Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Higher exposure to carbon monoxide in utero increases risk of poor lung function in infants

Exposure to elevated levels of carbon monoxide in utero increases infants' risk of poor lung function at one month after birth, according to new research conducted as part of the Ghana Randomized Air Pollution and Health Study.

21 May 2018

Congo to start vaccinating populations against Ebola today to combat outbreak

Congo is facing a new Ebola outbreak and the health officials have announced that starting today, (Monday 21st May 2018), response teams would begin administering an experimental Ebola vaccine in Mbandaka.

21 May 2018

Experts available to discuss subjects related to Ebola virus

Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) professors offer expertise for journalists seeking interviews in a variety of subjects related to Ebola.

18 May 2018

Pfizer announces Phase 3 study results of LYRICA Oral Solution CV for pediatric epilepsy patients

Pfizer Inc. announced today positive top-line results of a Phase 3 study examining the use of LYRICA® Oral Solution CV as adjunctive therapy for partial onset seizures in pediatric epilepsy patients one month to less than four years of age.

17 May 2018

Automated system more accurate in identifying patients at risk for ventilator-associated pneumonia

An automated system for identifying patients at risk for complications associated with the use of mechanical ventilators provided significantly more accurate results than did traditional surveillance methods, which rely on manual recording and interpretation of individual patient data.

17 May 2018

Opioid overdoses are rising faster among Latinos than whites or blacks. Why?

The tall, gangly man twists a cone of paper in his hands as stories from nearly 30 years of addiction pour out: the robbery that landed him in prison at age 17; never getting his high school equivalency diploma; going through the horrors of detox, maybe 40 times, including this latest bout, which he finished two weeks ago. He’s now in a residential treatment unit for at least 30 days.

17 May 2018

Study: Drug used to treat blood loss may be beneficial for some stroke patients

Patients with stroke caused by bleeding on the brain may benefit from receiving a drug currently used to treat blood loss from major trauma and bleeding after childbirth, an international trial has revealed.

16 May 2018

Study: Alcohol use prolongs hospital length of stay after lung transplant

Lung transplant patients who showed evidence of alcohol use before their transplants spent more time in the hospital and on the ventilator, according to a study by Loyola University Chicago and Loyola Medicine researchers.

16 May 2018

First epoetin alfa biosimilar receives FDA approval to treat certain types of anemia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Retacrit (epoetin alfa-epbx) as a biosimilar to Epogen/Procrit (epoetin alfa) for the treatment of anemia caused by chronic kidney disease, chemotherapy, or use of zidovudine in patients with HIV infection.

16 May 2018

BU postdoctoral researcher wins competitive NIH Pathway to Independence Award

Duo Zhang, PhD, a postdoctoral associate at Boston University School of Medicine, has received the highly competitive National Institutes of Health Pathway to Independence Award.

15 May 2018

Drug-resistant staph infections found to be deadly, but less costly

Staph infections, whether MRSA (resistant to methicillin) or susceptible, are important and deadly. Drug-resistant staph infections continue to be deadlier than those that are not resistant and treatable with traditional antibiotics, but treatment costs surprisingly are the same or slightly less, a new national analysis shows.

15 May 2018

Mindfulness-based stress reduction may motivate people to move, shows study

A meditation and stress reduction program may be as effective at getting people to move more as structured exercise programs, according to a new study led by an Iowa State University researcher.

15 May 2018

Researchers lab-test molecule that may combat common cold virus

Researchers have lab-tested a molecule that can combat the common cold virus by preventing it from hijacking human cells.

15 May 2018

Study: Effective intervention can reduce medication overuse in aged care facilities

Effective intervention can reduce medication overuse in Residential Aged Care Facilities, the latest University of Tasmania research shows.

14 May 2018

FDA approves new drug to treat MS in pediatric patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Gilenya (fingolimod) to treat relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) in children and adolescents age 10 years and older. This is the first FDA approval of a drug to treat MS in pediatric patients.

14 May 2018

Study explains anti-obesity effects of melatonin

A new study has revealed the mechanism behind the anti-obesity effects of melatonin, a hormone that is released by the pineal gland in the brain overnight.

11 May 2018

Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance Through Industry

Antimicrobial resistance is currently one of the biggest health threats in the world. Gary Cohen and Steve Conly discuss the role of Becton, Dickinson & Co and other organizations in the private sector in combating the spread of resistance.

11 May 2018

New study shows MRSA is no more expensive to treat than MSSA

A new study from the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy, with collaborators from Johns Hopkins University and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, found that infections caused by one of the most common drug resistant bacteria in the US--methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, known as MRSA--are no more expensive to treat than MSSA, the methicillin-susceptible version of the same bacteria.

10 May 2018

Flushing the bladder with common chemotherapy drug after surgery can reduce bladder cancer recurrence

Flushing the bladder with a common chemotherapy drug immediately after surgery significantly reduces the chances of bladder cancer returning, according to a major study by SWOG, an international clinical trials network funded by the National Cancer Institute.

9 May 2018

FDA grants approval for two drugs administered together to treat aggressive form of thyroid cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Tafinlar (dabrafenib) and Mekinist (trametinib), administered together, for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) that cannot be removed by surgery or has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic), and has a type of abnormal gene, BRAF V600E (BRAF V600E mutation-positive).

8 May 2018