Lungs News and Research

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Calcineurin/Nfat signaling is required for perinatal lung maturation and function

It is only very late in pregnancy that the lungs of the fetus complete their development so that the fetus will be able to breathe air when it is born.

21 Sep 2006

Low birth weights lower quality of life

Babies with very low birth weights tend to have a much lower quality of life when they are three or four years old, according to a study published in the latest issue of the UK-based Journal of Advanced Nursing.

21 Sep 2006

Smokers may be at greater risk of HIV infection than non-smokers

Cigarette smoking has already been linked to a higher than normal chance of contracting other infections generally, including those that have been sexually transmitted.

21 Sep 2006

Researchers patent novel method for measuring blood pressure in the heart

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center have developed and patented a new, noninvasive means of measuring blood pressure inside the heart.

21 Sep 2006

Carbon monoxide shown to reverse symptoms of pulmonary hypertension

In a medical case of Jekyll and Hyde, carbon monoxide - the highly toxic gas emitted from auto exhausts and faulty heating systems - has proven effective in treating the symptoms of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), an extremely debilitating condition that typically leads to right heart failure and eventual death.

20 Sep 2006

M. D. Anderson targets asthma and allergic diseases

A new research alliance focuses on a molecular master switch suspected of igniting the inflammatory immune response that drives asthma and other allergic diseases.

20 Sep 2006

Black women living in South Carolina are more likely to develop cancers

Black women living in South Carolina are more likely to develop and die from breast and cervical cancers, compared to white women, according to a study published in the Journal of the South Carolina Medical Association, the AP/WHNS reports.

18 Sep 2006

Live H5N1 avian flu vaccines show promise

When tested in mice and ferrets, experimental vaccines based on live, weakened versions of different strains of the H5N1 avian influenza virus were well-tolerated and protected the animals from a deadly infection with naturally occurring H5N1 flu viruses.

13 Sep 2006

NIH to map genomic changes of lung, brain, and ovarian cancers

It is estimated that 174,470 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2006. Lung cancer is the major cause of cancer-related mortality in both men and women, with an estimated 162,460 deaths expected to occur in 2006.

13 Sep 2006

New campaign to educate about peripheral arterial disease

More than 8 million men and women - one in 20 adults - have peripheral arterial disease (P.A.D), a largely unrecognized condition which puts them at risk for heart attack and stroke.

13 Sep 2006

Tobacco companies find it hard to contest nicotine study

The largest tobacco company in the USA has disputed claims that the average amount of nicotine in cigarettes has risen significantly from 1998 to 2004.

13 Sep 2006

New class of super NSAIDs

Building on previous work, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that deleting an inflammation enzyme in a mouse model of heart disease slowed the development of atherosclerosis.

12 Sep 2006

Live H5N1 avian flu virus vaccines show protection in animal studies

12 Sep 2006

New compounds could make drug-resistant bacteria harmless

Just as the medical world has become concerned over the apparent resistance of some bugs to antibiotics, scientists have made significant progress towards the development of a new generation of antibiotics.

12 Sep 2006

New Yorkers lied to in aftermath of 9/11

A new study released this week says thousands of World Trade Center responders have developed chronic and disabling illnesses that are likely to be permanent.

12 Sep 2006

Inhaled corticosteroids reduce COPD mortality risk

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who use inhaled corticosteroids may have a significantly decreased mortality risk, according to a new study published in the September issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP).

12 Sep 2006

Fewer young men in Canada are being diagnosed with cancer

...while the number for young women is stable, according to the Cancer in Young Adults in Canada report released today by Cancer Care Ontario in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada.

12 Sep 2006

SARS: Systematic review of treatment effects

The SARS virus set alarm bells ringing across the world when it first appeared in 2002, but now a review of the effectiveness of the treatments used against it has found no evidence that any of them worked.

12 Sep 2006

TV advertising of prescription drugs may increase visits to doctor not actual sales

TV advertising of prescription drugs may be prompting more people to visit their doctors rather than substantially increasing sales of advertised drugs, according to research led by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

12 Sep 2006

New screening method shows how nanoparticles interact with human cells

Scientists at the Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a screening method to examine how newly made nanoparticles interact with human cells following exposure for various times and doses. Using this new method, the investigators have been able to visualize how human cells interact with some specific types of carbon nanoparticles.

12 Sep 2006