Feature Channels: Respiratory Diseases and Disorders

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In a major breakthrough an international team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol, has potentially identified what makes SARS-CoV-2 highly infectious and able to spread rapidly in human cells. The findings, published in Science today [20 October] describe how the virus’s ability to infect human cells can be reduced by inhibitors that block a newly discovered interaction between virus and host, demonstrating a potential anti-viral treatment.

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One way CBD appears to reduce the "cytokine storm" that damages the lungs and kills many patients with COVID-19 is by enabling an increase in levels of a natural peptide called apelin, which is known to reduce inflammation and whose levels are dramatically reduced in the face of this storm.

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Like a cold front that moves in, setting the stage for severe weather, coronavirus infection triggers showers of infection-fighting immune molecules - showers that sometimes escalate into a chaotic immune response known as a cytokine storm.

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The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) issued a new Call to Action report detailing the risks of co-infection with influenza (flu) and COVID-19 in adults with chronic health conditions, and the importance of flu vaccination during the 2020-2021 season.

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In a new article published in Nature Communications, Moffitt Cancer Center researcher demonstrate how a deep learning model using positron emission tomography/computerized tomography radiomics can identify which non-small cell lung cancer patients may be sensitive to tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment and those who would benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

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Highlights from AJPH November issue.

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Researchers have developed a technique that uses ultrasound to provide non-invasive assessments of pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary edema. The technique has been shown to both quantify lung scarring and detect lung fluid in rats. A study on pulmonary edema in humans is under way.

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A new review suggests “heat-not-burn” tobacco devices may threaten cardiovascular health. The review is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology.

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Researchers from the Morgridge Institute for Research, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Albany Medical College have identified more than 200 molecular features that strongly correlate with COVID-19 severity, offering insight into potential treatment options for those with advanced disease.

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The raging lung inflammation that can contribute to death from the flu can be stopped in its tracks by a drug derived from a naturally occurring human protein, a new animal study suggests.

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The College of American Pathologists (CAP) has appointed Alain C. Borczuk, MD, FCAP, chief of thoracic pathology and professor of pathology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, to serve as editor-in-chief of CAP’s peer-reviewed publication, Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

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A new study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society examines ways to increase the use of prone positioning for patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and develops specific implementation strategies that can assist in clinicians’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prone positioning has been shown to reduce mortality related to severe ARDS, yet most patients with ARDS—up to 85 percent—do not receive this lifesaving therapy.

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Babies born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy are more likely to suffer from impaired lung development. They are also more susceptible to developing lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

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In some patients who died with severe COVID-19 and respiratory failure, a jelly was formed in the lungs. Researchers have now established what the active agent in the jelly is and thanks to that, this new discovery can now be the key to new effective therapies. This according to a new study at Umeå University, Sweden.

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New research findings contradict statements linking wearing face masks to carbon dioxide poisoning by trapping CO2. During the COVID-19 pandemic the wearing of face masks has become a highly political issue with some individuals falsely claiming that wearing face masks may be putting people’s health at risk. The study published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society shows otherwise.

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Today, the ATS Research Program announced three research grant opportunities with support from 4DMedical, a global medical technology company with a focus on lung health. With a total grant support of $150,000, each of the three $50,000 grants will fund research in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder or COPD, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or IPF.

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It started on the tennis court, in 2016. A lunge for the ball, an awkward fall, and then sore ribs with subsequent backhands. At least that's what Martin Snyder thought was the cause of his pain. He was wrong. An X-ray and further imaging over the ensuing weeks revealed that the slim and fit psychotherapist, then 73, had mesothelioma, a rare cancer usually caused by asbestos exposure.

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Early results of an experimental vaping study have shown significant lung injury from E-cigarette (eC) devices with nickel-chromium alloy heating elements. The findings were consistent, with or without the use of nicotine, vitamin E oil or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which have previously been thought to contribute to the life-threatening respiratory problem.

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Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a cellular pathway that can be targeted with a naturally occurring drug to stimulate lung tissue regeneration, which is necessary for recovery from multiple lung injuries. The findings, which were published today in Nature Cell Biology, could lead to better therapies for patients with lung disease, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19.

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Today, on World Lung Day (WLD), the American Thoracic Society is united with members of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) and WLD partner organizations to advocate for respiratory health globally and call for more research to prevent, detect and treat respiratory infections.

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Según una investigación de Mayo Clinic en la que participaron 667 pacientes que recibieron trasplante pulmonar entre el 2005 y el 2018, los medicamentos antimicóticos preventivos reducen a la mitad el riesgo de mortalidad en el primer año luego del trasplante de pulmón.

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In a new study, researchers at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) report that a protein called TL1A drives fibrosis in several mouse models, triggering tissue remodeling, and making it harder for lungs and airways to function normally.

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Just 12 hours after undergoing a double-lung transplant, 70-year-old Francisco Medellin was sitting up in a chair pushing bike pedals – a seemingly simple act that was the culmination of hard work by a dedicated multidisciplinary team from McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

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Researchers have identified two antibodies that protect mice against lethal infections of influenza B virus, report scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Together with an antibody that targets the other major kind of influenza viruses that infect people — influenza A — these antibodies potentially could form the basis of a broad-spectrum flu drug that could treat almost all flu cases.

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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues with no end in sight, the annual flu season emerges once again. Cases of the flu have already begun to surface around the nation, and there are some reports of co-infection with COVID-19. Johns Hopkins Medicine experts say now is the time to take action to fight against the flu. Doctors recommend that everyone age 6 months and older get the flu vaccine each year to prevent infection from the virus or reduce the severity of the illness.

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Antifungal preventive medications reduce mortality risk by half in the first year following lung transplantation, according to Mayo Clinic research involving 667 patients who received lung transplants from 2005 to 2018.

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The ATS Research Program is pleased to announce a new one-year grant supporting sarcoidosis research. The award by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals provides $50,000 in funding.

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UCLA researchers and colleagues who analyzed electronic health records found that there was a significant increase in patients with coughs and acute respiratory failure at UCLA Health hospitals and clinics beginning in late December 2019, suggesting that COVID-19 may have been circulating in the area months before the first definitive cases in the U.S. were identified. This sudden spike in patients with these symptoms, which continued through February 2020, represents an unexpected 50% increase in such cases when compared with the same time period in each of the previous five years.

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September’s Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month shares crucial realities and insights about the rare disease, its symptoms and helpful resources provided by the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation to educate the public about this devastating disease which impacts over 200,000 Americans.

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Today, the CDC released data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey showing that in 2020, 20 percent of high school students and nearly 5 percent of middle school students used e-cigarettes. Most concerning, the data shows that among youth e-cigarette users, 38.9 percent of high school students and 20 percent of middle school students reported using e-cigarettes on 20 or more of the past 30 days; 22.5 percent of high school users and 9.4 percent of middle school users reported daily use.

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The ATS Research Program is pleased to announce the new ATS/CSL Behring Research Award in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome or ARDS. The award will provide $50,000 in funding for one year.

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Scientists review macrophage activation syndrome -- a feature of the cytokine storm that kills patients with severe cases of COVID-19, as well as possible treatments.

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This virtual event will explore the science and safety of air care products

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Wildfires are becoming more common and severe due to climate change and warmer and drier conditions in the West. As wildfire season rages in the United States, people are also at increased risk for COVID-19 infection due to wildfire smoke.

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A team of LSU Health New Orleans radiologists investigated the usefulness of chest x-rays in COVID-19 and found they could aid in a rapid diagnosis of the disease, especially in areas with limited testing capacity or delayed test results. Their findings are published in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, available here.

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In new research published in Nature Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center immunologist Dan H. Barouch, MD, PhD, and colleagues demonstrated that the optimal vaccine elicited robust immune response in Syrian golden hamsters and prevented severe clinical disease — including weight loss, pneumonia and death.

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Two UC San Diego School of Medicine-led analyses report that e-cigarettes are not effective in helping adults to quit smoking.

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COVID-19 comorbidities feature elevated levels of the extracellular protease plasmin. Plasmin is able to nick proteins at furin sites. This can increase viral infectivity, including SARS and MERS — the two coronaviruses that are related to the COVID-19 virus. COVID-19 has a spike protein furin site.

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As countries around the world race to develop a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, researchers are working to understand exactly how it causes the myriad of symptoms that seem to linger long after active viral infection.

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Panelists will discuss topics such as the announcement of FDA approval for convalescent plasma, production and deployment of a vaccine, and the latest in treatment protocols and survival rates.

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The findings, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, underscore need to get a flu shot early, the lead researcher says.

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The American Thoracic Society (ATS), European Respiratory Society (ERS) and International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) are dedicated to improving health around the globe, with ATS and ERS achieving this goal by advancing research, patient care and public health in pulmonary diseases, while ISEE advances research on environment and health.

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Most pulmonary nodules prove harmless. But in some cases, they can be a sign of lung cancer. Learn how doctors find, test and – if necessary – remove nodules from the lungs.

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As COVID-19 continues to impact the world, health care professionals are finding more patients who were diagnosed with the illness but still are dealing with symptoms long after the initial infection has gone. This condition is sometimes referred to as “long COVID.”