To the Editor.—My book, Vitamin C and the Common Cold was reviewed in THE JOURNAL by Franklin C. Bing (215:1506, 1971). I do not object to the expression by the reviewer of his opinions, However, it is essential that the several untrue and thoroughly misleading statements that he makes be corrected. I do not state that ascorbic acid is a completely harmless chemical. I describe it as natural, e...

1. Chimpanzees are highly suitable animals for the experimental study of human upper respiratory infections. 2. Human colds have been successfully transmitted to apes and human volunteers in 44 per cent of instances tried by means of filtered nasal washings obtained from colds. 3. Certain types of infectious colds are caused by a filtrable agent.

New genetic mapping studies explain why a certain mouse strain is predisposed to developing fatal leukemia. Turcotte et al., reporting on page 881, identify a point mutation in the transcription factor IRF-8 (interferon regulatory factor 8) that abolishes its function and sets the stage for a second, leukemia-triggering mutation. The recombinant mouse strain BXH-2 is known to develop first a my...

BACKGROUND The common cold is one of the most widespread illnesses and is a leading cause of visits to the doctor and absenteeism from school and work. Trials conducted in high-income countries since 1984 investigating the role of zinc for the common cold symptoms have had mixed results. Inadequate treatment masking and reduced bioavailability of zinc from some formulations have been cited as i...

The common cold is a viral illness that affects persons of all ages, prompting frequent use of over-the-counter and prescription medications and alternative remedies. Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms (e.g., cough, nasal congestion, rhinorrhea). Dextromethorphan may be beneficial in adults with cough, but its effectiveness has not been demonstrated in children and adolescents. Codeine has...

1. The upper respiratory tract is sterile at birth. 2. In the first 2 weeks of life the infant acquires a basal flora comparable to that of adults except that the potential pathogens are absent. 3. During the ensuing months the potential pathogens may appear without giving rise to symptoms and by 8 months the infant's flora is entirely comparable to the adult's. 4. There is no evidence of a spe...

During boreal winters, cold waves over India are primarily due to transport of cold air from higher latitudes. However, the processes associated with these cold waves are not yet clearly understood. Here by diagnosing a suite of datasets, we explore the mechanisms leading to the development and maintenance of these cold waves. Two types of cold waves are identified based on observed minimum sur...

In this study, the effect of cold temperature on the physical activity profiles of professional soccer players in official match-play was investigated. Computerised motion-analysis was used to analyse performance in 9 players (4 defenders and 5 midfielders) in 4 temperature ranges: ≤ 5°C (29 matches), 6-10°C (62 matches), 11-20°C (48 matches) and ≥ 21°C (27 matches). Performance was analysed pe...

Development of effective drugs against the rhinovirus (HRV) responsible for the common cold remains a challenge because there are over 100 serotypes. This process could be significantly aided by an understanding of the atomistic mechanism by which such drugs work. We suggest that the most effective drugs against HRV-1A act by stiffening the pentamer channel of the viral coat through which the R...

For a long time, Cold Fusion (CF) seemed to be at odds with conventional Physics both experimentally and theoretically. A key reason for this involved confusion about the possibility that processes involving characteristic length scales of nuclearand atomicsize dimensions could couple to each other without releasing high momentum particles. As experiments have improved, this situation has chang...