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Women have a greater risk of death from long-term oxygen therapy compared with the men

Among patients on long-term oxygen therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), women are more likely to die from the disease than men.

4 Sep 2006

Childhood asthma linked to low vitamin E intake during pregnancy

Researchers in Britain believe that children whose mothers had a low intake of vitamin E during pregnancy are more likely to develop wheezing and asthma by age five.

4 Sep 2006

Truckies with sleep problems a danger on the road

A large study of commercial truck drivers has revealed that those who have chronic sleep deprivation and sleep-related breathing problems may be a hazard on the road.

15 Aug 2006

Researchers develop new technique using the abdominal cavity to deliver oxygen to assist ailing lungs

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have helped develop a technique in animal models for using the abdominal cavity to exchange gas, supplementing the function normally performed by the lungs.

8 Aug 2006

Reappraisal of Pseudomonas aeruginosa hospital-acquired pneumonia mortality

Patients suffering from hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by a type of bacteria that is highly resistant to virtually all antibiotics are twice as likely to die as patients infected with other, less resistant bacteria.

6 Aug 2006

Tuberculosis relapse due to low weight gain after initial treatment

Among tuberculosis (TB) patients who were underweight when diagnosed, those who subsequently regained less than five percent of their weight during the first two months of treatment had a significantly increased risk of disease relapse.

2 Aug 2006

9/11 responsible for 12 years worth of lung damage for rescuers

Following the the collapse of the World Trade Centre in 2001 firefighters and other emergency crew workers inhaled vast amounts of 'dust'.

2 Aug 2006

Guideline helps predict outcome in comatose survivors after CPR

Certain tests can predict with great accuracy whether a person in a coma after CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) will have a poor outcome, according to new guideline developed by the American Academy of Neurology.

27 Jul 2006

Innovative diabetes research wins prestigious health award

A life-saving approach to controlling blood glucose levels in critical care developed at the University of Canterbury and Christchurch Hospital Department of Intensive Care Medicine has won the Supreme Award at the 2006 New Zealand Health Innovation Awards.

5 Jul 2006

Chlorhexidine decreases risk of acquiring hospital-related ventilator-associated pneumonia

Researchers found that administering the topical antiseptic chlorhexidine to critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation greatly decreased their daily risk of acquiring deadly hospital-related ventilator-associated pneumonia.

18 Jun 2006

Safe for cystic fibrosis patients to stop using inhaled corticosteroids

In comparison to cystic fibrosis (CF) patients who regularly use inhaled corticosteroid, those who did not use these drugs for six months exhibited no positive or negative effects in terms of major disease factors.

18 Jun 2006

Lessons from our patients: development of a warm autopsy program

Thanks in large part to a dying patient's generosity, researchers have for the first time begun to analyze the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a degenerative illness distinguished by lung inflammation, scarring and diminished breathing capacity that typically leads to death within about five years of diagnosis.

7 Jun 2006

Experimental treatment increases response rates in advanced lung cancer

An early phase study pairing an experimental targeted therapy with a common anti-inflammatory produced promising results in patients with advanced lung cancer, researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center reported.

1 Jun 2006

Research could lead to new treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School have identified biochemical signals that attract pathogenic cells to damaged lung tissue - one of the first steps in a chain of events leading to a lethal disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or IPF.

23 May 2006

Pollution increases risks in people with diabetes, heart failure and other diseases

People with diabetes, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis are at increased risk of death when they are exposed to particulate air pollution, or soot, for one or more years.

23 May 2006

Women may lack lung cancer signs

New research shows that many women recently diagnosed with lung cancer have normal lung function and perform better on lung function tests compared with their male counterparts.

16 May 2006

Space technology to help hospitals contain spread of avian flu infection

In response to concerns from hospitals to prepare for eventual pandemic flu outbreaks, the French company AirInSpace, with support from ESA's Technology Transfer Programme, has successfully adapted technology developed to protect astronauts for use in critical care centres to protect immune-deficient patients against airborne pathogens such as the avian flu virus.

10 May 2006

Online infusion calculator and a computerized drug ordering system reduces medication errors in children

Two new studies from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center show that computerizing ordering of chemotherapy and other types of intravenous drug infusions for children greatly reduces the risk of potentially dangerous medical errors.

8 May 2006

Bronchial thermoplasty offers significant improvement for asthmatics

Asthmatic patients showed significant improvement in peak expiratory flow, airway responsiveness and number of symptom-free days after treatment with bronchial thermoplasty, a new procedure designed to reduce the ability of airway smooth muscle to narrow from inflammation.

3 May 2006

Surgeons exhibit the lowest level of teamwork and nurses the highest in the operating room

A study based on a survey measuring attitudes toward the work environment in the operating room (OR) reveals that surgeons exhibit the lowest level of teamwork and nurses the highest.

3 May 2006