Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

With coronavirus rare in rural Florida, experts dispute way forward

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has refused to issue a statewide "stay-at-home" order to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus because the disease has not hit many areas of the state, he said.

1 Apr 2020

California’s new attack on opioid addiction hits old roadblocks

Jennifer Stilwell, a 30-year-old mother of two young children, kicked heroin cold turkey five years ago, but she got hooked again last fall.

1 Apr 2020

Blood centers will collect plasma from COVID-19 survivors in bid for treatment

Blood donation centers across the U.S. are ramping up efforts to collect plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 in hopes it could be used to save the lives of others infected with the pandemic disease.

1 Apr 2020

Temperature check: Tips for tracking a key symptom of coronavirus contagion

After I was told I'd been exposed to the novel coronavirus, I tried to follow the best medical advice. I started working from home. I socially isolated. And I "self-monitored" for signs I'd been infected.

1 Apr 2020

Stem cells used to combat COVID-19 pneumonia

The novel coronavirus first emerged in December 2019, and since then, it rippled across 180 countries, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. Amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, many people are looking for answers. Scientists are racing to find a treatment that can help save lives. Now, a team of scientists has suggested that stem cell therapy can help fight the deadly infection.

1 Apr 2020

Mobile apps for instant contact tracing could slow the rate of coronavirus transmission

A team of medical researchers and bioethicists at Oxford University has published results today in Science that furthers our understanding of coronavirus transmission.

31 Mar 2020

COVID-19: Ban on eating wild meat deprives some forest communities

As efforts to curb the COVID-19 pandemic accelerate around the world, wildlife conservationists have welcomed a move by the Chinese government to outlaw the hunting and consumption of all terrestrial wild animals.

31 Mar 2020

Novel, affordable pneumonia vaccine tested in human patients

A novel vaccine against pneumonia that is less expensive and more effective than those currently used in Brazil is being tested in human patients.

31 Mar 2020

Stellenbosch University and AzarGen Biotechnologies join forces to tackle COVID-19

Stellenbosch University in South Africa and AzarGen Biotechnologies (Pty) Ltd, a South African biotechnology company focused on developing human therapeutic proteins using advanced genetic engineering and synthetic biology techniques in plants, have joined forces in the global fight against the coronavirus.

31 Mar 2020

Location of broken bone in older people can have major impact on long-term health outcomes

In older individuals, the location of a broken bone can have significant impacts on long-term health outcomes, according to research accepted for presentation at ENDO 2020, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting, and publication in a special supplemental section of the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

31 Mar 2020

Three Australian experts explain the course of COVID-19

Researchers have been studying the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) closely since its beginning in December 2019. To date, the virus has infected over 850,000 individuals across the globe and killed over 41,000.

31 Mar 2020

Individuals taking glucocorticoids are at high risk if infected with COVID-19

Individuals taking a class of steroid hormones called glucocorticoids for conditions such as asthma, allergies and arthritis on a routine basis may be unable to mount a normal stress response and are at high risk if they are infected with the virus causing COVID-19, according to a new editorial published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

31 Mar 2020

People working long hours more likely to have hypothyroidism

Adults who work long hours are more likely to have hypothyroidism, which is an underactive thyroid, according to study results accepted for presentation at ENDO 2020, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting, and publication in a special supplemental section of the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

31 Mar 2020

Exploring how mucus plays a part in transferring coronaviruses

As the lethal COVID-19 coronavirus propagates around the globe, we know a sneeze, a cough or simply touching a surface with the virus can spread the infection.

31 Mar 2020

Should you bring mom home from assisted living during the pandemic?

Dr. Alison Webb took her 81-year-old father out of assisted living, to live.

31 Mar 2020

Fee app helps track onset and progression of COVID-19 symptoms in Americans

As the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic grips the US, a new free app is helping to track the onset and progression of symptoms of millions across the nation. The app will help identify those at risk sooner, and help slow the outbreak of the disease.

31 Mar 2020

New virtual tool to help the world diagnose COVID-19 in the lungs

A new virtual tool helps overstressed and overworked doctors sharpen their skills at making a timely diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia based on the characteristic lung signs on computerized tomography (CT) of the chest.

31 Mar 2020

Evinacumab drug reduces cholesterol levels in patients with rare cholesterol disorder

The investigational drug evinacumab reduced low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to near-normal levels among patients with a rare cholesterol disorder, meeting the primary endpoint in the first randomized placebo-controlled trial of the drug, which is being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session Together with World Congress of Cardiology (ACC.20/WCC).

31 Mar 2020

Eight strains of coronavirus afflicting the world

Scientists around the world are racing to study the novel coronavirus strain severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Now, it appears that there are eight strains of SARS-CoV-2 circulating the globe. The good news is that according to infectious disease physician and clinical microbiologist Charles Chiu, “The virus mutates so slowly that the virus strains are fundamentally very similar to each other.”

31 Mar 2020

How to boost your immune system to fight coronavirus

As the world struggles with the coronavirus pandemic, more and more people are trying to protect themselves against the virus by all means possible. There are currently no vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), so boosting the immune system by way of diet, regular exercise, and sleep are sensible measures.

31 Mar 2020