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Low dose inhaled corticosteroids improve lung function in mild asthma patients

A study by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney is the first to demonstrate that in patients with very mild or well-controlled asthma, regular treatment with low dose ICS leads to significantly better day-to-day lung function.

11 Mar 2008

Nasal polyps from analgesics

If a patient develops respiratory problems after taking analgesics, this indicates that the active substances are poorly tolerated.

11 Mar 2008

Long-term muscle improvements shown in gene therapy study in mice

Injecting a gene responsible for making a specific protein into a mouse that's used as a model for muscular dystrophy can lead to long-term improvements in the animal's muscle size and strength, a new study shows.

11 Mar 2008

Allergy testing is essential in the effective management of patients with allergic conditions

When combined with a detailed medical history, it can identify the causes of allergy symptoms and provide the basis for avoidance, environmental control and immunotherapy.

11 Mar 2008

Children with obstructive sleep apnea have abnormal respiratory-related evoked potentials

Children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have abnormal respiratory-related evoked potentials compared to other children their age.

3 Mar 2008

Indoor allergen exposure a great importance in relation to asthma

Results from a new national survey demonstrate that elevated allergen levels in the home are associated with asthma symptoms in allergic individuals.

3 Mar 2008

New research shows why winter is the season for flu

Researchers in the United States believe they have discovered why flu and other respiratory viruses are more prevalent in winter.

3 Mar 2008

Smoking from a hookah - harmful and addictive

A new fad among college students and other young people - smoking from a hookah - is raising public health concerns.

1 Mar 2008

Genetic factors in smoking also increase risk of chronic bronchitis

Smoking is a known risk factor for respiratory diseases like chronic bronchitis, but genes also play a significant role in its development, according to researchers in Sweden, who studied more than 40,000 Swedish twins to determine the extent to which behavior, environment and genes each play a role ion the development of chronic bronchitis.

1 Mar 2008

Customized treatments for sepsis lower treatment time and reduce length of ICU stays

Using a blood test and a decision algorithm, rather than standard hospital protocols, to determine the appropriate length of antibiotic therapy in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock can reduce duration of treatments, shorten ICU stays, and lower hospital costs - all without adverse effects on patients, according to new research.

1 Mar 2008

Congestion charge has increased life expectancy of Londoners

The Central London Congestion Charging Scheme (CCS) has led to a modest increase in the life expectancy of Londoners, according to a joint study by King's College, London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, which is published in today's Occupation and Environmental Medicine journal.

1 Mar 2008

Vitamin supplements for lung cancer

Vitamin supplements do not protect against lung cancer, according to a study of more than 77,000 vitamin users.

1 Mar 2008

UCLA to study health care disparities affecting minorities

The UCLA Department of Family Medicine, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has launched the Network for Multicultural Research on Health and Healthcare, a group that will study health care disparities affecting minorities with chronic diseases.

28 Feb 2008

Research leading to tools for managing bovine respiratory disease complex

Bovine respiratory disease complex has multiple causes. It's sometimes hard to classify and predict. It also costs the beef industry more than any other disease -- an estimated $690 million in 2006, according to one report.

28 Feb 2008

Forest Laboratories to develop and distribute the novel beta blocker Bystolic (nebivolol)

Mylan Inc. has announced that it and Forest Laboratories Holdings, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Forest Laboratories, Inc. have amended their January 2006 agreement to commercialize, develop and distribute the novel beta blocker Bystolic (nebivolol), which is currently approved in the United States for the treatment of hypertension.

28 Feb 2008

FDA approves Arcalyst for treatment of rare inflammatory syndromes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug to help ease the suffering faced by those with certain chronic inflammatory diseases.

28 Feb 2008

URMC cardiac team celebrates 100th heart transplant

The Program in Heart Failure and Transplantation at the University of Rochester Medical Center has reached a milestone, performing its 100th cardiac transplant surgery.

27 Feb 2008

Anti-tuberculosis drug resistance in the world

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has been recorded at the highest rates ever, according to a new report published today.

27 Feb 2008

Nasal vaccine for smallpox protects animals against 77 times the potentially lethal dose of smallpox

Scientists at NanoBio Corporation and the University of Michigan have demonstrated their nasally delivered vaccinia vaccine can protect animals against 77 times the potentially lethal dose of smallpox, and without the safety risks of current vaccines for smallpox.

27 Feb 2008

Heart attack rates drop following national smoking bans in France

French researchers announced a striking 15% decrease in admissions of patients with myocardial infarction to emergency wards since the public ban on smoking came into effect in restaurants, hotels and casinos in France last January.

27 Feb 2008