From the category archives:

Colds & Flu

Zinc May Shorten Common Cold But Side Effects Common

May 9, 2012 Colds & Flu

A new review of past studies suggests that taking zinc may cut the time adults have to suffer with a common cold, but the alternative treatment will likely come with unpleasant side effects.

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Infection Linked To Dangerous Blood Clots In Veins and Lungs

April 9, 2012 Colds & Flu

Research shows iOlder adults who get infections of any kind — such as urinary, skin, or respiratory tract infections — are nearly three times more likely to be hospitalized for a dangerous blood clot in their deep veins or lungs, University of Michigan Health System research shows.

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How Colds Cause Coughs And Wheezes

March 29, 2012 Colds & Flu

Cold-like infections make ‘cough receptors’ in the airways more sensitive, making asthmatics more prone to bouts of coughing and wheezing, reveal scientists presenting their findings at the Society for General Microbiology’s Spring Conference in Dublin. The work could lead to drugs that reduce virus-induced coughing in those suffering chronic lung diseases

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The Latest Flu Season In Nearly Three Decades Finally Begins

February 28, 2012 Colds & Flu

Thought you were spared? Flu season is hitting California — finally. The United States is experiencing its latest flu season in nearly three decades, and California is one of two states now reporting widespread activity with the typical sore throats, stuffy noses, nagging coughs and achy muscles.

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Couch Potato Or Elite Athlete? A Happy Medium Keeps Colds At Bay

January 5, 2012 Colds & Flu

Battling colds and doing (or pledging to do) more exercise are familiar activities for most of us in January. But different levels of exercise can actually significantly increase or decrease your chances of catching a respiratory infection, says Professor Mike Gleeson from Loughborough University.

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Immunity Against The Cold

December 19, 2011 Colds & Flu

Throughout the interior spaces of humans and other warm-blooded creatures is a special type of tissue known as brown fat, which may hold the secret to diets and weight-loss programs of the future.

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New Material For Air Cleaner Filters That Captures Flu Viruses

November 16, 2011 Colds & Flu

With flu season just around the corner, scientists are reporting development of a new material for the fiber in face masks, air conditioning filters and air cleaning filters that captures influenza viruses before they can get into people’s eyes, noses and mouths and cause infection. The report on the fiber appears in ACS’ journal Biomacromolecules.

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New Drug From MIT Cures Nearly All Viral Infections, Including Common Cold and Influenza

August 30, 2011 Colds & Flu

Most bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics such as penicillin, discovered decades ago. However, such drugs are useless against viral infections, including influenza, the common cold, and deadly hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola.
Now, in a development that could transform how viral infections are treated, a team of researchers at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory has designed [...]

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Wide Gap in Immune Responses of People Exposed to the Flu

August 29, 2011 Colds & Flu

Why do some folks who take every precaution still get the flu, while others never even get the sniffles?
It comes down to a person’s immune system response to the flu virus, says Alfred Hero, professor at the University of Michigan College of Engineering. In one of the first known studies of its kind, Hero and [...]

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