Keyword: lungs
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In March 2016, top Planned Parenthood officials in California eagerly emailed one another about an upcoming meeting with the state’s then-attorney general, Kamala Harris. The meeting carried so much import that the Planned Parenthood officials met with Harris’ staff ahead of time “to discuss prep,” emails reviewed by The Daily Signal show. About two weeks later, on April 5, 2016, California Department of Justice authorities raided the home of a pro-life journalist in his late 20s—David Daleiden, the head of the Center for Medical Progress, who had recently published videos allegedly showing Planned Parenthood officials gruesomely describing how they extract...
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Surgery patients on blockbuster weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy could be at risk of choking to death, a study warns. Researchers in California looked at nearly 1 million Americans who had an endoscopy, which examines the upper digestive tract. They found that patients who underwent the procedure - which involves inserting a tube with a camera on the end down the throat while the patient is sedated- were 33 percent more likely to suffer aspiration pneumonia. This causes food, liquids, or saliva to get sucked into the airway, which could lead to choking and kills nearly 60,000 Americans a...
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A protein that shuts down immune cells in the lungs could be key to a new treatment for asthma attacks, a new report says. The naturally occurring protein, called Piezo1, prevents a type of immune cell called type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) from becoming hyperactivated by allergens. An experimental drug called Yoda1 that switches on Piezo1 reduced the activity of these immune cells in mice, alleviating asthma symptoms, researchers report. "Given the importance of ILC2s in allergic asthma, there is an urgent need to develop novel mechanism-based approaches to target these critical drivers of inflammation in the lungs," researcher...
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Despite its effectiveness, pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is underused and under-prescribed. The expert panel charged with developing guidance for practitioners is hopeful that the latest Clinical Practice Guideline from the American Thoracic Society will change that. Posted online, the panel issued a "strong recommendation" for PR in adults with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. In addition, strong recommendations that are based upon moderate or high-quality evidence lay the groundwork for developing health care performance measures, which are used to determine clinicians' adherence to specific recommendations (such as referrals of suitable patients to PR). In the U.S., an estimated 30...
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Researchers have found that molecules in vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower help to maintain a healthy barrier in the lung and ease infection. The AHR—aryl hydrocarbon receptor—is a protein found at barrier sites like the gut and the lung. Natural molecules in cruciferous vegetables—for example, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, or cabbage—are dietary 'ligands' for AHR, which means, once eaten, they activate AHR. This research now shows that AHR is highly active in endothelial cells lining blood vessels in the lung. The researchers conducted a series of experiments in mice to show how AHR impacts lung barriers. When mice were infected with...
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Influenza infection (flu) is a major cause of death around the world. People who die of the flu often have a secondary lung infection with Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria that starts a few days after flu infection begins. A team studied how the flu paves the way for staph infection in the lungs. The researchers found that healthy lungs secrete liquid into their air sacs that prevents a staph infection. The flu blocks this liquid secretion by inhibiting a protein called CFTR, making it possible for staph that are inhaled into the air sacs to stick to the air sac...
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People with low levels of vitamin K in their blood are more likely to have poor lung function and to say they suffer with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and wheezing, according to a study. Vitamin K is found in leafy green vegetables, vegetable oils and cereal grains. It plays a role in blood clotting. Researchers say their new findings do not alter current advice on vitamin K intake, but they do support further research to see if some people could benefit from taking vitamin K supplements. The study involved a group of 4,092 people aged between 24 and...
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Omega-3 fatty acids, which are abundant in fish and fish oil supplements, appear promising for maintaining lung health, according to new evidence from a large, multi-faceted study in healthy adults. The study provides the strongest evidence to date of this association and underscores the importance of including omega-3 fatty acids in the diet, especially given that many Americans do not meet current guidelines. There's increased interest in trying to understand whether nutritional interventions could contribute to lung disease prevention efforts. Past studies have suggested that omega-3 fatty acids may help, due largely to their established anti-inflammatory actions. However, robust studies...
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A small randomized trial in patients with post-COVID syndrome has found that hyperbaric oxygen therapy promotes restoration of the heart's ability to contract properly. The study enrolled 60 post-COVID syndrome patients with ongoing symptoms. Both hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients were included. Severe COVID cases were excluded. Patients were randomized to HBOT or a sham procedure in a 1:1 ratio. Each patient had five sessions per week over eight weeks, for a total of 40 sessions. The HBOT group received 100% oxygen through a mask at a pressure of 2 atmospheres for 90 minutes, with 5 minute air breaks every 20...
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What happened in East Palestine, Ohio is being called the worst environmental disaster in American history and the Biden administration is mostly ignoring it. Now members of congress are calling for Pete Buttigieg to be impeached.
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Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) users have greater lung inflammation than cigarette smokers and non-smokers, according to a study. This study is the first to provide evidence that vaping e-liquids with e-cigarettes creates a unique inflammatory response in the lungs that is different from cigarette smoking. E-cigarette usage has increased dramatically in the past several years, particularly among adolescents and young adults. While many people assume that e-cigarettes are safer than conventional cigarettes, e-cigarettes can cause pulmonary inflammation and increase the risk of lung disease. In addition, their long-term safety has not been rigorously evaluated. This is the first PET study to...
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Bronchial asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that is reversible in certain cases, usually presents with cough, difficulty of breathing, and wheezing. Although most people can successfully control asthma using inhaled corticosteroids, approximately 10% of patients are resistant to treatment. Recent evidence has suggested a link between excessive intake of fatty acids and exacerbation of asthma, but the details of the relationship had remained elusive. A study focused on the function of an enzyme called ELOVL6, which is responsible for the biosynthesis of long-chain fatty acids in humans. Dysfunction of ELOVL6 has been linked to various immune-related conditions,...
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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis could become the first degenerative disease to be treated through the science of aging. It was known that this disease is associated with the aging process, but its molecular causes were unknown. The Telomeres and Telomerase Group has been working for years to unravel them. In their findings, they have narrowed down exactly which cells give rise to fibrosis when they undergo alterations due to the aging process: alveolar type II pneumocytes, the cells responsible for regenerating lung tissue. "The relevance of this finding is that it indicates which cells in particular should be targeted in any...
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The average person will take more than 600 million breaths over the course of their life. Every breath stretches the lungs' tissues with each inhale and relaxes them with each exhale. The mere motions of breathing are known to influence vital functions of the lungs, the production of air-exchange-enhancing fluid on their inner surfaces, and maintenance of healthy tissue structure. Now, new research has revealed that this constant pattern of stretching and relaxing does even more—it generates immune responses against invading viruses. The research team discovered that applying mechanical forces that mimic breathing motions suppresses influenza virus replication by activating...
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Lung function declines with increasingly severe gum disease, according to research. "Our study indicates a link between periodontal disease and lung function meaning that good dental hygiene may benefit both oral and respiratory health," said study author Dr. Anders Røsland. The average age of those with severe periodontitis was 55 years and 59% were men. Smoking was significantly more common in people with moderate or severe periodontitis compared with the healthy/mild group. Lung function was assessed using spirometry, which measures the volume of air exhaled from the lungs and the flow rate of air. The researchers measured forced expiratory volume...
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Antimicrobial resistance stewardship programs have to be prioritized, keeping the demands of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic in context On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a pandemic. Two years later, the shadow of the Covid pandemic is still looming over us. While the world is making valiant attempts to move into the post-pandemic phase, the situation is akin to “one step forward, two-step backward”, as new variants of this virus are still emerging. Covid-19 has taken center stage in every facet of life. Policymakers and medical personnel are still...
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Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is associated with improvement in the mean partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2)/fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) ratio (P/F ratio) among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and mild-to-moderate acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), according to a study published online April 11 in Drugs in Context. Steven H. Abman, M.D. and colleagues conducted a retrospective medical chart review study that included patients who were aged 18 years or older with mild-to-moderate ARDS who received iNO for ≥24 hours continuously during hospitalization for COVID-19. The analysis included 37 patients at six sites. The researchers observed an increase in P/F ratio...
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Microplastic fibres were found deep in the lower lungs of living human beings in almost every person sampled in a recent study by scientists at Hull York Medical School, UK.The study, ‘Detection of microplastics in human lung tissue using μFTIR spectroscopy’, published on 29 March 2022 discovered microplastic particles – present in many Covid masks – in the lung tissue of 11 out of 13 patients undergoing surgery.Polypropylene (“PP”) and polyethylene terephthalate (“PET”) were the most prevalent substances present in the lungs. Detection of microplastics in human lung tissue using μFTIR spectroscopy Some of the microscopic plastic fragments and fibres...
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Intense light activates proteins shown to protect against lung damage in mice, a discovery that could have major therapeutic implications for treating acute lung injury in humans, according to a new study. "Acute lung injury has a mortality rate of 40%," said lead author Tobias Eckle, M.D. "No specific therapy exists, and novel treatment options are needed." Eckle's team, which previously demonstrated that light can protect against cardiovascular disease, housed mice under intense rather than ambient light for seven days. This prompted a strong increase in the trough and peak levels of the pulmonary circadian rhythm protein - Period 2...
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A team discovered disulfiram, an FDA-approved drug, prevents the immune system from producing toxic webs known as neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Many suspect NETs help drive the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients with severe COVID-19 and other life-threatening lung injuries. Jose M. Adrover, postdoctoral fellow, explains that NETs are usually released during infections when immune cells, called neutrophils, confront a threat that is too large for the tiny cells to battle directly. To extend their reach, neutrophils spew a sticky web of DNA and toxins, which indiscriminately poisons pathogens and the body's own cells. "They will...
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