Respiratory News and Research

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Allergies may be linked to irregular periods

New research is suggesting a there is possibly a link between allergic conditions such as asthma and hay fever and irregular periods.

29 May 2005

Low-income women are more likely to breastfeed when given health education

...especially when learning takes place in an informal, interactive discussion group setting, according to a new review of studies.

26 May 2005

Is winter flu worse because of exercise-induced 'window of susceptibility'?

When you exercise or work outside in winter, that dry feeling at the back of your throat indicates the cold air has irritated your throat. Racehorses share a similar experience: exercising in below-freezing air causes mild airway injury.

26 May 2005

Scientists renew warnings over a bird flu pandemic

Scientists have again renewed their warnings about the potential global effect of a flu pandemic on health and economy.

26 May 2005

Tragic death of 5 year old asthma patient was avoidable and due to complacency of health professionals

At a fatal accident inquiry a sheriff has hit out at the "complacency" of health professionals and a drugs manufacturer over the safety of an asthma inhaler steroid.

25 May 2005

Asthma and hay fever seem to be linked to irregular periods

The finding adds weight to the evidence, suggesting that female hormones might have a role in the development of asthma and allergies.

25 May 2005

New WHO rules mean countries could face quarantine in bid to beat killer epidemics

Under new rules agreed by the World Health Organisation yesterday (WHO), serious outbreaks of deadly diseases such as bird flu and SARS could mean travel and trade restrictions could be placed on many countries.

24 May 2005

New regulations to tackle disease outbreaks given the red light by the WHO

The recent outbreaks of communicable diseases such as SARS and avian flu in particular, have prompted the United Nations health agency’s policy-making body to adopt a new set of regulations concerning responses from Governments and international bodies when new diseases emerge and old ones reappear.

23 May 2005

Vietnam reports another bird flu death

A death of a man from bird flu in Vietnam's Northern Province, has brought the total deaths in the country since late 2003 to 38.

23 May 2005

High-dose Tamoxifen may prolong survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Neurologist Benjamin Brooks, who directs the MDA ALS Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, presented results of a trial of tamoxifen, a drug approved for the treatment of breast cancer, at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in April. The trial was supported in part by MDA.

23 May 2005

Researchers generate patient-specific stem cells

Researchers have isolated the first human embryonic stem cell lines specifically tailored to match the nuclear DNA of patients, both males and females of various ages, suffering from disease or spinal cord injury.

20 May 2005

Fourth case of hantavirus in Alberta raises concern

An outbreak of hantavirus in Alberta, Canada, is caucing concern and Health authorities there are asking for help from Health Canada to deal with the potentially fatal disease.

18 May 2005

Obese people incorrectly diagnosed with asthma

Clinical tests carried out by the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research indicate obese people may be incorrectly being diagnosed and treated for asthma when in fact the reason for shortness of breath may be related to the extra weight they carry.

18 May 2005

New combination vaccine effective against plague

Plague, a bacterium that ravaged Europe in the Middle Ages and is today one of the most feared potential agents of bio-terrorism, may have met its match, according to Wake Forest University School of Medicine scientists.

18 May 2005

Concurrent radiation, chemo, followed by surgery lengthens lung cancer patients' survival

Patients whose lung cancer has spread to the lymph nodes have a better chance of long-term survival if they receive combined modality therapy, such as concurrent radiation and chemotherapy followed by surgery, according to a study that Loyola University Health System’s Dr. Kathy S. Albain presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting.

18 May 2005

Scientists confirm rarefied air poses in-flight problem

More than half of all air passengers experience significant blood oxygen decreases at high altitudes, UK researchers report in the scientific journal Anaesthesia. We take a look at the findings and EU research in the aeronautics field.

18 May 2005

Smoking may have a devastating effect on gastrointestinal health

Smoking may have a devastating effect on gastrointestinal health and increase a person's risk of developing pancreatic and liver cancer, according to new research presented today at Digestive Disease Week 2005 (DDW). Furthermore, data from the Nurses' Health Study shows that meat intake and smoking play a part in significantly increasing a woman's risk of colorectal cancer.

17 May 2005

Alcohol consumption increases movement of S. pneumoniae toward the lungs

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a bacterium that can infect the upper respiratory tract and cause pneumonia, as well as infections in other parts of the body such as the bloodstream (bacteremia), lining of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis), bones (osteomyelitis), joints (arthritis), ears (otitis media) and sinuses (sinusitis).

15 May 2005

Hispanics have worse lung cancer survival rate

In a national population-based study of 16,036 lung cancer patients, Hispanics with curable stage I lung cancer had poorer lung cancer specific survival rates, as well as worse all-cause mortality, than a much larger group of white persons. Study results will appear in the second issue for May 2005 of the American Thoracic Society's peer-reviewed American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

15 May 2005

Study sheds light on long term outlook for babies born before 2 weeks

The Medical Research Council (MRC) has announced that it has allocated £3 million to fund the next phase of a unique study looking into the survival prospects and long-term health and social issues facing extremely premature babies.

9 May 2005