Common Cold

The trouble with being in the health business is that people expect you to have answers to pesky problems. If one of us comes down with sniffles, sneezes or a stuffy nose, people look at us funny, as though we should know better. Then they ask the inevitable question: "What are you taking for your cold?"Let's get one thing straight. There is no way to avoid catching colds. You can wash your hands all you want, eat right, get enough sleep and generally lead an exemplary life and you will still catch an occasional cold.

University of Maryland researchers have mapped the genetic codes for all known strains of the virus that causes the common cold, according to a study published yesterday in the journal Science. Understanding the genetic makeup of the virus could offer scientists clues on how to fight the common cold and possibly discover a cure, scientists said. "There is real promise now, based on full understanding of this virus, that we have never had before," said Dr. Stephen B. Liggett, director of the cardiopulmonary genomics program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

POLITICIANS and public health officials are treating the drug-related AIDS epidemic as if it were a common cold and not the plague it has become.They're letting it run its course, ignoring the need for a massive dose of prevention even as the problem worsens. Last year there were 14,000 new drug-related AIDS cases nationwide, more than double the total of 1987.The numbers grow because addicts spread the infection by sharing needles and having unprotected sex. What's so surprising, given this, is the extraordinary resistance of politicians and public health officials to programs in which addicts turn in used needles for clean ones.

Late winter is high season for scratchy, itchy or sore throats, and most of us know how miserable having one can be. But how do we know when a sore throat is simply part of a common cold and when it is a symptom of the potentially more serious strep throat? It's wise to take note of your symptoms, says Alan Oshinksy, otolaryngologist-in-chief at Northwest Hospital Center and Sinai Hospital. Strep throat, left untreated, can not only be painful but can also lead to a more serious condition.

Echinacea, an herbal remedy popular for fighting the common cold, does not ward off runny noses, sore throats or headaches, nor does it help speed recovery from cold symptoms, according to the results of a broad clinical trial to be reported today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Taken with other recent studies that showed no benefit from echinacea, the new findings shift the burden of proof to proponents of herbal products to demonstrate that the plant has medicinal value, researchers said.

So echinacea is out: A study last week found that the popular herb didn't cure the common cold after all. Which leaves the still-sniffling masses with a burning question: Why, in this age of Wi-Fi and stem cell magic, can't science conquer the lowly cold? The answer: The viral culprits are much craftier than you might think. Colds are caused by a group of bugs known as rhinoviruses. There are 101 strains, and every time a rhinovirus infects you, your immune system produces protective antibodies.

It remains to be seen whether the latest remedy for the common cold is really any better than chicken soup, a hot toddy by the fire and a few days off, but enthusiasts are seizing on the latest evidence that zinc lozenges may reduce cold misery this sneezing season.In all, there have been eight studies so far on whether zinc lozenges can shorten the duration of colds, and the score stands at 4-4.But the latest study, done by Dr. Michael L. Macknin and #F colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic and published several months ago in the Annals of Internal Medicine, is stirring high hopes, not to mention brisk sales of the little zinc candies.

Did you know?--More than 200 viruses are known to cause symptoms of the common cold. - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

WHAT COULD be more annoying than to have a string of gloriously warm and sunny spring days tarnished by a cold?Indeed, what could be more annoying than a cold at any time of year? But it's somehow reassuring to know that this bane of human existence is something every era of history shares in common.Back in 1910, H. L. Mencken, the sage of Baltimore, lamented the lack of medical progress against the common cold. Not enough has changed since then:"Medical science has disposed of smallpox and the black death and made great progress against toothache and chilblains, but the common cold still baffles it. There are, at the present moment, fully 150,000,000 cases of cold in the United States."

University of Maryland researchers have mapped the genetic codes for all known strains of the virus that causes the common cold, according to a study published yesterday in the journal Science. Understanding the genetic makeup of the virus could offer scientists clues on how to fight the common cold and possibly discover a cure, scientists said. "There is real promise now, based on full understanding of this virus, that we have never had before," said Dr. Stephen B. Liggett, director of the cardiopulmonary genomics program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

If the word "winter" seems synonymous with the word "stuffy nose," odds are good that you're a parent (or perhaps a teacher). Indeed, the average child has eight to 10 colds annually, many of them during the chilly winter months, says Dr. Robert A.L. Blake, pediatric hospitalist/neonatologist at St. Joseph Medical Center. Last fall, the Food and Drug Administration safety experts recommended a ban on over-the-counter, multisymptom cold medicines for children ages 6 years or younger. Today, the FDA plans to announce the government's first official ruling on the issue: Don't give the drugs to children younger than 2. And it comes now because the FDA is worried that parents haven't gotten that message despite all the publicity last fall.

There's a little burning at first, and soreness can last a few days. But the shot in the arm is nothing compared with the misery of the flu, says Janet Howard, a certified medical assistant at Concentra Medical Center in downtown Baltimore. Nicknamed a "sticker," she can't count how many inoculations she's given since the beginning of last month when influenza season began. The flu shots are the best preventive measure against the worst of the winter viruses. But not everyone can or will get them.

The failure of Merck & Co.'s once-promising AIDS vaccine has cast a pall over research efforts and forced delays in trials of other experimental vaccines as scientists ponder what went wrong. After more than two decades of work, vaccine researchers were hoping to be further along. Even if other vaccine initiatives eventually succeed, the arduous process of development and testing means that there won't be an immunization to prevent HIV for at least another decade, one top federal researcher says.

Did you know?--More than 200 viruses are known to cause symptoms of the common cold. - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

NATIONAL Roberts could tip balance Supreme Court nominee Judge John G. Roberts Jr.'s record suggests he could tip the court more in the direction of increasing the president's power to act in pursuing the war on terrorism. [Page 1a] Common cold stubborn foe Now that it's been shown echinacea doesn't effectively fight colds, the old question remains: Why can't we beat this annoying ailment? One big reason is that the common cold comes in 101 different varieties. [Page 1a] New terms for terror war The "war on terrorism" might be over soon -- not the fighting, but the phrase.

So echinacea is out: A study last week found that the popular herb didn't cure the common cold after all. Which leaves the still-sniffling masses with a burning question: Why, in this age of Wi-Fi and stem cell magic, can't science conquer the lowly cold? The answer: The viral culprits are much craftier than you might think. Colds are caused by a group of bugs known as rhinoviruses. There are 101 strains, and every time a rhinovirus infects you, your immune system produces protective antibodies.

Researchers at St. Louis University are working on a new way to kill tumors using genetically engineered viruses that replicate in cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched. "These engineered viruses kill cancer cells through a mechanism that is completely different from chemotherapy or radiation" and could be much safer, said Dr. William Wold of the university's school of medicine. Wold's group has been working for years to develop adenoviruses - viruses similar to those that cause the common cold - that are able to infect only cancer cells.

Echinacea, an herbal remedy popular for fighting the common cold, does not ward off runny noses, sore throats or headaches, nor does it help speed recovery from cold symptoms, according to the results of a broad clinical trial to be reported today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Taken with other recent studies that showed no benefit from echinacea, the new findings shift the burden of proof to proponents of herbal products to demonstrate that the plant has medicinal value, researchers said.