Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

How COVID-19 affects the nervous system

A new paper published in the journal JAMA Neurology in May 2020 discusses the presentation and complications of COVID-19 with respect to the nervous system.

31 May 2020

Deep vein clots in critical COVID-19 illness

A new research paper published in the journal JAMA Network Open in May 2020 reports a high incidence of deep vein clots in patients with severe COVID-19 at a single French medical center. This could indicate the need for systematic anticoagulant therapy in these patients as a preventive measure.

31 May 2020

Anosmia and changes in brain MRI in COVID-19

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic was sweeping across the world, new symptoms and clinical presentations appeared, often confusing the picture. A case report from Italy, published in the journal JAMA Neurology in May 2020, shows that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may be a neurotropic virus, and may cause infection to present primarily with anosmia.

31 May 2020

Significant number of COVID-19 positive cases asymptomatic, raising transmission concerns

There have been many instances of people testing positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) who have no symptoms of the infection whatsoever. These asymptomatic patients are, however, still capable of spreading the infection without being aware of it, say experts.

31 May 2020

COVID-19 mortality is significantly higher in hospitalized patients with diabetes

A new meta-analysis published on the preprint server medRxiv by the researchers from the United States and Greece reveals that the likelihood of death is 65% higher in hospitalized coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients with diabetes when compared to non-diabetics – urging the adequate glucose control in the era of the pandemic.

31 May 2020

How susceptible are domestic animals to SARS-CoV-2?

A recent paper by Chinese researchers, published in the leading journal Science, shows that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) does not replicate well in dogs, pigs, chickens, and ducks; however, ferrets and cats are easily infected, and cats may transmit the virus via an airborne route.

31 May 2020

When flu season converges with COVID-19

As if the COVID-19 pandemic isn't scary enough, the flu season is not far away. How severe will the flu season be as it converges with the COVID-19 outbreak? What can we do to prepare?

30 May 2020

Scientists identify factors influencing outcomes in kidney cancer patients treated with immunotherapy

By analyzing tumors from patients treated with immunotherapy for advanced kidney cancer in three clinical trials, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists have identified several features of the tumors that influence their response to immune checkpoint inhibitor drugs.

30 May 2020

Targeted therapy tepotinib shows durable response in NSCLC patients with METex14 skipping mutation

Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the MET exon 14 (METex14) skipping mutation had a 46.5% objective response rate to the targeted therapy drug tepotinib, as shown in a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting ASCO20 Virtual Meeting (Abstract 9556 - Poster 322) by researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

29 May 2020

Paid sick leave mandates may be helping to slow the spread of COVID-19

Paid sick leave (PSL) mandates like those found in the federal government's Families First Coronavirus Response Act may be helping to slow the spread of COVID-19, according to a new study by health economists at Georgia State and Tulane universities.

29 May 2020

Older men exhibit less COVID-19 worries than others

Older men may be at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 because they worry less about catching or dying from it than women their age or than younger people of both sexes, according to a new study by Sarah Barber, a gerontology and psychology researcher at Georgia State University.

29 May 2020

UW creates free, online course for contact tracing to help combat COVID-19

As businesses and public spaces reopen across the nation, the old-school public health detective work known as contact tracing is becoming a major component of the battle to contain the novel coronavirus that causes the deadly COVID-19 disease.

29 May 2020

Study reports a low prevalence of COVID-19 in pregnant women

New data from two studies show the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among pregnant women is low, but they still need to take extra precautions.

29 May 2020

5-day Remdesivir dose works as well as the 10-day dose in COVID-19, study finds

With more than 5.8 million people infected with the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the search is on for an effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccine or drug to treat COVID-19 disease.

28 May 2020

How comorbidities affect SARS-CoV-2 viral entry

Almost from the start of the current COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear that individuals suffering from other medical conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and lung disease are far more likely to contract the infection and to have a poorer outcome.

28 May 2020

Face masks essential in combating asymptomatic spread of SARS-CoV-2 aerosols and droplets

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) occurs through the transmission of droplets and aerosols from infected people through speaking, breathing, coughing, and sneezing. Wearing masks can reduce the airborne transmission of the novel coronavirus, a new study finds. The research is published in the journal Science.

28 May 2020

Genomic variation and descent of SARS-CoV-2 strains in India

The pandemic of COVID-19 that is still affecting over 188 countries and territories the world over has taken over 359,000 lives in just under five months, while affecting at least 5.8 million people. Different strains have diverged from the original strain detected in Wuhan, China.

28 May 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Still seeking a federal coronavirus strategy

The Trump administration sent its COVID-19 testing strategy plan to Congress, formalizing its policy that most testing responsibilities should remain with individual states.

28 May 2020

Research provides important insights into genetic adaptation of SARS-CoV-2 to humans

In their groundbreaking paper available on the preprint server medRxiv, University of Pittsburgh researchers were appraising signals of SARS-CoV-2 genome evolution and found that purifying selection (i.e., removal of deleterious mutations) represents the dominant trait during early coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic - suggesting that the virus will evolve as it diversifies in a growing number of hosts.

28 May 2020

Nearly 50% of COVID-19 patients have altered sense of tastes

Nearly half of individuals who contract COVID-19 experience changes in their sense of taste, a new analysis led by a University of Toledo researcher has found.

28 May 2020