Lungs News and Research

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Smoking has increased enormously among the youngest

"Since 1970, campaigns against smoking seem to have been largely successful, but the message has not been able to reach the youngest ages," says professor Cecilie Svanes at Centre for International Health at The University of Bergen.

24 Aug 2018

Immune system prioritizes fighting lung infection rather than wound healing

The innate immune response to lung infection takes priority at the expense of wound healing, according to a study published August 23 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by a team of researcher at Brown University led by Amanda Jamieson.

24 Aug 2018

UAB receives NIH grant to continue evaluation of new medication for IPF

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health totaling $8.9 million to fund a multiyear program evaluating the role of a new medication in a clinical trial for patients suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

24 Aug 2018

Natural enzyme found in the human lungs can biodegrade graphene

Graphene Flagship partners discovered that a natural human enzyme can biodegrade graphene. These findings could have great implications in the development of graphene-based biomedical devices.

23 Aug 2018

Neonatal immune system starts to change dramatically in response to bacteria, viruses

As soon as a baby is born, its immune system starts to change dramatically in response to the bacteria, viruses and so forth in its new environment, a phenomenon that is common to all babies, researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden write in a paper published in Cell.

23 Aug 2018

Scientists demonstrate rapid immune system development in newborn babies

Using new analytical techniques, researchers have shown for the first time the dramatic development of the human immune system after birth.

23 Aug 2018

Scientists review mechanisms responsible for vascular damage from air pollution

Air pollution, and fine dust in particular, is responsible for more than four million deaths each year. Almost 60 per cent of deaths occur as a result of cardiovascular diseases.

22 Aug 2018

Scientists discover peptides that can be used as new antibiotic candidates

The human body produces many antimicrobial peptides that help the immune system fend off infection. Scientists hoping to harness these peptides as potential antibiotics have now discovered that other peptides in the human body can also have potent antimicrobial effects, expanding the pool of new antibiotic candidates.

21 Aug 2018

Temple University Hospital becomes the first in U.S. to perform BLVR using Zephyr valve

Temple University Hospital has become the first U.S. center to perform bronchoscopic lung volume reduction using implantation of the Zephyr Endobronchial Valve to treat severe emphysema following U.S. FDA approval.

21 Aug 2018

Blood management program associated with fewer transfusions in orthopedic patients

A patient blood management program designed to limit the amount of transfused blood orthopedic patients undergoing common surgeries such as hip and knee replacement receive was associated with fewer transfusions, reduced blood use and improved outcomes, reports a study published in the Online First edition of Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

20 Aug 2018

New project to combat DMD-related fibrosis receives major funding boost

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is one of the most common congenital diseases in the world, affecting one in 3,500 Canadian males. DMD is caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene that results in progressive muscle degeneration and there are currently no effective treatments for DMD.

17 Aug 2018

Statins may improve conditions of people with rare lung disease

In the first study of its kind, researchers have found that cholesterol-lowering statins may improve the conditions of people with a rare lung disease called autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. The research also suggested that two new tests could help diagnose the condition.

17 Aug 2018

Seeking solutions to treat scleroderma

It begins with cold hands. Not just put-on-some-gloves cold. Instead, the fingers overreact to cold by turning white or blue and may become numb or tingly.

17 Aug 2018

Study finds role of autoimmunity in development of COPD

Autoimmunity plays a role in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study led by Georgia State University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center that analyzed human genome information stored in Vanderbilt's DNA biobank.

16 Aug 2018

Researchers develop new method to diagnose broad range of cancers using malaria protein

In a spectacular new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have discovered a method of diagnosing a broad range of cancers at their early stages by utilizing a particular malaria protein, which sticks to cancer cells in blood samples. The researchers hope that this method can be used in cancer screenings in the near future.

16 Aug 2018

FDA expands approval of Vertex' cystic fibrosis medicine to treat children aged 12 to <24 months

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved KALYDECO® (ivacaftor) to include use in children with cystic fibrosis ages 12 to <24 months who have at least one mutation in their cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene that is responsive to KALYDECO based on clinical and/or in vitro assay data.

16 Aug 2018

Penn researchers develop first mouse model of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

The biggest hurdle to finding effective therapies for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) – a life-threatening condition in which the lungs become scarred and breathing is increasingly difficult – has been the inability to fully model the disease in animals, limiting the ability to observe and understand the disease.

16 Aug 2018

Study provides insight into link between sleep apnea and lipid metabolism

Obstructive sleep apnea is a clinical disorder characterized by repeated partial or complete blockage of the airway during sleep.

15 Aug 2018

Prams may expose babies and toddlers to more air pollution finds study

According to a new study, babies put in prams and taken outdoors are exposed to 60 per cent more air pollution compared to adults. The researchers explain that the air in the first one metre above the ground is more polluted than that above.

14 Aug 2018

Study helps to better understand disease caused by Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency

The disease consists of a production deficit of Alpha-1 antitrypsin, which is produced in the liver. The main role of this protein is to protect the lungs from degradation or inflammation caused by infections that attach lung tissue, as well as from external agents such a tobacco or pollution.

14 Aug 2018