Lung Disease News and Research

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Vitamin D may be effective in preventing allergies in patients cystic fibrosis, asthma

Vitamin D may be an effective therapy to treat and even prevent allergy to a common mold that can cause severe complications for patients with cystic fibrosis and asthma.

26 Aug 2010

Even low-level exposure to cigarette smoke affects gene function in lungs

Casual smokers may think that smoking a few cigarettes a week is "no big deal." But according to new research from physician-scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, having an infrequent smoke, or being exposed to secondhand smoke, may be doing more harm than people may think. The findings may further support public smoking bans, say the authors.

20 Aug 2010

Effects of illegal drugs on health

Illegal drugs are responsible for up to 1,600 deaths a year in the UK, and destroy thousands of relationships, families and careers. Find out about the most commonly used illegal drugs in England and Wales and the effects they can have on your health.

19 Aug 2010

Gene-regulating molecule plays key role in development of Th9 cells linked to chronic respiratory tract illness

Scientists at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany have taken a further step towards improving our understanding of how asthma develops. These new findings show that the gene-regulating molecule "IRF4" plays a key role in the development of T helper 9 lymphocytes (Th9 cells), which can play a major part in the development of this chronic, inflammatory illness of the respiratory tract.

18 Aug 2010

$Study finds link between osteoporosis, fracture$

Study finds link between osteoporosis, fracture

An international study of more than 60,000 women has drawn new light on the relationship between osteoporosis and fractures.Scientists call for more to be done to identify and treat patients at the highest risk of fractures.Osteoporosis is more common in women who have fractured bones when they were younger and they experience a similar loss in health-related quality of life as those with arthritis, lung disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

18 Aug 2010

CPF urges people to consider clinical trials for pulmonary fibrosis

The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) is urging the more than 128,000 people known to suffer from the deadly lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis (PF), to consider clinical trials, including two new ones funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Clinical trials of potential drug therapies are critical to the discovery of treatments for any disease and for a disease like PF that claims as many lives each year as breast cancer with virtually no survivors, they are the likely path to answers and saved lives.

13 Aug 2010

Penn. effort fades to override cuts to family planning; Ill. faces budget cuts to health care; Mich. focuses on high cost of chronic disease

The Philadelphia Inquirer: "As two Democratic state lawmakers initiated a campaign to override the governor's veto of $7.5 million for family-planning health centers, six Republican state senators who previously voted to restore the funding reversed course, most likely ending any hopes of restoring the money. Democrats would need at least four Republican votes for an override in the Senate, which now appears unlikely.

5 Aug 2010

$International study of more than 60,000 women highlights additional risk associated with fractures$

International study of more than 60,000 women highlights additional risk associated with fractures

Researchers seeking to understand the impact of osteoporosis and fractures on various aspects of health have found that women who had previous fractures experienced a significant reduction in health-related quality of life similar to or worse than that experienced by patients with diabetes, arthritis, lung disease and other chronic illnesses. This latest study from the Global Longitudinal Study of Osteoporosis in Women (GLOW), which is based at the Center for Outcomes Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, was published online.

3 Aug 2010

CPF announces nationwide advertising campaign to increase awareness about PF

The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis announced today a nationwide advertising campaign to spread the word about Pulmonary Fibrosis is underway in an untraditional setting – on the nation's interstates. Together, a billboard ad and truck ads are part of a nationwide campaign to raise eyebrows and awareness of the deadly lung disease.

30 Jul 2010

More time spent sitting linked to higher risk of death

Responding to access-to-care challenges: Ideas from a rural doctor, a Washington, D.C. hospital

Evansville (Ind.) Courier & Press reports on the struggles rural physicians face in providing care by focusing on Dr. Lloyd "Pat" McGinnis, a family medicine and geriatrics specialist who was "one of only five doctors in Spencer County, a rural area of Southwestern Indiana. … Doctors throughout the country are struggling with the same issues of providing quality care to patients with limited incomes in an environment of uncertainly as major provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are phased in over the next five years.

20 Jul 2010

CDC director gives health system failing grade on prevention

Memphis Commercial Appeal: "The American health care system gets an 'F' when it comes to acting on a handful of prevention methods that have the potential to save the most lives. That failing grade came from Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a Wednesday speech to members of the National Association of County and City Health Officials gathered here for their annual conference at Cook Convention Center."

17 Jul 2010

The Children's Hospital, UCH to jointly establish new center for advanced maternal fetal medicine

The Children's Hospital and the University of Colorado Hospital have finalized an agreement to jointly establish a center for advanced maternal fetal medicine offering state-of-the-art care for high-risk pregnant women and their babies. The two leading academic medical centers have individually provided such services for more than three decades, and by building on already existing adult and pediatric expertise, they together will be able to provide unparalleled care and treatment for the region's most at-risk moms and babies.

16 Jul 2010

Activities of TAT fully consolidated into Geron

Geron Corporation today announced that the activities of TA Therapeutics, its joint venture with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, are being fully consolidated into Geron.

15 Jul 2010

Researchers examine impact of genetic ancestry on measures of lung function

Americans with lung disease may face a far greater level of lung damage than either they or their doctor suspect, depending on their individual genetic heritage, according to research published online July 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The research implications range from diagnosing the severity of asthma, to disability decisions or eligibility for lung transplants, researchers say.

13 Jul 2010

Exposure to traffic-related air pollutants associated with reduced HRV: Study

In patients with pre-existing heart or lung disease, being exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollutants is associated with reduced heart rate variability —a risk factor for sudden cardiac death, reports a study in the July Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

12 Jul 2010

New blood test eliminates need for surgical lung biopsy for LAM diagnosis

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have found that a certain blood test can successfully identify lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) in some patients, eliminating the need for surgical lung biopsy to make a diagnosis.

6 Jul 2010

EDF praises New York State Assembly for passing legislation to reduce sulfur levels in heating oil

Environmental Defense Fund praised the New York State Assembly for passing legislation today to dramatically reduce sulfur levels in the commonly used #2 heating oil sold in the state. The State Senate passed the legislation last week and Governor Paterson is expected to sign it into law.

28 Jun 2010

World Bank provides over $63M for multi-country lab network in East Africa region

East African Business Week/allAfrica.com reports on the recent decision by the World Bank to back the creation of "a unique regional network of 25 public health laboratories" in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda with $63.66 million in support.

23 Jun 2010

Inspire's TIGER-1 Phase 3 clinical trial data with denufosol for CF presented at 33rd ECFS

Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that data is being presented on denufosol tetrasodium, an investigational therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF), during an oral presentation and poster presentations at the 33rd Annual European Cystic Fibrosis Society (ECFS) Conference June 16 - 19, 2010 in Valencia, Spain.

18 Jun 2010