Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

COVID-19 long haulers report persistent neurological symptoms

Researchers at Northwestern University, USA, analyzed "long hauler" patients whose symptoms lasted at least six weeks. They found persistent neurological symptoms, including brain fog and headache.

26 Mar 2021

Combination of X-rays and AI can serve as rapid diagnostic tool for COVID-19

X-rays, first used clinically in the late 1890s, could be a leading-edge diagnostic tool for COVID-19 patients with the help of artificial intelligence, according to a team of researchers in Brazil who taught a computer program, through various machine learning methods, to detect COVID-19 in chest X-rays with 95.6 to 98.5% accuracy.

26 Mar 2021

Study: COVID-19 vaccines may remain effective against new influenza viruses

Influenza vaccines need to be evaluated every year to ensure they remain effective against new influenza viruses.

26 Mar 2021

FDA approves new indication for drug to treat pediatric NDO patients

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new indication for Myrbetriq (mirabegron extended-release tablets) and Myrbetriq Granules (mirabegron for extended-release oral suspension) to treat neurogenic detrusor overactivity (NDO), a bladder dysfunction related to neurological impairment, in children ages three years and older.

25 Mar 2021

Dual-antigen COVID-19 vaccine elicits humoral and cellular immune responses in mice

The scientific consensus is that safe and highly effective vaccines are required to end the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2. A new study describes a new vaccine that presents two viral antigens to the human immune system, in order to elicit a more efficacious response.

25 Mar 2021

Food preservative may harm the immune system, shows new study

A food preservative used to prolong the shelf life of Pop-Tarts, Rice Krispies Treats, Cheez-Its and almost 1,250 other popular processed foods may harm the immune system, according to a new peer-reviewed study by Environmental Working Group.

25 Mar 2021

Study tests the effects of messages about vaccination in televised news reports

News coverage of expert scientific evidence on vaccine safety is effective at increasing public acceptance of vaccines, but the positive effect is diminished when the expert message is juxtaposed with a personal narrative about real side effects, new research has found.

25 Mar 2021

Changing upper respiratory microbiome in children related to SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility

Researchers tested the nasopharyngeal microbiome of children up to 21 years old and found the microbiome changes with age. Specific bacteria, whose abundance also changes with age, are associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection susceptibility and severity.

25 Mar 2021

New therapeutic vaccine uses patient's own tumor cells to aid in cancer destruction

Immunotherapy, which recruits the body's own immune system to attack cancer, has given many cancer patients a new avenue to treat the disease.

24 Mar 2021

Researchers characterize a potential therapeutic target to weaken COVID-19

When invaded by a virus, our body cells launch an alert to neighboring cells to increase their antiviral defenses to prevent the infection from spreading.

24 Mar 2021

Repurposed heart and flu drugs that protect platelets improve survival of septic mice

Despite continued improvements in antibiotics and hospital intensive care, staph sepsis -; a bloodstream infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria -; still causes severe illness or death in 20 to 30 percent of patients who contract it.

24 Mar 2021

Three commonly used antiviral drugs potentially effective at preventing replication of SARS-CoV-2

An international team of researchers has found that three commonly used antiviral and antimalarial drugs are effective in vitro at preventing replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

24 Mar 2021

Tobacco smoke-exposed children more often use emergent health services

Tobacco smoke-exposed children utilize emergency and urgent care services more often than unexposed children, which contributes to a large toll on the nation's health care system, says research led by the University of Cincinnati.

24 Mar 2021

Researchers produce a detailed molecular atlas of lung development

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have produced a detailed molecular atlas of lung development, which is expected to be a fundamental reference in future studies of mammalian biology and of new treatments for diseases, such as COVID-19, that affect the lungs.

24 Mar 2021

New covalent and non-covalent SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors discovered in silico

A new study describes the use of a combination of virtual and experimental screening protocols to identify potential inhibitors of the virus, which could lead to rapid drug development.

24 Mar 2021

Delays in TB diagnosis often exceed WHO’s recommendations, shows study

Tuberculosis remains a rare disease in the United States, but when it does occur, delays in diagnosing it often exceed recommendations by the World Health Organization, according to a new report by Harvard Medical School researchers published March 22 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

24 Mar 2021

Survey of surge capacity managers captures pandemic preparedness status of the U.S. health care system

A University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine-led survey of dozens of surge capacity managers at hospitals nationwide captures the U.S. health care system's pandemic preparedness status in the months before the first COVID-19 cases were identified in China.

24 Mar 2021

Delaying second doses of COVID-19 vaccines can reduce positive cases

Delaying second doses of COVID-19 vaccines should reduce case numbers in the near term; however, the longer term case burden and the potential for evolution of viral ‘escape’ from immunity will depend on the robustness of immune responses generated by natural infections and one or two vaccine doses, according to a study from McGill University and Princeton University published today in Science.

24 Mar 2021

New range of lung-on-chip technologies represent the vital properties of lung tissue

According to the National Institutes of Health, respiratory viruses are the most frequent cause of disease and death in humans, a fact highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the potential to cause severe disease, over 70% of viral infections remain asymptomatic.

24 Mar 2021

People who received flu shot last season had fewer complication of COVID-19

People who received a flu shot last flu season were significantly less likely to test positive for a COVID-19 infection when the pandemic hit, according to a new study.

23 Mar 2021