Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

UAB nurse practitioner reveals how to stay fit while avoiding the dirtiest places at the gym

During the colder months, many exercise routines transition indoors, especially in gyms. However, the gym may be one of the dirtiest places you walk into.

2 Jan 2020

Watch: Woman hit with $28k bill for a throat swab

A routine doctor’s visit for a sore throat brought more than $28,000 in charges for one New York City woman in our latest “Bill of the Month” installment.

2 Jan 2020

GlobalData: Asia-Pacific seasonal influenza vaccine market set to reach US$1bn by 2028

The size of the seasonal influenza vaccine market across the three major Asia-Pacific (APAC) growth markets (3GM) will grow at a modest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.4% from US$914m in 2018 to US$1.05bn in 2028, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

2 Jan 2020

Research reveals how the brain balances pleasure and pain

As our brains take in information about the world and use it to steer our actions, two key principles guide our choices: seek pleasure and avoid pain.

31 Dec 2019

New trial shows how parents can avoid bringing dangerous bacteria into the NICU

For sick or prematurely born babies spending their first days of life in a hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, the soothing voice and gentle touch of a loving parent can have a tremendous impact toward a positive outcome -- that is, unless mom or dad's visit leaves the infant with something extra: a dangerous bacterial infection.

31 Dec 2019

New combination of antibodies leads to more effective tumor destruction

The simultaneous use of antibodies based on two differing mechanisms of action leads to a more effective destruction of tumors.

30 Dec 2019

Diarrhea in young children linked to La Niña climate conditions

A study in Botswana by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health scientists finds that spikes in cases of life-threatening diarrhea in young children are associated with La Niña climate conditions.

30 Dec 2019

A reality check on artificial intelligence: Are health care claims overblown?

Health products powered by artificial intelligence, or AI, are streaming into our lives, from virtual doctor apps to wearable sensors and drugstore chatbots.

30 Dec 2019

Study helps explain why previous attempts to develop a staph vaccine have failed

Staph bacteria, the leading cause of potentially dangerous skin infections, are most feared for the drug-resistant strains that have become a serious threat to public health.

26 Dec 2019

Super fast novel device catches and identifies viruses

A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on December 23, 2019, describes a novel device developed by a team of researchers at Penn State and New York University. Not only can this instrument capture different types of virus, it can tell what kind they are.

23 Dec 2019

Exposure to ozone pollution or wood smoke exacerbates lung disease in former and current smokers

Over many years, exposure to the levels of ozone and other forms of pollution found in most U.S. cities and some rural communities can take a toll on a person's health.

23 Dec 2019

Therapy dogs provide emotional support to patients

Kepu Savou thought he had come down with a cold. When his symptoms persisted, he visited a doctor and learned that his heart was failing – something Savou never would've imagined at age 29.

23 Dec 2019

Research shows how the hepatitis D virus copies itself

A team of researchers has discovered how one crucial step occurs in the lifecycle of the hepatitis D virus (HDV), which causes the widespread and hard to treat liver inflammation called hepatitis D. The study, which was published recently in the Journal of Virology, could help develop antiviral therapy to control this disease.

22 Dec 2019

2,500 vaping-related hospitalizations in the US

Over the past few months, there was a sudden surge of patients presenting with mysterious lung disease, e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI), which was tied to e-cigarette use. Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports more than 2,500 hospitalizations and a total of 54 deaths.

22 Dec 2019

Freestanding emergency departments associated with increase in spending for care

With emergency department visits spiking around the holidays, patients may be inclined to seek care at freestanding emergency departments in an urgent situation.

22 Dec 2019

Artificial intelligence can detect AML with high reliability

Artificial intelligence can detect one of the most common forms of blood cancer - acute myeloid leukemia (AML) - with high reliability.

20 Dec 2019

A receptor helps body cells to spot communication amongst bacteria

Bacterial infection does not automatically lead to illness; many germs only become dangerous when they occur in large numbers.

20 Dec 2019

A veteran started vaping THC to cope with chronic pain. Then he got very sick.

As vaping has grown more popular in recent years, the trend has been fueled by the habit’s pleasurable allure: Compared with smoking cigarettes or pot, vaping is discreet and less smelly. Vaping fluids come in hundreds of flavors. There’s no tar or other byproducts of burning. And vape pens are high-tech, customizable and sleek.

20 Dec 2019

NIAID to fund VTEU program and its companion leadership group

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health, today announced the establishment of the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium, a clinical trials network that will encompass the Institute's long-standing Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units (VTEUs) and create a new consortium leadership group

20 Dec 2019

New antibody shows promise in active lupus

A new trial involving the use of an antibody called anifrolumab reports improvement in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) after 52 weeks of treatment. The research, titled 'Trial of Anifrolumab in Active Systemic Lupus Erythematosus', is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

19 Dec 2019