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Researchers have identified a potential new way to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a deadly and currently incurable lung disease. IPF is rapidly progressive and causes scarring in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe. Approximately 50% of patients die within three years of diagnosis. In a study, scientists found that an FDA-approved cancer drug may help the immune system clear out the damaged cells that cause the lung scarring, potentially restoring lung function in patients with the disease. In healthy lungs, specialized cells called fibroblasts help repair lung tissue. But in people with IPF, some fibroblasts and nearby epithelial...

Billy Price, the former first-round draft pick for the Cincinnati Bengals, has announced his retirement from the National Football League at the age of 29 due to a severe pulmonary embolism, a condition that nearly cost him his life. Price, who was drafted by the Bengals in the first round in 2018 as a center, revealed that he underwent emergency pulmonary embolism surgery on April 24 to remove a saddle clot that was entering both of his lungs. Pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot gets lodged in an artery in the lungs, blocking blood flow and causing severe health...

Researchers have evaluated a drug called azithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic, to test if it would put moderate to severe asthma into remission. Professor Peter Gibson says the findings were very promising. "Remission in adults with asthma is a relatively new concept and a less researched area but it has recently gained attention. Recent studies have found that remission is possible in severe asthma treated with highly effective biologics therapies, a new class of drugs," Professor Gibson said. "We've taken a different approach by testing another type of drug. We're the only people in the world to have tested this drug...

A study suggests that a range of respiratory viral infections—including COVID-19 and influenza—may be preventable or treatable with a generic antibiotic that is delivered to the nasal passageway. A team successfully tested the effectiveness of neomycin, a common antibiotic, to prevent or treat respiratory viral infections in animal models when given to the animals via the nose. The team then found that the same nasal approach—this time applying the over-the-counter ointment Neosporin—also triggers a swift immune response by interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) in the noses of healthy humans. "This is an exciting finding, that a cheap over-the-counter antibiotic ointment can stimulate...

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...

Research suggests that the gut microbiome plays a pivotal role in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), paving the way for new therapeutic treatments. Key discoveries include the identification of distinct gut bacteria associated with COPD and the potential effectiveness of fecal microbiota transfer (FMT) as a COPD treatment. The study also demonstrated improved outcomes for COPD patients through nutritional interventions tailored to the microorganisms found in the gut. "The gut hosts the largest and most diverse microbiome in the body that, depending upon its composition, can either trigger or inhibit inflammation, including in the lung," said Professor...

Pulmonary researchers looked at the association between blood plasma levels of omega-3 fatty acids—the heart-healthy fats found in foods such as salmon and flaxseeds—and the progression of pulmonary fibrosis and how long patients could go without needing a transplant. The researchers found that higher levels of omega-3 were associated with better lung function and longer transplant-free survival. The researchers say their findings warrant clinical trials to determine if interventions that raise omega-3 levels could be a useful tool to improve outcomes for patients with pulmonary fibrosis and other chronic lung diseases. "We found that higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids...

Research has revealed how, in diabetics, high levels of blood sugar disrupt the function of key cell subsets in the lungs that regulate the immune response. It also identifies a potential strategy for reversing this susceptibility and saving lives. Prof. Eran Elinav's team subjected multiple mouse models of types 1 and 2 diabetes to a variety of viral lung infections. The immune reaction, which in nondiabetics eliminates the infection and drives tissue healing, was severely impaired in the diabetic mice, leading to uncontrolled infection, lung damage and eventual death. "High blood sugar levels severely disrupt certain subsets of dendritic cells...

For patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), doxycycline is associated with a reduced risk for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), according to a study. Ashley L. O'Leary, Pharm.D., from the Veterans Affairs Western New York Healthcare System in Buffalo, and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis in hospitalized patients in Veterans Affairs Hospitals across the United States to examine whether doxycycline is associated with reduced CDI risk. During the study timeframe, about 156,107 hospitalized patients received care at a Veterans Affairs Hospital and were diagnosed with CAP. The researchers found that compared with azithromycin, doxycycline used with ceftriaxone for the treatment of pneumonia...

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...

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...

Our respiratory systems are lined with a thin fluid layer called mucus on the inside. The mucus protects us from inhaling harmful and unwanted airborne agents from germs to pollutants due to its unique gel-like texture imparted by proteins called mucins. By extension, over- or under-secretion of mucins can lead to abnormal respiratory mucus—a pathological manifestation in many respiratory diseases like chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, and asthma, among others. Although multiple clinically approved drugs are available that can combat abnormal respiratory mucus, many of them cause unwanted and potentially serious side effects. Researchers repurposed an available drug called meclofenamate to...

Ray Liotta’s cause of death has been revealed one year after he passed away suddenly in the Dominican Republic. The “Goodfellas” star died from heart and respiratory issues, according to TMZ. Documents obtained by the outlet cite pulmonary edema — or fluid in the lungs — as well as respiratory insufficiency and acute heart failure as the specific causes. Medical authorities also listed atherosclerosis — a thickening of the arteries caused by a buildup of plaque in the inner lining — as an underlying issue. Liotta died in his sleep in May 2022 while filming “Dangerous Waters” on the island...

Pulmonary hypertension, or high blood pressure in the lungs, is a common complication of interstitial lung disease, an array of conditions that cause scarring of the lungs. Without treatment, it can be life-threatening. But currently, the only way to diagnose pulmonary hypertension definitively is through an invasive outpatient procedure called right heart catheterization, which measures pressures inside the heart and lungs using a small device inserted through a neck vein. The study identified which variables were the strongest predictors of pulmonary hypertension. It also found a combination of variables could predict the condition with high accuracy. In its latest study,...

Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (high blood pressure in the arteries that supply the lungs, also called PAH) had approximately double the reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) if they took the PAH medications macitentan (10 mg) and tadalafil (40 mg) together in a single tablet rather than either drug alone, according to research. Macitentan and tadalafil are among several drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of PAH. Guidelines and previous studies suggest that using two or more agents to treat PAH can bring extra benefits. In the portion of the study that compared...

Few adverse events are connected to the use of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters to help prevent deep vein blood clots from developing into pulmonary embolisms (PE), according to the findings. PRESERVE is an FDA-directed multicenter, prospective, open-label, non-randomized trial that studied the safety and efficacy of IVC filters from six manufacturers. The study was conducted between Oct. 10, 2015, and March 31, 2019. During that time, filters were implanted in 1,421 patients, of which 1,019 patients had an existing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE). Researchers found that IVC filters were effective in helping to prevent PEs...

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...

Pathogens don't always work against drug treatments. Sometimes, they can strengthen them. Diseases caused by a combination of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites—also known as polymicrobial infections—are challenging to treat because scientists don't fully understand how pathogens interact during infection and how these interactions impact the drugs used to treat them. Researchers looked at two pathogens that often occur at similar sites, particularly in cystic fibrosis and mechanically ventilated patients: Candida albicans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Candida is the fourth most common hospital-acquired pathogen, and is particularly difficult to treat. It is targeted by a number of antifungal agents, but some...

Asthma sufferers generally find their condition gets worse at night. Now, a research group may understand why. Melatonin, a sleep hormone that is sometimes prescribed to treat insomnia, exasperates the constriction of the bronchus—the pathway that moves air to and from the lungs. Patients with asthma often experience a worsening of asthmatic symptoms at night in so-called "nocturnal asthma." According to reports, more than 50 percent of asthma deaths occur at night, exposing a link between nocturnal asthma symptoms and asthma deaths. Although some have proposed several triggers that explain the pathogenesis of nocturnal asthma, the precise mechanisms regulating this...

`Albert Spence is a pulmonary nurse with 31 years of experience. He recently gave public testimony before the South Carolina State Legislature on “therapeutic options” for COVID-19.Once again, we are finding that nurses who have been working on the frontlines treating COVID-19 patients are the most informed people in the U.S. right now who truly know what is going on in the hospitals, especially when it comes to COVID-19 protocols, and the experimental COVID-19 “vaccines.”We absolutely need to be listening to these frontline workers right now instead of the talking head “doctors” on TV who never actually treat patients, if...