http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Women who suffer from asthma or poor lung function as adults generally started their periods at the age of 10 or before. This is the conclusion of a European research study with Spanish participation, which shows that this trend is more common in southern Europe, and particularly affects women from large families. http://phys.org/news221215008.html Medicine & Health Tue, 05 Apr 2011 09:37:08 EST news221215008 A drug approved to treat certain types of cancer has shown promising results in the treatment of patients with scleroderma, according to results from an open-label Phase II trial. While the drug's efficacy must be demonstrated in a Phase III trial, the gold standard for testing a drug, researchers are optimistic that Gleevec (imatinib) could potentially be a weapon against the chronic connective tissue disease for which a treatment has remained elusive. http://phys.org/news220522694.html Medicine & Health Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:18:40 EST news220522694 Exposure to ozone even at levels below the current U.S. standard for safe and clean air poses a breathing risk for healthy people. http://phys.org/news219664958.html Space & Earth Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:03:01 EST news219664958 Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have found that the FDA-approved drug sirolimus, used primarily to prevent rejection in organ transplant patients, stabilized lung function in women with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). http://phys.org/news219517207.html Medicine & Health Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:00:45 EST news219517207 Previously linked to the severity of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in humans, vitamin D deficiency has now been shown to alter lung structure and function in young mice. The new study, conducted by researchers in Australia, offers the first concrete evidence linking vitamin D deficiency with deficits in lung function and altered lung structure. http://phys.org/news215442579.html Medicine & Health Fri, 28 Jan 2011 13:09:57 EST news215442579 (PhysOrg.com) -- Improving lung function in premature babies with a severe lung disease may be linked to their feeding regimen, according to a new University of Michigan study. http://phys.org/news215430349.html Medicine & Health Fri, 28 Jan 2011 10:00:01 EST news215430349 Severe asthma in early childhood may lead to premature loss of lung function during adolescence and more serious disease during adulthood, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine report. Early identification and treatment of children with severe asthma is important to help stem asthma progression. http://phys.org/news214585489.html Medicine & Health Tue, 18 Jan 2011 15:05:10 EST news214585489 If you smoke around your children, they could have high blood pressure or be headed in an unhealthy direction before learning their ABC's, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. http://phys.org/news213899803.html Medicine & Health Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:10:01 EST news213899803 Mount Sinai researchers coordinating the largest clinical study to date of "Sarcoid Like" Granulomatous Pulmonary Disease in World Trade Center (WTC) responders have found that the rate of the condition was increased in this group as compared to the records of pre-9/11 FDNY personnel. The study is published online in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. http://phys.org/news213536199.html Medicine & Health Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:37:00 EST news213536199 Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital report in The Lancet on the use of a new treatment concept to combat severe swine flu. One of the very sick patients, being cared for with a heart-lung machine at the hospital, deteriorated further after a number of weeks. With an aim to break the vicious circle, the physicians tried a combination of chemotherapy and cortisone, after which the patient's condition improved rapidly. http://phys.org/news212320218.html Medicine & Health Thu, 23 Dec 2010 10:10:01 EST news212320218 The atmosphere is full of natural and man-made chemicals, including emissions from fuel combustion and byproducts of living organisms. Many of these chemicals combine in the atmosphere to form tiny solid and liquid particles known as “fine particulate matter” that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller (the average human hair is about 70 micrometers in diameter, by comparison). While it’s not clear whether all of these particles may be harmful, some are; the danger to humans comes when they are inhaled and trapped in the lungs, where they can then enter the bloodstream. http://phys.org/news204884128.html Space & Earth Tue, 28 Sep 2010 09:15:46 EST news204884128 Genetic ancestry has no discernible influence on how African American patients with asthma respond to medication, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study. http://phys.org/news204826935.html Medicine & Health Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:00:20 EST news204826935 A structural molecule and the cellular pump that regulates its levels influence the severity of pneumonia and could provide new ways of treating the lung infection, which is a leading cause of hospitalization and death, according to scientists at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Iowa. Their findings are available online in Nature Medicine. http://phys.org/news204206230.html Medicine & Health Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:57:28 EST news204206230 A subset of children with asthma suffers from severe, treatment-resistant disease associated with more illness and greater allergic hypersensitivity, according to the results of the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute's Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP), presented in a recently published article in Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology. http://phys.org/news203257162.html Medicine & Health Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:50:04 EST news203257162 Steering clear of full-fat, fried, and processed foods is not just good for overall health, it could help prevent chronic lung conditions, a large UK study has revealed. http://phys.org/news201887932.html Medicine & Health Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:00:39 EST news201887932 A new study by researchers at the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center and the University of Puerto Rico may help explain some of the well-documented ethnic disparities in pediatric asthma. http://phys.org/news200571601.html Medicine & Health Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:20:24 EST news200571601 For many people afflicted by asthma, treatment can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience. After their initial diagnosis, asthmatics find themselves caught in a trial and error process that can last for months, as doctors gradually escalate their medications to treat their condition effectively with minimal side effects. And until the right medicine and dosage are found, patients continue to suffer attacks that strike without warning and can leave them struggling for breath for hours or even days. http://phys.org/news200132045.html Medicine & Health Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:30:01 EST news200132045 Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a new fluorescent biosensor that could aid in the development of an important class of drugs that target a crucial class of proteins called G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). http://phys.org/news199622556.html Chemistry Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:42:50 EST news199622556 Smokers who are exposed to wood smoke, either through home heating and cooking or through ambient neighborhood pollution, are not only at increased risk of COPD, but are also more likely to have epigenetic changes in the DNA that further increase their risk of COPD and related pulmonary problems. http://phys.org/news198405799.html Medicine & Health Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:10:02 EST news198405799 Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) recover from exacerbations equally well if they are treated at home or in a hospital, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University. Furthermore, longer treatment with antibiotics does not appear to offer any additional benefit over shorter courses. http://phys.org/news197727040.html Medicine & Health Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:00:02 EST news197727040 Americans with lung disease may face a far greater level of lung damage than either they or their doctor suspect, depending on their individual genetic heritage, according to a study to be released July 7. The research implications range from diagnosing the severity of asthma, to disability decisions or eligibility for lung transplants, researchers say. http://phys.org/news197717404.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:00:01 EST news197717404 An expensive treatment recommended for a genetic disorder called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency has no proven clinical benefit, according to a systematic review by Cochrane Researchers. The disorder causes chronic lung disease and the review concludes that considering the lack of evidence for its benefits, and possible adverse effects, the treatment should not be recommended. http://phys.org/news197663570.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Jul 2010 19:50:01 EST news197663570 An online self-management tool for people with asthma has been shown to significantly improve their ability to reduce their symptoms. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Respiratory Research tested the system in 200 adults with asthma, finding significant effects in those whose asthma was either partly controlled or uncontrolled at the beginning of the trial. http://phys.org/news195369507.html Medicine & Health Thu, 10 Jun 2010 06:40:01 EST news195369507 Children who undergo brief periods of intense exercise may exhibit lung dysfunction or other symptoms similar to those experienced by asthma patients, even when no history of asthma exists, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of California's Irvine and Miller Children's Hospital. http://phys.org/news193421247.html Medicine & Health Tue, 18 May 2010 17:30:02 EST news193421247 A new therapy shows promise for patients with mild idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. According to researchers in Japan, inhaled N-acetylcysteine (NAC) monotherapy preserves more lung function in some idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients than no therapy. http://phys.org/news193408535.html Medicine & Health Tue, 18 May 2010 13:35:49 EST news193408535 Children with severe asthma have more than 30 times the risk of developing adult chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) as adults compared to children without asthma, according to a prospective longitudinal cohort study from the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. http://phys.org/news193249857.html Medicine & Health Sun, 16 May 2010 17:50:01 EST news193249857 Vitamin A is critical to maternal health and child survival, yet in most developing countries Vitamin A deficiency is a leading cause of blindness and increased child mortality. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has long been a leader in vitamin A research, and scientists at the School recently discovered a link between offspring lung function and maternal vitamin A supplementation. The results are published in the May 13, 2010, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://phys.org/news192908746.html Medicine & Health Wed, 12 May 2010 18:46:12 EST news192908746 Children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis who received the antibiotic azithromycin did not experience improved lung function, compared to patients who received placebo, according to a study in the May 5 issue of JAMA. http://phys.org/news192211127.html Medicine & Health Tue, 04 May 2010 18:00:23 EST news192211127 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have identified childhood cancer survivors who are at increased risk for deteriorating lung health, in part due to the lifesaving bone marrow transplants they underwent years earlier. http://phys.org/news190562445.html Medicine & Health Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:30:02 EST news190562445 Low levels of vitamin D are associated with lower lung function and greater medication use in children with asthma, according to researchers at National Jewish Health. In a paper published online this week in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Daniel Searing, MD, and his colleagues also reported that vitamin D enhances the activity of corticosteroids, the most effective controller medication for asthma. http://phys.org/news190562040.html Medicine & Health Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:20:02 EST news190562040