Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Respiratory / Asthma News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/asthma-respiratory/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170162.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170162.php Rhode Island Hospital has received an $11 million grant to fund research that will lead to a general understanding of stem cell biology and identify unique approaches to tissue regeneration in lung and marrow diseases. The 5-year grant, awarded to Peter Quesenberry, MD, director of hematology/oncology at Rhode Island Hospital, also provides funding for the development of a major stem cell research center at Rhode Island Hospital. Stem Cell Research Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170110.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170110.php Antibiotic over-prescription is promoted by pediatricians' perception of parents' expectations. Research published in the open access journal BMC Pediatrics shows that pediatricians are more likely to inappropriately prescribe antibiotics for respiratory tract infections if they perceived parents were expecting a prescription. Pediatrics / Children's Health Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170149.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170149.php David Koos, Chairman and CEO of Entest BioMedical, Inc. (OTCBB: ENTB), stated that the Company's unique treatments for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), currently in development, can lead to substantial revenue opportunities. According to Koos, "Current treatment for COPD is aimed at improving quality of life, not curing the illness. It is Entest's goal to reverse the damage from COPD. Respiratory / Asthma Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170125.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170125.php Infants who are exposed to higher levels of air pollution are at increased risk for bronchiolitis, according to a new study. The study appears in the November 15 issue of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. "There has been very little study of the consequences of early life exposure to air pollution," said Catherine Karr, M.D. Respiratory / Asthma Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170123.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170123.php The ATS has issued an official statement that outlines the Society's position on research, training, education, patient care and advocacy. The statement, which appears in the November 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, also makes specific recommendations on how elements of the organization can make these policies a part of new and ongoing projects. Lee K. Brown, M.D. Respiratory / Asthma Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169999.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169999.php The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has renewed the contract to continue studying asthma in children living in lower-income, inner-city environments. Respiratory / Asthma Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170001.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170001.php Patients experiencing septic shock who receive inappropriate therapy may have a fivefold reduction in survival, shows a new study. Researchers from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, retrospectively reviewed the cases of 5,715 patients with septic shock to determine the appropriateness of initial antimicrobial therapy, clinical infection site, and relevant pathogens. Immune System / Vaccines Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170002.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170002.php New research shows that during natural menstrual cycles, women with asthma who were not taking oral contraceptives (OC) had lower exhaled nitric oxide levels (eNO), a marker of airway inflammation associated with asthma, than women who were taking OC. Researchers from McMaster University in Hamilton, ON, Canada, studied 17 women with asthma during their menstrual cycles. Respiratory / Asthma Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170003.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170003.php New research shows that the widely used pain reliever acetaminophen may be associated with an increased risk of asthma and wheezing in both children and adults exposed to the drug. Researchers from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, conducted a systematic review and metaanalysis of 19 clinical studies (total subjects=425,140) that compared the risk of asthma or wheezing with acetaminophen exposure. Pain / Anesthetics Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169988.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169988.php Aeolus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTCBB: AOLS) reported that researchers from National Jewish Health and McGill University have completed a series of preliminary studies demonstrating that AEOL 10150 protects lungs from chlorine gas exposure in mice. There are currently no effective treatments for chlorine gas exposure and AEOL 10150 is a major focus of a sponsored research grant awarded by the NIH CounterAct program to National Jewish Health to identify an effective treatment. Respiratory / Asthma Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169982.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169982.php New study results showed that 42.3 percent of smokers with mild-to-moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who took CHANTIX/CHAMPIX® (varenicline) were able to quit smoking and remain abstinent during the last four weeks of treatment (weeks 9-12) compared with 8.8 percent of those given placebo (p Smoking / Quit Smoking Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170018.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170018.php Researchers in Australia have identified a link between allergic asthma in 3 to 5 year-old children and exposure to folic acid that their birth mothers took as supplements during late pregnancy. They said the timing of when folic acid is taken in pregnancy might be important. Pregnancy / Obstetrics Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169958.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169958.php Heavy traffic corridors in the cities of Long Beach and Riverside are responsible for a significant proportion of preventable childhood asthma, and the true impact of air pollution and ship emissions on the disease has likely been underestimated, according to researchers at the University of Southern California (USC). Water - Air Quality / Agriculture Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169946.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169946.php Osteoporosis Linked to Bronchiectasis (#8660) Patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis may have a high incidence of osteopenia and osteoporosis. Researchers from Scott & White Hospital and Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine in Texas reviewed the records of 113 patients admitted to the hospital with acute exacerbation of bronchiectasis. The mean age of the patients was 63 years, 76 percent were Caucasian, and 70 percent were women. Respiratory / Asthma Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169947.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169947.php Increasing Number of ICU Patients Discharged Home (#8592) An increasing number of patients in the ICU are being discharged home instead of being admitted to a step-down unit. Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY, analyzed data collected from ICU patients discharged home over a 4-year period. During the study, 33 patients, or 1.4 percent of all discharged patients, were discharged home with increasing frequency from year 2 to 4. Respiratory / Asthma Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169948.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169948.php Air Pollution Major Factor in Fresno Health (#8164) Air pollution is a major health risk for patients in Fresno, CA, who suffer from chronic lung diseases. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, Fresno compared the weekly rates of those admitted to the ER with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with air pollution indices for corresponding weeks. Respiratory / Asthma Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169874.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169874.php Health experts from the Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK (ABH), a National Hajj specific organisation express their grave concern about the safety and wellbeing of over 25,000 British Hajj pilgrims who will start travelling from next week to join more than 2 million people from all over the world to perform the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Swine Flu Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169890.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169890.php An article published Online First and in a future edition of The Lancet reports that when on-demand radiographs are dictated by the patient's clinical status, the number of radiographs carried out is a third less, without compromising patient care or safety. Current guidelines recommend routine daily chest radiographs for mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units. Radiology / Nuclear Medicine Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169813.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169813.php To mark the first World Pneumonia Day, Inter Press Service examines how vaccines and other strategies can be used to combat the disease, which kills more children under age 5 each year "than measles, malaria, and AIDS combined, according to the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169767.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169767.php Zinc Deficiency May Contribute to Allergic Asthma (#8362) Zinc deficiency may play a role in the development of extrinsic or allergic asthma. Researchers from India evaluated serum zinc levels and absolute eosinophil count in 96 cases of asthma (61 patients had intrinsic asthma and 35 had extrinsic asthma). Patients who suffered from any comorbid illness were excluded from the study. Respiratory / Asthma Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169768.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169768.php Responders to the 2001 World Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attacks, who were exposed to caustic dust and toxic pollutants following the 9/11 disaster, suffer from asthma at a rate more than twice that of the general US population, according to new research presented at CHEST 2009, the 75th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP). Respiratory / Asthma Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169748.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169748.php A University of Adelaide study may have shed light on the rise in childhood asthma in developed countries like Australia in recent decades. Researchers from the University's Robinson Institute have identified a link between folic acid supplements taken in late pregnancy and allergic asthma in children aged between 3 and 5 years, suggesting that the timing of supplementation in pregnancy is important. Respiratory / Asthma Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169754.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169754.php First responders who were exposed to caustic dust and toxic pollutants following the 2001 World Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attacks suffer from asthma at more than twice the rate of the general U.S. population, according to data presented by Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers at CHEST 2009, the 75th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), in San Diego. Respiratory / Asthma Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169755.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169755.php Scientists in Belgium have successfully differentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESC) into major cell types of lung epithelial tissue using a convenient air-liquid interface. The technique, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Respiratory Research, could provide an alternative to lung transplants for patients with lung injury due to chronic pulmonary disease and inherited genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis. Stem Cell Research Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169762.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169762.php Children With Asthma May Benefit From Reduction in Daily Steroids (#9114) Children with status asthmaticus, those who experience prolonged and serious asthma attacks, may safely be able to reduce their daily corticosteroid dose. Researchers from Kosair Children's Hospital in Kentucky conducted before and after chart reviews of 292 patients younger than 18 years who were hospitalized with status asthmaticus. Respiratory / Asthma