Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

New “pop-up tent” could protect NHS workers when treating COVID-19 patients

A disposable plastic 'pop-up tent' which creates a protective barrier between patients and healthcare professionals could be the latest line of defence for frontline NHS workers thanks to a new product developed by a team from the UK.

8 Apr 2020

Smokers need to quit during coronavirus pandemic

Smoking tobacco may aggravate the effects of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Health experts are urging smokers to quit and cigarette companies to stop producing tobacco products to help alleviate the risks of COVID-19. A new study from China highlights the risk of smoking during the coronavirus pandemic.

7 Apr 2020

Common coronaviruses are sharply seasonal and appear to transmit like influenza

Of the seven coronaviruses known to infect people, four cause common respiratory infections that are sharply seasonal and appear to transmit similarly to influenza, according to a new study by University of Michigan School of Public Health researchers.

7 Apr 2020

Suicide attempt survivors found to be less sensitive to bodily signals

People who have survived a suicide attempt are less sensitive to bodily signals related to their heart and breath, and have a higher tolerance for pain, suggest new findings published today in eLife.

7 Apr 2020

Research findings could aid in the recognition and management of COVID-19 pneumonia

Researchers have identified the most common clinical characteristics of 109 patients with COVID-19 related pneumonia who died in Wuhan, China in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

7 Apr 2020

What we know about COVID-19 in children

A new viewpoint article published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics in April 2020 discusses the manifestation and management of the novel coronavirus disease devastating several countries.

7 Apr 2020

To curb coronavirus, What’s behind the wearing of a mask?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday recommended wearing cloth face masks when going out, especially to places like grocery stores and pharmacies.

7 Apr 2020

Nursing homes have thousands of ventilators that hospitals desperately need

As the number of COVID-19 patients climbs and health officials hunt for ventilators to treat them, nursing homes across the United States have a cache - about 8,200 of the lifesaving machines, according to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

7 Apr 2020

How do viruses mutate and jump to humans?

Zoonotic spillover events like the current novel coronavirus pandemic present threats to human health. But what is zoonotic spillover and how do they occur?

7 Apr 2020

Research reveals a potential 'chink in the armor' of SARS-CoV-2

The scientists from Scripps Research, reveal a likely vulnerability or weakness of the coronavirus. An antibody, called CR3022, recovered from a survivor of the SARS outbreak in 2002, has shown a potential vulnerability of the novel coronavirus.

6 Apr 2020

Tiger with SARS-CoV-2 infection demostrates reverse zoonosis

Some viruses come from animals and jump to humans to cause disease. In the case of the novel coronavirus, now known as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), it is thought to have come from bats, jumped to an intermediate animal host, and then onto humans. But can the virus leap from humans to other animals?

6 Apr 2020

Brown fat cells can translate energy into heat in an unexpected way

When we are exposed to sufficient cold or exercise, small clusters of brown fat cells in our bodies begin to burn up energy.

6 Apr 2020

Antiparasitic drug Ivermectin kills coronavirus in 48 hours

Around the world, scientists race to develop a vaccine or treatment against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Now, a team of researchers has found that a drug already available around the world can kill the coronavirus in a lab setting in just 48 hours.

6 Apr 2020

Researchers create algorithm to protect surgical team members from COVID-19

Researchers from Stanford University's department of surgery have created an algorithm that aims to protect operating room team members who perform urgent and emergency operations from Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and rationally conserve the personal protective equipment they wear.

6 Apr 2020

McMaster: Common medical masks are good for most COVID-19 treatment

The N95 respirator masks should be preserved for health-care workers involved in inserting breathing tubes for patients with COVID-19. More common medical masks are fine for all other COVID-19 treatment, says preliminary research from McMaster University.

6 Apr 2020

Scientist proposes geroprotective strategies to reduce lethality of COVID-19 in the elderly

The Biogerontology Research Foundation, a registered UK charity supporting and promoting aging and longevity research worldwide since 2008, today announced the publication of a paper titled "Geroprotective and senoremediative strategies to reduce the comorbidity, infection rates, severity, and lethality in gerophilic and gerolavic infections" in the leading journal Aging.

6 Apr 2020

Should US schools close to thwart spread of COVID-19?

A new study used mathematical modeling to explore the benefits and risks of closing down the schools to prevent new cases and the possibility of absenteeism among health care workers because they need to care for their children at home and the ultimate effect of the step on reducing the risk of deaths due to COVID-19.

6 Apr 2020