Influenza News and Research

Latest Influenza News and Research

Targeting C5a/C5aR1 signaling ameliorates COVID-19 immunopathology

A new study investigated the role of complement component 5a (C5a) and its receptor (C5a receptor type 1, C5aR1) in the pathophysiology of COVID-19.

6 Jul 2022

Researchers reveal the exceptional capacity of Omicron to evade the immune system

The current wave of COVID-19 highlights a particularly high risk of reinfection by the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.

6 Jul 2022

Beyond COVID-19: the potential future applications of mRNA vaccines

Researchers described the production, mechanisms, and potential applications of mRNA vaccines.

6 Jul 2022

Paxlovid resistance associated with SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro mutations

In a recent study published in the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers at the Medical University of Innsbruck assessed the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 3CLpro mutations responsible for Paxlovid resistance. The 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLPro), or main protease (Mpro), is the main protease found in coronaviruses.

6 Jul 2022

Scientists uncover HIV’s sweet spot

HIV researchers have long been trying to identify the specific cells that the virus prefers to infect and hide in. They know that HIV favors a special type of immune cells called memory CD4 T cells.

5 Jul 2022

The dynamics of Delta and Omicron establishment and dominance in US states

Researchers analyzed the SARS-CoV-2 Delta and the Omicron VOCs establishment and predominance dynamics in the US.

5 Jul 2022

Influenza vaccination may provide protective effect against Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers compared Alzheimer's Disease development risks among recipients and non-recipients of intramuscularly administered influenza vaccines.

5 Jul 2022

How Pfizer won the pandemic, reaping outsize profit and influence

The grinding two-plus years of the pandemic have yielded outsize benefits for one company — Pfizer — making it both highly influential and hugely profitable as covid-19 continues to infect tens of thousands of people and kill hundreds each day.

5 Jul 2022

The varying patterns of acute respiratory infection hospitalizations before and during two pandemic years

Investigators analyzed the varying pattern of respiratory viruses resulting in hospitalizations from 2012-2013 to 2021-2022 in Canada.

5 Jul 2022

Vitamin D protects against H1N1 and SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice

Vitamin D supplementation reduces inflammation, after H1N1 and SARS-CoV-2 infections in mice.

5 Jul 2022

Study looks at pneumococcal carriage among over 60's during COVID pandemic

In a recent article posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers in the United States analyzed the pneumococcal carriage in older adults in the Greater New Haven Area, United States (US), during the implementation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mitigation strategies.

4 Jul 2022

COVID vaccines protect people of all body weights

In a recent study published in The Lancet, researchers in the United Kingdom determined whether an individual with a higher body mass index (BMI) mounted a weaker immune response to a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine.

4 Jul 2022

Generation of live attenuated influenza A virus vaccine using PROTAC technology

A promising strategy to reduce the impact of viral infectious diseases, such as influenza, is the use of attenuated, live viruses as vaccines.

4 Jul 2022

The role of vitamin D in H1N1 influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new study focused on determining Vitamin D's role in SARS-CoV-2 and H1N1 influenza. In this study, researchers determined the effect of vitamin D supplements on the lung anti-viral response in animal models.

4 Jul 2022

Age-specific precision shielding in the pre-vaccination period of the COVID-19 pandemic

A new study has focussed on addressing whether age-specific precision shielding was achieved in the pre-vaccination period.

4 Jul 2022

SARS-CoV-2 can evade Paxlovid by multiple mechanisms

In a recent article posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, the University of South Florida, and the Catholic University of America demonstrated that the natural severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) main protease (Mpro) mutations result in nirmatrelvir resistance.

30 Jun 2022

Novel universal flu vaccine confers protection against different strains and subtypes of influenza A viruses

A new universal flu vaccine constructed with key parts of the influenza virus offers broad cross protection against different strains and subtypes of influenza A viruses in young and aged populations, according to a new study by researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.

30 Jun 2022

Ischemic stroke risk may be higher after COVID-19 compared to flu or bacterial pneumonia

A new study examined electronic health records for approximately half the population of Denmark, looking for people with a diagnosis of COVID-19 or hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia.

30 Jun 2022

COVID-19 pandemic linked to lower antibodies in breastmilk

New research describes the results of a study measuring such protection and exploring the effects of waning antibody levels on infant susceptibility to respiratory pathogens.

29 Jun 2022

Anticancer drug candidate that targets a human protein could be a pan-viral medication

More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, people are realizing that the "new normal" will probably involve learning to co-exist with SARS-CoV-2. Some treatments are available, but with new variants emerging, researchers are looking toward new strategies.

29 Jun 2022