Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Children get codeine in U.S. emergency rooms, despite risks: Study

Despite its potentially harmful effects in children, codeine continues to be prescribed in U.S. emergency rooms, according to new research from UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco.

21 Apr 2014

Benzodiazepines may contribute to respiratory problems in people with COPD

A group of drugs commonly prescribed for insomnia, anxiety and breathing issues "significantly increase the risk" that older people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, need to visit a doctor or Emergency Department for respiratory reasons, new research has found.

21 Apr 2014

Research roundup: Colonscopy in the countryside; retiree health benefits; what should hip surgery cost?

Rural residents who commonly seek treatment for advanced stages of colorectal cancer have been thought to lack access to cancer screening and adjuvant therapy. ... Several theories have been postulated to explain these findings, some of which include low socioeconomic status, lower educational attainment, lack of insurance coverage, underinsurance, and travel distance to health care facilities.

21 Apr 2014

Docs who treat patients with severe LAM face agonizing treatment decision

Doctors who treat patients with a severe and progressive respiratory disease called lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) can face an agonizing treatment decision.

18 Apr 2014

Allergist says people allergic to multiple trees may have tough allergy this spring

The polar vortex may be on its way out, but it's certainly leaving its footprints behind. As spring rolls in, people allergic to multiple trees may have a tough allergy season - a consequence of the cold winter, says Mark Dykewicz, M.D., professor of allergy and immunology at Saint Louis University.

17 Apr 2014

Study: Bacterium that causes whooping cough changes in Australia

The bacterium that causes whooping cough, Bordetella pertussis, has changed in Australia - most likely in response to the vaccine used to prevent the disease - with a possible reduced effectiveness of the vaccine as a result, a new study shows.

16 Apr 2014

Sneeze and cough generate cloud of invisible gas that propels droplets of infectious material

Each sneeze, cough or burp generates a cloud of invisible gas that propels droplets of infectious material farther than originally thought, and smaller droplets actually travel farther than larger ones. A new study from MIT researchers published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics says this gas cloud extends the reach of droplets by 5 to 200 times.

16 Apr 2014

Community efforts boost people for HIV testing and reduce new infections

Communities in Africa and Thailand that worked together on HIV-prevention efforts saw not only a rise in HIV screening but a drop in new infections, according to a new study in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet Global Health.

16 Apr 2014

Irvine Scientific announces launch of BalanCD MDCK cell culture medium

Irvine Scientific is pleased to announce the launch of its BalanCD MDCK cell culture medium, a next generation cell culture product responding to today's requirements for media used in cell-based vaccine manufacturing. This new flagship product expands Irvine Scientific's current BalanCD product portfolio of animal component-free and chemically-defined media with the addition of a new purpose-built product.

15 Apr 2014

Study shows how infection worsens damage caused by stroke

Infection is bad news for all of us - but it can be really serious to people who have had a stroke. Evidence is mounting that infection makes things much worse after a stroke.

15 Apr 2014

New drug combination proves effective in treating patients with HCV genotype 1

Treatment options for the 170 million people worldwide with chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) are evolving rapidly, although the available regimens often come with significant side effects. Two multi-center clinical trials led by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center show promise for a new option that could help lead to both an increase in patients cured with a much more simple and tolerable all oral therapy.

15 Apr 2014

Irrational health beliefs associated with lower adherence to prescribed cardiac rehab program, says study

Heart patients with beliefs about health that aren't based on medical evidence are more likely to skip sessions of cardiac rehabilitation, new research suggests.

15 Apr 2014

S. pneumoniae serotypes differ between primary and post-viral disease

Certain capsular serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae are particularly likely to cause disease in people who have recently experienced a respiratory viral infection, study findings indicate.

14 Apr 2014

Study examines effect of community on hospital readmission rates

Nearly 60 percent of the variation in hospital readmission rates appears to be associated with where the hospital is located rather than on the hospital's performance, finds a new study in Health Services Research.

11 Apr 2014

Findings pave way for potential therapy to combat H1N1 flu virus

Flu epidemics cause up to half a million deaths worldwide each year, and emerging strains continually threaten to spread to humans and cause even deadlier pandemics. A study by McGill University professor Maziar Divangahi published by Cell Press on April 10 in the journal Immunity reveals that a drug that inhibits a molecule called prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) increases survival rates in mice infected with a lethal dose of the H1N1 flu virus.

11 Apr 2014

Scientists discover protein potentially good target for influenza A virus

Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered that a protein produced by the influenza A virus helps it outwit one of our body's natural defense mechanisms. That makes the protein a potentially good target for antiviral drugs directed against the influenza A virus.

11 Apr 2014