Insufficiency of Vitamin D and Asthma Severity
Vitamin D insufficiency is linked to asthma severity, according to the results of a cross-sectional study reported in the May 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine,Maternal vitamin D intake during pregnancy has been inversely associated with asthma symptoms in early childhood, write Erick Forno, from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues. However, no study has examined the relationship between measured vitamin D levels and markers of asthma severity in childhood....
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Azithromycin for Bronchiolitis Obliterans Prophylaxis in Lung Graft Patients Gets Mixed Reviews
In the never-ending search for therapies to prevent chronic lung allograft rejection, macrolide antibiotics, such as azithromycin, show promise, but only in about half of patients, report the authors of 2 European studies here at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation 29th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions....
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Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis reflecteffect of Angiotensin Receptor Blockers
Angiotensin receptor blockers are efficient in hypertension-associated non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), results of a study published in the February issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology indicate. Telmisartan appears to be superior to valsartan with respect to insulin resistance and histology...
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Bronchodilator Therapy May Help in Mild COPD
Patients with GOLD (Global Initiative on Obstructive Lung Disease) stage 1 COPD may benefit from use of an anticholinergic inhaler, Canadian researchers report in the March issue of Thorax...
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Asthma Guidelines Rarely Followed
An analysis of claims databases of patients with moderate to severe persistent asthma reveals that only about 15% are receiving add-on therapy to control disease exacerbations as defined in the 2007 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute...
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Early Childhood Respiratory Illness a Huge Risk Factor for Asthma
Respiratory infections early in life are associated with the development of asthma later in childhood, with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.5, investigators announced here at the 2009 American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology (AAAAI) Annual Meeting...
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Chinese Herbal Preparations Show Efficacy Against Asthma, Atopy
Chinese herbal preparations exert strong clinical and laboratory effects on asthma and atopy, with close to complete resolution of atopy symptoms and lower cytokine production in patients with asthma, according to findings from a number of studies.....
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Statin Use Significantly Lowers Risk for Hospitalization for Asthma
Adult patients with asthma who are receiving statin therapy for other comorbidities have a 33% lower risk for hospitalization or emergency-department visits than asthmatics not receiving lipid-lowering therapy, according to findings presented here at the 2009.....
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Tolerance to Peanuts Achieved With Oral Immunotherapy
Children with severe peanut allergies were able to eat peanuts after undergoing oral immunotherapy, researchers announced here this weekend at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology..
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Newer Medications Have Changed Presentation of Childhood Asthma
Second-generation inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and long-acting beta-2-agonist (LABA) bronchodilators, introduced into clinical practice in past decade, have significantly "changed the face of childhood asthma," investigators at National Jewish Health, in Denver, Colorado, announced here at the 2009 American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology Annual Meeting...
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Inhaled Corticosteroids Sharply Cut Use of Rescue Medication in Asthmatic Children
Regular use of mometasone furoate, delivered by dry-powder inhaler, immediately and significantly reduces the need for rescue medications to control symptoms of asthma in children 4 to 11 years old, and the need for rescue treatment remains consistently low over prolonged periods among those regularly using the inhaled corticosteroid...
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Drop in Air Pollution Improves Airway Function in Asthmatic Children
A fall in air pollution levels rapidly reduces airway inflammation in children with asthma and improves airway function, according to study findings reported in the March issue of Pediatrics.....
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Inhaled Corticosteroids May Be Helpful for Infants and Preschoolers With Asthma
nfants and preschoolers with recurrent wheezing or asthma had fewer episodes of wheezing or asthma exacerbations, reduced symptoms, and improved lung function during treatment with inhaled corticosteroids, according to the results of a systematic review with meta-analysis reported in the March issue of Pediatrics....
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Antibiotic Use in First Year of Life Linked to Small Risk of Developing Asthma
Antibiotic use in the first year of life is linked to a small risk for the development of asthma, and this risk increases with the number of courses of antibiotics prescribed, according to the results of a study reported in the March issue of Pediatrics...
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Mepolizumab May Be Helpful in Refractory Eosinophilic Asthma
The anti-interleukin-5 monoclonal antibody mepolizumab may be helpful in refractory eosinophilic asthma, according to the results of 2 studies reported in the March 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine...
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Disodium Cromoglycate Active Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus
Disodium cromoglycate, an agent commonly used to prevent bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis, reduced the symptoms of induced respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in mice, in a study by Japanese researchers reported in the February...
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FDA Approvals: Symbicort and Synvisc-One
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved budesonide plus formoterol fumarate dihydrate inhalation aerosol for the maintenance treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and a long-acting formulation of hylan G-F 20 for the treatment of pain related to osteoarthritis of the knee...
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FDA Safety Changes: Combivent, Qualaquin, Sucraid
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved safety labeling revisions to provide additional counseling information for patients receiving combination therapy with ipratropium bromide plus albuterol sulfate inhalation solution, advise of drug interactions with quinine sulfate, and warn of contraindications to sacrosidase oral therapy...
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US Failing to Protect Citizens by Not Enacting Tobacco Control Policies
The United States, at both the federal and the state level, has yet to enact comprehensive policies to reduce tobacco use and prevent tobacco-related illness, according to a report today from the American Lung Association (ALA)...
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Topical Mentholated Cold Remedy May Cause Respiratory Distress in Infants
A popular over-the-counter salve touted to relieve symptoms of cold and congestion may actually worsen mucus production and airway inflammation in infants and toddlers, pediatricians at Wake Forest University School of Medicine report ...
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Smokers Who Quit Stay at Increased Risk of Atrial fibrillation
Cigarette smoking independently raises the risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF) whether one kicks the habit or not, concludes a large, prospective cohort study [1]. Its findings contrast with the more recognized smoking)...
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Pulmonary Diffusion May Decline in Extreme Hypoxia
Alveolar oxygen levels are considerably higher than in the arterial blood of humans under hypoxic conditions at extremely high elevations, according to studies of mountain climbers. Investigators speculate that this elevated alveolar-arterial oxygen difference may reflect a functional limitation in pulmonary diffusion...
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Combination Vaccine Is Safe and Effective for Infants
A combination vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and flu, which is routinely used in Canadian children, has been shown to be immunogenic and well tolerated in a U.S. study ...
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Angiogenesis Inhibitor Therapy May Affect Assessment of Tumor Response
The appearance of tumor cavitation after angiogenesis inhibitor treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may alter response assessments, according to a report in the December 1st online edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology...
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Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Remains Highly Lethal
Mortality from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) continues to hover around 40-45%, as it has since 1994 when a consensus definition for the syndrome was published, according to a comprehensive literature review and meta-analysis...
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US Smoking Deaths Declining, But Still Higher in Tobacco States and in Women
The average number of deaths attributable to smoking has declined for men in every US state but one but has actually increased among women in 18 states, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention....
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Breathing Training Is Beneficial for Asthmatic Patientss
Asthmatic adults who receive breathing training show improvements in health status, symptoms, and psychological well-being, even though asthma pathophysiology is not changed...
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