Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

14 years of investigations reveal how Nipah virus spreads from person to person

The deadly Nipah virus, which is carried by bats and occasionally infects people, is more likely to be transmitted from person to person when the infected patient is older, male and/or has breathing difficulties, according to a study co-led by scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 9 May 2019

Researchers highlight the need for increased mental health care for smokers with COPD

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have published new information that stresses the need for increased mental health care for current and former smokers, especially those who suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

9 May 2019

Australian doctors are overprescribing flu antivirals, study reveals

Australian doctors are prescribing antivirals for people with the flu who may not benefit, putting patients at risk of unnecessary side effects and potentially increasing the risk of antimicrobial resistance to these medications, researchers from the University of Adelaide have found.

8 May 2019

Taking vitamin D and E during pregnancy may 'reduce likelihood' of asthma

Researchers have discovered that high levels of vitamin D and E during pregnancy may reduce the risk of asthma in children.

7 May 2019

Clinical trial tests innovative procedure to open blood-brain barrier in the fight against Alzheimer's

A new clinical trial at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and two other sites is testing an innovative procedure that may provide hope in the fight against Alzheimer's disease.

7 May 2019

UK Government to 'consider all options' to control measles outbreak

Like many other countries, the UK health secretary, Matt Hancock, has said that the government is being forced to “consider all options” to control the spread of measles after a rise in cases.

6 May 2019

Study shows large differences in the risk of transmission in measles outbreaks

Research that may come to affect contact tracing and infection control measures in future measles outbreaks has now been presented. A study of an outbreak of measles in Gothenburg, Sweden, a year ago shows large differences in the risk of transmission from one patient to another.

6 May 2019

Researchers develop smart pill bottle to keep drugs safe

Low-cost, stretchy sensors can be assembled inside the lid of a drug container to help monitor patient safety.

6 May 2019

Developing effective needleless vaccine to protect children from dangerous viruses

Millions of people are infected with hepatitis B every year. Hundreds of thousands die. And small children are particularly at risk.

3 May 2019

RIT faculty-researcher develops microfluidic device for early detection of Ebola virus

A faculty-researcher at Rochester Institute of technology has developed a prototype micro device with bio-sensors that can detect the deadly Ebola virus. With this type of device, those infected can be treated earlier, and the early detection process can potentially decrease the spread of infections.

3 May 2019

$30 million federal grant to accelerate chase for universal influenza vaccine

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center will use a $30 million federal grant--the second-largest the center has ever received--to accelerate the chase for one of medicine's most elusive goals: a universal influenza vaccine.

2 May 2019

Cornell University study uncovers relationship between starch digestion gene and gut bacteria

A newly discovered relationship between genetic variation and the gut microbiome could help nutritionists personalize their recommendations.

2 May 2019

Viral infection in utero associated with behavioral abnormalities in offspring

Male and female rats whose mother experienced a simulated viral infection during pregnancy behave abnormally, consistent with behavioural alterations in autism or schizophrenia, research by the University of Saskatchewan shows.

2 May 2019

Rutgers study: Depression increases hospital use and mortality in children

Children with depression admitted to the hospital for other illnesses like pneumonia, appendicitis or seizure disorders, stay longer, pay more and are at greater risk of death, a Rutgers New Jersey Medical School study finds.

2 May 2019

New noninvasive ventilation strategy benefits preterm infants with neonatal ARDS

Preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) face heightened risks of death, critical illness, and prolonged hospitalization, particularly if they progress to develop acute respiratory distress syndrome.

1 May 2019

Globally measles at an all time high

In the United States, the number of cases of vaccine-preventable viral disease measles is on a 25-year record high. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the main reason behind this is inadequate vaccination of the general population. Spread of misinformation regarding vaccine safety is to be blamed for inadequate vaccination of the population says the agency.

30 Apr 2019

Summer bummer: A young camper’s $142,938 snakebite

It was dusk as Oakley Yoder and the other summer camp kids hiked back to their tents at Illinois' Jackson Falls last July. As the group approached a mound of boulders blocking the path, Oakley, then 9, didn't see the lurking snake — until it bit a toe on her right foot.

30 Apr 2019

Adoption of new rules drops readmission penalties against safety net hospitals

Readmission penalties against hospitals providing care to socioeconomically disadvantaged patients have dropped 14 percentage points under new rules adopted in 2019 that more equitably account for low-income populations being served, according to a new analysis led by UT Southwestern Medical Center and Harvard researchers.

30 Apr 2019

Increasing body temperature of vulnerable neonates to greater than 36 degrees

Physician-researchers at the 2019 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting in Baltimore presented their process of how from 2014 to 2017 they made their NICU a center of excellence for increasing the admission body temperature of their very low birth weight babies to greater than 36 degrees.

30 Apr 2019

How proteins in outer membrane of bacteria stick to and populate in human body

The discovery, published today in Nature Communications by researchers from La Trobe University and the University of Queensland, provides details on how proteins in the outer membrane of bacteria - the bacteria's 'superglue' - are able to stick to and populate parts of the human body.

30 Apr 2019