Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Scientists one step closer to developing universal flu vaccine

Scientists have moved closer to developing a universal flu vaccine after using the 2009 pandemic as a natural experiment to study why some people seem to resist severe illness.

23 Sep 2013

Research roundup: 'Cadillac' plan taxes; 'chronic care management' for substance abusers; long-term care services

As health coverage expands to tens of millions of Americans--through Medicaid expansion in states and the new state health insurance exchanges that will soon begin selling individual health coverage--some Americans with employer-sponsored health coverage are seeing their benefits decrease.

21 Sep 2013

Phase III EINSTEIN trial program: XARELTO reduces risk of DVT and PE

Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today a newly published, pooled analysis of the Phase III EINSTEIN trial program, showing XARELTO (rivaroxaban) is as effective as the standard of care in reducing the risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in people with symptomatic DVT or PE, while reducing the incidence of major bleeding by 46 percent.

21 Sep 2013

Longer looks: Psychology of gun control; saying goodbye; questioning ADHD

Every week reporter Ankita Rao selects interesting reading from around the Web.

21 Sep 2013

Scientists aim at protecting adults from virulent strain of avian influenza virus

Scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Center for Vaccine Development are part of nationwide vaccine research aimed at protecting adults from a new and virulent strain of avian (bird) influenza (flu) virus.

20 Sep 2013

Now is the best time to get immunized against influenza, says UAB expert

It is that time of year again to consider the protection offered by a flu shot. One University of Alabama at Birmingham internal medicine expert says with a vaccine already available, it is best to get immunized against influenza now.

20 Sep 2013

Scientists are preparing for possible pandemic spread of new bird flu strain

Scientists at Saint Louis University are preparing for the potential pandemic spread of a new bird flu strain that caused severe disease in China last spring, joining researchers from seven other Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to test vaccines to protect against the illness in adults.

20 Sep 2013

IPF World Week underlines the need for integrated approach towards idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

This year's IPF World Week (September 21-29) sees healthcare professionals, patient advocacy groups, people living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), who have an estimated median survival time of two to five years, and their families calling for an integrated approach to further strengthen the national and international network of people working to support patients with this fatal orphan lung disease.

20 Sep 2013

NY Genome Center Marks Its Formal Launch

...

19 Sep 2013

Isis Pharmaceuticals announces preliminary data from ISIS-SMNRx Phase 1 study in infants with SMA

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that follow-up preliminary data from a single dose, open-label Phase 1 study of ISIS-SMNRx in children with spinal muscular atrophy, show that most SMA children receiving the two highest doses of the drug (6 mg and 9 mg) continued to show improvements in muscle function tests up to 14 months after a single injection of the drug.

19 Sep 2013

LUHS physician offers tips to help parents keep germs at bay

Most parents are all too familiar with the equation school + kids = sick days. With more than 200 cold viruses it's no wonder parents feel like they are fighting a losing battle when it comes to keeping their kids healthy.

19 Sep 2013

Second edition of Antibodies: An essential resource for molecular biology, immunology, and cell culture lab

The now classic lab manual Antibodies, by Harlow and Lane, has been revised, extended, and updated by Edward Greenfield of the Dana-Farber Cancer Center, with contributions from other leaders in the field.

19 Sep 2013

Toxoplasma infection makes mice fearless

The Toxoplasma parasite can be deadly, causing spontaneous abortion in pregnant women or killing immune-compromised patients, but it has even stranger effects in mice.

19 Sep 2013

Scientists prepare to test vaccines to protect against new bird flu strain

Scientists at Group Health Research Institute are preparing for the potential pandemic spread of a new bird flu strain that caused severe disease in China earlier this year, joining researchers from seven other Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units funded by the National Institutes of Health to test vaccines to protect against the illness in adults.

19 Sep 2013

New blood test accurately differentiates viral and bacterial infections

A blood test developed by researchers at Duke Medicine showed more than 90-percent accuracy in distinguishing between viral and bacterial infections when tested in people with respiratory illnesses.

19 Sep 2013

Inhaled corticosteroid increases risk for pneumonia reoccurrence

A University of Alberta researcher says health professionals should be cautious about prescribing inhaled corticosteroids to high-risk patients such as pneumonia survivors, citing a twofold risk for repeat infection.

19 Sep 2013

Scientists develop experimental vaccine against human CMV infection

An experimental vaccine against human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, which endangers the developing fetus, organ transplant recipients, patients with HIV and others who have a weakened immune system, proved safe and more effective than previous vaccines developed to prevent infection by the ubiquitous virus.

19 Sep 2013

Johns Hopkins establishes center to study ELSI of applying genomics to infectious disease treatment

The National Human Genome Research Institute has selected the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics to establish a "Center of Excellence" to study the ethical, legal and social implications of genomic research.

19 Sep 2013

Innovative platform improves diagnostics and detection of biomolecules

Separating target molecules in biological samples is a critical part of diagnosing and detecting diseases. Usually the target and probe molecules are mixed and then separated in batch processes that require multiple pipetting, tube washing and extraction steps that can affect accuracy.

18 Sep 2013

Researchers find winter viruses may be behind sleep-disordered breathing spike in children

A good night's sleep is important to our children's development. But with the first day of school just passed, many children are at increased risk for sleep breathing disorders that can impair their mental and physical development and hurt their academic performance.

18 Sep 2013