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Potential biomarker to predict acute kidney injury earlier than current tests

Clinicians currently lack advance warning of acute kidney injury (AKI) for patients where kidney injury timing is unknown.

3 Aug 2007

Sex and gender differences in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

In the first study to directly compare men and women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, and severe emphysema, researchers have found that there are marked differences between the sexes.

3 Aug 2007

Mortality rates from pulmonary fibrosis will continue to rise

Mortality rates from pulmonary fibrosis (PF) have increased significantly in recent years, and are predicted to continue to rise, according to researchers from the University of Colorado.

2 Aug 2007

Gene expression pattern could lead to improved treatment of pediatric septic shock

A consortium of researchers headed by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has discovered a gene expression pattern that could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of pediatric septic shock , still a serious public health problem despite today's potent antibiotics and pediatric intensive care units.

27 Jul 2007

PA catheterization uses decreases substantially in U.S.

Use of the pulmonary artery catheter decreased by 65 percent in the U.S. between 1993 and 2004, possibly due to growing evidence that this invasive procedure does not reduce the risk of death for hospitalized patients, according to a study in the July 25 issue of JAMA .

25 Jul 2007

Education interventions for adults who attend the emergency room for acute asthma

A new review of studies suggests that people with asthma who receive disease education during, or soon after, a serious emergency-room visit are less likely to be re-admitted to the hospital than patients who receive no instruction.

18 Jul 2007

Simple less cumbersome device may be a better solution for sleep apnea

Sufferers from sleep apnea may soon have the option of a simpler treatment for their problems.

17 Jul 2007

COPD patients taking inhaled steroids are at greater risk for severe pneumonia

Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are increasingly being prescribed inhaled corticosteroids to control exacerbations of the disease, but a new study finds that the anti-inflammatory drugs increase the chances that these patients will be hospitalized for pneumonia.

17 Jul 2007

Nasal insufflation for sufferers of sleep apnea

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have found that symptoms in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and hypopnea can be significantly reduced through treatment with nasal insufflation (TNI), using a nasal cannula to deliver warm, humidified air at a high flow rate.

17 Jul 2007

C-reactive protein may indicate cognitive impairment in children with obstructive sleep apnea

C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation that is often used to detect cardiovascular disease, may also indicate cognitive impairment in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a new study of children ages 5 to 7.

17 Jul 2007

Diabetics experience more complications during hospitalization for trauma

Individuals with diabetes appear to spend more days in the intensive care unit, use more ventilator support and have more complications during hospitalization for trauma than non-diabetics, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Surgery.

17 Jul 2007

Some smokers have genetic predisposition to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Some people have a genetic variation that makes them more susceptible to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) if they smoke tobacco, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.

12 Jul 2007

If you have an allergy the cat could be the culprit!

Domestic cats may well be the culprits when it comes to provoking allergic reactions in people.

3 Jul 2007

Aerosol cleaners used in the home may cause respiratory difficulties and asthma in adults

The use of home cleaning products in the form of aerosols, at least once a week, is related to the appearance of respiratory difficulties and asthma in adults.

26 Jun 2007

Medical error is the fifth-leading cause of death in the U.S.

Millennium Research Group (MRG) has conducted a detailed and thorough analysis of the acute care clinical information systems (CIS) market and finds that a major driver in the US is the demand for improvement in patient safety.

23 Jun 2007

Pulmonary function testing in children aged 2 to 6

The ATS and European Respiratory Society (ERS) published a new statement on pulmonary function testing in preschool children.

23 Jun 2007

People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have greater arterial stiffness

The researchers also found that those COPD patients with osteoporosis, a common complication of the respiratory disease, had even greater arterial stiffness. These premature signs of aging may explain why COPD patients are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease.

19 Jun 2007

New pediatric sleep lab in upstate New York

The Pediatric Sleep Medicine Offices, the first pediatric sleep lab in upstate New York , has started doing overnight studies in its new location in Clinton Crossings.

19 Jun 2007

Pepsin associated with acute rejection of a lung transplant

Researchers in the United Kingdom have demonstrated that high levels of pepsin, a digestive enzyme that is a marker for gastric aspiration, are associated with acute rejection of a lung transplant.

19 Jun 2007

New mathematical model of sepsis

A new mathematical model of sepsis can help predict deaths, discharges, and disease progression in hospital patients with this serious bacterial blood infection. It's hoped the model, described in the online open access journal Critical Care, will help clinicians assess which interventions are likely to be best for their patients.

17 Jun 2007