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COPD can no longer be judged as only a disease of the lungs

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) can no longer be judged as only a disease of the lungs, say authors of a Viewpoint in this week's COPD special edition of The Lancet.

30 Aug 2007

GSK supports emphasis on asthma control in treatment guidelines

New asthma treatment guidelines issued today urge healthcare professionals to first assess the severity of a patient's asthma to determine and administer initial treatment and then obtain regular assessments of the patient's level of asthma control.

29 Aug 2007

Higher rates of new asthma among WTC workers

Findings released by the Health Department shed new light on the health effects of exposure to dust and debris among workers who responded to the World Trade Center disaster on September 11, 2001.

28 Aug 2007

HSP 90 inhibitors may help ICU patients beat infections

HSP 90 inhibitors, which are finding favor in fighting cancer, may also help battle overwhelming infection in intensive care patients, researchers say.

28 Aug 2007

New understanding of what makes a major global bacterial infection deadly

Researchers believe they have discovered why a bacterial lung infection is so lethal in the early stages, and it's not what medical authorities had thought, according to research published in the journal Immunity.

28 Aug 2007

New understanding of Nipah virus

A collaborative team of scientists from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) here, and the Australian Animal Health Laboratory have demonstrated an important biological feature of the deadly Nipah virus that can infect and kill both animals and humans.

24 Aug 2007

New findings on vocal cord dysfunction

Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) is the sudden, abnormal narrowing closure of the vocal cords during inhalation causing obstruction of the airflow, and is characterized by a noise that can mimic the sound of wheezing. A VCD attack can easily be mistaken for an asthma attack though it does not respond to asthma medications.

24 Aug 2007

Roche and WHO reinforce Tamiflu as primary H5N1 treatment

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reinforced that Tamiflu (oseltamivir) is the primary recommended antiviral of choice in managing patients infected with H5N1 in updated guidance published on the WHO website today.

24 Aug 2007

New ways to control fever-induced seizures

When your body cranks up the heat, it's a sign that something's wrong and a fever is designed to help fight off the infection.

24 Aug 2007

Study helps predict anesthesia-linked risks for children with chest tumors

Children with mediastinal masses - tumors in their chest outside the lungs - are at special risk for developing breathing problems when they undergo anesthesia. These young patients are of special concern to clinicians who must anesthetize them as part of their medical treatment.

23 Aug 2007

WHO says more killer diseases like AIDS on their way

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned the world to expect a new killer disease to emerge in the next few years which will threaten the lives of millions.

23 Aug 2007

Journey distances to hospital and relationship to mortality

The further seriously ill patients have to travel by ambulance to reach emergency care, the more likely they are to die, reveals research in Emergency Medicine Journal.

22 Aug 2007

Traffic and childhood asthma

Children who carry variations in specific genes that metabolize vehicle emissions are more susceptible to developing asthma, particularly if they live near major roadways, a study led by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) suggests.

22 Aug 2007

Exhaust fumes increase risk for asthma in genetically susceptible children

Exhaust fumes heighten the risk of asthma in children who are already genetically susceptible to respiratory disease, indicates research published ahead of print in the journal Thorax.

22 Aug 2007

What's making you fat? - the answer could be a virus!

According to researchers in the U.S. a common virus (adenovirus-36), that causes throat and eye infections may play a part in obesity.

21 Aug 2007

Researchers discover how a protein modulates the inflammatory response in acute respiratory distress syndrome

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have discovered how a protein modulates the inflammatory response in sudden, life-threatening lung failure.

17 Aug 2007

Air pollution linked to poor lung function growth in children

Children who are chronically exposed to higher levels of air pollution show marked deficiencies in lung growth and function, and not just short-term breathing problems, according to researchers in Mexico.

17 Aug 2007

Ambulatory oxygen rarely a benefit in COPD patients without resting hypoxemia

Prescribing ambulatory oxygen in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) improves exercise performance, but not the quality of their daily life unless they have resting hypoxemia, according to researchers in Toronto.

17 Aug 2007

Genetic engineering offers promising new approaches to improve dietary iron intake

Using selective plant breeding and genetic engineering could be used to reduce the incidence of iron deficiency worldwide by improving the quality of dietary iron, conclude authors of a Seminar in this week’s edition of The Lancet.

13 Aug 2007

New, non-surgical technique shown to cure aggressive form of scoliosis

Spine surgeon Paul Rubery, M.D., never imagined he would trade in his scalpel for Plaster of Paris, but that's exactly what he's planning to do in mid-August, when he learns a new, early treatment casting technique aimed at curing infants stricken with a devastating and aggressive form of scoliosis.

13 Aug 2007