Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Chest X-ray prevents excess antibiotic use in childhood pneumonia

Use of a chest X-ray as well as traditional clinical parameters to diagnose childhood pneumonia can prevent overdiagnosis and unnecessary use of antibiotics, say researchers.

10 Jul 2012

Obstructive sleep apnea worse in cold weather

Study findings based on observations from a sleep clinic in Brazil indicate that obstructive sleep apnea may worsen during the winter months.

10 Jul 2012

Inovio commences SynCon vaccine phase I study in H1N1 influenza

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the first patients have been treated in a clinical trial evaluating immune responses in elderly adults immunized with Inovio's H1N1 SynCon universal influenza vaccine.

10 Jul 2012

Researchers develop new silk-based stabilizer for vaccines and antibiotics

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed a new silk-based stabilizer that, in the laboratory, kept some vaccines and antibiotics stable up to temperatures of 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

10 Jul 2012

Whooping cough alert sounded again

GPs have again been urged to report cases of whooping cough to the Health Protection Agency and step up vaccination efforts, as the number of confirmed cases continues to rise.

9 Jul 2012

PCV13 offers best overall protection from CAP in young children

Researchers have identified a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine that is effective for treating bacteremic pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia in children aged 5 years or younger.

9 Jul 2012

FUJIFILM receives ONC-ATCB certification for Synapse MU 3.0 EHR technology

FUJIFILM Medical Systems U.S.A. announced today that Synapse MU 3.0, is 2011/2012 compliant and was certified as a Complete EHR on June 28, 2012 by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology, an ONC-ATCB, in accordance with the applicable eligible provider certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

9 Jul 2012

Special surface coating for stents to keep them in place

If a person's windpipe is constricted, an operation in which the surgeon inserts a stent to enlarge the trachea is often the only way to relieve their respiratory distress. But this grid-like implant can slip out of position, closing off the windpipe altogether. Researchers are working on a special surface coating for the stents to keep them in place.

9 Jul 2012

NADDI lauds real-time, drug stop-sale system in North Carolina

The National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI) – a nonprofit organization that facilitates cooperation between law enforcement, healthcare professionals, state regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical manufacturers in the prevention and investigation of drug diversion – today lauded the latest results achieved by the real-time, stop-sale system in North Carolina.

9 Jul 2012

JRD receives FDA priority review designation for XARELTO sNDAs to treat PE, DVT

Janssen Research & Development, LLC (Janssen R&D) announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has assigned a priority review designation to the supplemental New Drug Applications (sNDAs) filed on May 2, 2012 for XARELTO (rivaroxaban), an oral anticoagulant, seeking new indications to treat patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), and to prevent recurrent DVT and PE.

9 Jul 2012

Health officials working to identify respiratory illness responsible for deaths of more than 60 Cambodian children

WHO and Cambodian health officials are investigating "the source of an unidentified illness" -- characterized by high fevers, severe respiratory problems, "and in some cases neurological symptoms" -- that has killed more than 60 children in the country since April, NPR's health blog "Shots" reports (Hensley, 7/5). "

7 Jul 2012

New vaccine candidate against leading cause of hospital-acquired infections

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have discovered a new vaccine candidate for the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa taking advantage of a new mechanism of immunity.

7 Jul 2012

New study maps global zoonotic disease 'hotspots'

"A global study mapping human diseases that come from animals like tuberculosis, AIDS, bird flu or Rift Valley fever has found that just 13 such diseases are responsible for 2.4 billion cases of human illness and 2.2 million deaths a year," Reuters reports.

6 Jul 2012

Roche receives FDA approval for CMV viral load test

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first DNA test to help health care professionals gauge the progress of anti-viral treatment in solid organ transplant patients undergoing cytomegalovirus (CMV) antiviral therapy.

6 Jul 2012

Myths about drive-thru influenza immunization clinics

Critics have pointed to fainting risks and subsequent auto accidents as reasons for concern when using drive-thru influenza immunization clinics, according to Ruth Carrico, PhD, RN, FSHEA, CIC, associate professor, division of infectious diseases, University of Louisville School of Medicine.

6 Jul 2012

Fingolimod offers minor added benefit for patients with RRMS

The immunosuppressive drug fingolimod (trade name: Gilenya-) is approved for the treatment of highly-active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in adults. In an early benefit assessment pursuant to "Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products" (AMNOG), the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) assessed whether fingolimod offers an added benefit compared with the present standard therapy.

6 Jul 2012

Study: 13 zoonoses responsible for 2.4B cases of human illness per year

A new global study mapping human-animal diseases like tuberculosis (TB) and Rift Valley fever finds that an "unlucky" 13 zoonoses are responsible for 2.4 billion cases of human illness and 2.2 million deaths per year. The vast majority occur in low- and middle-income countries.

5 Jul 2012

UN food standards body agrees on new regulations to protect health of consumers across the world

The UN food standards body has agreed on new regulations - including the maximum level of melamine in liquid milk formula for babies - to protect the health of consumers across the world. Other measures adopted include new food safety standards on seafood, melons, dried figs and food labelling.

5 Jul 2012

Children at increased risk for heat-related illness

Extreme heat continues to plague the nation with many areas seeing record temperatures. Though everyone needs to take precautions when it comes to dangerous heat, it's especially important to watch your kids. Children are at a greater risk than adults of sustaining a heat injury.

4 Jul 2012

Signs that a child is seriously ill: Interview with Professor Middleton

There are several signs that indicate that a child is seriously ill. These can be spotted by parents, teachers and carers as well as by me or any other doctor or nurse.

4 Jul 2012