Lung Capacity News and Research

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Measurements of lung capacity are a useful way to monitor the progression of many respiratory diseases, including COPD, asthma and cystic fibrosis. Devices used to measure pulmonary health include Lung Spirometers, Lung Plethysmography, and Pulse Oximetry.

Rehabilitation speeds coronavirus recovery

Now, a team of researchers at the University Clinic in Innsbruck in Austria has found that the long-term lung and heart damage in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients who recovered tend to improve over time.

7 Sep 2020

Persistent hiccups an unusual COVID-19 symptom

Now, a team of researchers revealed another atypical symptom reported by patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) – persistent hiccups.

10 Aug 2020

ONR helps develop low-cost ventilators to combat COVID-19

One of the most dangerous effects of coronavirus is the inability to breathe on your own--requiring the help of a ventilator to push air through your lungs.

29 Jul 2020

Elevated leptin levels may explain why COVID-19 is so dangerous for people with obesity

A hormone that connects the body's metabolism and immune response system may explain why COVID-19 is so dangerous for people with obesity.

24 Jul 2020

Affordable and easy-to-use emergency ventilator developed for COVID-19 patients

A team of engineers and physicians at the University of California San Diego has developed a low-cost, easy-to-use emergency ventilator for COVID-19 patients that is built around a ventilator bag usually found in ambulances.

23 Jun 2020

Study reports ominous resurgence of silicosis

A new study appearing in the journal CHEST®, published by Elsevier, documents an increased incidence of silicosis, which progressed rapidly to massive pulmonary fibrosis in a significant proportion of patients who had previously worked artificial stone (AS), also called artificial quartz agglomerate or conglomerate, a popular new countertop material, despite the cessation of exposure after diagnosis.

18 Jun 2020

A teen’s death from COVID

It started as a normal day. Dawn Guest, 54, got up and headed out to her job as a nurse around 5 a.m. She heard her 16-year-old son, Andre, stirring in his room, but he had always been an earlier riser, even when his school was shut for COVID-19.

15 Jun 2020

Pregnancy and fetal outcomes with COVID-19

A new study published preprint in the non-peer-reviewed journal medRxiv in April 2020 provides a systematic review of maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnancy affected by COVID-19, as well as the risk of vertical transmission of the virus.

16 Apr 2020

Smokers need to quit during coronavirus pandemic

Smoking tobacco may aggravate the effects of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Health experts are urging smokers to quit and cigarette companies to stop producing tobacco products to help alleviate the risks of COVID-19. A new study from China highlights the risk of smoking during the coronavirus pandemic.

7 Apr 2020

Small birthweight can cause breathlessness in later life, finds study

A new study finds that babies born small for their gestational age are not so fit when it comes to their heart and lungs capacity.

31 Jan 2020

New cystic fibrosis drug now available through NHS England

On October 24, 2019, cystic fibrosis (CF) patients rejoiced at the news that three years of talks between the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals had succeeded in a compromise which could see about 5,000 patients gaining access to a potentially life-saving drug called Orkambi within the next month. Orkambi is perceived to be a ‘wonder drug’ because it helps these patients to breathe easier and better, and can be started as young as two years.

28 Oct 2019

Former smokers and light smokers not exempt from lung function decline

People who smoke fewer than five cigarettes a day cause long-term damage to their lungs, according to a new study led by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

9 Oct 2019

Stanford study finds genetic similarities among species that use sound waves to navigate

Insect-eating bats navigate effortlessly in the dark and dolphins and killer whales gobble up prey in murky waters thanks in part to specific changes in a set of 18 genes involved in the development of the cochlear ganglion -- a group of nerves that transmit sound from the ear to the brain, according to a study by researchers at Stanford University.

4 Oct 2019

Exposure to BPA in the womb may lead to measurable differences in children's lung function

Pregnant women exposed to higher levels of the commonly used chemical bisphenol A (BPA) are more likely to have children who suffer with wheezing and poorer lung function, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress.

1 Oct 2019

Researchers expand the knowledge of cardio-respiratory relationship

Observation of extended episodes of one-to-one synchronization between heart rate and breathing rate for athletes suggests their training specifically contributes to an enhanced connection within the nervous system.

22 Jul 2019

Award granted to Neem Biotech to develop antimicrobial intervention for chronic lung infections

Neem are working on a novel approach to antimicrobial resistance, which involves preventing the formation of and disrupts mature biofilms that are produced by bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.

From Neem Biotech 18 Jun 2018

Researchers find link between handgrip strength and lung function in older women

As we age, we may become weaker as our muscles tend to lose their mass and strength. This condition of losing muscle mass is called sarcopenia.

1 Jun 2018

Study: Traffic-related air pollutants appear to thwart benefits of walking among older adults

Even short-term (2 hour) exposure to tiny particles of soot or dust found in traffic fumes on busy roads appears to thwart the benefits of walking on the heart and lungs among older adults (aged 60 or over), according to a study comparing the health effects of walking along a traffic-polluted road versus walking through a park.

7 Dec 2017

Exposure to air pollution on route to school can decrease working memory growth, study reveals

A study conducted by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) has revealed that air pollution exposure on home-to-school routes can have harmful effects on cognitive development in children. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of air pollution exposure during the home-to-school walking commute.

9 Oct 2017

Air pollution exposure on the way to school can have harmful effects on children's cognitive development

A study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, an institute supported by the "la Caixa" Banking Foundation, has demonstrated that exposure to air pollution on the way to school can have damaging effects on children's cognitive development.

5 Oct 2017