Flu News and Research

RSS

Eggshell-like mineral layer on avian flu viruses may be cause for human infections

Avian flu can be transmitted from birds to humans; transmission among humans, however, is limited. The reason may be an eggshell-like mineral layer that the virus acquires due to the high calcium concentration in the intestines of birds.

18 Aug 2017

FDA issues Emergency Use Authorization for multiplex Zika test

The Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University's Mailman School today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the CII-ArboViroPlex rRT-PCR Test, the first multiplex assay that simultaneously tests for the presence of Zika virus, all serotypes of dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and West Nile virus, as well as a host gene that ensures the accuracy of results.

14 Aug 2017

Researchers find specific type of immune cells in patients with excessive antibody production

The team from Instituto de Medicina Molecular Lisboa, led by Luis Graça, analyzed blood samples from Sjögren syndrome patients, an autoimmune disease that affects the mucous membranes and moisture-secreting glands of the eyes and mouth, and found that these patients have a significant increase in a specific type of immune cells called T follicular regulatory cells (Tfr).

11 Aug 2017

New technique combines electricity and chemistry to scale up drug manufacturing

Give your medicine a jolt. By using - electrochemistry - a technique that combines electricity and chemistry, future pharmaceuticals - including many of the top prescribed medications in the United States - soon may be easily scaled up to be manufactured in a more sustainable way.

10 Aug 2017

Researchers shed new light on MS relapse during upper respiratory infections

For most of us, the flu is just the flu. We suffer through it for several days, and eventually bounce back. But for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological diseases, the flu can trigger a cascade of immune responses that result in a full-blown relapse of the disease.

8 Aug 2017

Researchers hope to harness immune cells for better treatment of allergies, infections

By learning how a recently discovered immune cell works in the body, researchers hope to one day harness the cells to better treat allergies and infections, according to new Cornell University research.

4 Aug 2017

New online healthcare platform iDoc enables patients to book consultations with GPs anytime

Online digital healthcare provider iDoc, launches, with the aim of transforming the way patients access and interact with GPs and Paediatricians, nationally. Part of the Fidelity Health Group, iDoc offers patients the ability to have a GP appointment at a time and in a way, that suits them.

4 Aug 2017

New study shows how gut microbes can prevent severe flu infections in mice

Microbes that live in the gut don't just digest food. They also have far-reaching effects on the immune system.

3 Aug 2017

Tiny molecule in the immune system could help develop cure for common cold

A tiny molecule found in the immune systems of humans and animals could be used to develop a cure for the common cold, new research suggests.

3 Aug 2017

InDevR gets NIAID support for verification, validation studies on new potency test for influenza viruses

InDevR, Inc., an innovative life science company dedicated to improving biopharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing, announced support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, for verification and validation studies on a new potency test for influenza viruses with pandemic potential.

2 Aug 2017

Researchers identify new methods that could improve treatment for infectious diseases

Researchers have discovered new methods that could improve treatment for infectious diseases by enabling earlier detection of influenza outbreaks and curtailing inappropriate antibiotic usage. The findings were presented today at the 69th AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo in San Diego.

2 Aug 2017

Researchers track how flu shot during pregnancy affects expectant mothers and babies

Pregnant women and young babies are among those most at risk for complications, hospitalization, and death from the flu.

1 Aug 2017

Biomedical researcher wins $1.9 million federal grant to develop enhanced influenza vaccines

Dr. Sang-Moo Kang, professor in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University, has renewed a four-year, $1.9 million federal grant to develop influenza vaccines that offer enhanced protection against a broad range of influenza virus strains.

31 Jul 2017

Structure of protein in salmon virus could inform strategies to treat flu in humans

The structure of a protein key to the survival and spread of a virus that affects salmon could inform strategies to treat the flu in humans, according to scientists at Rice University.

28 Jul 2017

HIV transmission among gay partners may be prevented using medication, finds new study

One of the largest studies undertaken has explored the risk of transmitting HIV infection by an HIV infected partner to his non-infected gay partner. Results reveal that HIV positive men who are on medication for HIV that makes their virus load undetectable in blood are not likely to transmit the infection to their non-infected partners.

26 Jul 2017

New way of producing flu vaccine could provide better protection against infection

A new way of producing the seasonal flu vaccine could speed up the process and provide better protection against infection.

24 Jul 2017

California Valley Fever cases highest on record

The number of Valley Fever cases in California rose to a record level in 2016, with 5,372 reported — a jump of 71 percent from the previous year. Historically, about three-quarters of cases have been in the state's heavily agricultural San Joaquin Valley.

24 Jul 2017

High dose flu vaccine reduces risk of respiratory and all-cause hospitalizations, study finds

In the largest nursing home study to date on the effect of a high dose (HD) flu vaccine, researchers found that vaccines with four times the antigen of standard flu (SD) vaccines significantly reduced the risk of respiratory and all-cause hospitalization during flu season.

21 Jul 2017

Skin-applied microneedle patch boosts immunization to seasonal flu vaccine recipients, study finds

A boosting skin vaccination with a biodegradable microneedle patch and protein constructed from sequences of influenza virus subtypes could improve the effectiveness of conventional influenza vaccines, according to a study led by Georgia State University.

19 Jul 2017

Parents may be less sure about vaccine needs for teens, new poll suggests

Parents may be up to speed on what vaccines their children need for kindergarten, but may be less sure during high school years, a new national poll suggests.

17 Jul 2017