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Archive by date: April 2007

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Side effects of Tamiflu: clues from an Asian single nucleotide polymorphism

The flu drug Tamiflu has puzzled researchers by appearing to cause severe side-effects, including suicide, in disproportionately more Japanese patients than in their US or European counterparts. It now seems that there may be a genetic explanation. The finding supports the notion of screening to decide who is susceptible to side effects and should therefore avoid the drug.

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Lessons from the 1918 influenza

Recent studies of the H1N1 virus, responsible for the 1918 pandemic, reveal that there may only be a “thin dividing line” between the current H5N1 virus, with its extremely limited capacity for person-to-person transmission, and one that can cause a devastating pandemic. A better understanding of the differences could lead to new immune-based prevention and treatments.

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