Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Westpak announces formation of cold chain testing division

Westpak Inc., a world class ISO 17025 accredited environmental test laboratory with 2 facilities in California, recently announced the formation of a cold chain testing division dedicated to the testing of packages intended for controlled temperature environments.

13 Aug 2012

Orally effective FluCide anti-influenza drug candidate

NanoViricides, Inc. announced today that an anti-influenza drug candidate under its FluCide program is effective when given orally. The Company has received information that a FluCide drug candidate designed for oral administration has shown very strong efficacy in corresponding animal studies.

13 Aug 2012

Brain activity rapidly changes in olfactory regions following odor deprivation

Has a summer cold or mold allergy stuffed up your nose and dampened your sense of smell? We take it for granted that once our nostrils clear, our sniffers will dependably rebound and alert us to a lurking neighborhood skunk or a caramel corn shop ahead. That dependability is no accident. It turns out the brain is working overtime behind the scenes to make sure the sense of smell is just as sharp after the nose recovers.

13 Aug 2012

Combination therapy does not change safety and efficacy relationship of TORISEL for advanced RCC

Pfizer Inc. announced that the Phase 3 INTORACT trial (B1771006), evaluating the combination of bevacizumab plus TORISEL (temsirolimus) compared with bevacizumab plus interferon-alfa-2a (IFN-α-2a) in the first-line treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) across risk groups, did not meet its primary endpoint of superiority in extending progression free survival (PFS) in the study population.

12 Aug 2012

Heat wave safety tips from Children's Hospital Los Angeles

With July 2012 on record as being one of the hottest months in U.S. history and the August heat showing no let up in many parts of the country, how can parents protect their children's health during a heat wave? "While kids and teens may think of themselves as invincible, they're prone to heat-related illnesses," says Megan Summers, a registered nurse in the Children's Hospital Los Angeles' Rehabilitation Unit.

12 Aug 2012

Accurate vaccination needed to protect children

This year the U.S. has seen the worst outbreak of whooping cough in more than 50 years. In fact, it has reached epidemic levels in many states and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the numbers of cases reported is already twice as many as last year. With kids getting ready to head back-to-school, the numbers of children impacted or killed by this disease could continue to rise if children aren't accurately vaccinated.

10 Aug 2012

Stressed individuals use different brain regions and strategies

Stressed and non-stressed persons use different brain regions and different strategies when learning. This has been reported by the cognitive psychologists PD Dr. Lars Schwabe and Professor Oliver Wolf from the Ruhr-Universit-t Bochum in the Journal of Neuroscience.

9 Aug 2012

New method gives precise picture of how immune system works

Chronic infections are a large and growing problem throughout the developed world, and intensive research is being conducted in ways to combat the recalcitrant bacteria. When bacteria aggregate into so-called biofilm, they become resistant to antibiotics. Until now scientists have only been able to speculate about what happens when bacteria overpower the immune system during a chronic infection.

9 Aug 2012

Corticosteroids show no clinical benefit in treating acute sinusitis

Corticosteroids, frequently prescribed to alleviate acute sinusitis, show no clinical benefit in treating the condition, according to a randomized controlled trial published in CMAJ.

8 Aug 2012

BioDiem granted European patent for antimicrobial drug

Australian vaccine development company BioDiem Ltd (ASX: BDM) announced today the successful granting of a key European patent for its synthetic antimicrobial compound BDM-I. BDM-I is a novel compound active against a range of pathogenic micro-organisms including bacteria, fungi and protozoa. The patent provides protection around BDM-I as a treatment for vulvovaginitis, a general term for inflammation of the vulva or vagina.

7 Aug 2012

Creating new non-influenza vaccines: an interview with Julie Phillips, CEO of BioDiem

BioDiem recently signed a collaborative agreement with The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) for the development of non-influenza vaccines using BioDiem’s proprietary live attenuated influenza virus (LAIV) technology.

7 Aug 2012

Blood levels of IL-6 protein may also serve as red flag for relapse in schizophrenia patients

Blood levels of a protein that helps regulate inflammation may also serve as a red flag for relapse in some schizophrenia patients, researchers said.

7 Aug 2012

Topline results from Janssen bapineuzumab Phase 3 trial on mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the co-primary clinical endpoints, change in cognitive and functional performance compared to placebo, were not met in the Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy R&D LLC (Janssen AI)-led Phase 3 trial of intravenous (IV) bapineuzumab in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease who do not carry the ApoE4 (apolipoprotein E epsilon 4) genotype (Study 301).

7 Aug 2012

Heartburn can cause cancer: New guide for patients

Every day, an estimated 25 million American adults suffer from heartburn. Some experts believe that 40 percent of adults experience heartburn every month. Despite these staggering statistics, few people understand the real risk that Heartburn can cause Cancer.

6 Aug 2012

First generic versions of Singulair receive FDA approval for treatment of asthma, allergies

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic versions of Singulair (montelukast sodium) for use in adults and children to control asthma symptoms and to help relieve symptoms of indoor and outdoor allergies.

6 Aug 2012

Drug molecules designed for influenza may be adapted to treat other viruses

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital study shows how compounds blocking an enzyme universal to all influenza viruses may allow development of new antiviral drugs that also avoid the problem of drug resistance

3 Aug 2012

Mechanism provides beneficial characteristics of energy-burning brown fat to white fat

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers have identified a mechanism that can give energy-storing white fat some of the beneficial characteristics of energy-burning brown fat. The findings, based on studies of mice and of human fat tissue, could lead to new strategies for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes.

3 Aug 2012

Researchers develop improved expert system for diagnosis of thyroid disease

Researchers in India have developed an improved expert system for the diagnosis of thyroid disease.

3 Aug 2012

Scientists identify biological mechanism that may be responsible for icy extremities

Cold feet-those chilly appendages that plague many people in the winter and an unlucky few all year round-can be the bane of existence for singles and couples alike. In a new study, scientists led by Selvi C. Jeyaraj of the Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital have identified a biological mechanism that may be responsible for icy extremities: an interaction between a series of molecules and receptors on smooth muscle cells that line the skin's tiny blood vessels.

1 Aug 2012

GSK begins shipping the first lots of 2012-2013 seasonal influenza vaccines

GlaxoSmithKline announced today it has begun shipping the first lots of 2012-2013 FluLaval (Influenza virus vaccine) and Fluarix (Influenza Virus Vaccine) to CDC distribution centers and U.S. healthcare providers.

1 Aug 2012