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Vapors from tank-style e-cigarettes have higher concentrations of harmful metals

A team of scientists at the University of California, Riverside, has found the concentration of metals in electronic cigarette aerosols -- or vapor -- has increased since tank-style electronic cigarettes were introduced in 2013.

27 Sep 2019

Respiratory groups unite to advocate 'healthy lungs for all' on World Lung Day 2019

Today, on World Lung Day, the American Thoracic Society is united with members of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies and WLD partner organizations to advocate for respiratory health globally and call on policymakers to ensure that everyone has access to the services they need to improve their lung health.

25 Sep 2019

Scans show vaping teen’s lungs blocked with solidified oil

Vaping has been tied to many cases of severe lung disease, and some of the suspected cases have died. Doctors and health experts are looking for the exact cause of the illness, and now a new finding emerged, hinting that vaping could lead to deposits of what looked like oil in the lung

23 Sep 2019

Synthetic oral cannabinoid use found to be more common among older adults with COPD

A study published today in Drugs & Aging found that older adults in Ontario with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were twice as likely to use prescription synthetic oral cannabinoids compared to older adults without COPD.

23 Sep 2019

New study shows how fungal biofilm morphology impacts lung disease

Findings from an innovative new study led by researchers at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine and published this week in Nature Microbiology reveal that the way in which human fungal pathogens form colonies can significantly impact their ability to cause disease.

23 Sep 2019

Chicago adults identify top 10 health problems for children and adolescents in the city

Chicago adults identified stress, drug abuse, and depression as the top three big health problems for children and adolescents in the city, according to results from a new survey developed by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and the Chicago Department of Public Health.

19 Sep 2019

Mint-flavored vapes and the trouble with pulegone

Even while the recent outbreak of acute serious lung disease in vapers is challenging the skill and technology of the medical field, a new report published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine on September 16, 2019, says that a natural plant oil called pulegone, which is used to impart a minty flavor to e-cigarettes, could quite possibly be carcinogenic at the levels found in these devices.

18 Sep 2019

Alarming number of life-threatening heart infections related to drug abuse

As the nationwide opioid epidemic continues, more young people are developing a life-threatening heart infection that can result from drug abuse.

18 Sep 2019

Vapers seek relief from nicotine addiction in — wait for it — cigarettes

Lucas McClain started smoking cigarettes in high school but switched to vaping after he heard e-cigarettes were a safer alternative.

13 Sep 2019

CDC warns against vaping after series of lung-disease cases

E-cigarette use, also known as vaping, has become popular across all ages. Hundreds of people across the country have been sickened by a severe lung disease linked to e-cigarette use. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns the public not to use e-cigarettes due to the potential damage to the lungs.

9 Sep 2019

FDA approves first drug to treat patients with rare lung condition

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Ofev (nintedanib) capsules to slow the rate of decline in pulmonary function in adults with interstitial lung disease associated with systemic sclerosis or scleroderma, called SSc-ILD. It is the first FDA-approved treatment for this rare lung condition.

7 Sep 2019

Natural 'breakdown' of chemicals may protect against lung disease in 9/11 first responders

The presence of chemicals made as the body breaks down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates can predict whether Sept. 11, 2001 first responders exposed to toxic dust at the World Trade Center site subsequently develop lung disease, a new study finds.

3 Sep 2019

Bakersfield Heart Hospital first in Central California to offer new lung valve treatment for COPD patients

Bakersfield Heart Hospital is the first in Central California to offer a new lung valve treatment for patients with severe COPD/emphysema. Recently approved by the FDA under their "Breakthrough Devices" status, the Endoscopic Lung Volume Reduction surgery with Endobronchial Zephyr valves represents a major advancement because it is the first minimally invasive procedure to help emphysema/COPD sufferers breathe easier without major surgery.

30 Aug 2019

Drug combination could improve survival of lung transplant patients

Lung transplantation can prolong the lives of patients with end-stage lung disease, but the median survival rate after lung transplant is less than six years, which has improved only slightly in recent decades.

28 Aug 2019

Mysterious vaping lung injuries may have flown under regulatory radar

It was the arrival of the second man in his early 20s gasping for air that alarmed Dr. Dixie Harris. Young patients rarely get so sick, so fast, with a severe lung illness, and this was her second case in a matter of days.

27 Aug 2019

Years ago, this doctor linked a mysterious lung disease to vaping

Dr. John E. Parker was working at a West Virginia hospital in 2015 when a 31-year-old female patient was admitted with acute respiratory problems.

23 Aug 2019

Vaping promotes the same cellular responses found in smokers with emphysema

E-cigarette "vaping" is widely assumed to be safer than cigarette smoking, but scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have uncovered evidence suggesting that vaping promotes the same cellular responses found in smokers who suffer with emphysema.

22 Aug 2019