Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

The case for donating US Covid vaccines overseas

A Senate committee grilled federal officials about the shortage of vaccines to protect Americans against a pandemic virus. Two months later, the U.S. public had lost interest in the virus, and millions of vaccines were sitting in warehouses — although poor countries still needed them.

19 Mar 2021

New variant may not have changed COVID-19 pandemic course in UK, says study

A new study examines the effect of the new "Kent variant" of SARS-CoV-2 on the epidemic course within the UK.

19 Mar 2021

Researchers explore nanotechnology’s potential to deliver synergistic therapeutics for COVID-19

A team of scientists reviewed the nanoencapsulation approaches of synergistic compounds (Lectins, Caffeine, Cocoa, Flavonoids, Quercetin) and the role of nanotechnology in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

19 Mar 2021

New drug regimen is safe and effective in children with cystic fibrosis

An international, open-label Phase 3 study, co-led by Susanna McColley, MD, from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, found that a regimen of three drugs (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor) that targets the genetic cause of cystic fibrosis was safe and effective in 6-11-year-olds with at least one copy of F508del mutation in the CFTR gene, which is estimated to represent almost 90 percent of the cystic fibrosis population in the United States.

19 Mar 2021

Rare pulmonary disease discovered in rural Alberta

A rare pulmonary disease that is linked to bats has made Alberta home, according to new research led by provincial lab scientists.

19 Mar 2021

Engineering immunogens to focus immune response to SARS-CoV-2

Researchers have designed constructs by adding more glycans and adding the receptor-binding motif from related sarbecoviruses to focus the immune response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) receptor-binding motif. Such immunogens could potentially also neutralize other variants and coronaviruses.

18 Mar 2021

UK SARS-CoV-2 variant 40% more transmissible than previous strains

Researchers in Japan have estimated that the B.1.1.7 strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that recently emerged in England is 40% more transmissible than strains previously circulating in the country.

18 Mar 2021

New study provides comparative analysis of twelve COVID-19 vaccines

A new study by Novateur Ventures provides a comparative analysis of twelve COVID-19 Vaccines that had initiated or announced the Phase III clinical trial stage by early November 2020.

18 Mar 2021

Study reveals unknown immune defense system that protects the lungs from viral infections

Researchers have uncovered a previously unknown arm of the immune defence system that protects the lung from lethal viral infections.

18 Mar 2021

Could cinnamon modulate the immune response in severe COVID-19?

A new study describes the potential for two common plant products to make a difference in the management of severe COVID-19.

18 Mar 2021

New treatment for life-threatening lung condition receives NSF award

A Purdue University-affiliated startup developing a novel treatment for a life-threatening lung condition has won a $256,000 Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I award from the National Science Foundation.

18 Mar 2021

Social distancing can be highly effective at preventing outbreaks, says public health expert

Eric Shattuck, assistant professor of research in the UTSA Institute for Health Disparities Research (IHDR) at The University of Texas at San Antonio, is studying the phenomenon of social distancing in response to infectious disease and its effects on pathogen transmission and the health of individuals and communities.

18 Mar 2021

The role of S-acylation in the enhancement of SARS-CoV-2 infectivity

A new study published on the bioRxiv server focuses on the role of S-acylation in the SARS-CoV-2 infection cycle. It has also characterized Spike acylation and has also identified other acylated viral proteins and host enzymes involved in the process of infection. Further, it has also revealed the importance of acylation in viral biogenesis and infection.

18 Mar 2021

Microbiota modulation and re-establishment of eubiosis could help curb COVID-19 complications

In the paper published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, the researchers noted that since both the respiratory tract and the gastrointestinal mucosa are affected in COVID-19, it is possible that adjunctive therapies that modulate the gut-lung axis.

18 Mar 2021

Coronaviruses may be vulnerable to ultrasound vibrations, study suggests

The coronavirus' structure is an all-too-familiar image, with its densely packed surface receptors resembling a thorny crown.

17 Mar 2021

Could visible light be a safe and effective SARS-CoV-2 disinfectant?

A new study reports that blue light with a wavelength of 400–420 nm can inactivate enveloped viruses like SARS-CoV-2 and influenza. This could allow continuous disinfection of spaces even when people are present.

17 Mar 2021

Can vaccination and infection rates add up to reach Covid herd immunity?

It's been a long, dark winter of Covid concerns, stoked by high post-holiday case counts and the American death tally exceeding 530,000 lives lost.

17 Mar 2021

COVID-19 is more difficult to diagnose in children and adolescents, finds study

The ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread to over 192 countries and territories, causing an enormous loss of lives and economic devastation.

17 Mar 2021

Socioeconomic disparities could explain the association of race/ethnicity with worse COVID-19 outcomes

A new study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society reveals how socioeconomic factors partially explain the increased odds that Black and Hispanic Americans have of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

17 Mar 2021

Researchers develop innovative profiling methods for SARS-CoV-2 infection

A team of researchers from various institutions in the USA used RNA-sequencing data and other methods to profile unique genes and other characteristics associated with SARS-CoV-2 in New York City (NYC).

17 Mar 2021