Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease News and Research

Latest Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease News and Research

Adult stem cell therapy may benefit COPD patients

New developments in regenerative medicine are bringing about exciting, novel approaches to create therapies for hard to treat diseases. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a hard to treat disorder that progressively blocks airflow in the lungs making it increasingly difficult for an individual to breathe, and is one of the leading illnesses in the US. Yet, current treatments for COPD can only try to limit the extent of damage to the lungs, and to bring some relief from symptoms.

21 Sep 2012

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease experience poor sleep quality

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience poorer sleep quality than people of a similar age without COPD, according to research published in the journal Respirology.

21 Sep 2012

GSK3 inhibition protects against gum disease

Treatment with the cell-permeable glycogen synthase kinase -3β-specific enzyme inhibitor SB216763 successfully suppresses alveolar bone loss in mice infected with the main periodontal pathogen, Porphyromonas gingivalis, report researchers.

20 Sep 2012

Study analyzes effectiveness of ultrasonography in diagnosis and treatment of critical care patients

A study published in the October issue of Anesthesiology analyzed the effectiveness of ultrasound examination in the diagnosis and treatment of critical care patients. In particular, the study looked at the ability of ultrasound to detect hidden anomalies, prompt urgent changes in therapy, induce further testing or interventions, and confirm or modify diagnoses.

20 Sep 2012

Prevalence MRSA laryngitis may be underestimated

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus laryngitis may be more common than previously suspected, a new case series suggests.

17 Sep 2012

CT shows promise in predicting COPD exacerbation risk

Measurement of the pulmonary artery-to-aorta ratio can predict the risk for exacerbations in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, particularly those that require hospitalization, say the authors of a US study.

11 Sep 2012

Antibiotic treatment more effective than placebo in patients with mild-to-moderate COPD

Antibiotic treatment with amoxicillin/clavulanate improves moderate exacerbations in patients with mild-to-moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and significantly prolongs the time between exacerbations, according to a new study from researchers in Spain.

10 Sep 2012

Interleukin-18 plays a key role in inflammation

The naturally occurring cytokine interleukin-18, or IL-18, plays a key role in inflammation and has been implicated in serious inflammatory diseases for which the prognosis is poor and there are currently limited treatment options.

7 Sep 2012

Early results of transcatheter valve registry data unveiled

The 1-month follow-up results of the Transcatheter Valve Treatment Sentinel Pilot Registry have provided data on factors associated with transcatheter aortic valve implantation, as well as short-term outcomes, in Europe.

6 Sep 2012

ACOEM awareness campaign helps employers identify and respond to chronic diseases

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) today announced a yearlong awareness-building campaign intended to help employers identify and respond to chronic diseases that commonly impact worker health and productivity.

6 Sep 2012

Smoker's pack-years, age and area of emphysema are strong predictors of mortality in COPD

Identifying an individual's the smoking history could help doctors to predict survival time in people with COPD.

5 Sep 2012

Phase 1b trial validates efficacy of Pulmatrix PUR118 to treat COPD

Pulmatrix, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company creating novel inhaled therapeutics, today announced top line results from a clinical study showing that the novel inhaled therapeutic, PUR118, demonstrated anti-inflammatory efficacy and was well-tolerated in two Phase 1b studies in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

5 Sep 2012

Exercise paves way to healthy old age

Middle-aged people who have a high level of physical fitness have a significantly lower and later incidence of chronic conditions in old age than those who are less fit, report researchers.

3 Sep 2012

CT scan appears to predict risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations

The respective size of two major arteries, visible on a simple computed tomography, or CT, scan, is a strong predictor of the risk of exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham published online Sept. 3, 2012, in the New England Journal of Medicine.

3 Sep 2012

Sosei highlights data from QVA149 clinical trials on COPD

Sosei Group Corporation highlights that further data from the once-daily chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) clinical trial programs were presented today by Novartis at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress.

3 Sep 2012

SPIRIVA to mark 10th anniversary with European Respiratory Society Congress

Coinciding with the annual European Respiratory Society Congress, ERS 2012, SPIRIVA (tiotropium), the first once-daily long-acting inhaled anticholinergic maintenance treatment for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) will mark its 10th anniversary since launch.

3 Sep 2012

People aged 85 years and over have high burden of respiratory conditions

People aged 85 years and over have a high burden of respiratory disease, according to new findings. The research has shed light on the health problems likely to be encountered by the ageing population.

3 Sep 2012

Positive results from Elevation Pharmaceuticals’ EP-101 Phase 2b study on COPD

Elevation Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today presented positive efficacy and safety results from the GOLDEN-1 study – a Phase 2b study evaluating EP-101 in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – at the annual meeting of the European Respiratory Society in Vienna, Austria.

3 Sep 2012

Electronic cigarettes can cause immediate harm to the lungs

New research has shown that despite electronic cigarettes being marketed as a potentially safer alternative to normal cigarettes, they are still causing harm to the lungs.

3 Sep 2012

Potential new COPD drug

A study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) has shown that a compound used in some skin creams may halt the progression of emphysema and reverse some of the damage caused by the disease. When the compound Gly-His-Lys (GHK) was applied to lung cells from patients with emphysema, normal gene activity in altered cells was restored and damaged aspects of cellular function were repaired.

1 Sep 2012