Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Study highlights the importance of T cell cross reactivity in stopping severe COVID-19 infections

Researchers at La Jolla Institute for Immunology have found that T cells from people who have recovered from COVID-19 or received the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are still able to recognize several concerning SARS-CoV-2 variants.

1 Jul 2021

Study explores lectins from plants, fungi, algae and cyanobacteria as pan-coronavirus inhibitors

In a recently published article scientists have provided a detailed description of the utility of mannose-specific lectins in preventing coronavirus infections. They have specifically explained how mannose-specific lectins derived from plants, algae, fungi, and bacteria selectively bind N-glycans present on the surface of viral spike protein and how such interactions can be medically utilized to control coronavirus transmission.

1 Jul 2021

Could peridomestic mammals act as zoonotic reservoirs for SARS-CoV-2?

In new research from researchers in the USA and Australia peridomestic mammals, which live in and around human habitations, have been investigated to ascertain how SARS-CoV-2 can affect species external to, but in close proximity to, the human population.

1 Jul 2021

How one rural town without a pharmacy is crowdsourcing to get meds

The building that once housed the last drugstore in this town of fewer than 600 is now a barbecue restaurant, where pit boss Larry Holtman dishes out smoked brisket and pulled pork across the same counter where pharmacists dispensed vital medications more than 30 years ago.

1 Jul 2021

Damage to children’s education — and their health — could last a lifetime

Before the pandemic, 16-year-old Na'ryen Cayou had everything he needed. He had his own room. A partial scholarship to a boys' prep school. A spot playing trombone in the marching band, performing in parades all over New Orleans.

1 Jul 2021

Zinc-embedded polyamides inactivate SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A

The researchers show that the fabric retains its virus-inactivating property and stable zinc content over 50 standardized washes.

1 Jul 2021

Employed individuals more likely to be infected with the flu virus

A University of Arkansas researcher and international colleagues found that employed individuals, on average, are 35.3% more likely to be infected with the flu virus.

30 Jun 2021

Scientists outline new target for treating type 2 diabetes

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, a scientific breakthrough that transformed Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, from a terminal disease into a manageable condition.

30 Jun 2021

Researchers explain how air turbulence create potentially virus-laden droplets

Computer simulations have been used with great success in recent months to visualize the spread of the COVID-19 virus in a variety of situations.

30 Jun 2021

Innovative corona test offers great potential for systematic testing

A new corona test developed at the University Hospital Bonn can analyze a large number of swabs simultaneously using sequencing technology and has a similarly high sensitivity as the common qPCR test.

29 Jun 2021

Covid-19 patients experience a longer lasting reduced sense of taste and smell

Patients with mild Covid-19 infections experience a significantly increased longer lasting reduced sense of taste and smell.

29 Jun 2021

Study offers more evidence that face masks can prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission

A new study released as a preprint on the medRxiv* server suggests that the use of face masks, of various designs, successfully prevents SARS-CoV-2 transmission. This supports the continued implementation of mask policies in public places until herd immunity is achieved in the region involved.

29 Jun 2021

How does dexamethasone therapy work in severe COVID-19?

The possible mechanisms that result in dexamethasone being an effective drug against severe SARS-CoV-2 infection are investigated in a new study. The paper’s authors advance the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 infection induces cell-specific insensitivity to glucocorticoids, possibly as an unintentional result of the viral replication cycle.

29 Jun 2021

Study explores structure, activity, and inhibition of TMPRSS2 implicated in SARS-CoV-2 activation

Researchers from Canada recently presented an efficient strategy for recombinant production of enzymatically active TMPRSS2 ectodomain, enabling enzymatic characterization and the 1.95 Å X-ray crystal structure. Their work is published on the bioRxiv* preprint server while awaiting peer-review.

29 Jun 2021

New spider web mechanism kills pathogens and virus responsible for COVID-19

Immunologists at McMaster University have discovered a previously unknown mechanism which acts like a spider web, trapping and killing pathogens such as influenza or SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19.

29 Jun 2021

Tackling emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants

An international team of authors has published a special report in The New England Journal of Medicine titled 'SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Vaccines’, which presents global strategies for the possible escape from vaccine-elicited immunity.

29 Jun 2021

Aerosol generated by playing wind instruments is less than that produced when vocalizing

Aerosol generated by playing woodwind and brass instruments is less than that produced when vocalizing (speaking and singing) and is no different than a person breathing, new research has found.

29 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 test in 20 minutes with FISH

A collaboration from the University of Oxford and the University of Warwick has led to research into a novel method of viral detection through rapid fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in order to effectively detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus within 20 minutes.

29 Jun 2021

Immune response to FDA-approved vaccines is strong and potentially long-lasting

The first two COVID-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) employed a technology that had never before been used in FDA-approved vaccines.

29 Jun 2021

What's behind COVID-19 vaccine side effects?

A growing concern among coronavirus vaccines is the vaccine side effects. Fear or misinformation about side effects may fuel vaccine hesitancy, contributing to low vaccination rates. Australian researchers recently published an article in Science Immunology to discuss why people develop side effects and their benefits.

28 Jun 2021