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UTMB researchers receive awards at American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting

Scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch were recognized with prestigious awards for their contributions in research at the annual American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting.

21 Nov 2014

FIRS mobilizes members to raise awareness on COPD

On World COPD Day (19 November 2014), the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) is mobilizing its members to raise awareness of the disease and help prevent the risk factors that cause it.

21 Nov 2014

New course underlines the importance of early detection of lung cancer

In Japan, 40 percent of lung cancer cases are detected on early stages and treated with a high probability of remission; in the US 20 percent of cases have that possibility, while in Mexico, in the National Cancer Institute (INCan), only 1.2 percent of patients are diagnosed at an early stage.

21 Nov 2014

Excess fat in lungs may cause pulmonary fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis has no cure. It's caused by scarring that seems to feed on itself, with the tougher, less elastic tissue replacing the ever moving and stretching lung, making it increasingly difficult for patients to breathe.

20 Nov 2014

A new method for determining onset of elevated influenza activity at community level

Predicting the beginning of influenza outbreaks is notoriously difficult, and can affect prevention and control efforts.

20 Nov 2014

Targeting bacterial motility to combat chronic respiratory disease

Mycoplasma gallisepticum causes chronic respiratory disease in birds. The illness particularly affects domestic chicken and turkey flocks. The bacteria are especially life-threatening for the animals when they occur in combination with other infections. In order to control the spread of the disease, poultry farms in the EU must be proven free from Mycoplasma gallisepticum or face being closed.

19 Nov 2014

Research breakthrough offers hope for patients with severe spinal cord injuries

Case Western Reserve researchers have developed a procedure that restores function to muscles involved in the control of breathing - even when they have been paralyzed for more than a year. The breakthrough offers hope that one day patients with severe spinal cord injuries will be able to breathe again without the assistance of a ventilator.

19 Nov 2014

UEA researcher awarded NIHR grant to reduce avoidable asthma deaths in the UK

Leading researcher Dr. Andrew Wilson from the University of East Anglia has been awarded £1.7million in funding from the National Institute for Health Research, enabling the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research to identify people most at risk of an asthma attack in order to reduce the high number of avoidable asthma deaths.

19 Nov 2014

Type 3 interferons and T helper 2 cells: an interview with Grant Gallagher, Managing Director, HUMIGEN

The type 3 interferons - usually called the “lambda” interferons, or “IFNL” - are the most recently identified IFNs. We (myself and Sergei Kotenko) originally identified the receptor and then the three ligands (IFNL1,2,3; very recently a fourth, IFNL4, was discovered); the key paper was published in 2003.

18 Nov 2014

Small financial incentives double smoking cessation rates, study reveals

Offering small financial incentives doubles smoking cessation rates among socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers, according to research from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

18 Nov 2014

Nutrition treatment for older COPD patients shows better outcomes

People aged 65 and older, who were being treated for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the hospital and received nutrition treatment (oral nutrition supplements) had reduced lengths of stay, hospital costs and chances of returning to the hospital within 30-days, according to a study published in CHEST.

18 Nov 2014

ZS Pharma reports positive ZS-9 Phase 3 clinical trial for treatment of hyperkalemia

ZS Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel treatments for kidney, cardiovascular, liver and metabolic disorders, today presented detailed results from HARMONIZE (ZS004) at the late-breaking Clinical Science Special Reports Session of the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.

18 Nov 2014

Sanofi, Genzyme announce FDA approval of Lemtrada for treatment of relapsing forms of MS

Sanofi and its subsidiary Genzyme announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Because of its safety profile, the use of Lemtrada should generally be reserved for patients who have had an inadequate response to two or more drugs indicated for the treatment of MS.

17 Nov 2014

Discovery opens up new routes to strengthen anti-smoking efforts to control TB

TB is an infectious disease that kills 1.5 million people each year, and smoking is the biggest driver of the global TB epidemic. Medical scientists at Trinity College Dublin and St James's Hospital in Ireland have unlocked the mechanism underlying the connection between smoking and Tuberculosis (TB).

17 Nov 2014

Experts focus on key issues impeding delivery of cardiac care in resource-limited settings

Critical care is defined by life-threatening conditions, which require close evaluation, monitoring, and treatment by appropriately trained health professionals. Cardiovascular care bears these same requirements.

14 Nov 2014

Experimental Ebola treatments to be trialled in West Africa next month

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders (MSF) have announced that three trials of Ebola therapies will begin in West Africa this December.

13 Nov 2014

Prescription opioids involved in 67.8% of nationwide ED visits in 2010, find researchers

Researchers from Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals and the Stanford University School of Medicine have found that prescription opioids, including methadone, were involved in 67.8 percent of (or over 135,971 visits to) nationwide emergency department (ED) visits in 2010, with the highest proportion of opioid overdoses occurring in the South.

12 Nov 2014

CMS to cover low-dose CT screening for lung cancer

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services today recognized the importance of lung cancer screening, announcing today that it will cover low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening, or "CAT" scans , for high-risk current and former smokers. The decision validates Mount Sinai's longstanding commitment to providing access to this essential screening tool.

12 Nov 2014

New program aims to educate COPD patients on how to manage their disease

The American Thoracic Society today announced a new program, produced with support from Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc., to provide materials to educate patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) about this progressive lung disease and how it can be managed.

11 Nov 2014

Regeneron, Sanofi report positive results from dupilumab Phase 2b study in patients with asthma

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sanofi today announced positive results from the interim analysis of a dose-ranging Phase 2b study of dupilumab in adult patients with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe asthma. Dupilumab is an investigational therapy blocking IL-4 and IL-13, two cytokines required for the Th2 immune response.

11 Nov 2014

Respiratory News and Research

UTMB researchers receive awards at American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting

FIRS mobilizes members to raise awareness on COPD

New course underlines the importance of early detection of lung cancer

Excess fat in lungs may cause pulmonary fibrosis

A new method for determining onset of elevated influenza activity at community level

Targeting bacterial motility to combat chronic respiratory disease

Research breakthrough offers hope for patients with severe spinal cord injuries

UEA researcher awarded NIHR grant to reduce avoidable asthma deaths in the UK

Type 3 interferons and T helper 2 cells: an interview with Grant Gallagher, Managing Director, HUMIGEN

Small financial incentives double smoking cessation rates, study reveals

Nutrition treatment for older COPD patients shows better outcomes

ZS Pharma reports positive ZS-9 Phase 3 clinical trial for treatment of hyperkalemia

Sanofi, Genzyme announce FDA approval of Lemtrada for treatment of relapsing forms of MS

Discovery opens up new routes to strengthen anti-smoking efforts to control TB

Experts focus on key issues impeding delivery of cardiac care in resource-limited settings

Experimental Ebola treatments to be trialled in West Africa next month

Prescription opioids involved in 67.8% of nationwide ED visits in 2010, find researchers

CMS to cover low-dose CT screening for lung cancer

New program aims to educate COPD patients on how to manage their disease

Regeneron, Sanofi report positive results from dupilumab Phase 2b study in patients with asthma

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

Global and Local Efforts to Take Action Against Hepatitis

Addressing Important Cardiac Biology Questions with Shotgun Top-Down Proteomics

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