Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Innovative ways to target antibiotic resistance in short term

There has been much recent talk about how to target the rising tide of antibiotic resistance across the world, one of the biggest threats to global health today.

3 Mar 2017

WHO releases first ever list of antibiotic-resistant 'priority pathogens'

The World Health Organization today published its first ever list of antibiotic-resistant “priority pathogens”—a catalogue of 12 families of bacteria that pose the greatest threat to human health.

3 Mar 2017

Study increases understanding of how air pollution affects human health

Researchers from the University of Leicester have for the first time discovered that bacteria that cause respiratory infections are directly affected by air pollution - increasing the potential for infection and changing the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment.

2 Mar 2017

Cigarette smoke blocks lung's self-healing that can lead to COPD

Smoke from cigarettes blocks self-healing processes in the lungs and consequently can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

2 Mar 2017

High-dose flu vaccine appears to be effective at preventing post-influenza deaths among older adults

The high-dose flu vaccine appeared to be more effective at preventing post-influenza deaths among older adults than the standard-dose vaccine, at least during a more severe flu season, according to a large new study of Medicare beneficiaries published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

2 Mar 2017

'Congestion tax' linked to nearly 50% drop in asthma rates among children

When Stockholm, Sweden, introduced a "congestion tax" to discourage driving in the center of town, traffic eased and the pollution level dropped by between 5 and 10 percent.

1 Mar 2017

Workers without paid sick leave less likely to receive preventive health care screenings, study finds

More than 20 million Americans have gained health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act and do not have to pay for 15 preventive screenings recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

1 Mar 2017

Immune system defect makes Addison’s patients prone to respiratory infections

Research led by University of Birmingham scientists has found that people suffering from the adrenal disorder known as Addison's disease suffer from an immune system defect which makes them prone to potentially deadly respiratory infections.

1 Mar 2017

Study offers hope of improved treatment for people with severe asthma

Improved treatments for people with severe asthma are a 'step closer' after a research team led by the University of Leicester identified a breakthrough in the cause of airway narrowing.

1 Mar 2017

Genetic variation may be reason for overreaction of immune system to viruses

Researchers at Cardiff University have discovered that genetic variation is the reason why some immune systems overreact to viruses.

28 Feb 2017

SBP researchers identify new regulator of innate immune response to foreign invaders

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have identified a new regulator of the innate immune response—the immediate, natural immune response to foreign invaders.

28 Feb 2017

MIT researchers develop new machine to rapidly produce customized peptides

Manufacturing small proteins known as peptides is usually very time-consuming, which has slowed development of new peptide drugs for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and bacterial infections.

27 Feb 2017

Novel antiviral drug can protect transplant patients against CMV infections

In a significant advance in improving the safety of donor stem cell transplants, a major clinical trial led by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital has shown that a novel agent can protect against the most common viral infection that patients face after transplantation.

24 Feb 2017

Presence of day cares not linked to community risk of whooping cough among kids, study finds

Among parents, you often hear these four words: "Kids are germ factories." But a new study out of Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health found that while you might think bringing more day care facilities to your block might make you and your neighbors sick more often, that doesn't appear to be the case.

24 Feb 2017

Decoding the Exposome Through Breath Biomarkers

The human exposome is probably best defined as “everything that is not the genome.” This is a bit tongue in cheek, but basically, the exposome is comprised of all of the chemicals in your body from the environment, food, consumer products, their metabolites, the endogenous “housekeeping” chemicals, the cellular wastes from energy production, as well as all of the messenger compounds and life supporting chemicals.

From Pittcon 24 Feb 2017

Five simple tips to make life more pleasant during spring allergy season

Nobody said spring allergies would be fun, but you never thought it would be this bad. What if you had some simple ways to avoid the sneezing, wheezing, itchy eyes and runny nose that come in the spring?

24 Feb 2017

Research reveals workings of ‘hidden code’ within genome of Human Parechovirus

Scientists at the Universities of York, Leeds, and Helsinki say they are a step closer to cracking, what researchers have dubbed, the 'Enigma Code' of the common cold virus.

23 Feb 2017

New research pinpoints how immigrant microbes get to the lungs

They traveled a huge distance, evaded a protective barrier, and found themselves in a strange and unwelcoming land.

23 Feb 2017

Duke Health scientists identify proteins in mucous that confirm viral infection

It may seem obvious, but the key to confirming whether someone is suffering from a cold or flu virus might lie at the misery's source -- the inflamed passages of the nose and throat.

22 Feb 2017

First breath of newborn shapes lifelong immunological milieu of lungs

The lung is an important interface between the body and the outside environment: with each breath, a surface of roughly 100 square meters exchanges oxygen for carbon dioxide. More than 10,000 liters of air pass adult lungs every day and with this come numerous viruses, bacteria and pollutants, which need to be prevented from entering the body.

22 Feb 2017