Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Congress urged to cover home infusion therapy for Medicare beneficiaries

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) is urging Congress to support the Medicare Home Infusion Therapy Coverage Act of 2007 (H.R. 2567), bipartisan legislation introduced yesterday by Reps.

8 Jun 2007

Causes and treatment of degenerative disk disease

Back pain can interfere with normal activities. One of the most common causes is degenerative disk disease. Fortunately, there is help.

8 Jun 2007

Aging stem cells in mice may hold answers to diseases of the aged

As stem cells in the blood grow older, genetic mutations accumulate that could be at the root of blood diseases that strike people as they age, according to work done in mice by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

8 Jun 2007

Singapore too finds poison Chinese toothpaste

Singapore is the latest country to question China's food safety standards after Chinese-made toothpaste was found to contain diethylene glycol, or DEG, a poisonous chemical used in solvents and anti-freeze.

7 Jun 2007

Bird flu back in China

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported another death from bird flu in China.

5 Jun 2007

TB test offers patients quicker and easier diagnosis

A new test for diagnosing TB offers a quick and simple alternative to existing three-day methods, according to research published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

5 Jun 2007

Bird flu winging it around Vietnam again...more humans affected

As Vietnam copes with its first confirmed human cases of bird flu since November 2005, more outbreaks of the deadly virus have been appearing in ducklings in Vietnam's northern region.

4 Jun 2007

China in denial over toxic toothpaste

Authorities in China have called warnings about Chinese-made toothpaste by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) both unscientific and irresponsible.

3 Jun 2007

FDA provides guidance to help increase supply of influenza vaccines

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued final recommendations to increase the supply of safe and effective influenza vaccines for both seasonal and pandemic use.

3 Jun 2007

New test for diagnosing TB - quicker and easier

A new test for diagnosing TB offers a quick and simple alternative to existing three-day methods, according to research published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

3 Jun 2007

Exposure to flu vaccine kick-starts fetal immune system in pregnant mothers

Some researchers have hypothesized that the fetus can be exposed to and mount an immune response against allergens to which the mother has been exposed, and this may have an effect on the development of allergic sensitivity (e.g. eczema and asthma) later in an infant's life.

3 Jun 2007

Avoid Chinese toothpaste!

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today warned consumers to avoid using tubes of toothpaste labeled as made in China, and issued an import alert to prevent toothpaste containing the poisonous chemical diethylene glycol (DEG) from entering the United States.

3 Jun 2007

New protocols to understand embryos, clones, stem cells

Cloning, X-chromosome inactivation, stem cells, and embryogenesis are hot areas of research at the moment, and protocols featured in this month's release of Cold Spring Harbor Protocols will aid these studies.

3 Jun 2007

Study looks at brain damage that occurs after stroke

Brain damage that occurs even days after a stroke, increasing stroke size and devastation, is the focus of researchers trying to identify new treatments.

1 Jun 2007

Gene expression patterns predict rapid decline in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic lung disease typically characterized by the slow but progressive onset of shortness of breath or cough.

1 Jun 2007

Veterinarians who work with birds at increased risk for infection with avian influenza virus

The study showed that, compared with the control group, the veterinarians who worked with birds had significantly higher levels of antibodies in their blood against the H5, H6 and H7 avian virus strains, indicating previous infections with these viruses.

1 Jun 2007

Public health ethics expert on quarantine order for tuberculosis patient

Marc Hiller, associate professor of health management and policy at the University of New Hampshire and a specialist in ethical issues in public health, is available to comment on the recent federal order that placed a Georgia man with a lethal form of tuberculosis into quarantine.

1 Jun 2007

Improve radiation detectors

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, with funding from DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration, have devised ways to improve the performance of radiation detectors, such as those used by law enforcement agencies to locate and identify radioactive material.

1 Jun 2007

Man with rare TB zig-zagged his way around Europe on planes

Officials in the United States have revealed that the airline passenger infected with a dangerous strain of tuberculosis fled across Europe to avoid detection.

31 May 2007

Trans-Atlantic air traveler in quarantine with dangerous TB

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States have placed a trans-Atlantic air traveler under quarantine because he has a rare and dangerous form of tuberculosis.

31 May 2007