Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Caspase-11 enzyme plays an important role in Legionella infection

New research shows that an enzyme that has long been considered relatively useless to the immune response instead has an important role in setting up immune cells to kill infection-causing bacteria.

13 Jun 2012

VaxInnate commences VAX161 Phase I trial in pandemic avian influenza

VaxInnate Corporation today announced that enrollment has commenced in a Phase I clinical trial to evaluate VAX161, its novel H5 vaccine candidate in development for the prevention of pandemic avian influenza or bird flu. VaxInnate is a biotechnology firm pioneering breakthrough technology for developing novel vaccines.

13 Jun 2012

GlobalPost reports on Cuba's medical outreach to Africa

GlobalPost reports on Cuba's medical outreach to Africa, writing, "A generation ago, Fidel Castro sent Cuban soldiers to intervene in African civil conflicts and fight the Cold War against U.S. proxies. Now, Cuba's doctors are fanning out across the continent as the island expands its role in administering medical services to some of the world's most ailing countries."

12 Jun 2012

Trudeau Institute to receive sub-contract for translational research grant from NIH

The Trudeau Institute has announced it is the recipient of a sub-contract for a translational research grant from the National Institutes of Health.

12 Jun 2012

Sucrose and menthol act independently to reduce coughing

Millions of Americans reach for their cough drops or syrup at the first sign of a cough. However, scientists are unsure if and how these popular remedies work. Now, new findings from the Monell Center suggest that sucrose and menthol, ingredients commonly regarded as flavorings in these preparations, each act independently to reduce coughing.

12 Jun 2012

Polymorphism ’protective in pneumococcal disease’

Patients with invasive pneumococcal disease who have the FcyRIIa-R/R131 polymorphism may have better survival outcomes than those without the genotype, suggest study findings.

11 Jun 2012

Scientists image structure of bacterium protein coat

Bacteria are omnipresent - in the water, the air and the soil, as well as in plants, animals and even people. We tend to think of bacteria as pathogenic, causing disease. We associate them with intestinal upsets and throat infections, pneumonia and blood poisoning.

11 Jun 2012

Biomedical engineers develop SMART detector for flu diagnosis

In April 2009, the world took notice as reports surfaced of a virus in Mexico that had mutated from pigs and was being passed from human to human. The H1N1 "swine flu," as the virus was named, circulated worldwide, killing more than 18,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States said it was the first global pandemic in more than four decades.

11 Jun 2012

Tackling diarrhea, pneumonia could save 2M children, according to UNICEF report

"Two million of the world's poorest children could be saved by introducing routine vaccination programs against diarrhea and pneumonia," according to a new report (.pdf) from UNICEF, BBC News reports (6/8).

8 Jun 2012

Project aims to reduce transmission of infectious diseases on aircraft

A new study is expected to provide the first detailed information on how infectious diseases may be transmitted aboard commercial airliners. Sponsored by aircraft manufacturer Boeing, the research will document patterns of passenger movement inside aircraft cabins and inventory the microbes present in cabin air and on surfaces such as tray tables and lavatory fixtures.

8 Jun 2012

Pneumonia and diarrhoea remain biggest killers of East Asia-Pacific children

A new report from UNICEF has highlighted the huge child survival gap between the richest and the poorest children by focusing on pneumonia and diarrhoea – the two primary killers of children under the age of five.

8 Jun 2012

Researchers develop Texas Pandemic Flu Toolkit

In 2009, the H1N1 "swine flu" pandemic struck, infecting millions and killing more than 18,000 worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Though less severe than initially feared, the pandemic highlighted the potential threat of deadly viruses emerging from animals into humans, and the importance of quick and effective public health intervention.

8 Jun 2012

GPs to get NHS Choices rating

GP practices in England are to be given a score out of 10 on the NHS Choices website.

7 Jun 2012

Appropriate CT scans may save and extend lives of children

The American College of Radiology (ACR) urges that results of a study (Pearce et al) to be published in the Lancet regarding radiation risk from pediatric computed tomography (CT) scans should not keep parents from getting needed medical imaging care for their children, but should be discussed with their physician and factored into their shared decision making before an imaging scan is performed.

7 Jun 2012

Infants, children ‘susceptible to acetaminophen overdose’

Acute acetaminophen overdose is the most common identifiable cause of acute liver failure in children, warn researchers in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

6 Jun 2012

Capnography ‘useful adjunct’ to colonoscopy care

Monitoring carbon dioxide levels improves detection of altered respiration and apnea in sedated patients undergoing colonoscopy, show ColCap Study results.

6 Jun 2012

Device to monitor gum disease

A team from North East England who designed a device which will help monitor gum disease have been awarded more than £1m of UK Government funding.

6 Jun 2012

Guardian examines high incidence of drowning deaths among children in Bangladesh

"Bangladesh, a country crisscrossed with rivers and canals, has one of the highest drowning rates in the world," the Guardian reports. "More than 17,000 Bangladeshi children drown every year -- nearly 50 a day, according to the Bangladesh health and injury survey, conducted in 2003," the news service writes.

6 Jun 2012

STELARA effectively reduces signs and symptoms of active psoriatic arthritis

Patients with active psoriatic arthritis receiving the interleukin (IL)-12/23 inhibitor STELARA (ustekinumab) experienced significant improvements in signs and symptoms of the disease, according to new findings presented today from a Janssen Research & Development, LLC, (Janssen)-sponsored investigational study.

6 Jun 2012

Abbott announces results from HUMIRA Phase 3 study on axSpA

Abbott today announced results from the open-label extension of the Phase 3 ABILITY-1 investigational study of HUMIRA (adalimumab), which assessed the improvement in signs and symptoms of disease for patients with active axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) who have no X-ray evidence of structural damage.

6 Jun 2012