ATS JOURNAL NEWS TIPS/AUGUST
For release: August 20, 1998
PERSISTENTLY HIGH GROWTH FACTOR AFFECTS ARDS DEATH RATES
In research on 74 persons with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), Seattle investigators discovered that persistently elevated growth factor in lung fluid produced disordered lung repair. Patients who had high levels of growth factor after one week, along with elevated lung injury scores, had death rates in excess of 75 percent. The researchers believe their study could identify those who need early intervention to reduce their chances of dying from the disease. The study appears in the August issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
GENE THERAPY HELPS CONTROL MALIGNANCY OF LUNG LINING CAUSED BY ASBESTOS
Researchers believe that a malignancy of the lung lining and chest cavity, called mesothelioma, which is caused by exposure to asbestos, is an ideal candidate for gene therapy. Conventional cancer therapy produces no effect on survival. In this study, medical scientists from Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, used a new cell-based delivery system, containing a type of herpes simplex gene, to kill mouse and human mesothelioma cells. Their studies have led to a phase 1 human clinical trial against this deadly disease. The research appears in the August issue of the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology.
ASTHMATIC WHEEZE PERSISTS INTO ADOLESCENCE
According to British investigators, it is commonly believed that children "outgrow" their asthma symptoms in their teenage years, although there are few research results to support this conclusion. After studying 2,289 14- to 16-year-olds and comparing their results to earlier findings in the same children at ages 6 to 8, the biomedical scientists found that current wheeze in the young people increased by 4 percent to over 12 percent in the teens. They also found that over half the children with wheeze continued to have symptoms, and over one-third with persistent cough still suffered from this problem. The research appears in the August American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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