OBJECTIVE To investigate antiviral activity of maca to reduce viral load in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells infected with influenza type A and B viruses (Flu-A and Flu-B, respectively). METHODS Maca were extracted with methanol (1:2, v/v). The cell viability and toxicity of the extracts were evaluated on MDCK cells using method MTT assay. Antiviral activity of compounds against Flu-A a...

Using the 2009 Swine Flu outbreak as a contemporary example of pandemic fears, this study examined the relationship between various symptoms related to anxiety sensitivity and Swine Flu fears. It was hypothesized that both obsessive–compulsive (OC) beliefs and OC symptoms would significantly predict Swine Flu fears. It was also hypothesized that symptoms of anxiety, including measures of anxiet...

Seasonal influenza outbreaks and pandemics of new strains of the influenza virus affect humans around the globe. However, traditional systems for measuring the spread of flu infections deliver results with one or two weeks delay. Recent research suggests that data on queries made to the search engine Google can be used to address this problem, providing real-time estimates of levels of influenz...

Background. In order to track influenza activity, flu-like patient records collected from health care providers are combined to generate an estimate every week during the flu season. However, this estimate is problematic in terms of timeliness and granularity. A promising alternative is to infer flu activity with fine-grained, timely digital surveillance data. Fitting these extra measurements o...

Objective(s): This study aimed to investigate the effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-np) on biofilm formation and expression of the flu gene in uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strains. Materials and Methods: Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ZnO-np was determined by agar dilution method. The effect of MIC and sub-MIC concentrations of ZnO-np on biofilm formation were determin...

W ith health officials expanding their flu shot recommendations to cover more age groups and with a record 132 million doses of flu vaccine expected to be available for the upcoming flu season, it’s a busy time of year for family medicine practices everywhere. Once flu season hits, there’s rarely time to stop and look up the fine points of coding flu shots. So as you prepare to provide this ...

©FSRH J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care 2009: 35(4) Introduction A new pandemic of influenza (flu) has been anticipated for some time: the last actual flu pandemic occurred in 1969/1970. [NB. A pandemic is defined as an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region.] Pandemics of flu occur whenever the prevalent circulating strain of the flu virus...