and they should see their GP.’

TREATMENT: there is no cure for COPD, but the damage can be slowed. the most important steps are to stop smoking, avoid ?passive exposure and exercise as much as you can.

Short and long acting inhalers will help with breathlessness by widening the airways.

Steam inhalation and ?humidifying rooms can also help by ?loosening mucus.

For an online breath test to screen for COPD, go to ?lunguk.org/breathtest