Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

New study identifies CD40 molecule as key entry point for dangerous bacteria

A new study identifies a single molecule as a key entry point used by two types of dangerous bacteria to break through cellular barriers and cause disease.

20 Mar 2019

Cholesterol lowering drug can also help treat cancer-associated cachexia

Brazilian researchers have discovered that a drug regularly prescribed to control cholesterol can also be used to treat cachexia, or wasting syndrome, a condition characterized by rapid weight loss and muscle atrophy associated with extreme physical weakness.

19 Mar 2019

Aphasia research reveals new, complex interactions between thought and language

Knowledge of the facts is called factive knowledge. In the phrase "He knows [that it is warm outside]", the embedded clause is assumed to be true.

19 Mar 2019

TGen and ABL sign agreement to distribute new TB test technology

n an important step toward eradicating tuberculosis, the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, has signed a licensing agreement with an international biomedical firm, Advanced Biological Laboratories, to market and distribute TGen's patented Next Generation Sequencing-based TB test technology.

19 Mar 2019

CardioMEMS heart failure sensor reliably safe, effectively reduces hospitalizations

In the year following placement of a CardioMEMS heart failure sensor—designed to wirelessly measure and monitor pulmonary artery pressures that can signal worsening heart failure—patients experienced a 58 percent reduction in hospitalization for heart failure, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 68th Annual Scientific Session. Reductions in hospitalizations were seen in both men and women, across all ejection fraction ranges and regardless of race.

18 Mar 2019

Catheter ablation better than drug therapy for reducing AFib episodes, but not for reducing death

Atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia that affects an estimated 30 million people worldwide. New research shows that catheter ablation, a common cardiovascular procedure, appears no more effective than drug therapy to prevent strokes, deaths and other complications in patients with atrial fibrillation.

15 Mar 2019

New risk adjustment model could reduce financial penalty for safety net hospitals

New research shows that U.S. safety net hospitals could benefit substantially from a new model that accounts for social risk factors like poverty and living in a disadvantaged neighborhood in determining how the federal government penalizes hospitals financially for their readmission rates.

15 Mar 2019

New analysis compares scenarios to find the best time to get a flu shot

When flu season peaks after mid-winter, tens of thousands of influenza cases and hundreds of deaths can likely be avoided if older adults wait until October to get their flu immunization, a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine analysis reveals in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

15 Mar 2019

Antiviral treatment improves survival for kidney transplant recipients infected with HBV or HCV

Prior to the development of antiviral therapy, kidney transplant recipients infected with either hepatitis B or hepatitis C experienced poor outcomes.

15 Mar 2019

Experts release new action steps to provide best care for older adults with multiple chronic conditions

Caring for older adults with multiple chronic conditions can create challenging situations. For example, some treatments may be harmful to older adults who live with and manage several chronic conditions. In some cases, several treatments might be available but healthcare providers may not know which are best for a particular individual.

14 Mar 2019

Heat-induced heart attack risk on the rise, study shows

Heart attack, or myocardial infarction, is the number one cause of death worldwide. A study published in the European Heart Journal by scientists at Helmholtz Zentrum München and colleagues from a range of other Bavarian institutions shows that the risk of suffering a heat-induced heart attack has increased significantly in recent years.

14 Mar 2019

Scientists create process for classifying neurons in mouse brain

It's been estimated that the human brain contains roughly 100 billion neurons, together completing countless tasks through countless connections.

14 Mar 2019

Researchers define pathway that helps us make antibodies

Our bodies are continuously concocting specific antibodies to thwart invaders like a virus or even pollen, and scientists have new information about how the essential production gets fired up and keeps up.

13 Mar 2019

Killer flu pandemic is inevitable and world is not prepared, says WHO

The World Health Organisation has said that the world is not prepared for a global flu pandemic and that resources are inadequate.

12 Mar 2019

Study uncovers potential new strategy to treat influenza A

A team of researchers from Scripps Research and Janssen Research & Development LLC has discovered an orally active small molecule that neutralizes influenza A group 1 viruses, the most common flu strains.

11 Mar 2019

Research opens up opportunities to unravel the complexity of microbial communities

"Microbial communities run the world," says Jo Handelsman, director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

11 Mar 2019

Virginia Tech professor uses mathematical modeling simulations to assess vaccine efficacy

The recent measles outbreaks across the country emphasize the importance of vaccinations.

11 Mar 2019

CMV airway infection enlarges spectrum of environmental allergens

Cytomegalovirus infection can convert a harmless, inhaled protein antigen into an allergen, according to a study published March 7 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Rafaela Holtappels from the University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, and colleagues.

8 Mar 2019

Novel drug shows potential to prevent sepsis progression

Research into a new breakthrough therapy in the fight against sepsis has shown that the drug has potential to stop all sepsis-causing bacteria from triggering organ damage in the early stages of the condition.

8 Mar 2019

Yearly flu shot may also protect from having a heart attack

There's now another reason to get your yearly flu shot. Not only can it protect you from the body aches, fever and fatigue associated with a bout of influenza, it may even prevent you from having a heart attack, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 68th Annual Scientific Session.

8 Mar 2019