Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Study cracks the cold case of immunotherapy resistance

A study from the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center may have, at last, cracked the cold case of immunotherapy resistance.

3 Dec 2024

Nanozyme breakthrough offers new hope for viral pneumonia treatment

A recent study in Nature Materials introduces an inhalable nanozyme treatment for viral pneumonia, showing promising results in reducing inflammation and viral load in various mouse models. The nanozyme, CeTA-K1tkP, demonstrates broad-spectrum effects and biocompatibility, offering a potential new approach to treating pneumonia and other inflammatory conditions.

3 Dec 2024

Polypurine hairpins found to effectively halt SARS-CoV-2 replication

A study led by the University of Barcelona and the Spanish National Research Council's Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC - CSIC) presents a new therapeutic tool capable of inhibiting the proliferation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

3 Dec 2024

Pregnancy strengthens immune defense against flu, study finds

McGill University scientists have discovered that pregnancy may trigger a natural immunity to boost protection against severe flu infection.

2 Dec 2024

Researchers discover new cause of cytokine storm in COVID-19

As part of the COVID-19 International Research Team, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pittsburgh and Weill Cornell Medicine discovered a novel cause of cytokine storm - the extreme inflammatory response associated with increased risk of death in COVID-19 infection.

2 Dec 2024

New insights into how cells generate microRNAs

It's a big year for microRNAs. The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, who discovered the first microRNA in 1993.

2 Dec 2024

Engineered stone countertop workers at risk for silicosis

Durable and attractive, engineered stone countertops are a popular feature in modern American kitchens, but the workers who build them are risking their health.

2 Dec 2024

Reinstating masking curbs hospital viral outbreaks, study confirms

Researchers investigate how changes in hospital policies for SARS-CoV-2 testing and masking have influenced hospital-acquired respiratory viral infections.

1 Dec 2024

New injection treatment could be a game-changer for people with asthma and COPD

An injection given during some asthma and COPD attacks is more effective than the current treatment of steroid tablets, reducing the need for further treatment by 30%.

27 Nov 2024

DNA-based nanorobotic hand could block viruses and enable rapid diagnostics

A tiny, four-fingered "hand" folded from a single piece of DNA can pick up the virus that causes COVID-19 for highly sensitive rapid detection and can even block viral particles from entering cells to infect them, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers report.

27 Nov 2024

A toddler got a nasal swab test but left before seeing a doctor. The bill was $445.

Ryan Wettstein Nauman was inconsolable one evening last December. After being put down for bed, the 3-year-old from Peoria, Illinois, just kept crying and crying and crying, and nothing would calm her down.

27 Nov 2024

Cryoablation for PFO closure in AF patients undergoing PVI

New research shows that cryoablation is a safe and effective approach to close congenital patent foramen ovale (PFO, a small hole in the heart) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in a single procedure.

27 Nov 2024

Researchers explore the power of podcasts in fighting infectious disease misinformation

With legacy media cutting staff in the face of unprecedented financial challenges and critical science and health information scattered among unfamiliar digital platforms, how can people keep up with medical issues that might affect them?

27 Nov 2024

WHO and partners announce grants to boost pathogen genomic surveillance

The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners announced 10 projects that will receive almost US$ 2 million in grants to improve capacities in pathogen genomic surveillance.

26 Nov 2024

Study reveals how liver bile composition changes during enteric infections

Intestinal infections can change the composition of liver bile, leading to changes in immune function and gut bacteria, potentially helping fight off harmful bacteria .

26 Nov 2024

Air pollution and cold temperatures drive bronchiectasis mortality in vulnerable populations

Researchers investigate how short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and temperature affects bronchiectasis mortality rates in China.

26 Nov 2024

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Public health and the dairy cow in the room

Public health, one of the more misunderstood concepts in the health world, is about the health of entire populations, rather than individuals.

26 Nov 2024

A prospective study of antibiotic use and clinical factors in patients with suspected pneumonia

This study explored how chest X-ray results influence antibiotic initiation by general practitioners in France when managing patients with suspected pneumonia.

26 Nov 2024

New AI model tailors phage treatment for resistant bacterial infections

With the rapid development of antibiotics in the 1930s, phage therapy – using viruses known as bacteriophages or phages to tackle bacterial infections – fell into oblivion.

25 Nov 2024

New discovery in the peripheral nervous system could help control obesity

An international team of researchers has discovered a new component of the peripheral nervous system that acts by increasing energy metabolism in the body.

25 Nov 2024