Asthma A Significant Risk Factor For Complications In Children With H1N1

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171709.php

A new study on pediatric H1N1 influenza admissions has found that asthma is a significant risk factor for severe disease in children with pandemic H1N1 compared with the seasonal flu. The study (http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/rapidpdf/cmaj.091724), led by researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Ontario, is published online in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

A Risk Factor In Childhood Asthma Symptoms May Be Mother's Depression

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171714.php

Asthma symptoms can worsen in children with depressed mothers, according to research from Johns Hopkins Children's Center published online in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology.

Altair Therapeutics Announces Commencement Of A Multi-Center Phase IIa Clinical Trial Of Inhaled AIR645 To Treat Asthma

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171728.php

Altair Therapeutics, Inc., a privately-held, biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for respiratory diseases, announced the commencement of its IL-4 receptor alpha inhibitor bronchoprovocation trial. Study AIR645-CS2 is a phase 2, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of inhaled AIR645 in suppressing the asthmatic response in subjects with mild asthma.

American Nurses Association Backs New Report Describing Effects Of Coal Pollution On Health

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171666.php

The American Nurses Association (ANA) joined other health care groups to support the Physicians for Social Responsibility's (PSR) newly-released report, "Coal's Assault on Human Health." Registered nurses see the effects of coal-generated pollution on the health of newborns who have elevated mercury levels and on patients with lung or cardiac disease. The PSR report concludes that coal contributes to four of the top five causes of mortality in the U.S.

EFA Highlights The Urgent Need For Change And A Comprehensive European Strategy To Fight Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171579.php

The European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients Associations (EFA) today launched a book comparing and analysing the situation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in Europe for the first time from the patients' perspective. The Book highlights and urgent need to reduce the suffering and mortality from this disease, which will - if not tackled appropriately - be the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2030.

U-M Opens New Research Studies For Emphysema & Other COPD

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171588.php

Why do some smokers develop lung disease and others don't? And just how effective is supplemental oxygen therapy in treating patients with emphysema? The University of Michigan Health System will try to find out, through two new multi-center research studies that seek to improve diagnosis and treatment for millions of people affected by emphysema, chronic bronchitis and other lung diseases. Together, those conditions are known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

New Certified Reference Materials Offer Greater Certainty In Monitoring 3 Therapeutic Medications

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171543.php

To help bring greater certainty to the measurement of medication levels in a patient's bloodstream for three drugs with narrow therapeutic ranges, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is releasing new certified reference materials (CRMs).

Groups At High Risk Of H1N1 Influenza A Should Avoid Travelling To 2009 HAJJ

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171432.php

Some 2.5 million pilgrims are expected at holy sites in Saudi Arabia for the 2009 Hajj, expected to begin around November 25. To combat the threat posed by H1N1 influenza A, the Saudi Arabian Health Ministry has issued public health recommendations, including recommending groups at highest risk of contracting H1N1 postpone their pilgrimage to a later year when the threat is reduced.

Cells That Control Inflammation In Chronic Disease

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171389.php

A new type of immune cell that can be out of control in certain chronic inflammatory diseases, worsening the symptoms of conditions like psoriasis and asthma, is described for the first time this week in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Global Alliance For Chronic Diseases Announces Targets

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171348.php

The Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) on Monday outlined plans "to invest tens of millions of dollars in heart and lung disease studies in a battle against a global epidemic of chronic disease," over five years, Reuters reports.

Need For Emergency Airway Surgery For Hard-to-Intubate Patients Reduced

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171295.php

Be prepared, that old Boy Scout motto, is being applied with great success to operating room patients whose anatomy may make it difficult for physicians to help them breathe during surgery, Johns Hopkins researchers report in a new study. When patients undergo general anesthesia, they stop breathing on their own and anesthesiologists must quickly insert a tube into the airway as a first step in machine-assisted breathing.

Annals Of Allergy, Asthma And Immunology To Be Published By Elsevier

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171249.php

Elsevier is pleased to announce that beginning with Volume 104 (2010) it will assume publication of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the official journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI). The i>Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, published since 1942, will continue under the leadership of Editor Gailen D. Marshall, MD, PhD and a distinguished editorial board.

Aradigm Doses First Patient In Long-Term Phase 2 Study Of A Novel Inhaled Ciprofloxacin Formulation For The Management Of Respiratory Infections

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171241.php

Aradigm Corporation (OTCBB:ARDM) (the "Company") announced that the first patient was dosed in a 6-month, multicenter, international Phase 2 clinical trial of a novel version of inhaled ciprofloxacin (ARD-3150) in 40 adult patients with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial will be conducted in Australia and New Zealand.

Post-Discharge, Elevated Biomarkers Lead To Diminished Quality Of Life In Heart Attack Patients

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171121.php

Many heart attack patients have high levels of cardiac biomarkers in the blood for several months after leaving the hospital, with more shortness of breath and chest pain, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study. The study examined a subset of patients in a 4,500-patient heart attack registry from 24 24 U.S. hospitals and found: 9 percent had elevated levels of the biomarker troponin (TnT) after six months.

Smokers Urged To Have A Lung Function Test Following British Lung Foundation Survey

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171057.php

Almost three quarters (73%) of smokers and ex smokers have not had a lung function test despite 21% of this group experiencing symptoms of a chronic lung disease in the last 12 months according to a new survey released today by the British Lung Foundation, ahead of World COPD Day.

WHO Revises Clinical H1N1 Guidelines, Sends Antivirals To Some Hard-Hit Nations

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171008.php

On Thursday, the WHO issued revised guidance for the clinical management of H1N1 (swine) flu, the Associated Press reports.

New Research Shows Over-use Of Asthma Rescue Inhalers Substantially Reduced Through Pharmacist-initiated Physician Intervention

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170810.php

Research presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting shows that an intervention to reduce over-dispensing and waste of asthma medications can succeed without compromising patient safety and can result in substantial cost savings. Medco Health Solutions, Inc.

When Seconds Count: Interventional Radiology Treatment For Pulmonary Embolism Saves Lives

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170673.php

Catheter-directed therapy or catheter-directed thrombolysis--an interventional radiology treatment that uses targeted image-guided drug delivery with specially designed catheters to dissolve dangerous blood clots in the lungs--saves lives and should be considered a first-line treatment option for massive pulmonary embolism, note researchers in the November Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.

Swine Influenza Daily Update: 10 November 2009, Wales

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170667.php

The NPHS influenza surveillance scheme, which records reports of diagnoses of flu from more than 300 GP practices across Wales, shows that there has been a decrease in the rate of influenza consultations. Further detail can be found on the NPHS website. The report from 8 November estimates there were 57.

Dust Control Research Leads To A NIOSH Grant To Facilitate Adoption Of Hazard Controls

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170641.php

In the construction industry, respiratory disease, often leading to disability or an increased risk of cancer, is a major public health concern. Studies led by Deborah Young-Corbett, a faculty member in Virginia Tech's School of Construction, have shown that specific types of sanding tools are highly effective in reducing the dust that causes these health hazards, yet the industry's usage of the available technology remains very low.

Does Your Job Make You Itch And Wheeze?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170533.php

Occupational contact dermatitis and asthma are two of the most common work-related health issues facing workers worldwide, according to experts presenting the latest research at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Miami Beach, Fla. "In many countries, occupational contact dermatitis ranks first among occupational diseases," said Donald Belsito, M.D.

Cells Which Prevent The Development Of Asthma

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170534.php

According to the great paradigms of immunology, asthma, an allergic disease of the respiratory system, should always develop upon exposure to airborne antigens that are constantly being inhaled. However, the fact that 94 % of the Western population does not develop the disease suggests that as yet undefined mechanisms protect the respiratory tract from developing an allergic response.

American Lung Association Urges Full Coverage Of Clinically Proven Smoking Cessation Treatments

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170517.php

As the debate over health care reform dominates the media and political arena, a new American Lung Association report finds that states aren't doing enough to help smokers quit - and policymakers must fix this in the health care reform process.

Novavax Begins Phase IIa Study Of Seasonal Influenza Vaccine In Older Adults

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170519.php

Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX) has begun a Phase IIa clinical study of its trivalent seasonal influenza VLP vaccine candidate in healthy adults 60 years of age or older. This randomized, double-blind, active-controlled study is evaluating the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of two different doses of Novavax's trivalent seasonal influenza VLP vaccine compared with that of a commercially available trivalent inactivated vaccine (TIV, Fluzone®).

Swine Influenza Daily Update: 09 November 2009, Wales

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170492.php

The NPHS influenza surveillance scheme, which records reports of diagnoses of flu from more than 300 GP practices across Wales, shows that the increase in the rate of influenza consultations has stalled over the last week. Further detail can be found on the NPHS website. The report from 5 November estimates there were 60.