Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Scientists discover new infection route for influenza A viruses

The immunologically relevant MHC class II molecules are ubiquitously found in many animal species, which is why the discovery will play an important role in assessing the risk of spill-over infections to other species than bats.

4 Mar 2019

Detailed atlas of the marmoset brain could provide new insights into human diseases

The ability to comprehensively map the architecture of connections between neurons in primate brains has long proven elusive for scientists.

4 Mar 2019

Scientists shed light on the history of Zika virus in Thailand

The circulation of the dengue virus for the past sixty years in South-East Asia is relatively well known. For Zika, the situation is much less clear.

28 Feb 2019

Custom-made proteins could result in antibodies that fight HIV

Researchers have developed a new method for the creation of custom-made proteins that can bypass the protective coating of the HIV virus.

28 Feb 2019

Researchers find how bats remain immune to various infections

An international research team led by Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, has identified molecular and genetic mechanisms that allow bats to stay healthy while hosting viruses that kill other animals, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Microbiology.

27 Feb 2019

Researchers map molecules and functions of skin from tissue samples

The skin constitutes the barrier between the body and the outside world. The skin serves various purposes and it protects the body from external impact such as heat, cold, radiation or bacteria while maintaining a stable environment inside the body.

26 Feb 2019

Study finds a disconnect between migrants' health status and their positive narratives

While some Mexican immigrants give positive accounts about migrating to and living in the United States, their health status tells a different story.

26 Feb 2019

Disease X: an unknown disease that could claim millions of lives

Dubbed ‘Disease X’, scientists believe a future epidemic of the influenza virus could cause millions of deaths worldwide.

25 Feb 2019

A parent-to-parent campaign to get vaccine rates up

In 2017, Kim Nelson had just moved her family back to her hometown in South Carolina. Boxes were still scattered around the apartment, and while her two young daughters played, Nelson scrolled through a newspaper article on her phone.

25 Feb 2019

$1.5 million grant to develop opioid treatment program for jail detainees

In what could serve as a model for tackling one of the nation's top public health crises, a University of Massachusetts Amherst epidemiology researcher is teaming up with two Western Massachusetts sheriff's offices to design, implement and study an opioid treatment program for jail detainees in Franklin and Hampshire counties.

22 Feb 2019

UVA scientist receives $1 million award to map out submicroscopic world

A scientist at the University of Virginia School of Medicine has received a prestigious three-year, $1 million award from the William M. Keck Foundation to develop a new and better way to map out the submicroscopic world.

22 Feb 2019

Studies explore physiological dangers that climate change will have on animal life

A new review of more than 140 studies explores the physiological dangers that climate change will likely have on animal life, including humans. The review is published in the journal Physiology.

22 Feb 2019

Frog-skin bacteria more diverse in cold and variable temperature regions, finds study

Amphibians are victims of lethal skin-disease epidemics. In the first global-scale study, researchers from 31 universities and research centers, including the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), collected skin bacteria from more than 2,300 healthy frogs and salamanders from 12 countries to describe microbes on a wide range of host animals to improve knowledge of the distribution of frog-skin bacteria, known to be important in maintaining amphibian health.

22 Feb 2019

Reduced antibody adaptability may make the elderly more vulnerable to influenza

The influenza vaccine may be less effective in the elderly because their B cells are less capable of producing antibodies that can adapt to protect against new viral strains, researchers report February 19 in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.

21 Feb 2019

Researchers reveal method to produce the perfect cheese fondue

Cheese fondue is an icon of Swiss cuisine and a dinner party staple. While it may seem like a simple dish, getting the texture right can be a challenge for optimal mouthfeel, dipping and flavor release.

20 Feb 2019

Bat influenza viruses could potentially attack the cells of humans and livestock

Bats don't only carry the deadly Ebola virus, but are also a reservoir for a new type of influenza virus.

20 Feb 2019

Machine learning technique helps predict which asthma patients respond to corticosteroid therapy

Physicians will be able to predict which of their patients with severe asthma are likely to benefit from treatment with systemic corticosteroids -- and which might only suffer their side effects -- with help from a dozen clinical variables researchers have identified using machine learning techniques.

20 Feb 2019

Study reveals how helper T cells support memory cells to function optimally

The immune system's killer T cells are crucial in fighting viral infections. A fraction of them, called 'memory cells', live on once infection is controlled in order to fight re-infection by the same virus. They are of great interest as the basis of T cell-based vaccination and immunotherapies.

20 Feb 2019

Influenza and common cold are completely different diseases, study shows

There is a lack of information about the difference between influenza, "real" flu, and the common cold. Most people struggle to distinguish between these two diseases and this often leads to irritation and the perpetuation of myths.

19 Feb 2019

Antimicrobial reusable coffee cups are less likely to become contaminated with bacteria, study shows

Antimicrobial reusable coffee cups are safer to use than ordinary plastic reusable cups, according to independent research undertaken by microbiologists at Aston University in Birmingham.

19 Feb 2019