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Music helps people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease focus on their breathing

Before the music can begin, the harmonica teacher makes sure everyone is in position. "Sit up straight. Feet on the floor. Try to breathe from the belly," she says.

28 Sep 2005

New Stat1 and interferon findings

By altering a molecule called Stat1, which is involved in cellular immune signaling, scientists have succeeded in making the molecule more responsive and thus more efficient. This old protein with a new twist may eventually be used to improve the body's defense against infection.

28 Sep 2005

Combination HRT appears to double the breast cancer risk in women who smoke

Older women who have smoked for 11 or more "pack years" - the lifetime equivalent of a pack a day for at least 11 years - face a 30 percent to 40 percent increased risk of developing breast cancer as compared to women who've never smoked, according to new findings from researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

28 Sep 2005

Phytoestrogens linked with a lower lung cancer risk

A diet higher in plant-derived compounds known as phytoestrogens is linked with a lower lung cancer risk, according to a study in the current issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

27 Sep 2005

Fndings could lead to a treatment for idiopathic interstitial pneumonia

An incurable, deadly lung disorder, "idiopathic interstitial pneumonia" (IIP), whose causes were mysterious arises from a combination of a genetic predisposition and damage due to inhaled chemicals, notably from cigarette smoking, Duke University Medical Center researchers have found.

27 Sep 2005

Heavy smokers can reduce their risk of lung cancer if they decrease smoking by 50 percent

Despite efforts to prevent people from beginning smoking and to encourage smoking cessation, the overall prevalence of cigarette smoking is still high and many smokers are unable or unwilling to completely quit.

27 Sep 2005

Veggies reduce the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers

Eating vegetables and other foods that have weak estrogen-like activity appears to reduce the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers - as well as in non-smokers, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

27 Sep 2005

Cancer vaccine based on the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, can cure mice with breast tumors

A team from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has shown that by using a cancer vaccine based on the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, they can cure mice with established breast tumors. Cancer vaccines, which are more properly described as immunotherapy, work by boosting an immune response against tumor-associated antigens.

27 Sep 2005

Loss of body mass over time appears to be strongly linked to older adults' risk of developing Alzheimer's disease

The findings are the first to associate decline in body mass index (BMI) with the eventual onset of AD. The researchers suggest that the loss of body mass reflects disease processes and that change in BMI might be a clinical predictor of the development of AD.

26 Sep 2005

Increasingly virulent Staph infections

In a "Brief Report" in the 22 September 2005 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at the University of Chicago describe three cases of rapidly progressive and ultimately fatal Staphylococcus aureus infections in small children.

26 Sep 2005

Researchers have uncovered a significant contributing factor to interferon resistance of malignant melanoma cells

The finding represents a step forward in understanding the molecular events that govern the growth of this type of cancer and the changes in gene expression and cellular signaling that underlie resistance to established therapies.

26 Sep 2005

"Designer" rats help show how declining estrogen after menopause can affect hypertension

Scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have created a better research rat – the first to enable them to study how declining estrogen after menopause can affect hypertension, heart failure and kidney damage.

26 Sep 2005

Stopping UK BCG vaccination well justified

From autumn 2005, the long running routine programme to vaccinate school children against tuberculosis with BCG vaccine will stop. This decision brings the UK into line with much of the rest of the world and is well justified, writes Professor Paul Fine in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

26 Sep 2005

Link between ambient air pollution and acute myocardial infarction, or heart attack

An article published in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis looks specifically at airborne particulate matter resulting mainly from the combustion of fuel, including coal and also from forest fires.

26 Sep 2005

New treatment approach for severe asthma

Researchers have uncovered a potentially new treatment approach for severe asthma, by blocking a powerful immune system chemical, present in large amounts in patients with the severe form of the disease, a small study in Thorax reveals.

26 Sep 2005

Spouses in a poor marriage are more likely to be stressed during the workday

...a finding that could mean a greater likelihood of strokes and heart disease for both husband and wife, according to researchers at Brandeis University and University College London.

26 Sep 2005

One to four cigarettes a day almost triples a smoker's risk of heart disease

The impact is stronger for women, the study shows, and quashes the cherished notion that "light" smokers escape the serious health problems faced by heavier smokers.

22 Sep 2005

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables greatly reduces risk of developing pancreatic cancer

In one of the largest studies of its kind, University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) researchers have found that eating lots of fruits and vegetables - particularly vegetables - is associated with about a 50 percent reduction in the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose and remains largely untreatable.

21 Sep 2005

Dual association of beta-carotene with risk of tobacco-related cancers

A new study of French women has found that high beta-carotene intake--through a combination of diet or supplementation--is associated with a higher risk of tobacco-related cancers in smokers, but the risk of these cancers decreases with increasing beta-carotene intake in nonsmokers.

20 Sep 2005

Significant death risk linked to airborne particles

Experts may be significantly underestimating air pollution's role in causing early death, according to a team of American and Canadian researchers, who studied two decades' worth of data on residents of the Los Angeles metro area.

20 Sep 2005

Lungs News and Research

Music helps people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease focus on their breathing

New Stat1 and interferon findings

Combination HRT appears to double the breast cancer risk in women who smoke

Phytoestrogens linked with a lower lung cancer risk

Fndings could lead to a treatment for idiopathic interstitial pneumonia

Heavy smokers can reduce their risk of lung cancer if they decrease smoking by 50 percent

Veggies reduce the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers

Cancer vaccine based on the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, can cure mice with breast tumors

Loss of body mass over time appears to be strongly linked to older adults' risk of developing Alzheimer's disease

Increasingly virulent Staph infections

Researchers have uncovered a significant contributing factor to interferon resistance of malignant melanoma cells

"Designer" rats help show how declining estrogen after menopause can affect hypertension

Stopping UK BCG vaccination well justified

Link between ambient air pollution and acute myocardial infarction, or heart attack

New treatment approach for severe asthma

Spouses in a poor marriage are more likely to be stressed during the workday

One to four cigarettes a day almost triples a smoker's risk of heart disease

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables greatly reduces risk of developing pancreatic cancer

Dual association of beta-carotene with risk of tobacco-related cancers

Significant death risk linked to airborne particles

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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