http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. A known difficulty in fighting influenza (flu) is the ability of the flu viruses to mutate and thus evade various medications that were previously found to be effective. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have shown recently that another, more promising, approach is to focus on improving drugs that boost the body's natural flu killer system. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-boosting-body-natural-flu-killers.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 23 May 2013 11:06:47 EST news288525999 Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and Switzerland's Cytos Biotechnology AG today announced that the first healthy volunteer has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial with their H1N1 influenza vaccine candidate based on Cytos' proprietary bacteriophage Qbeta virus-like particle (VLP) technology. In this first Phase 1 clinical trial, the safety and immunogenicity of this novel vaccine candidate and its potential to protect against H1N1 influenza infection will be evaluated. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-influenza-vaccine-brought-clinical.html Medications Fri, 17 May 2013 10:53:37 EST news288006797 Pregnant mothers' exposure to the flu was associated with a nearly fourfold increased risk that their child would develop bipolar disorder in adulthood, in a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings add to mounting evidence of possible shared underlying causes and illness processes with schizophrenia, which some studies have also linked to prenatal exposure to influenza. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-flu-pregnancy-quadruple-child-bipolar.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 14 May 2013 09:16:32 EST news287741770 (Medical Xpress)—Waging an immunological war against a pathogen is not the body's only way to survive an infection. Sometimes tolerance, or learning to live with an invader, can be just as important. In tolerance the body lessens or repairs the damage that the pathogen causes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-infections.html Immunology Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:50:01 EST news286438914 Once the initial episode of influenza has passed, the chronic effects tend to be overlooked. The results of a new study indicate that the cytokine interleukin-22 (IL-22) plays a critical role in normal lung repair following influenza infection. This study is published in the April 2013 issue of the American Journal of Pathology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-essential-role-il-lung-flu.html Medical research Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:00:07 EST news282138712 People may more likely be exposed to the flu through airborne virus than previously thought, according to new research from the University of Maryland School of Public Health. The study also found that when flu patients wear a surgical mask, the release of virus in even the smallest airborne droplets can be significantly reduced. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-clues-flu-virus.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:00:02 EST news281894613 A new study suggests that patients with influenza can emit small virus-containing particles into the surrounding air during routine patient care, potentially exposing health care providers to influenza. Published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, the findings raise the possibility that current influenza infection control recommendations may not always be adequate to protect providers from influenza during routine patient care in hospitals. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-patients-emit-small-influenza-containing-particles.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:01 EST news278789633 Reseachers from the University of Melbourne and The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) have discovered a new protein that protects against viral infections such as influenza. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-conquering-influenza.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 29 Jan 2013 06:36:09 EST news278663763 (Medical Xpress)—Investigators from 15 children's medical centers, including Nationwide Children's Hospital, observed and evaluated critically ill children with influenza to evaluate the relationships between levels of systemic inflammation, immune function and likelihood to die from the illness. The study appears in the January issue of Critical Care Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-immune-function-critically-ill-children.html Immunology Thu, 17 Jan 2013 06:04:56 EST news277625082 Norwegian pregnant women who received a vaccine against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus showed no increased risk of pregnancy loss, while pregnant women who experienced influenza during pregnancy had an increased risk of miscarriages and still births, a study has found. The study suggests that influenza infection may increase the risk of fetal loss. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-h1n1-flu-shots-safe-pregnant.html Medications Wed, 16 Jan 2013 17:00:04 EST news277577976 The 2012-2013 influenza season in Norway is emerging and above the epidemic threshold. The activity at the moment is of medium intensity. The three different influenza viruses that are circulating are all covered by the seasonal influenza vaccine. People with risk factors are advised to take the seasonal influenza vaccine. There are no changes in the risk groups. The situation is being continuously monitored and recommendations may change if required. So far most confirmed cases are A (H1N1) (swine influenza) and influenza B viruses, with fewer A (H3N2), but the picture may change during the winter. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-influenza-norway.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 04 Jan 2013 06:30:36 EST news276503427 Scientists have developed a system to predict the timing and severity of seasonal influenza outbreaks that could one day help health officials and the general public better prepare for them. The system adapts techniques used in modern weather prediction to turn real-time, Web-based estimates of influenza infection into local forecasts of seasonal flu. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-page-weather-regional-peaks-influenza.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 26 Nov 2012 15:24:34 EST news273165849 (HealthDay)—Children of mothers who contract the flu or have a prolonged fever while pregnant may have a very slight increased risk of developing autism spectrum disorder, a new study suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-autism-pregnancy-factors.html Autism spectrum disorders Mon, 12 Nov 2012 16:50:02 EST news271959904 University of Georgia scientists have discovered a new flu-fighting role for a well-known component of the immune system. Kimberly Klonowski, assistant professor of cellular biology in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and her colleagues found that administering a cell-signaling protein known as IL-15 to mice infected with influenza reduces their peak viral load by nearly three times. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-reveals-flu-fighting-role-well-known-immune.html Medical research Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:07:40 EST news259924052 A genetic finding could help explain why influenza becomes a life-threating disease to some people while it has only mild effects in others. New research led by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute has identified for the first time a human gene that influences how we respond to influenza infection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-genetics-flu-susceptibility-gene-mild.html Genetics Sun, 25 Mar 2012 13:57:05 EST news251902604 Sequences of H5N1 virus from live bird markets in China matched sequences from patients who had recently visited the live bird markets, according to a paper in the December 2011 Journal of Virology. Live poultry markets have long been suspected of providing the reservoir of H5N1 responsible for human cases, but this is the first molecular evidence linking H5N1 in humans to these markets, the authors say. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-molecular-evidence-links-poultry-human.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:20:01 EST news243248358 A natural lipid in the fluid lining the lungs inhibits influenza infections in both cell cultures and mouse models, according to researchers at National Jewish Health. These findings, combined with previous studies demonstrating effectiveness against respiratory syncytial virus, suggest that the molecule, known as POPG, may have broad antiviral activity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-lipid-blocks-influenza-infection.html Medical research Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:05:52 EST news240066342 Oseltamivir is the weapon of choice for preventing influenza infection from taking hold, but like any other drug, it also has the potential for adverse effects. Children in particular are susceptible to neurological symptoms, including delirium and an increased tendency for self-injury. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-popular-flu-medication-neurologic-side.html Medical research Fri, 09 Sep 2011 09:39:29 EST news234779958 New research from the Trudeau Institute may help to explain why live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV), commonly known as FluMist, elicits protection. The research is published in this month's issue of Vaccine. The journal article is entitled "Live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) impacts innate and adaptive immune responses" and was authored by Trudeau Institute scientist Dr. Laura Haynes and her colleagues. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-discovery-flumist-elicits.html Medical research Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:38:38 EST news233314703 Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered how to prime a second arm of the immune system to potentially boost influenza vaccine effectiveness. A combination of two adjuvants, chemicals used to boost the effectiveness of some vaccines, induced CD8, or killer, T cells to join antibodies in response to influenza infection. Since the killer T cells targeted a highly conserved protein that does not change from year to year, the adjuvant strategy suggests potential for a universal flu vaccine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-adjuvant-combo-potential-universal-influenza.html Medications Wed, 08 Jun 2011 08:30:51 EST news226740630