Respiratory Disease News and Research

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Getting rid of asbestos in Australia

Asbestos that is linked to lung cancer called mesothelioma, is still present in more than one million Australian homes, offices and schools according to reports. And the problem is “compounded by poor community awareness and a disjointed approach from the three levels of government.”

28 Jun 2010

Asthmatics to suffer more this winter warn experts

Asthma sufferers in Australia have been warned about a bad cold and flu season ahead. 58 percent of the susceptible population is already experiencing asthma attacks since the start of the season according to The National Asthma Council Australia (NACA) on Monday. They went on to say that nearly half of this population is still not vaccinated against seasonal flu.

21 Jun 2010

New Zealanders sucking in more nicotine per cigarette than most other smokers worldwide

Smokers in New Zealand are taking in more nicotine than Australians says a new study. The study found that smokers there have a distinct preference for high nicotine containing brands of cigarettes and have the greatest average amount of tar exposure out of 5,703 smokers in eight countries. Where Australians took 1.36mg of nicotine per cigarette, New Zealanders took in 1.62mg.

21 Jun 2010

Sharron Davies unveils new Nottingham Respiratory BRU Clinical Trials Unit

Olympic swimmer and television personality Sharron Davies MBE was in Nottingham this week to open a new clinical trials unit that will take treatments for respiratory illnesses such as asthma from laboratory bench to bedside.

11 Jun 2010

Unhealthy diet and lifestyle linked to childhood asthma - study

Asthma in children is on the rise worldwide and scientists have often blamed the environment for this trend. Britain has more than 1.1 million children and the US has nearly 10 million children with asthma. In a new international study diet has been cited to be a factor that affects asthma in children. The study on Allergies and Asthma in Childhood has shown what many parents knew for a while now – burgers are not good for children.

3 Jun 2010

Delegates at the World Health Assembly adopt resolutions on variety of global health issues

The 63rd World Health Assembly, which brought together Health Ministers and senior health officials from the World Health Organization's Member States, concluded business and closed Friday evening.

24 May 2010

Rising number of asthma deaths in Australia: Study

According to a study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare the number of people over 45 dying from asthma attacks has increased in the past five years. In 2006 402 people had died of asthma. 2005 had only 318 deaths related to asthma in comparison. 2006 saw a 40 percent hike from the preceding three years says the report.

19 May 2010

Apnex HGNS System shows promising results in people suffering from OSA

Apnex Medical announced today that preliminary data from a first-in-man clinical study showed significant improvements in sleep for people suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. The Apnex HGNS™ System, developed by the St. Paul-based company, is a device designed to treat OSA, which is a serious life-threatening illness characterized by fragmented sleep and excessive day-time sleepiness.

18 May 2010

CSL Behring donates life-saving medicines to assist earthquake victims in Haiti

Direct Relief International announced today that CSL Behring has donated life-saving medicines valued at more than $100,000 to assist earthquake victims in Haiti who are at risk of tetanus or hepatitis B infections. The products will be used in clinics at Hopital Albert Schweitzer in Deschapelles.

14 May 2010

Experts address fundamental questions related to renal failure in ICU

Despite the fact that recent medical advances have allowed healthcare professionals to stabilize patients who would have otherwise died, many stabilized patients later develop organ system failure. In fact, acute renal failure is one of the biggest threats to critically ill patients: forty percent of patients with this condition die.

14 May 2010

Maternal smoking during pregnancy increases risk of psychiatric problems in children

It is well-known that maternal smoking during pregnancy can have long-term effects on the physical health of the child, including increased risk for respiratory disease, ear infections and asthma. New research shows that prenatal smoking also can lead to psychiatric problems and increase the need for psychotropic medications in childhood and young adulthood.

4 May 2010

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals publishes encouraging results from Phase II GEMINI study in PNAS

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has published results from its Phase II GEMINI study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). These data, previously presented at the International Symposium on Respiratory Viral Infections in Singapore in 2008, showed human proof of concept with an RNAi therapeutic in a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study.

27 Apr 2010

Caliper Life Sciences introduces Quantum FX stand-alone microCT system for preclinical imaging

Caliper Life Sciences, Inc., a leading provider of tools and services for drug discovery, life sciences research and molecular diagnostics, today announced the Quantum FX, a stand-alone microCT system for preclinical imaging. Introduced at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2010, the Quantum FX is a low dose, microCT system that provides researchers with a 3-dimensional anatomical view of disease activity, tumor development and therapeutic response over multiple time points during the course of a study.

19 Apr 2010

Bariatric surgery reduces breathing problems, medication costs

Another benefit of rapid weight loss after bariatric surgery is a 50 percent reduction in use of prescription breathing medications, according to a study published this month in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

16 Apr 2010

Stem cell scientists receive stimulus grants to study lung and blood disorders

Stem cell scientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) were awarded stimulus grants totaling almost $2 million to research experimental treatments for blood disorders and inherited lung diseases affecting children.

13 Apr 2010

HRV devices reduce respiratory symptoms in children: Study

Houses today are so well sealed that they can trap humidity and pollutants indoors as a result of insufficient ventilation. Recently, a team of Canadian scientists led by Dr. Tom Kovesi, a pediatric respirologist at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, Canada, performed a randomized double-blind, placebo controlled trial to determine whether use of heat recovery ventilators would increase home ventilation and therefore reduce the risk of lower respiratory tract illness in young children.

7 Apr 2010

Chinese Patent Office granted new patent for Totobobo mask

The Chinese Patent Office granted a new patent for the innovative Totobobo mask. Considering the increasing difficulties in acquiring a Chinese patent, this comes as a major achievement. The potential sale of Totobobo masks will greatly increase now that the Chinese market has opened to this innovative product.

29 Mar 2010

Senate briefing to discuss TB and drug-resistant TB

A Senate briefing today will discuss TB and drug-resistant TB, including multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug resistant (XDR-TB), the impact on global health and the current state of surveillance, diagnosis and treatment around the world.

26 Mar 2010

Aradigm reports net loss of $3.4M for fourth-quarter 2009

Aradigm Corporation today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2009.

23 Mar 2010

Children with chronic illness more likely to develop H1N1 influenza: Study

As critical care professionals develop a better understanding of the progression of H1N1, they are becoming better prepared to treat children with severe cases, according to a new study that will be published in the March issue of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (PCCM).

12 Mar 2010