Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

H1N1 flu preparedness guide for small industries

Small Business Administration Administrator Karen Mills and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the availability of a preparedness guide designed to assist small businesses in planning for the possibility of an H1N1 flu outbreak this fall.

15 Sep 2009

New book on human genetics helps to unravel complex human diseases

Many human diseases-including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, cancer, and cardiovascular disease-are caused by multiple genetic variants and the interaction of those variants with the environment. Because such diseases lack a clear-cut inheritance pattern, sophisticated technological approaches and statistical analyses are required to determine their underlying cause.

15 Sep 2009

Gentic circuits that cause mucous hyper-production identified

Scientists have identified the main genetic switch that causes excessive mucous in the lungs, a discovery that one day could ease suffering for people with chronic lung diseases like asthma and cystic fibrosis, or just those fighting the common cold.

15 Sep 2009

NSF International certification for COLD-FX(R)

Afexa Life Sciences Inc. ("Afexa") (TSX:FXA) today announced that COLD-FX(R) has received the highest sports certification in North America from the leading product safety and banned substances testing body for elite athletes.

15 Sep 2009

Risk for patients contracting pneumonia increases threefold when treated with pantoprazole: Study

A popular stomach-acid reducer used to prevent stress ulcers in critically ill patients needing breathing machine support increases the risk of those patients contracting pneumonia threefold, according to researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

15 Sep 2009

Possible link between El Ni-o and flu pandemic

Research conducted at Texas A&M University casts doubts on the notion that El Ni-o has been getting stronger because of global warming and raises interesting questions about the relationship between El Ni-o and a severe flu pandemic 91 years ago. The findings are based on analysis of the 1918 El Ni-o, which the new research shows to be one of the strongest of the 20th century.

15 Sep 2009

Phase II VICTOR-E1 clinical study results reported

Schering-Plough Corporation today reported long-term data with vicriviroc, its investigational CCR5 receptor antagonist, from an ongoing, open-label extension of the Phase II VICTOR-E1 study in treatment-experienced HIV-infected patients.

15 Sep 2009

Oil-and-water-based nanoemulsion could be more effective for treating burns

Treating second-degree burns with a nanoemulsion lotion sharply curbs bacterial growth and reduces inflammation that otherwise can jeopardize recovery, University of Michigan scientists have shown in initial laboratory studies.

15 Sep 2009

Genetic switch that causes excessive mucus in the lungs identified

Scientists have identified the main genetic switch that causes excessive mucus in the lungs, a discovery that one day could ease suffering for people with chronic lung diseases like asthma and cystic fibrosis, or just those fighting the common cold.

15 Sep 2009

Environmental Solutions International introduces unique, alcohol-free, moisturizing hand sanitizers

With health officials nationwide already preparing for the upcoming cold and flu season, Environmental Solutions International (ESI) introduces Smart & Silky and Kids Smart & Silky Foaming Hand Sanitizers as another weapon in the illness-prevention arsenal. These unique, alcohol-free, moisturizing hand sanitizers are available at retailers nationwide (visit www.smartandsilky.com for more details).

15 Sep 2009

Mellow Hope completes clinical trial of H1N1 vaccine, receives approval from SFDA

At the beginning of September, Mellow Hope completed the clinical trial of Influenza A (H1N1) Vaccine (Split Virion). The company received the clinical approval from the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) http://eng.sfda.gov.cn/eng. Production will be started shortly.

15 Sep 2009

Study reveals that daily bathroom showers may deliver pathogenic bacteria

While daily bathroom showers provide invigorating relief and a good cleansing for millions of Americans, they also can deliver a face full of potentially pathogenic bacteria, according to a surprising new University of Colorado at Boulder study.

15 Sep 2009

IBC offers coverage for H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines

In an effort to help keep members healthy and flu-free this year, Independence Blue Cross (IBC) will offer coverage for the administration costs of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine when it becomes available. In addition, IBC will continue to cover seasonal flu vaccine.

15 Sep 2009

FDA clears Diagnostic HYBRIDS' D3 FastPoint L-DFA Respiratory Virus Identification Kit

Diagnostic HYBRIDS, a leading developer of IVD fluorescent staining kits and cell culture products, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (510k) clearance of its D3 FastPointTM L-DFATM Respiratory Virus Identification Kit, which allows the individual detection of influenza A, influenza B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV), adenovirus and parainfluenza viruses from a patient’s specimen in under 30 minutes.

15 Sep 2009

Nebulized interferon-gamma helps minimize transmissibility of TB

A new study published in the September 15, 2009, issue of PLoS ONE found that patients with cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis receiving anti-TB medications supplemented with nebulized interferon-gamma have fewer bacilli in the lungs and less inflammation, thereby reducing the transmissibility of tuberculosis in the early phase of treatment.

15 Sep 2009

Emergency Medical Associates to track swine flu movement with SAP business intelligence solutions

As families return from summer travels and children head back to school, Emergency Medical Associates (EMA) is preparing for a potential resurgence in the swine flu virus (H1N1) this fall. By using business intelligence (BI) solutions from SAP AG (NYSE: SAP), EMA will continue to pinpoint the movement of swine flu and alert federal organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as 21 different emergency medical departments to patterns of outbreak.

14 Sep 2009

H1N1 vaccine to be available in U.S. earlier than anticipated

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on Sunday that the H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine will be available in the U.S. earlier than previously anticipated, the Wall Street Journal reports. "We are on track to have an ample supply rolling out by mid-October, but we may have some early vaccine as early as the first full week in October. And we plan to get the vaccine rolling out the door as fast as it hits the production line," Sebelius said (Davis, 9/13).

14 Sep 2009

Boston University launches $10M, 5-year Global Health Center

Boston University (BU) on Monday launched a five-year, $10 million global health initiative that aims to "bolster research and education" and "build a nationwide consortium of universities devoted to improving health in the Third World," the Boston Globe reports.

14 Sep 2009

Clinical studies reveal treatment with pirfenidone is safe and well-tolerated

InterMune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITMN) today announced that the results of a comprehensive review of safety data from four clinical studies were presented at the 2009 European Respiratory Society Annual Congress in Vienna, Austria by Dr. Ulrich Costabel of the Ruhrlandklinik, Essen, Germany.

14 Sep 2009

Early vaccination minimizes the risk of damage by potentially harmful infections

Parents should not be worried, that early vaccination would overwhelm their babies. Recent data show, that the immune system of newborns is able to respond to a world full of antigens already at birth.

14 Sep 2009