Lung Disease News and Research

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Antenatal infection and ventilation with BPD associated with excessive accumulation of dendritic cells in lungs

Rates of premature births have increased in recent years, affecting more than 12% of all births and making strategies for managing the associated perinatal complications an important public goal. Preterm infants are particularly at risk for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung disease. BPD has multiple causes, and uncovering critical interactions within the immune system can lead to new approaches for treatment.

21 Apr 2011

Spanish tool measures infant pain rapidly and simply

It turns out to be difficult to find out exactly how much a child who cannot yet speak suffers after a surgical operation. Researchers at the University Hospital of La Paz, in Madrid, have validated the 'Llanto' scale, the first, and only, tool in Spanish which measures infant pain rapidly and simply.

20 Apr 2011

Researchers develop non-steroid based strategy for patients with COPD

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have developed a non-steroid based strategy for improving the lung's innate immune defense and decreasing inflammation that can be a problem for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

15 Apr 2011

Sirolimus may help treat lymphangioleiomyomatosis in women

An Oregon Health & Science University researcher has co-authored an international study that revealed a drug approved to prevent rejection in organ transplant patients helped treat a rare lung disease in women.

12 Apr 2011

New study finds no significant benefit of bosentan against IPF

A new study has demonstrated no significant benefit of taking the drug bosentan for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

11 Apr 2011

Eya1 phosphatase controls fate of embryonic lung epithelial stem cells

Investigators at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles have provided the first evidence that Eya1 protein phosphatase is a crucial regulator of the development of embryonic lung epithelial stem cells.

30 Mar 2011

Altitude Research Center receives Department of Defense grant to prevent AMS in soldiers

As the American military rushes to confront adversaries in some of the world's highest mountain ranges, the Department of Defense is giving $4 million to the Altitude Research Center at the University of Colorado School of Medicine to develop revolutionary ways to combat high altitude sickness in soldiers, sailors and marines.

29 Mar 2011

Cancer drug Gleevec may hold promise against scleroderma: Study

A drug approved to treat certain types of cancer has shown promising results in the treatment of patients with scleroderma, according to results from an open-label Phase II trial. While the drug's efficacy must be demonstrated in a Phase III trial, the gold standard for testing a drug, researchers are optimistic that Gleevec- (imatinib) could potentially be a weapon against the chronic connective tissue disease for which a treatment has remained elusive.

28 Mar 2011

Study: Short telomeres may predispose people to age-related diabetes

New evidence has emerged from studies in mice that short telomeres or "caps" at the ends of chromosomes may predispose people to age-related diabetes, according to Johns Hopkins scientists.

25 Mar 2011

DNA "end-caps" length linked to diabetes risk: New role for short telomeres

New evidence has emerged from studies in mice that short telomeres or “caps” at the ends of chromosomes may predispose people to age-related diabetes, according to Johns Hopkins scientists.

24 Mar 2011

MicroRNAs may play a key role in future medicine

Since their discovery in the 1990s, microRNAs have proven to play a complex role in normal and abnormal functioning of many organ systems. In the April issue of Translational Research, entitled "MicroRNAs: A Potential New Frontier for Medicine," an international group of medical experts explores several themes related to our current understanding of microRNAs and the role they may play in the future of medicine.

24 Mar 2011

Drug resistance tuberculosis concerns

According to a report released Wednesday, the World Health Organization revealed that drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) accounts for about 440,000 cases and 150,000 deaths worldwide each year. The WHO called for better diagnosis and more funding for treatment of the drug-resistant disease that's harder to cure.

23 Mar 2011

Asthma an diabetes go hand in hand: Research

A new study has found that people with asthma may have a higher risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. The study looked at the relationship between asthma and four other inflammatory conditions.

21 Mar 2011

CPF applauds new guidelines for treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) applauds the joint statement issued by the American Thoracic Society for the first evidence-based clinical guidelines for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The guidelines represent progress in understanding of the disease and a milestone for patients. The devastating and deadly disease also called simply "Pulmonary Fibrosis" or "PF" has no FDA approved treatment and no cure.

18 Mar 2011

Pig model reveals how cystic fibrosis gene mutation causes disease

It's been more than 20 years since scientists first discovered the gene that causes cystic fibrosis (CF), yet questions about how the mutated gene causes disease remain unanswered.

17 Mar 2011

EMP levels may help clinicians diagnose early emphysema

Monitoring blood for tiny particles released by cells lining the lungs may help clinicians diagnose emphysema in its earliest stages, according to researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College. The particles, called endothelial microparticles, are shed during the disease process as tiny blood vessels in the lungs, called pulmonary capillaries, are injured and die.

14 Mar 2011

Test that measures destruction of lung air sacs, could help prevent progression of emphysema

During a regular annual physical exam, blood is usually drawn to check the health of a person's heart, kidneys and liver. Now, researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center say a blood test that detects the early development of emphysema -- well before symptoms occur -- may someday also be offered.

12 Mar 2011

Tiniest pollution particles can contribute to cardiovascular disease in diabetic people

Scientists are untangling how the tiniest pollution particles - which we take in with every breath we breathe - affect our health, making people more vulnerable to cardiovascular and respiratory problems.

10 Mar 2011

Pulse Health's Revelar device helps minimize free radical damage

Pulse Health announces Revelar the first non-invasive device to help healthcare professionals and their patients measure aldehydes and help minimize free radical damage. Revelar is breakthrough breath technology that accurately detects and measures the presence of aldehydes, which are indicators of free radical damage in the body.

9 Mar 2011

Novartis QAB149 receives FDA Pulmonary-Allergy Advisory Committee approval for COPD

An advisory committee recommended today that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approve QAB149 (indacaterol) 75 mcg in the US as a once-daily long-term maintenance bronchodilator treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema.

9 Mar 2011