HEALTH

AUSTIN, Texas — British researchers have concluded that a Swiss echinacea extract is both safe and effective in helping to prevent symptoms of the common cold, according to a study published in American Botanical Council's peer-reviewed journal HerbalGram. 

ATLANTA, Ga. — SoloHealth on Thursday announced it has plans in place to expand its FDA-approved SoloHealth Station health-and-wellness digital kiosks to more than 2,500 store locations by mid-2013, scaling to more than 4,000 by 2014. 

 SWIFTWATER, Pa. — Sanofi Pasteur on Thursday announced it has filed for approval of a four-strain flu shot to the Food and Drug Administration. An action date is anticipated in the second quarter of 2013. 

ISELIN, N.J. — Ansell Healthcare on Wednesday announced the launch of Zero and Zero Larger. Zero is the thinnest latex condom now offered in America, 45% thinner than Ansell's standard latex design, and Zero Larger is now the thinnest large condom in the market in the United States, the company stated. 

According to consumer focus groups, condom users are consistently searching for more sensitive and better-fitting designs, and are willing to try different brands and styles to discover the condoms that best suit their needs. 

CHICAGO — In a randomized trial that included nearly 15,000 male physicians and started in 1997, long-term daily multivitamin use resulted in a modest, but statistically significant, reduction in cancer after more than a decade of treatment and follow-up, according to a study appearing in JAMA that was released Wednesday. The multivitamin used in the study was Pfizer's Centrum Silver. 

LONDON — Vitamin D supplementation could be considered an immunomodulatory agent for systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease characterized not only by skin, joint, neurological and renal symptoms, but also by inflammation of tissue linings in the body, according to a new clinical study published Tuesday in BioMedCentral's open access journal Arthritis Research and Therapy. 

An immunomodulatory agent has an effect on the immune system. 

Colgate Total and the American Diabetes Association teamed up to promote awareness for American Diabetes Month with a survey revealing people's knowledge — or lack thereof — about oral health and its association with diabetes.

The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, found that 36% of respondents didn't know about the link between diabetes and oral health, and 66% of respondents didn't realize that people with diabetes are twice as likely to develop serious gum disease.

DENVER — Busy Breathers on Tuesday announced the availability of its portable oxygen backpacks on e-commerce sites Drugstore.com and Walgreens.com and in 75 Walgreens locations throughout Colorado.