Feature Channels: Respiratory Diseases and Disorders

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Silica exposure is a driving force behind rising rates of coal workers' pneumoconiosis, according to a new study that compared the pathology and mineralogy of the disease across generations. It is the first study to offer scientific evidence explaining why progressive massive fibrosis, the most severe form of black lung disease, is occurring more frequently and among younger coal workers in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky.

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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute on Aging recently approved funding for a 2022 study by the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine (IEEM), where a research team will look into how body weight – even extra weight gain like the kind recently resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic – may adversely affect breathing in seniors.

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The ATS 2022 International Conference is coming back strong! Whether you cover clinical medicine or research, the programming at ATS 2022 is an extensive roundup of the latest in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine.

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How do the lungs develop after taking their first breaths outside the womb? What cellular events and changes early in life give rise to lung malfunction and disease? To help answer these questions, scientists have constructed the first single-cell atlas of postnatal lung development in humans and mice. The research could help provide a more detailed understanding—at the level of individual cells—of which genetic and epigenetic factors affect lung health across the human lifespan, starting from birth.

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Combination immunotherapy with the anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody durvalumab and other novel agents outperforms durvalumab alone in the neoadjuvant (pre-surgical) setting for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer.

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Adding the immunotherapy drug nivolumab to chemotherapy before surgery (neoadjuvant) for patients with operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) reduced the risk of recurrence of the cancer or death by more than one-third, according to results from the phase III CheckMate-816 trial.

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Cigarette smoking is overwhelmingly the main cause of lung cancer, yet only a minority of smokers develop the disease. A study led by scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and published online today in Nature Genetics suggests that some smokers may have robust mechanisms that protect them from lung cancer by limiting mutations. The findings could help identify those smokers who face an increased risk for the disease and therefore warrant especially close monitoring.

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A study shows statistically significant and potentially clinically important differences between those who increased and decreased tobacco use during the pandemic. Among current smokers, 28.2 percent reported increased tobacco use, 17.3 percent reported decreased tobacco use and 54.5 percent reported no change.

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New data to be presented by Grace Dy, MD, at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting show that patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received the targeted therapy sotorasib experienced extended survival and good quality of life.

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Due to COVID-19 and a rapidly expanding list of conditions for which lung transplantation can be lifesaving, the need for new organs is growing. However, there’s a global shortage of donated lungs, which results in numerous deaths among patients on the waitlist. To help expand the donor pool, Northwestern Medicine is now using a device from XVIVO called XPS™ which is used for ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) – nicknamed “lungs in a box” – to rescue potentially viable lungs and those initially deemed “unacceptable” for transplant. Out of all solid organs, lungs have the lowest utilization, with only one in five donated lungs getting transplanted.

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This research illustrates the importance of a well-known cytokine called interleukin-13 in protecting cells against SARS-CoV-2, which helps explain the mystery of why people with allergic asthma fair better against COVID despite having a chronic lung condition.

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Already checked regularly for worsening symptoms via automated text messages, COVID-19 patients with pulse oximeters in a home monitoring program had similar recovery to those without them.

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A University of Minnesota-led research team analyzed the fundamental properties and structures of the naturally occurring substances that help human lungs expand and contract, providing insight into how the substances help us breathe.

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Here are some of the latest articles that have been added to the Clinical Trials channel on Newswise.

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Scientists have developed a treatment for pulmonary fibrosis by using nanoparticles coated in mannose — a type of sugar — to stop a population of lung cells called macrophages that contribute to lung tissue scarring. The cell-targeting method holds promise for preventing this severe lung scarring disease, which can result in life-threatening complications like shortness of breath.

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Researchers have identified a family of proteins that is significantly elevated in the saliva of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The proteins, known as ephrin ligands, could potentially serve as a biomarker to help doctors identify patients who are at risk for serious illness.

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Babies and toddlers who need a tracheostomy – a tube surgically inserted into their windpipe to help relieve breathing problems – are at a high risk of accumulating fluid behind their eardrum when on a ventilator. That’s the conclusion of a new study, published in the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, by UT Southwestern head and neck surgeons. This buildup of fluid, called a middle ear effusion, can put them at risk for ear infections, hearing loss, and delays in speech and language development.

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Cedars-Sinai Cancer experts will present their latest advances in treatments and research at the American Association for Clinical Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2022 in New Orleans, April 8-13. They will share their innovations to improve the quality of patient care.

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Tumor biopsies are currently the most common tool for diagnosing lung cancer. However, according to a new paper published by the University of Kentucky and Manipal Academy of Higher Education, there is evidence that liquid biopsies – obtained from a blood sample – have the potential to replace tumor biopsies that require patients to undergo a surgical procedure.

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For the first time at Northwestern Medicine, surgeons have successfully performed a double-lung transplant on a patient with terminal lung cancer. The patient, 54-year-old Albert Khoury of Chicago, is a non-smoker who was diagnosed with lung cancer at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Six months after his transplant, Khoury’s new lungs are working well, and he currently has no signs of cancer left in his body, giving hope to other patients with advanced stages of this deadly disease.

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The $5.8 million center at Texas Biomed is one of the inaugural Interdisciplinary NexGen TB Research Advancement Centers (IN-TRAC) funded by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

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The lower airways of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) have unique biochemical features that correlate with the complex communities of lung bacteria typical of this disease, according to a multicenter study led by researchers from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. These findings offer insights into the underlying biological mechanisms driving infection and inflammation in the CF lungs, and may help develop novel targeted therapies and more precise diagnostics to improve the care of children with CF.

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A multicenter research team co-led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center developed the first drug to treat the uncontrolled secretion of mucins in the airways, which causes potentially life-threatening symptoms in millions of Americans with common lung diseases.

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Engineers and scientists have developed proof of concept for a robot that can reach some of the smallest bronchial tubes in the lungs - to take tissue samples or deliver cancer therapy.

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In support of World TB Day, March 24, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), of which the American Thoracic Society is a founding member, calls on the tuberculosis community to challenge ourselves to think differently, champion science and embrace evidence-based innovation if we are to end TB.

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Millions of athletes worldwide have been wrestling with the challenges of working out under stay-at-home orders and evolving COVID-19 mandates and concerned about wearing a face mask if training in public or outside.

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UC San Diego study shows neuroendocrine cells in the lungs drive a developmental lung disease, and a similar brain-lung interaction may contribute to COVID-19 symptoms. The findings suggest neuropeptides may be a promising therapeutic target for conditions with excess lung fluid.

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Wellinks®, a digital health care company offering the first-ever integrated, virtual Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) management solution, today announced results from a study that found that older adults with COPD were highly engaged and satisfied with Wellinks.

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A Yale Cancer Center research team has identified novel oncogenic gene fusions in lung and pancreatic cancer, as well as sarcoma.

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A Johns Hopkins Children’s Center-led study in animals suggests that high doses of a widely used antibiotic called rifampin may safely treat and reduce the duration of treatment for the deadliest form of tuberculosis that affects the brain.

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The ATS 2022 International Conference Program is now live! After two years of virtual conferences, ATS 2022 promises to bring you a dynamic, expansive offering of scientific content in pulmonary, critical care and sleep. Join us in San Francisco, California starting May 13*.

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A small black lump, about an inch or so in width, rests­ on the bottom of a sealed plastic container. It doesn’t look like much ­­– in fact, it doesn’t look like anything. But this little black lump has untold potential, full of secrets for the researchers at Kentucky Research Alliance for Lung Disease (K-RALD) to discover about the pandemic that has ravaged the world for more than two years.

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Some patients with severe COVID-19 who are treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) may experience significant lung recovery and return to normal lives with “meaningful” long-term outcomes.

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Don't miss these articles in our Staff Picks channel

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Investigators at Cedars-Sinai have identified a potential new therapy for COVID-19: a biologic substance created by reengineered human skin cells.

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A real-time electronic decision support system helped clinicians at community hospitals provide best practice care for emergency department patients with pneumonia, resulting in decreased intensive care unit admission, more appropriate antibiotic use, and 38% lower overall mortality according to a new study by researchers at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City.

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Today, the American Thoracic Society joined the chorus of voices worldwide condemning the violence in Ukraine.

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Researchers found a unique immune cell plays a key role in the chronic inflammation and scarring in the lungs and skin of people with scleroderma, or systemic sclerosis. After injecting mice with biodegradable PLG nanoparticles, which are used in medical sutures, researchers found that the nanoparticles specifically targeted these inflammatory cells and prevented skin and lung fibrosis. Researchers say it's a promising step towards targeted treatment for patients with early scleroderma.

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Nirsevimab showed 74.5 percent efficacy against medically attended lower respiratory tract infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in healthy infants, according to an international, randomised, placebo-controlled Phase 3 clinical trial. It is the first potential immunization against RSV in the general infant population, with a single dose providing safe protection across the entire RSV season. Results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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In the latest update to the pulmonary function tests technical standard series, the American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society address the uncertainty around the interpretation of the tests which are essential in determining the extent of respiratory dysfunction. The update was recently published in the European Respiratory Journal ahead of a planned webinar series by the ATS.

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Approximately 23,700 children in the U.S. undergo invasive mechanical ventilation for acute respiratory failure annually. Although most survive, little is known if they have worse long-term neurocognitive function than children who do not undergo such procedures. There are concerns about neurotoxic effects of critical illness and its treatment on the developing brain. Therefore, infants and young children may be uniquely susceptible to adverse neurocognitive outcomes after invasive mechanical ventilation.

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An analysis of data from 1,480 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in March 2020 at 57 U.S. hospitals is one of the few studies conducted in diverse, multicenter patient populations that describes patients’ illness trajectory, patterns of organ failure, therapies and clinical outcomes.

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E-cigarette vapers and hookah smokers are more than twice as likely to exhale particles through their nose compared with cigarette smokers, who favor exhaling the emissions from their mouth, a new study shows. The finding makes it plausible that the former group is at risk for inflammation and cancers of the nose, sinuses, and throat, conditions seen less often in cigarette smokers, according to the study authors.