Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease News and Research

Latest Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease News and Research

If power outages are California’s new normal, what about home medical needs?

Fern Brown, 81, sat in the rear of a tent on the windswept fairgrounds of this historic Gold Rush town, drawing deep breaths through the mouthpiece of a nebulizer plugged into a power strip atop a plastic folding table.

1 Nov 2019

NTU study: Microorganisms show a precise daily rhythm in tropical air

Scientists from the Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore have found that the air in the tropics is teeming with a rich and diverse range of at least 725 different microorganisms.

30 Oct 2019

Shape of lung tissue fibers influences respiratory elasticity

Take a deep breath. Now exhale. Congratulations! You've just done something completely ordinary, yet so mysterious that scientists still don't know everything about it.

29 Oct 2019

Study finds high number of hospital return for preexisting or linked infections

About 15% of hospitalized older adults will be readmitted within a month of discharge.

23 Oct 2019

Beta-blockers do not reduce risk of COPD exacerbations

New research from scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that beta-blockers used in a clinical trial for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease do not reduce the risk of flare-ups of the disease, also called COPD exacerbations.

21 Oct 2019

New assistive technology can accurately identify collapsed lungs from chest x-rays

New assistive technology can diagnose collapsed lungs from chest x-rays with a higher degree of accuracy than radiologists.

16 Oct 2019

Former smokers and light smokers not exempt from lung function decline

People who smoke fewer than five cigarettes a day cause long-term damage to their lungs, according to a new study led by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

9 Oct 2019

Analyses of two clinical trials predict response to asthma drug by COPD patients

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the American Lung Association.

30 Sep 2019

Nanoparticles moving through airway mucus may predict severity of COPD

In a proof-of-concept experiment, researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have successfully used microscopic man-made particles to predict the severity of patients' chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by measuring how quickly the particles move through mucus samples.

30 Sep 2019

Smart shirt technology is a promising tool for monitoring lung disease

A smart shirt that measures lung function by sensing movements in the chest and abdomen has proved to be accurate when compared to traditional testing equipment, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress.

30 Sep 2019

Wrist-worn step trackers can be used to determine health status of patients

Determining how far patients with pulmonary disease can walk in six minutes has long been an effective clinical tool to help physicians determine their exercise capacity, as well as to aid in predicting health outcomes and mortality.

29 Sep 2019

Respiratory groups unite to advocate 'healthy lungs for all' on World Lung Day 2019

Today, on World Lung Day, the American Thoracic Society is united with members of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies and WLD partner organizations to advocate for respiratory health globally and call on policymakers to ensure that everyone has access to the services they need to improve their lung health.

25 Sep 2019

Vaping destroys lining and immune cells in the lung, says study

Now, a new study shows that the vapor emitted by the electronic cigarettes is vaping is linked to much higher rates of cell death among airway epithelial cells – more than double, from about 9% in controls to 17-20% in the exposed cells.

24 Sep 2019

Synthetic oral cannabinoid use found to be more common among older adults with COPD

A study published today in Drugs & Aging found that older adults in Ontario with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were twice as likely to use prescription synthetic oral cannabinoids compared to older adults without COPD.

23 Sep 2019

California hospitals and nursing homes brace for wildfire blackouts

California has seen a relatively slow start to this year's wildfire season, but Wanda Chaney still frets every time it's hot and windy in Chico, a college town about two hours north of Sacramento. She's far less worried about an actual wildfire than the power company shutting off her electricity to prevent one.

11 Sep 2019

Bakersfield Heart Hospital first in Central California to offer new lung valve treatment for COPD patients

Bakersfield Heart Hospital is the first in Central California to offer a new lung valve treatment for patients with severe COPD/emphysema. Recently approved by the FDA under their "Breakthrough Devices" status, the Endoscopic Lung Volume Reduction surgery with Endobronchial Zephyr valves represents a major advancement because it is the first minimally invasive procedure to help emphysema/COPD sufferers breathe easier without major surgery.

30 Aug 2019

Vaping promotes the same cellular responses found in smokers with emphysema

E-cigarette "vaping" is widely assumed to be safer than cigarette smoking, but scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have uncovered evidence suggesting that vaping promotes the same cellular responses found in smokers who suffer with emphysema.

22 Aug 2019

Study uncovers cause of asthmatic lung spasms

Researchers at Rutgers and other institutions have discovered how muscle contraction (bronchospasm) in the airway, which cause breathing difficulty in people with asthma, occur by creating a microdevice that mimics the behavior of the human airways.

22 Aug 2019

Cancer survivors could be at greater risk of cardiovascular diseases

Over the last few decades, medical progress has led to the survival of many more people with cancer. However, a new study published in The Lancet shows that this cohort has a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than controls without cancer, due to a number of reasons.

21 Aug 2019