Lungs News and Research

RSS

MIT researchers develop new test for ventricular assist device suitability

Every year, around 50,000 people in the United States experience cardiogenic shock -; a life-threatening condition, usually caused by a severe heart attack, in which the heart can't pump enough blood for the body's needs.

14 Feb 2024

Fluid-filled lung sac found to be the hub for virus-eating cells

Scientists have long thought of the fluid-filled sac around our lungs merely as a cushion from external damage. Turns out, it also houses potent virus-eating cells that rush into the lungs during flu infections.

14 Feb 2024

New breakthrough in pancreatic cancer research could help slow the disease's deadly spread

Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and the University of California, Davis have reached a new breakthrough in pancreatic cancer research-;eight years in the making. It could help slow the disease's deadly spread.

14 Feb 2024

New guideline aims to improve diagnosis and treatment of cryptococcosis

A group of international mycology experts led by Professor Dr Oliver A. Cornely at the University of Cologne has jointly drafted a guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of cryptococcosis, which aims at improving infection management and thus the survival rate of patients.

13 Feb 2024

Gene therapy reverses advanced heart failure in animal study

Heart failure remains the leading cause of mortality in the U.S. During a heart attack blood stops flowing into the heart.

13 Feb 2024

Smoking, drinking, and dietary habits linked to head and neck cancer risk, study finds

Study in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery examines the link between smoking, drinking, and dietary habits and the risk of developing head and neck cancer (HNC), highlighting the significant impact of lifestyle choices on cancer risk.

12 Feb 2024

New research may explain why premature lungs are sensitive to stress

Many premature infants need mechanical ventilation to breathe. However, prolonged ventilation can lead to problems like respiratory diseases or ventilation-induced injury.

12 Feb 2024

Drug repurposing study finds lonafarnib effective against RSV

A study in Nature Communications identifies lonafarnib from the ReFRAME drug-repurposing library as a potent inhibitor of the RSV fusion protein, showing promise in reducing RSV infection in vitro and in vivo.

11 Feb 2024

COVID-19 may increase risk of pregnancy complications through placental DNA changes

DNA changes consistent with life-threatening pregnancy complications have been found in the placentas of pregnant women infected by COVID-19, according to University of Queensland researchers.

8 Feb 2024

New mouse model illuminates lung cancer's transformation into aggressive variant

Lung tumors called adenocarcinomas sometimes respond to initially effective treatments by transforming into a much more aggressive small cell lung cancer (SCLC) that spreads rapidly and has few options for treatment.

8 Feb 2024

Never-before-documented genetic disorder causes rare lung disease

The macrophage is one of the body's most important inhabitants. Meaning "big eater" in Greek, this immune cell consumes and digests problematic elements from microbes and cancer cells to dust and debris.

8 Feb 2024

Higher dietary niacin intake linked to lower COPD risk, study finds

Recent research in Scientific Reports reveals a dose-response relationship between dietary niacin intake and reduced prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), suggesting niacin's potential role in mitigating oxidative stress and inflammation in COPD patients.

8 Feb 2024

Immune cells in overdrive: Study finds unbalanced response worsens lung infections

CD4+ T cells have been highlighted in the scientific literature for the important role they play in the immune response to lung infections.

8 Feb 2024

Boosting fitness levels linked to lower prostate cancer risk

A study in Swedish men finds that increasing cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) over time is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer incidence, highlighting the potential protective effects of improved fitness against this disease.

5 Feb 2024

Exercise shapes our gut health, study finds

Accelerometer-based study reveals physical activity levels significantly influence gut microbiota composition, linking moderate and vigorous exercise to beneficial microbial diversity and function.

3 Feb 2024

Study shows how low dose of cadmium produces deleterious stress in lung epithelial cells

Cigarette smoke exposure is associated with the development and severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, which is the third leading cause of death worldwide.

2 Feb 2024

Scientists coax a deadly bacterium to destroy itself from the inside out

Northwestern University researchers have successfully coaxed a deadly pathogen to destroy itself from the inside out.

31 Jan 2024

The FTC is attacking drugmakers’ ‘patent thickets’

The Federal Trade Commission has challenged the validity of over 100 drug product patents, focusing on devices used to deliver medicines, like inhalers and autoinjectors, in an effort to increase competition and potentially lower some prices.

31 Jan 2024

Gut microbiome may hold key to fighting common respiratory viruses

The composition of microbiota found in the gut influences how susceptible mice are to respiratory virus infections and the severity of these infections, according to researchers from the Center for Translational Antiviral Research in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.

30 Jan 2024

"Zombie" viral fragments trigger inflammation to cause serious COVID-19 outcomes

There are many lingering mysteries from the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, why does SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the disease, cause severe symptoms in some patients, while many other coronaviruses don't? And what causes strange symptoms to persist even after the infection has been cleared from a person's system?

30 Jan 2024