Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Oseltamivir reduces mortality in influenza A/H5N1 patients

A study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases indicates that treatment with oseltamivir significantly reduces mortality in patients with influenza A/H5N1, or 'bird flu', even when given late in the course of illness.

15 Oct 2010

Fluctuations in internal body temperature regulate body's circadian rhythm: Research

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that fluctuations in internal body temperature regulate the body's circadian rhythm, the 24-hour cycle that controls metabolism, sleep and other bodily functions.

15 Oct 2010

LifeBridge Health reveals two ways to prevent seasonal flu

You're having that dreaded feeling. Your muscles are aching, you've got a a fever and sore throat . Get ready: It is flu season again! The flu is a respiratory virus that's contagious. In addition to the symptoms above, a, cough and headache, as well as diarrhea may indicate the virus is present.

15 Oct 2010

Scientists to monitor effectiveness of Streptococcus vaccine

Respiratory infections and diarrhoeal diseases kill approximately four million children each year, with most deaths occurring in developing countries. New vaccines for Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacterium that causes pneumonia, and rotavirus, the most common cause of severe diarrhoea, have proved successful in preventing the development of the diseases in clinical trials, but have yet to be used routinely in many parts of Africa.

15 Oct 2010

CVS/pharmacy agrees to pay civil penalties for excessive sales of PSE

CVS/pharmacy today announced agreements with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Attorneys' Offices for the Central District of California and the District of Nevada to settle allegations that in 2007 and 2008 certain CVS/pharmacy stores in California and Nevada engaged in unlawful sales of pseudoephedrine (PSE), an ingredient found in popular over-the-counter cold and cough medicines.

15 Oct 2010

Journal of Clinical Oncology publishes IPI-504 Phase 2 study results

Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that results from its Phase 2 study of IPI-504, a novel IV-administered Hsp90 chaperone inhibitor, in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

15 Oct 2010

More minorities attending American medical schools

News outlets report on issues affecting the doctor workforce, including increased diversity at medical schools and questions about whether rural doctors will qualify for the Medicare payment bonus for primary care physicians.

15 Oct 2010

Administering ondansetron drug to children is economically advantageous

Two years ago, a study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers found that an anti-vomiting drug called ondansetron helps reduce vomiting, the need for intravenous fluids and hospital admissions in children with acute gastroenteritis.Now a new economic analysis led by Canadian researchers, in collaboration with Michael J. Steiner, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at UNC, concludes that routinely giving ondansetron to children with gastroenteritis-induced vomiting would prevent thousands of hospitalizations and save millions of dollars each year.

15 Oct 2010

Study finds vaccination rates in decline for children covered by private health plans

A new report shows that vaccination rates among two-year-olds covered by private insurance plans dipped by almost four percentage points last year." At the same time, vaccination rates for children covered by Medicaid were edging up by less than 1%.

15 Oct 2010

FDA approves Gamunex-C for primary immunodeficiency treatment

Talecris Biotherapeutics announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Gamunex-C (Immune Globulin Injection [Human], 10% Caprylate/Chromatography Purified) for subcutaneous administration in the treatment of primary immunodeficiency (PI).

15 Oct 2010

Anti-vaccination group loses charitable status

An anti-vaccination group that has been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently has been stripped of its charitable status after the state government found its fund raising appeals had not been conducted in good faith. The Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) came into news when in July it was ordered to publish a disclaimer on its website stating the group was anti-vaccination and its material should not be read as medical advice.

14 Oct 2010

NanoViricides files financial year end annual report with SEC

NanoViricides, Inc. reports that it has filed its financial year end annual report (Form 10K) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) yesterday in a timely manner.

14 Oct 2010

28% of health care workers in 'work risk' category will not get flu vaccine

A new Consumer Reports Health poll reveals a disconcerting proportion of "at risk" groups who will not get the flu vaccine this year. Of most concern, only 40% of Americans in the "work risk" category—meaning those who care for young children and those who work in residential nursing homes, hospitals, and other health care environments—said they would definitely get the vaccine this year, which combines the seasonal and the 2009 H1N1 (swine) flus, while 28% said they would definitely not get the vaccine.

14 Oct 2010

Top citations for scientific paper on Inovio's SynCon DNA vaccines and ID DNA delivery technology

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that a scientific paper demonstrating strong and protective immune responses from candidate SynCon™ DNA vaccines in preclinical studies using Inovio's intradermal (ID) DNA delivery technology was one of the top cited scientific articles in the past three years in the journal Vaccine.

14 Oct 2010

Loyola announces 36-hour drill to test response to flu outbreak

Loyola University Health System (LUHS) will conduct a 36-hour drill to test its ability to quickly and efficiently respond to a deadly disease outbreak by inoculating its staff against the flu.

14 Oct 2010

Scientists identify environmental conditions that could enable H5N1 bird flu virus to survive

On the eve of the 2010-11 influenza flu season, scientists and engineers have identified the environmental conditions and surfaces that could enable a highly pathogenic (H5N1) bird flu virus to survive for prolonged periods of time at least two weeks and up to two months. Among them: The virus appears to thrive at cooler temperatures and low humidity.

14 Oct 2010

Watermelon effective against prehypertension

No matter how you slice it, watermelon has a lot going for it -- sweet, low calorie, high fiber, nutrient rich -- and now, there's more. Evidence from a pilot study led by food scientists at The Florida State University suggests that watermelon can be an effective natural weapon against prehypertension, a precursor to cardiovascular disease.

14 Oct 2010

Medicago and PATH partner on development of broad coverage influenza vaccine

Medicago Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing highly effective and affordable vaccines based on proprietary manufacturing technologies and Virus-Like Particles (VLPs), today announced that it has been awarded $946,000 in funding by U.S.-based PATH pursuant to a research collaboration agreement. Medicago and PATH will work together on a broad coverage influenza vaccine based on Medicago's proprietary plant-based Virus-Like Particle (VLP) technologies for the developing world.

13 Oct 2010

Research may pave way to cure cystic fibrosis

A University of Missouri researcher believes his latest work moves scientists closer to a cure for cystic fibrosis, one of the world's most common fatal genetic diseases.

13 Oct 2010

$1.5 million DOD award allows U-M scientists to pursue new application for nanoemulsion technology

The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded $1.5 million over three years to the Michigan Nanotechnology Institute for Medicine and Biological Sciences and to Ann Arbor-based NanoBio Corporation to develop and test nanoemulsions with potential to fight a wide range of wound infections, including drug-resistant forms.

13 Oct 2010