Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Egg allergy is no reason to avoid 2010-2011 flu vaccination

Having an egg allergy is not a reason to avoid getting the 2010-2011 flu vaccination.

19 Oct 2010

Higher Medicaid reimbursement rates could increase childhood vaccinations

Reuters: A new study in the journal Pediatrics suggests that raising Medicaid reimbursement rates could help more children from low-income families receive flu vaccinations. "Although the vaccine itself is provided free of charge to children covered by Medicaid, doctors are only reimbursed for about half the cost of administering it," and are losing money in the process, say researchers.

18 Oct 2010

NanoViricides' President delivers speech at ASNM Second Annual Conference

NanoViricides, Inc. announced today that the Company President was invited to and presented a talk at the Second Annual Conference of the American Society for NanoMedicine (ASNM).

18 Oct 2010

Researchers to develop technologies that can mask horrid taste of children's medicines

A spoonful of sugar is the traditional way to help medicines 'go down'. But getting young children to take foul-tasting medicines - even if their lives depend on it - requires more than a bit of added sweetener. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), each year over eight million children die of diseases that could be avoided if essential medicines were available in appropriate formulations for children.

18 Oct 2010

Study finds correlation between flu vaccination and Medicaid reimbursement rates

Increasing the amount that physicians are reimbursed by Medicaid for administering influenza shots may raise vaccination rates among poor children. That is the conclusion of a study published online today in the journal Pediatrics.

18 Oct 2010

New tool could help researchers understand the neural basis of olfaction

Harvard University neurobiologists have created mice that can "smell" light, providing a potent new tool that could help researchers better understand the neural basis of olfaction.

18 Oct 2010

Cempra to present data on solithromycin, TAKSTA at 48th Annual Meeting in Vancouver

Cempra Pharmaceuticals today announced poster presentations on its novel fluoroketolide antibiotic, solithromycin (CEM-101), and the Company's proprietary front-loading oral dosing regimen of sodium fusidate, TAKSTA (CEM-102) at the 48th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America in Vancouver, British Columbia.

18 Oct 2010

Six-year data of reinforces efficacy and safety of Reclast injection in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

Novartis announced today that new six-year data reinforce the long-term efficacy and safety profile of once-yearly Reclast (zoledronic acid) injection in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. The study of more than 1,200 women was presented this weekend at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) in Toronto, ON, Canada.

18 Oct 2010

Whooping cough cases increase

Whooping cough (Pertussis) a dreaded childhood disease that is vaccine preventable is back. After two doctors in Adelaide tested positive to whooping cough, nearly a 100 adults and children are being given precautionary antibiotics.

18 Oct 2010

Silver studded bacteria could help treat common cold and flu

Finally scientists may have found a potential cure for common cold. They have found “silver bullets” in yogurt that could destroy viruses and provide a cure for the flu and common cold.

18 Oct 2010

Change to WA organ donor laws tabled

Under a new proposal Western Australia could become the first state in Australia to introduce ‘opt-out’ organ donor laws. At present people need to opt in to be a part of national organ donor register. However, only 16 per cent of West Australians have signed to date. Under this proposal all West Australians will automatically donate their organs after they die unless they register their objection.

17 Oct 2010

OTIS urges pregnant women to get vaccinated against influenza

The Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), a non-profit organization based at the University of California, San Diego with affiliates across North America, urges pregnant women to receive the influenza vaccine as soon as possible. The recommendation comes shortly after the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Committee on Obstetric Practice issued new guidelines regarding the influenza vaccine during pregnancy.

15 Oct 2010

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