Feature Channels: Respiratory Diseases and Disorders

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13-May-2013 1:00 PM EDT
OSA is Associated with Less Visceral Fat Accumulation in Women than Men
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

A new study from researchers in Japan indicates that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is independently associated with visceral (abdominal) fat accumulation only in men, perhaps explaining gender differences in the impact of OSA on cardiovascular disease and mortality.

13-May-2013 1:00 PM EDT
Study Finds COPD is Over-Diagnosed among Uninsured Patients
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

More than 40 percent of patients being treated for COPD at a federally funded clinic did not have the disease, researchers found after evaluating the patients with spirometry, the diagnostic “gold standard” for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

13-May-2013 1:00 PM EDT
Race and Gender Influence Diagnosis of COPD
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

African-Americans are less likely than whites and women are more likely than men to have had a prior diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) regardless of their current disease severity, according to a new study.

16-May-2013 7:00 PM EDT
Shorter Duration Steroid Therapy May Offer Similar Effectiveness In Reducing COPD Exacerbations
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Among patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) requiring hospital admission, a 5-day glucocorticoid treatment course was non-inferior (not worse than) to a 14-day course with regard to re-exacerbation during 6 months of follow-up, according to a study published online by JAMA.

16-May-2013 7:00 PM EDT
Genetic Variation Among Patients With Pulmonary Fibrosis Associated With Improved Survival
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Variation in the gene MUC5B among patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was associated with improved survival, according to a study published online by JAMA. The study is being released early online to coincide with its presentation at the American Thoracic Society international conference.

17-May-2013 9:00 AM EDT
Adenoid-Tonsil Surgery Improves Outcomes for Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Children with obstructive sleep apnea who had a common surgery to remove their adenoids and tonsils had notable improvements in behavior, quality of life and other symptoms compared to those treated with “watchful waiting.”

13-May-2013 1:00 PM EDT
Study Shows COPD Is Associated with Significant and Persistent Pain
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

ATS 2013, PHILADELPHIA – Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is primarily associated with the respiratory symptoms that are its hallmark, but in fact, patients who struggle with the disease also experience significant amounts of chronic pain. A new study conducted by researchers in Pennsylvania and New Mexico estimates the degree of pain suffered by these patients to be close to that experienced by patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

13-May-2013 1:00 PM EDT
Inflammation Is Associated with Depression in COPD Patients
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Depression is common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and has been linked with disease severity and impaired quality of life. Now, for the first time, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have linked the systemic inflammation associated with COPD with depression in these patients.

13-May-2013 1:00 PM EDT
Antibiotic Therapy Appears Beneficial for Patients with COPD
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Extended use of a common antibiotic may prolong the time between hospitalizations for patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a post-hoc analysis of a multicenter study which compared the hospitalization rates of patients treated with a 12-month course of azithromycin to the rates of those treated with placebo.

13-May-2013 1:00 PM EDT
Exercise Levels May Predict Hospitalizations in COPD Population
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Clinical measurement of physical activity appears to be an independent predictor of whether or not patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will end up being hospitalized, according to a new study conducted by researchers in Connecticut. The study also corroborates an earlier investigation that linked higher levels of inactivity with an increased incidence of hospitalizations among patients with COPD.

15-May-2013 10:00 AM EDT
Treatment with A1-PI Slows the Progression of Emphysema in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Treatment with an Alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor (A1-PI), a naturally occurring protein that protects lung tissue from breakdown and protects the lung’s elasticity, is effective in slowing the progression of emphysema in patients with Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), a life-threatening genetic disorder, according to a new study presented at the 2013 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

13-May-2013 1:00 PM EDT
Tiny, Implantable Coil Promises Hope for Emphysema Patients
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

ATS 2013, PHILADELPHIA ─ A small, easily implantable device called the Lung Volume Reduction Coil (LVRC) may play a key role in the treatment of two types of emphysema, according to a study conducted in Europe.

13-May-2013 1:00 PM EDT
Exposure to Traffic Pollution Increases Asthma Severity in Pregnant Women
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Air pollutants from traffic are associated with increased asthma severity levels in pregnant asthmatic women, according to a new study.

13-May-2013 1:00 PM EDT
Combined Wood and Tobacco Smoke Exposure Increases Risk and Symptoms of COPD
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

People who are consistently exposed to both wood smoke and tobacco smoke are at a greater risk for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and for experiencing more frequent and severe symptoms of the disease, as well as more severe airflow obstruction, than those who are exposed to only one type of smoke, according to the results of a new population-based study conducted by researchers in Colombia.

13-May-2013 1:00 PM EDT
New Study Identifies Risk Factors for Depression among COPD Patients
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) typically suffer from depression more frequently than those without COPD, resulting in higher levels of disability and illness and increasing the overall healthcare burden for the COPD population. Now, a study from researchers in Argentina indicates female COPD patients and patients who experience significant shortness of breath may have the greatest risk for developing depression.

13-May-2013 1:00 PM EDT
Stress Test May Help Predict Increased Mortality Risk in Sleep Apnea Patients
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Many studies have shown that men and women who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) - a disorder that causes breathing to halt intermittently during sleep – have a higher mortality rate than those who do not have the disorder. Now, a study from researchers at the Cleveland Clinic shows that OSA patients who also have poor functional capacity have an even greater risk of mortality and suggests that an assessment of functional capacity in this population can help physicians identify patients most at risk for death.

7-May-2013 3:30 PM EDT
Allergic Disease Worsens COPD Symptoms and Exacerbations
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who also have allergic disease have higher levels of respiratory symptoms and are at higher risk for COPD exacerbations, according to a new study from researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

29-Apr-2013 10:45 AM EDT
ATS Publishes Clinical Practice Guidelines on Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

The American Thoracic Society has released new official clinical practice guidelines on the diagnosis and management of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), the acute airway narrowing that occurs as a result of exercise.

15-Apr-2013 4:25 PM EDT
Gene Study Helps Understand Pulmonary Fibrosis
University of Chicago Medical Center

A study of the genomes of more than 1,500 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis found multiple genetic associations with the disease. One variant in a gene called TOLLIP was linked to an increase in the risk of death. This finding suggests that an abnormal immune response to infectious agents or environmental injury may be central to the disease.

9-Apr-2013 10:00 AM EDT
Asbestos Exposure, Asbestosis, and Smoking Combined Greatly Increase Lung Cancer Risk
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

The chances of developing lung cancer associated with asbestos exposure, asbestosis and smoking are dramatically increased when these three risk factors are combined, and quitting smoking significantly reduces the risk of developing lung cancer after long-term asbestos exposure, according to a new study.

Released: 11-Apr-2013 9:00 AM EDT
ACOEM Campaign Helps Employers Address Chronic Lung Disease
American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM)

As part of its awareness campaign to address chronic disease in the workplace, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine is providing tools to help employers identify and respond to the impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on worker health and productivity.

Released: 8-Apr-2013 11:00 AM EDT
New Mayo Software Identifies and Stratifies Risk Posed by Lung Nodules
Mayo Clinic

A multidisciplinary team of researchers at Mayo Clinic has developed a new software tool to noninvasively characterize pulmonary adenocarcinoma, a common type of cancerous nodule in the lungs. Results from a pilot study of the computer-aided nodule assessment and risk yield (CANARY) are published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

21-Mar-2013 8:00 PM EDT
Azithromycin May Provide Benefit for Treatment of Respiratory Disorder
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Among patients with the lung disorder non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, treatment with the antibiotic azithromycin resulted in improvement in symptoms but also increased the risk of antibiotic resistance.

21-Mar-2013 8:00 PM EDT
Antibiotic May Provide Benefit for Treatment of Respiratory Disorder
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Among patients with the lung disorder non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, treatment with the antibiotic erythromycin resulted in improvement in symptoms but also increased the risk of antibiotic resistance, according to a study appearing in the March 27 issue of JAMA.

22-Mar-2013 9:00 AM EDT
Vitamin D Benefits Breathing in Tuberculosis Patients
Endocrine Society

Maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D can help people breathe better and may even protect against tuberculosis (TB), according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). The study of more than 10,000 Korean adults found that lung function improved when people had absorbed more vitamin D into their bodies.

Released: 21-Mar-2013 12:50 PM EDT
Researchers Discover Possible Treatment for Incurable Lung Disease
University of Alabama at Birmingham

UAB investigators have found a new pathway that contributes to an often fatal lung disease with no cure and no effective treatments, and possibly a way to shut that pathway down.

Released: 20-Mar-2013 12:55 PM EDT
AMGA Releases Best Practices in Managing Patients with COPD Compendium
American Medical Group Association (AMGA)

The American Medical Group Association (AMGA) today announced the release of the Best Practices in Managing Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Compendium.

Released: 14-Mar-2013 10:30 AM EDT
Will Having One Lung Limit Pope Francis?
Loyola Medicine

A pulmonologist explains why a person can function normally on one lung.

5-Mar-2013 10:00 AM EST
Outdoor Heat Increases Respiratory Hospitalization Risk in Elderly
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Outdoor heat is associated with a significantly increased risk of emergency hospitalization for respiratory disorders in the elderly, according to a large epidemiological study of more than 12.5 million Medicare beneficiaries.

Released: 25-Feb-2013 1:45 PM EST
Tweaking Gene Expression to Repair Lungs
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

A healthy lung has some capacity to regenerate itself like the liver. In COPD, these reparative mechanisms fail. HDAC therapies may be useful for COPD, as well as other airway diseases. The levels of HDAC2 expression and its activity are greatly reduced in COPD patients. Decreased HDAC activity may impair the ability of the lung epithelium to regenerate.

Released: 20-Feb-2013 3:25 PM EST
UAB First in U.S. To Test New Emphysema Procedure
University of Alabama at Birmingham

UAB treated the first patient in the nation in an experimental lung reduction procedure for emphysema.

15-Feb-2013 9:00 AM EST
Cancer Research, Environment and Climate Change, Nutrition, and Mental Health - Upcoming Newswise Theme Wires
Newswise

Newswise invites press release submissions from new and current members for inclusion in our Theme Wires on a variety of topics, including; Cancer Research, Environment and Climate Change, Nutrition, and Mental Health. Each wire is also open for sponsorships to promote your organization’s campaign, product, service, or news.

       
14-Feb-2013 4:00 PM EST
Lung Researchers Create New Air Sacs In Mouse Model Of Emphysema Using A Novel Growth Factor
Johns Hopkins Medicine

In a study of mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified a new molecular pathway involved in the growth of tiny air sacs called alveoli that are crucial for breathing. The scientists say their experiments may lead to the first successful treatments to regrow the air sacs in people who suffer from diseases such as emphysema in which the air sacs have been destroyed by years of smoking. The work may also suggest new therapy for premature infants born before their lungs are fully developed.

5-Feb-2013 10:00 AM EST
Bronchiectasis Increases Mortality Risk in Moderate-to-Severe COPD
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Bronchiectasis is independently associated with an increased mortality risk in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD, according to a new study from researchers in Spain.

Released: 23-Jan-2013 11:00 AM EST
Scientists Identify New Strategy to Fight Deadly Infection in Cystic Fibrosis
Ohio State University

New research suggests that lowering excessive levels of a protein in immune system cells could be a strategy to clear an infection that is deadly to patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Released: 23-Jan-2013 9:00 AM EST
Smoking Cessation More Successful for Cancer Patients Who Quit Before Surgery
Moffitt Cancer Center

Lung and head and neck cancer patients who smoked before surgery are more likely to relapse than those who had quit before surgery, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers say. They found that smoking-relapse prevention interventions are needed immediately after surgery to help prevent relapse.

15-Jan-2013 11:00 AM EST
Severity of Emphysema Predicts Mortality
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Severity of emphysema, as measured by computed tomography (CT), is a strong independent predictor of all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality in ever-smokers with or without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study from researchers in Norway.

7-Jan-2013 10:05 AM EST
Researchers Foresee New Treatments and Diagnostics for Deadly Fibrotic Diseases of the Lung, Liver, and Kidney
Mount Sinai Health System

A team of scientists has developed a playbook for ending the devastating impact of fibrotic diseases of the liver, lung, kidney, and other organs, which are responsible for as many as 45 percent of all deaths in the industrialized world.

Released: 26-Nov-2012 12:45 PM EST
UCLA Performs First 'Breathing Lung' Transplant in United States
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Experimental technology could transform field of lung transplantation.

19-Nov-2012 5:00 PM EST
Drugs Limiting Excess Mucus Could Save Lives
Washington University in St. Louis

Respiratory conditions that restrict breathing such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common killers worldwide. But no effective treatments exist to address the major cause of death in these conditions – excess mucus production. Now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have described the molecular pathway responsible for excess mucus in airway cells and have used that information to design a series of new drugs that inhibit that pathway.

13-Nov-2012 11:00 AM EST
Mechanism of Breathing Muscle 'Paralysis' in Dreaming Sleep Identified
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

A novel brain mechanism mediating the inhibition of the critical breathing muscles during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep has been identified for the first time in a new study.

6-Nov-2012 10:25 AM EST
Respiratory Symptoms Vary According to Stage of Menstrual Cycle
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Respiratory symptoms vary significantly during different stages of the menstrual cycle, with higher frequencies during the mid-luteal to mid-follicular stages, according to a new study.

Released: 1-Nov-2012 1:30 PM EDT
UAB First in Nation to Test Experimental Therapy for Emphysema
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Researchers at UAB have performed the first U.S. trial of a foam sealant injected into the lungs.

23-Oct-2012 10:25 AM EDT
High-Risk Carotid Artery Plaque Formation is Increased in Older COPD Patients
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Older patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at increased risk for carotid artery plaque formation and for the presence of vulnerable plaques with a lipid core, according to a new study from researchers in the Netherlands.

24-Oct-2012 8:00 AM EDT
Sleep Apnea Can Reduce Severity of Cardiac Injury During a Heart Attack
Montefiore Health System

Study of cardiac patients found a cardioprotective role of sleep apnea during an acute Myocardial Infarction.

18-Oct-2012 5:30 PM EDT
Mechanical Ventilation at Lower Level Among Patients Without Lung Injury Linked with Better Outcomes
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Among patients without acute respiratory distress syndrome, protective mechanical ventilation with use of lower tidal volumes (the volume of air inhaled and exhaled during each breath) was associated with better outcomes including less lung injury, lower mortality, fewer pulmonary infections and a shorter hospital length of stay.

Released: 12-Oct-2012 8:30 AM EDT
Gene Test Flags Risk of Complications in Sarcoidosis
University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System

Researchers at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System have identified a genetic signature that distinguishes patients with complicated sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that can be fatal, from patients with a more benign form of the disease. The gene signature could become the basis for a simple blood test.

9-Oct-2012 10:45 AM EDT
Exposure to Traffic Air Pollution in Infancy Impairs Lung Function in Children
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Exposure to ambient air pollution from traffic during infancy is associated with lung function deficits in children up to eight years of age, particularly among children sensitized to common allergens, according to a new study.

Released: 8-Oct-2012 1:45 PM EDT
Poorer Lung Health Leads to Age-Related Changes in Brain Function
Ohio State University

Keeping the lungs healthy could be an important way to retain thinking functions that relate to problem-solving and processing speed in one’s later years, new research suggests.



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