Respiratory News and Research

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Opioids are main contributor to fatal overdoses

The number of deaths from drug overdoses in the United States in 2010 rose for the 11th consecutive year, show data from the National Center for Health Statistics.

25 Feb 2013

Gas transfer predicts survival in lung disease patients

Gas transfer is the best lung function predictor of survival in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, study results suggest.

25 Feb 2013

Non-tuberculous mycobacterial disease risk increased in COPD

Chronic respiratory disease is a significant risk factor for non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease, results from a French study show.

25 Feb 2013

Protamine–heparin complex antibodies raise concerns

Almost a third of patients treated with protamine for heparin reversal during cardiopulmonary bypass develop antibodies to circulating protamine–heparin complexes, study findings suggest.

25 Feb 2013

PneumRx initiates RePneu LVRC pivotal study in severe emphysema

PneumRx, Inc., a leader in interventional pulmonology, announced the first U.S. patients treated with PneumRx's Lung Volume Reduction Coils (LVRCs) for severe emphysema.

25 Feb 2013

Okairos to commence novel RSV vaccine Phase I clinical trial

Okairos today announced the initiation of a Phase I clinical trial evaluating a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a leading cause of hospital admissions in infants and children.

25 Feb 2013

Researchers identify new function for matriptase enzyme

Dr. Martin Richter (pharmacology), investigator with the Centre de recherche clinique Étienne-Le Bel (CRCELB) at the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke (CHUS) and professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS), and his collaborators have identified a new function of the enzyme matriptase, present in the human respiratory system, that can activate a viral protein involved in infections caused by the H1N1 influenza (or flu) virus.

24 Feb 2013

New data from Boehringer Ingelheim's tiotropium Respimat Phase III UniTinA-asthma programme

Tiotropium delivered once daily via Respimat significantly improved lung function and reduced asthma exacerbations in patients who remain symptomatic despite treatment with at least ICS/LABA, irrespective of their allergic status.

24 Feb 2013

Washington University creates new type of air-cleaning technology

Washington University engineering researchers have created a new type of air-cleaning technology that could better protect human lungs from allergens, airborne viruses and ultrafine particles in the air.

23 Feb 2013

U.S. health officials outline new policies for funding research on H5N1 avian flu, other potentially dangerous agents

"U.S. health authorities on Thursday outlined the conditions for funding research on the H5N1 bird flu virus a month after scientists lifted a yearlong pause on the work that was imposed amid concerns it could be used by terrorists," Bloomberg reports.

23 Feb 2013

Major doctor group coalition expands list of tests, treatments that should be done only rarely

The American Board of Internal Medicine, as part of its "Choosing Wisely" campaign, expanded the number of medical societies recommending caution before certain tests and procedures are ordered.

22 Feb 2013

National Jewish Health expert describes potential hazards of energy efficient homes

In an effort to protect the environment and save on energy costs, we are in the midst of a "green" home boom in this country. While that may bode well from an energy-efficiency standpoint, the trend certainly doesn't have everyone breathing easier.

22 Feb 2013

FDA approves new vial size for CSL Behring’s Privigen to treat primary immunodeficiency

CSL Behring today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved a 40 g (400 mL) vial size for Privigen, immune globulin intravenous [human].

21 Feb 2013

Immunotherapy could be answer to treating novel coronavirus

Investigation into the mechanism of action of the novelcoronavirus HCoV-EMC, which recently emerged in the Middle East, has revealed that although human bronchial epithelia are very susceptible to infection with the virus, interferon I and III were both able to significantly reduce its replication in cell culture.

20 Feb 2013

Dress to impress in the ICU

Dressing in “traditional” medical attire may help physicians in the intensive care unit to get relationships with their patients’ families off to a good start, research suggests.

20 Feb 2013

Symptom severity, hospice patient distress not necessarily linked

End-stage heart failure patients being treated in hospices have multiple symptoms with potential to cause distress, indicate US study findings.

20 Feb 2013

Misconduct biased fluid resuscitation studies

There are “serious safety concerns” associated with the use of hydroxyethyl starch for fluid resuscitation in critically ill patients, say the authors of a meta-analysis in JAMA.

20 Feb 2013

‘Liver first’ approach first choice for metastatic rectal cancer

Using the “liver first” approach to treat locally advanced rectal cancer and synchronous liver metastases allows nearly three-quarters of patients to receive optimal neoadjuvant therapy and resection for both their primary tumor and metastases, researchers report.

20 Feb 2013

Healthy adults with shorter telomere length more likely to develop upper respiratory infection

Among healthy adults who were administered a cold virus, those with shorter telomere length (a structure at the end of a chromosome) in certain cells were more likely to develop experimentally-induced upper respiratory infection than participants with longer telomeres, according to results of preliminary research published in the February 20 issue of JAMA.

20 Feb 2013

New coronavirus could potentially be treated with immunotherapy

The new coronavirus that has emerged in the Middle East is well-adapted to infecting humans but could potentially be treated with immunotherapy, according to a study to be published on February 19 in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

20 Feb 2013