Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Virginia elementary school children will receive their second dose of H1N1 vaccine

On Thursday, January 7, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin will visit a school-based flu vaccination clinic at Carlin Springs Elementary in Arlington, Virginia, where local elementary schoolchildren will receive their second dose of the H1N1 vaccine.

7 Jan 2010

Rituximab treatment reduces patients' response to pneumonia vaccine

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University determined that immune responses to the tetanus vaccine were not changed when rituximab in combination with methotrexate (MTX) was compared with MTX alone in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

7 Jan 2010

E-The Environmental Magazine: Environmental toxicity drives up autism rates

As many as one in 90 children are today being diagnosed with autism--and autism research continues to focus almost exclusively on genetics. In its January/February 2010 issue (posted now at: www.emagazine.com), E-The Environmental Magazine looks at another factor that may be driving up autism rates--environmental toxicity.

7 Jan 2010

EPO grants notice of allowance for Response Biomedical’s ‘Fong Patent’

Response Biomedical Corporation announced today that the Company has received a Notice of Allowance from the European Patent Office for the patent entitled “Sensitive Immunochromatographic Assay”, referred to as the “Fong Patent”.

7 Jan 2010

Positive top-line results from Phase III study of aclidinium bromide announced

orest Laboratories, Inc. and Almirall, S.A. (ALM.MC) today announced positive top-line results from ACCORD COPD I, a three-month Phase III study comparing aclidinium 200µg and 400µg BID versus placebo.

7 Jan 2010

Scientists use NIR to predict how quickly pills dissolve in body

Scientists at the University of Maryland, Baltimore have successfully used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) -- a method already used to test farm product quality -- to predict how quickly pills dissolve in the body.

7 Jan 2010

Tips to prevent injuries while shoveling

Snow shoveling tends to be an unpleasant task—this mundane seasonal chore combines heavy lifting and cold weather, resulting in possible injuries to the back, shoulder muscles if shovelers do not take the proper precautions. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has recommendations to help you stay safe while clearing snow so you can still have some winter fun.

7 Jan 2010

Child abuse and neglect can increase when families are under stress

The holidays are over and the tree is down. For millions of families reality is setting in. Between the bills that will come due in January, the struggling economy and the stress that comes with it, it can be a very dangerous time for children. Experts say many parents who are overwhelmed often take out their anxieties and frustrations on their kids.

7 Jan 2010

Looking Forward: What might change quickly if health overhaul passes

Several news outlets look at what might happen if health reform legislation passes.

7 Jan 2010

Flu vaccine safe but ineffective for RA patients treated with rituximab

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are partially protected by the influenza vaccine 6-10 months after treatment with rituximab. Researchers determined that while the flu vaccine is safe, it is ineffective for RA patients in the first 6 months following rituximab treatment.

7 Jan 2010

Bogus drug manufactures embrace new tactics to dupe consumers

Manufacturers of counterfeit prescription drugs are embracing new tactics to deal with an estimated $75-billion-year market in knockoffs, a battle that is far from being won.

7 Jan 2010

Texas Mutual Insurance offers tips to prevent H1N1 flu

Flu season peaks in January and February. For adults, the workplace is the most common place to catch the flu.

7 Jan 2010

Canada supports Mexico's pandemic response efforts

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, on behalf of the Government of Canada, has announced it will be providing five million doses of H1N1 flu vaccine to Mexico to help bridge that country's immediate pandemic vaccine requirements. This is not a donation. Mexico will replenish Canada's H1N1 vaccine supply by March 31, 2010.

7 Jan 2010

Developing countries reassess need for donated H1N1 vaccine

As the number of H1N1 (swine flu) cases in some regions of the world continues to fall, developing countries scheduled to receive donated H1N1 (swine flu) vaccines from the WHO are reassessing just how many vaccines their countries need, the Canadian Press reports.

6 Jan 2010

Also in global health news: ART access in Zimbabwe; Indonesia bird flu deaths; Kenya floods; Solomon Island tsunami

Zimbabwe's government plans work with international organizations to increase the number of people receiving anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to 300,000 by the end of the year, up from the 180,000 who currently get the drugs, Henry Madzorera, the country's health minister, said on Tuesday, ZimOnline reports.

6 Jan 2010

HHS introduces National Influenza Vaccination Week to raise awareness about flu vaccine

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has designated the week of January 10 through 16 as National Influenza Vaccination Week, in an effort to raise awareness about the importance of the flu vaccine.

6 Jan 2010

CSHL scientist discovers how bookmarking protein triggers leukemia

Each cell inherits genes from its parent as well as epigenetic information - what amounts to an instruction manual that specifies which genes should be activated or "expressed," when and to what level.

6 Jan 2010

Montefiore Medical Center first to perform minimally invasive procedure on uterine fibroids

Montefiore Medical Center recently became the only hospital on the East Coast to conduct the Radio Frequency Ablation procedure to shrink uterine fibroids in women 30 years and older.

6 Jan 2010

American Red Cross offers tips to stay warm in bone chilling temperatures

Bone chilling temperatures have gripped much of the country, and the American Red Cross urges everyone to be safe and prepare as much as possible.

6 Jan 2010

LiveProcess platform allows hospitals to gather and distribute critical information during H1N1 pandemic

In Riverside County, California, one of the 32 states where the H1N1 pandemic continues to be widespread, there were 2478 hospitalizations/reported cases and 30 deaths from H1N1 as of December 16, 2009, and at press time, that number was still climbing. Riverside is the state’s fastest growing county and fifth largest in the country.

6 Jan 2010