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WHO's Health Assembly opens 66th Session in Geneva

WHO's Health Assembly, the world's largest health policy-making body, opened its 66th Session today in Geneva with around 3000 participants from around the world.

21 May 2013

Purified components of ginger help asthma patients breathe more easily

Gourmands and foodies everywhere have long recognized ginger as a great way to add a little peppery zing to both sweet and savory dishes; now, a study from researchers at Columbia University shows purified components of the spicy root also may have properties that help asthma patients breathe more easily.

20 May 2013

Boehringer Ingelheim to highlight respiratory research work at ATS 2013

Boehringer Ingelheim will contribute to advancing the scientific discussion in respiratory disease at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in Philadelphia, PA, May 17 – 22.

20 May 2013

Boehringer Ingelheim updates HCPs, patients on COMBIVENT RESPIMAT Inhalation Spray

As part of the company's commitment to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in respiratory health, is updating healthcare professionals and patients that the transition to COMBIVENT RESPIMAT (ipratropium bromide and albuterol) Inhalation Spray for the maintenance treatment of COPD is nearly complete.

18 May 2013

Breo Ellipta gets FDA approval for treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with COPD

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Breo Ellipta (fluticasone furoate and vilanterol inhalation powder) for the long-term, once-daily, maintenance treatment of airflow obstruction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema.

13 May 2013

SLU SNMA students receive Leadership in Institutional Diversity Award

A group of 40 students are part of Saint Louis University's Student National Medical Association chapter (SNMA), who are striving to reduce health disparities locally. This year, they received the Leadership in Institutional Diversity Award, a recognition given to a university for serving as an outstanding example of leadership and innovation in promoting and maintaining institutional diversity.

10 May 2013

ECMO can be used on neonates with severe respiratory failure until lung transplantation, say scientists

Adults with end-stage respiratory failure and pulmonary hypertension requiring ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) have been "bridged" toward lung transplantation with novel lung assist devices such as the Novalung.

7 May 2013

Aclidinium and formoterol combination demonstrates significant lung function improvement in the second pivotal efficacy trial

Almirall, S.A. (ALM:MC) and Forest Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:FRX) today announced positive topline results from AUGMENT/COPD, the second six-month pivotal phase III clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of investigational fixed dose combinations of aclidinium bromide (LAMA) and formoterol fumarate (LABA) for the treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), delivered in the Pressair™ inhaler (Genuair® outside the USA).

2 May 2013

GOLD predicts mortality in COPD

The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease classification of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease predicts mortality better than the 2011 ABCD scoring system, report Norwegian researchers.

30 Apr 2013

IP-10 and neopterin show promise as biomarkers for lung disease exacerbations

Australian researchers have identified interferon-γ inducible protein-10 and neopterin as promising sputum markers of acute exacerbations of obstructive lung disease.

29 Apr 2013

SLU study reveals that access to dermatologists limited for Medicaid-insured children with eczema

A recent Saint Louis University study revealed that Medicaid-insured children with eczema, an inflammatory skin condition that affects 20 percent children in the United States, do not have easy access to dermatologists.

29 Apr 2013

Longer looks: Paying the oncologist; plenty of diagnostic errors, a patient revolution

When the automatic spending cuts kicked in for Medicare this month, every doctor saw a 2 percent reduction in reimbursement from the government insurance program. But cancer doctors have made the most noise

26 Apr 2013

Study identifies seven new genetic regions associated with pulmonary fibrosis

A new genome-wide association study of more than 6,000 people has identified seven new genetic regions associated with pulmonary fibrosis. In findings published online in Nature Genetics on April 14, 2013, researchers at National Jewish Health, the University of Colorado and several other institutions found a number of genes associated with host defense, cell-cell adhesion and DNA repair, which provide clues to possible mechanisms underlying this currently untreatable disease.

20 Apr 2013

Study shows TOLLIP gene variant is linked to increased mortality risk in IPF patients

A new study looking at the genomes of more than 1,500 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a rare and devastating lung disease, found multiple genetic associations with the disease, including one gene variant that was linked to an increase in the risk of death.

17 Apr 2013

COPD phase III study by Almirall and Forest Laboratories announces positive results

Almirall, S.A. (ALM:MC) and Forest Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:FRX) today announced positive topline results from a six month pivotal phase III clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of fixed dose combinations of aclidinium bromide (LAMA) and formoterol fumarate (LABA) delivered by Almirall’s inhaler Genuair® (Pressair™ in the USA).

16 Apr 2013

Frozen balls of ice can safely kill cancerous tumors in lungs

Frozen balls of ice can safely kill cancerous tumors that have spread to the lungs, according to the first prospective multicenter trial of cryoablation. The results are being presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 38th Annual Scientific Meeting in New Orleans.

15 Apr 2013

Study opens new avenues of research to improve care for patients with COPD

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have pinpointed a genetic signature for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from airway cells harvested utilizing a minimally invasive procedure.

12 Apr 2013

Patients exposed to chest radiation are more likely to die after heart surgery

Patients who have open heart surgery for heart disease caused by radiation cancer treatment are nearly twice as likely to die in the years following their surgery compared to similar patients who did not undergo radiation treatment, according to new research from Cleveland Clinic published today in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

9 Apr 2013

Finding solutions to protect U.S. troops against invisible killers

A Saint Louis University researcher has received a contract worth up to $980,000 to see if two cancer medications have the potential of protecting U.S. troops from biological agents that could be unleashed during an attack.

4 Apr 2013

V/Q imaging can detect early stages of COPD

In vivo ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) imaging can detect early changes to the lung caused by cigarette smoke exposure and provides a noninvasive method for studying lung dysfunction in preclinical models, according to research published in the April issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

2 Apr 2013