Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Swine flu vaccine blues

Exactly a year after the swine flu outbreak vigilance, newer vaccine techniques and other measures are being emphasized by researchers and key decision makers. Dr. Harvey Fineberg, chairman of the World Health Organization's pandemic review committee and President of the U.S. Institute of Medicine says, we need to look at the past to learn from it.

22 Apr 2010

H1N1 flu epidemic has lessons to offer health care providers: Anesthesia Progress

The H1N1 flu epidemic has lessons to offer health care providers. The limited amount of vaccine available initially left pregnant women, small children with medical conditions, and other high-risk populations waiting in long lines. The problems encountered in reaching certain segments of the population apply to the provision of dental care as well as other disciplines.

22 Apr 2010

Ozone and primary pollutants from traffic increase asthma-related emergency department visits in children

Both ozone and primary pollutants from traffic substantially increase asthma-related emergency department visits in children, especially during the warm season, according to researchers from the Department of Environmental Health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta.

22 Apr 2010

Bacterial infections often missed in febrile children in the ER

In a new study researchers reveal that up to one third of children with fever due to bacterial infections do not receive antibiotics in the emergency department and 20% of kids receive antibiotics unnecessarily.

22 Apr 2010

AFP reflects on WHO's response to H1N1

Agence France-Presse examines the WHO's response to H1N1 (swine flu) one year since the virus was first reported in Mexico and the U.S. "A year on, questions linger as to whether a decision by the World Health Organization to declare swine flu a pandemic, thereby unleashing the slew of health measures, was over-dramatic or even tainted by commercial interests," the news service writes.

22 Apr 2010

Women and men experience different outcomes at U.S. hospitals: HealthGrades

Women and men experience different outcomes at U.S. hospitals for the same procedures and treatments, according to a new study released today by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization.

22 Apr 2010

No more needles for vaccines – a two minute Nanopatch may suffice, say researchers

Vaccines have been associated with painful injections for a very long time. In a new and important discovery researchers have developed special ‘nano patches’ that can deliver vaccines without needles in just two minutes using 100 times less dose than used conventionally.

22 Apr 2010

Berwick may face difficult confirmation in Senate

News outlets continue to report on Donald Berwick, who was nominated by President Barack Obama to be administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

22 Apr 2010

Merck to market and distribute MBL's Td vaccine in the U.S.

MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Merck & Co., Inc. announced today that they have entered into an agreement that provides Merck with exclusive rights to market and distribute MBL's tetanus and diphtheria toxoids adsorbed (Td) vaccine in the United States, with the exception of Massachusetts, where MBL will continue distributing the vaccine.

21 Apr 2010

Sonic Innovations wins Best in Show award at AudiologyNOW! conference

Sonic Innovations, Inc. received a Best in Show award based on attendees' votes at the AudiologyNOW! conference for its tradeshow booth. The conference was held April 14 through 17 in San Diego, California and was attended by nearly 7,000 hearing care professionals.

21 Apr 2010

Inovio Biomedical wins Vaccine Industry Excellence Award in “Best Early Stage Biotech” category

Inovio Biomedical Corporation, a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced today that the company was awarded a Vaccine Industry Excellence Award in the category of "Best Early Stage Biotech" by a panel of judges composed of a broad selection of biotech industry stakeholders. The award was presented at the World Vaccine Congress being held April 19 - 22, 2010, in Washington, D.C.

21 Apr 2010

Early tracheotomy does not reduce risk of VAP in mechanically ventilated adult ICU patients

Adult ICU patients who received tracheotomy 6 to 8 days vs. 13 to 15 days after mechanical ventilation did not have a significant reduction in the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA.

21 Apr 2010

Covidien's second-quarter medical devices sales up 11%

Covidien plc today reported results for the second quarter of fiscal 2010 (January - March 2010).

21 Apr 2010

Test shows efficacy of avian antibodies against H5N1 and H1N1 influenza in mice

Scientists have discovered for the first time that antibodies in common eggs laid by hens vaccinated against the H5N1 virus can potentially prevent a possible H5N1 pandemic, raising the possibility that the same principle could be applied to the current H1N1 influenza pandemic.

21 Apr 2010

InfoLogix launches HealthTrax mobility solution for University Health System

InfoLogix, Inc., a leading technology provider of enterprise mobility solutions for the healthcare and commercial industries, announced today it has successfully launched a customized HealthTrax mobility solution for University Health System's 604-bed acute care hospital and 20 ambulatory clinics in San Antonio, Texas.

21 Apr 2010

New study quantifies prevalence of MRSA infections in different patient populations

A multi-center study led by a researcher at Rhode Island Hospital has determined that long-term elder care, HIV-infected and hemodialysis patients are at increased risk of carrying methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in their nose.

21 Apr 2010

CPAP medical device recommended for severe cases of sleep apnea

Sleep Apnea - While most people with mild sleep apnea are aware that they snore, they may not be aware of the health risks involved. There are plenty of jokes about the risk to marriage of snoring but the health risks to a person with chronic snoring vastly outweigh the relationship stress.

21 Apr 2010

Computerised diagnostic model outperforms clinical judgement for diagnosing children with febrile illness

A computerised diagnostic model outperforms clinical judgement for the diagnosis of fever in young children, and may improve early treatment, finds a study published on bmj.com today.

21 Apr 2010

Forest Laboratories' fourth-quarter net sales up 11.0% to $995.6M

Forest Laboratories, Inc., an international pharmaceutical manufacturer and marketer, announced that diluted earnings per share equaled $0.07 in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010.

21 Apr 2010

Cold, dry weather linked to increased risk of prostate cancer: Researchers

Cold, dry weather has been linked to an increased incidence of prostate cancer. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access International Journal of Health Geographics suggest that meteorological effects on persistent organic pollutants, such as some pesticides and industrial by-products, may be to blame.

21 Apr 2010