Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Chinese woman still sheds SARS-CoV-2 over four months post-infection

A new study by Chinese scientists explore an unusual case of extended viral shedding in a 68-year-old woman up to four months post-infection.

1 Dec 2020

COVID-19 restrictions have led to 86 percent drop in norovirus infections in US, finds study

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the imposition of several non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) across the world. While citizens in the USA have been chafing over the advice to wear masks in public, restricted social interactions, and limited attendance at schools, colleges and workplaces, a new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in November 2020 reports that these NPIs were linked to a steep reduction in the incidence of the non-respiratory pathogen, noroviruses.

1 Dec 2020

Cancer-killing virus developed at City of Hope activates the immune system against colon cancer

City of Hope scientists have developed a cancer-killing virus by combining the oncolytic virus CF33 with an immune checkpoint inhibitor.

1 Dec 2020

Experts urge governments to rethink COVID-19 infection control policies for schools

An urgent rethink of infection control policies to keep COVID-19 infection at bay in schools is needed if primary schools are to be kept open this winter, and the knock-on effects on their families avoided, argue children's infectious disease specialists in a viewpoint, published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

1 Dec 2020

Nucleic acid-hydrolyzing scFv 3D8 exhibits potent antiviral effects on SARS-CoV-2

3D8, a 27-kDa recombinant antibody fragment, was found in autoimmune-prone Murphy Roths Large mice. The single-chain variable fragment (scFv) has the nucleic acid hydrolyzing activity and is shown to degrade DNA or mRNA of viruses in infected cells.

30 Nov 2020

Memory B cells persist in recovered COVID-19 patients

A team of scientists from the University of Washington, USA, and the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, has comprehensively studied the antibody-mediated immune responses in patients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

30 Nov 2020

Study: More than one-third of children with COVID-19 are asymptomatic

More than one-third of kids who have COVID-19 are asymptomatic, according to a University of Alberta study that suggests youngsters diagnosed with the disease may represent just a fraction of those infected.

30 Nov 2020

Oxford University podcast's third season to take listeners on a journey through historical pandemics

The University of Oxford's CASE Gold Award winning podcast, Futuremakers, will return for its third season at the end of October.

30 Nov 2020

Penn study opens the door to let CAR T cells reach the tumor microenvironment

The labyrinth of jumbled blood vessels in the tumor microenvironment remains one of the toughest blockades for cellular therapies to penetrate and treat solid tumors.

30 Nov 2020

Mollusc-derived compounds potential medicines for COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases

A research team has reviewed the existing literature on compounds derived from molluscs used for treating respiratory diseases.

30 Nov 2020

What are the risks associated with human challenge trials for SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates?

Researchers from the University of Haifa, Israel, and WAW Statistical Consulting Ltd, UK, designed a model that helps determine the risks faced by participants in a hypothetical COVID-19 dosing study.

30 Nov 2020

Transmission 'hot zones' drive COVID-19 infection patterns, says study

A recent study describes two different mathematical models of high infection zones, which lead to different effects on viral transmission. This underlines the need to understand how the virus spreads within a community as well as within subgroups with different patterns of interaction.

30 Nov 2020

Could the keto diet help prevent or mitigate severe COVID-19?

A new study published in the journal of Translational Medicine reports that the ketogenic diet (KD) may be useful in this area, with its track history of effectual reduction of fat mass, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, and consequent improvement of cardiovascular health.

30 Nov 2020