Copyright 2012 Medical News TodayLatest Health News and Medical News posted throughout the day, every day.http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/asthma-respiratory/admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin)editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors)en-us Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241266.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241266.phpA Henry Ford Hospital study has found that using two types of common asthma medications in combination reduces severe asthma attacks. Researchers say using long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs) in fixed-dose combination with inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) appear to reduce asthma attacks as well as or better than corticosteroids alone...Respiratory / Asthma Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241276.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241276.phpMore and more people being cared for on ventilators are conscious during the treatment, but what is it like to be fully conscious without being able to communicate with the world around you? A thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has lifted the lid on a world of panic, breathlessness and unheard pain...Respiratory / Asthma Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241261.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241261.phpIMMUNOLOGY: How a stomach-colonizing bacterium protects against asthma The bacterium Helicobacter pylori can be found colonizing the stomach lining of almost half the world's population. Although persistent infection with Helicobacter pylori increases an individual's risk of developing stomach cancer, it also decreases their risk of developing asthma...Cancer / Oncology Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241192.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241192.phpBreastfeeding is associated with improved lung function at school age, particularly in children of asthmatic mothers, according to a new study from researchers in Switzerland and the UK...Respiratory / Asthma Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241235.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241235.phpA study by researchers in Switzerland and the UK reveals that breastfeeding is linked to enhanced lung function at school age, especially in children born to asthmatic mothers. The study is published online ahead of print publication in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Claudia E. Kuehni, M.D...Pediatrics / Children's Health Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241201.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241201.phpIf the proven long-term benefits of smoking cessation are not enough to motivate young adults to stop smoking, a new study shows that 18- to 24-year olds who stop smoking for at least two weeks report substantially fewer respiratory symptoms, especially coughing...Smoking / Quit Smoking Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241010.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241010.phpThe current system for allocating donated lungs based on proximity and not on need appears to decrease the potential benefits of lung transplantation and increase the number of patients who die waiting, researchers said at an annual meeting of thoracic surgeons in Fort Lauderdale, Fla...Transplants / Organ Donations Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241012.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241012.phpAn international research team may have found a way to block a second wave of death that can result from pneumonia treatment. Antibiotics are effective at killing pneumococcus - the cause of about 50 percent of pneumonias - but as it dies the bacterium releases potentially lethal toxins...Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241004.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241004.phpCould some cases of asthma actually be caused by an allergic reaction to a common environmental bacteria? New research findings published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that this idea may not be as far-fetched as it seems. In a research report appearing in the February 2012 print issue, researchers show a link between common environmental bacteria and airway inflammation...Respiratory / Asthma Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240962.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240962.php Among medical mysteries baffling many infectious disease experts is exactly how the deadly pneumonic plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, goes undetected in the first few day of lung infection, often until it's too late for medical treatment. New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine has opened a door to the answer. Researchers led by William E...Respiratory / Asthma Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240942.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240942.php A UK study revealed that the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) can accurately evaluate exacerbation severity in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The study is published online ahead of print publication in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Dr...COPD Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240935.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240935.phpAccording to a new Australian study published online before he print publication in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the lung clearance index (LCI) is a sensitive, non-invasive marker of early lung disease in young children with cystic fibrosis (CF)...Cystic Fibrosis Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240889.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240889.phpAn assay which measures the activity of 14 genes in lung cancer tumors can accurately predict who will respond well to surgery and who will probably die within five years, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, reported in The Lancet...Lung Cancer Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240887.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240887.php An international study of asthma, published in the early online version of the European Respiratory Journal, has for the first time, included the number of incidents caused by air pollution and shows that the costs for childhood asthma have risen sharply...Respiratory / Asthma Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240773.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240773.phpThe total cost of asthma due to traffic-related air pollution is much higher than previous estimates, according to new research. The study, published online ahead of print in the European Respiratory Journal, has revealed the true extent of the healthcare costs associated with living close to a busy road...Respiratory / Asthma Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240714.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240714.phpThe experience of daily positive affect -- a mild, happy feeling -- and self-affirmation helps some patients with chronic diseases, including coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and asthma, make better decisions about their health...Heart Disease Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240605.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240605.phpAccelerated growth in the first three months of life, but not fetal growth, is associated with an increased risk of asthma symptoms in young children, according to a new study from The Generation R Study Group at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands...Respiratory / Asthma Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240606.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240606.phpThere is no difference in early measures of pulmonary function, immunologic status or coagulation status after fresh versus standard issue single-unit red blood cell (RBC) transfusion, according to a new study from the Mayo Clinic. "Longer duration of RBC storage is thought to increase the risk of transfusion-related pulmonary complications," said Daryl J...Blood / Hematology Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240607.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240607.phpExtracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support in awake, non-intubated patients may be an effective strategy for bridging patients to lung transplantation, according to a new study from Germany. "As waiting times for donor organs continue to increase, so does the need for bridging strategies for patients with end-stage lung disease awaiting transplantation," said Marius M...Transplants / Organ Donations Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240616.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240616.phpOver many generations, people living in the high-altitude regions of the Andes or on the Tibetan Plateau have adapted to life in low-oxygen conditions. Living with such a distinct and powerful selective pressure has made these populations a textbook example of evolution in action, but exactly how their genes convey a survival advantage remains an open question...Respiratory / Asthma Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240641.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240641.phpA German Study published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine reveals that, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support in awake, non-intubated patients may be an effective approach for bridging patients to lung transplantation. Marius M...Respiratory / Asthma Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240495.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240495.phpFrom the cherry red tip of a lighted cigarette through the respiratory tract to vital lung cells, the havoc created by tobacco smoke seems almost criminal, activating genes and portions of the immune system to create inflammation that results in life-shortening emphysema, said researchers led by those at Baylor College of Medicine and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center...Smoking / Quit Smoking Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240477.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240477.php Two years ago, pharmaceutical giant, Roche, promised the BMJ to release key Tamiflu trial data for an independent investigation. However, Roche refuses to provide full access to all its data. According to a new report by the Cochrane Collaboration, Roche's refusal to provide access leaves critical concerns about how the drug works unresolved...Flu / Cold / SARS Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240410.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240410.phpGrant MacKenzie of the MRC Unit in The Gambia and colleagues describe in this week's PLoS Medicine how they set up a population-based surveillance system to assess the impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) on invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and radiological pneumonia in children in The Gambia...Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240401.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240401.phpWood-burning stoves are a popular source of heating in many countries. However in recent years there has been much debate about the potential negative health effects associated with wood smoke. A Norwegian researcher has studied the influence of combustion conditions on the emissions and their health effects. Wood-burning is controversial in many countries, including the USA and Canada...Public Health