Respiratory Disease News and Research

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Researchers to test whether cannabinoids can help chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients

Researchers from Imperial College London are looking for volunteers to test whether cannabinoids, the active ingredient of cannabis, can be used to alleviate the sensation of breathlessness caused by illnesses such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

4 Sep 2005

Early life exposure to second-hand smoke can produce life-long respiratory problems

A new study finds early life exposure to second-hand smoke can produce life-long respiratory problems. The study of 35,000 adult non-smokers in Singapore found that those who lived with a smoker during childhood had more respiratory problems, including chronic cough.

30 Aug 2005

Coronavirus HCoV-NL63 associated with croup

A forthcoming paper in the international, open-access journal PLoS Medicine makes the strongest association yet between a newly identified virus and the pediatric respiratory disease commonly known as croup.

23 Aug 2005

FDA bans antibiotic use for poultry

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned the use of a poultry antibiotic made by Bayer.

31 Jul 2005

Moraxella catarrhalis found to be responsible for 10 percent of exacerbations of COPD

A ubiquitous bacterial strain thought to be uninvolved in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in fact is responsible for 2-4 million flare-ups of the condition that occur annually in the United States, researchers from the University at Buffalo have shown.

20 Jul 2005

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) rates in women skyrocket

The death rate for one of the most lethal diseases in North America has skyrocketed for women in the last 20 years, and a team of researchers from the University of British Columbia and the B.C. Centre of Excellence for Women's Health wants to find out why.

19 Jul 2005

Handwashing with soap could halve the incidence of diarrhoea in children in developing countries

Every year more than 3·5 million children aged less than 5 years die from diarrhoea and acute lower respiratory tract infection, making these two clinical syndromes the largest cause of childhood deaths globally.

14 Jul 2005

Sirna Therapeutics granted new UK patents

Sirna Therapeutics has announced that the United Kingdom (UK) Patent Office has granted the Company two additional short interfering RNA (siRNA) target patents. The first patent covers any siRNA with one or more chemical modifications targeting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF).

12 Jul 2005

Disruption of a single gene, Nrf2, plays a critical role in determining the susceptibility to asthma

A research team led by Shyam Biswal , PhD, at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found the absence of Nrf2 exacerbated allergen-mediated asthma in mice models.

5 Jul 2005

Northern Ireland is leading the way with a strategy aimed at reducing the impact of respiratory disease

'A Healthier Future: A Strategic Framework for Respiratory Conditions', is a consultation document which sets out a 10-year framework for preventing respiratory disease, and for improving treatment and care for people with respiratory conditions.

9 Jun 2005

New vaccine against whooping cough is effective in teens and adults

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has announced that a study to be published in the June 22/29 issue found that a new vaccine against whooping cough is effective in teens and adults, carriers of the contagious respiratory disease so dangerous to infants.

3 Jun 2005

Booster vaccine that includes protection against pertussis shows promise

A new combination vaccine not yet on the market appears to provide a booster for immunity against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis for adolescents and adults and was found to have a similar overall safety profile when compared to the current licensed tetanus-diphtheria vaccine, according to a new study in JAMA.

3 Jun 2005

Mystery respiratory disease sweeping through greyhound population

Dozens of dogs in the U.S. are dying from a mysterious respiratory disease which is sweeping greyhound tracks across the country, and race track owners are being forced to halt racing as researchers hunt for a vaccine to control the outbreak.

12 May 2005

Paracetamol linked to asthma and reduced lung function

Scientists now suspect that regular use of the painkiller paracetamol, is linked with higher rates of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and reduced lung function.

3 May 2005

Canada spends more on stem cell research

Canadian Justice Minister Irwin Cotler gave Canadian stem cell research an extra boost with the announcement of $5.3 million in annual funding.

5 Apr 2005

Being a couch potatoe may run in family

So, you don’t like to exercise? Maybe you could blame it on your great-great-grandparents. Similarly, if you’re a practiced and proud couch potato who suddenly woke up to the fact that you’re a “natural” athlete, the credit could also belong to your genes.

3 Apr 2005

Its not just the Americans - Europeans are getting fat too!

The United States is now being challenged in the obesity stakes by at least seven European countries. All across Europe, the proportion of overweight or obese men is higher than in the United States, experts said Tuesday in a major analysis of expanding girth on the European continent.

15 Mar 2005