Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

SARS-CoV-2 poses significant threat to many marine mammal species

A new study conducted by researchers at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, has found that many species of marine mammal are highly vulnerable to infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

17 Aug 2020

Social distancing reduced ER visits and respiratory tract infections in Finnish children

Finland declared a lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, and the ensuing social distancing measures decreased the number of paediatric emergency room visits to nearly one-third of what they used to be, according to a recent register-based study conducted in collaboration between the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio University Hospital and the National Institute for Health and Welfare.

17 Aug 2020

FDA approves drug for treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Enspryng (satralizumab-mwge) for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in adults with a particular antibody - patients who are anti-aquaporin-4 or AQP4 antibody-positive.

17 Aug 2020

Trust, fear and solidarity will determine the success of a COVID vaccine

Thousands of letters stuffed with money flooded Jonas Salk's mailbox the week after his polio vaccine was declared safe and effective in 1955. Everybody wanted his vaccine.

17 Aug 2020

PPE shortage could last years without strategic plan, experts warn

Shortages of personal protective equipment and medical supplies could persist for years without strategic government intervention, officials from health care and manufacturing industries have predicted.

17 Aug 2020

Startling report suggests COVID-19 may have first appeared in 2012

Now, a report on the website Independent Science News by researchers Jonathan Latham, and Allison Wilson suggests that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), may not have originated at a Wuhan wet market in 2019, but 1,000 miles away in 2012, in a Chinese mineshaft where workers fell ill with a mysterious, pneumonia-like illness after being exposed to bats.

17 Aug 2020

Can the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 be spread through frozen food?

It is well-known that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), can spread through respiratory droplets when people sneeze, cough, or talk. Recent evidence has also shown that the virus can hang in the air for hours, hinting at the possibility of airborne transmission.

17 Aug 2020

Study shows nitrate supplementation improves diaphragm's function in elderly people

New research published today in The Journal of Physiology shows that nitrate improves function in the diaphragm, the muscle involved in coughing and breathing, by improving power.

17 Aug 2020

ARDS may not be the primary lung iInjury in COVID-19

A new Italian study published on the preprint server medRxiv in August 2020 shows that this may not be an adequate explanation, since ARDS is a nonspecific diagnosis. Instead, they say, antemortem lung biopsy shows a “Covid pattern” of acute lung injury, which could guide the application of therapeutics.

16 Aug 2020

Scientists reveal most likely order of COVID-19 symptoms

Now, a team of researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) has revealed the order of symptoms often experienced by those who infected with SARS-CoV-2. Knowing the order of the symptoms may help the patients seek medical help immediately. The research is published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health.

16 Aug 2020

U.S. scientists to create coronavirus strain for human challenge trials

Now, a team of scientists in the United States plans to create a coronavirus strain that can be used for human challenge trials, a controversial type of study wherein health volunteers would be vaccinated and intentionally infected with the virus.

16 Aug 2020

Gaiter face covering provides respiratory containment of exhaled droplets

Experts with the West Virginia University Center for Inhalation Toxicology found that – assuming it's a good fit - a gaiter will, despite recent reports, provide a respiratory containment of exhaled droplets comparable to a common over-the-ear cloth mask.

15 Aug 2020

Influenza-virus-based vaccine platform another viable option against SARS-CoV-2

In a novel proof of concept study, published on the bioRxiv preprint server, U.S. researchers used attenuated influenza viral particles that express severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor-binding domain to induce neutralizing antibodies in mice – unveiling another viable vaccine candidate for preventing coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

14 Aug 2020

COVID-19 pandemic as severe as 1918 influenza pandemic

A recent study published in the journal JAMA Network Open reveals that the excess death toll observed during the initial period of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in New York City is comparable to that observed during the peak of the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 1918.

14 Aug 2020

Cardiovascular risk factors may impact COVID-19 outcomes

COVID-19 patients with cardiovascular comorbidities or risk factors are more likely to develop cardiovascular complications while hospitalized, and more likely to die from COVID-19 infection, according to a new study published August 14, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Jolanda Sabatino of Universita degli Studi Magna Graecia di Catanzaro, Italy, and colleagues.

14 Aug 2020

Cough recognition model classifies coughing sounds in real time

The Center for Noise and Vibration Control at KAIST announced that their coughing detection camera recognizes where coughing happens, visualizing the locations.

14 Aug 2020

Researcher to develop new technology that could aid in COVID-19 pandemic

Xin Ning, an assistant professor of aerospace engineering, specializes in developing materials for use in space.

14 Aug 2020

Preliminary Mayo Clinic results from convalescent plasma in 35,322 patients

A new study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in August 2020 reports the preliminary results of the US Expanded Access Program (EAP) for CP. The EAP aimed to facilitate access to CP as well as to evaluate the safety of this therapy. However, the current study reports the results of an initial assessment of this agent.

14 Aug 2020

Experimental COVID-19 vaccine prevents severe disease in mice

Now, a novel experimental vaccine that is made from a mild virus genetically-modified to carry an essential gene from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronary disease (COVID-19), has shown promise in preventing pneumonia in mice infected with the virus.

14 Aug 2020

WHO urges the public to avoid routine dental work amid the coronavirus pandemic

With the cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) skyrocketing globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) is now warning the public to avoid routine dental procedures to reduce the risk of infection.

14 Aug 2020