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News items on 'Viral Upper Respiratory Tract Infection'
Catching cold
(BBC 06/10/2009)
A thousand volunteers are being sought by the Common Cold Centre in Cardiff to participate in a major clinical trial of the herbal medicine Echinacea. Echinacea, harvested from a daisy-like plant, has long been a popular remedy. But there has been little clinical evidence to support claims that it can effectively prevent colds and flu. Swiss company Bioforce is investing "hundreds of thousands of pounds" into the study, according to Professor Ron Eccles, director of the centre.
Scientists 'map DNA of common cold for the first time'
(Telegraph 12/02/2009)
The common cold may never be eradicated, scientists have said, but a breakthrough in mapping the virus's DNA could herald new treatments. There is no known cure for the virus, which is responsible for making millions cough and sneeze every year and can also trigger asthma attacks. Scientists have mapped what they describe as the "instruction manual" for all 99 known strains of the cold.
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Cold and flu 'can affect driving'
(BBC 31/01/2009)
Having a bad cold or the flu can have a detrimental affect on a driver's responses, an insurance firm has claimed.
Lack of sleep linked to coughs
(World health - EU Monitor 13/01/2009)
Researchers from Pittsburgh, US, studied 153 healthy men and women who were given nasal drops containing the common cold-causing rhinovirus. After a month, they submitted blood samples that were tested for immune responses to the virus. The researchers found the less an individual slept, the more likely he or she was to develop a cold [small study - more research required].
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Which herb will treat your cold?
(Daily Mail 27/12/2008)
Alleged benefits of various minerals, vitamins and herbs treating the symptoms of common colds. Most remain controversial without conclusive evidence of benefit or measurement of potential harm (see here for evidence based advice).
Grandma was right: Hot drinks do fight colds
(BBC 09/12/2008)
New scientific research backs the old wives' tale of fighting colds and flu with a simple hot drink.
Warning over cold virus hotspots
(BBC 31/10/2008)
TV remote controls, bathroom taps and refrigerator doors are all hotspots for the common cold virus, experts warn.
The remote control colds - TV zapper is a hotspot for harbouring the virus
(Daily Mail 30/10/2008)
Channel hoppers beware. Your favourite gadget could give you a cold. Couch potatoes slumped in their armchair with the TV remote may not be as safe and cosy as they think.
Cold 'cure' on the horizon as scientists pinpoint body's natural defences
(World health - EU Monitor 24/10/2008)
Scientists are step closer to uncovering the 'ideal cold treatment' after pinpointing the body's natural defences to the virus. It activates genes of the body's immune system in the nose, including natural antivirals, which could form the basis of 'ideal' drugs, the team reports.
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