Drug shields mice from chronic lung disease

sea-maid submitted, created time 2 weeks 3 hours (cn.reuters.com)

An experimental drug protected mice exposed to tobacco smoke from developing chronic lung disease, raising hope for a treatment in humans, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

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UT Southwestern researchers identify gene linked to inherited form of fatal lung disease

piggy submitted, created time 2 weeks 3 days (www.eurekalert.org)

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined that a mutation in a gene known for its role in defending the lungs against invading pathogens is responsible for some inherited cases of a lethal lung disease affecting older adults. The same mutation may also be associated with lung cancer, the researchers said.

This is the third gene that UT Southwestern scientists have linked with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF. The study appears online this week and in the January issue of American Journal of Human Genetics.

In the U.S

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Inhaled steroids up pneumonia risk in lung ailment

sea-maid submitted, created time 1 month 1 week (www.reuters.com)

People with the lung ailment chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are more likely to get pneumonia if they use inhaled corticosteroid drugs and doctors should be more cautious in prescribing them, researchers said.

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Scientists Develop Breathalyzer for Disease

Sue Wu submitted, created time 10 months 2 weeks (www.efluxmedia.com)

It may one day be possible to walk into your doctor's office and breathe into a small device that will tell you if you are in the earliest stage of a wide range of diseases from lung cancer to asthma to kidney failure.

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Acid reflux common in COPD patients: study

bianjie submitted, created time 1 year 6 months (www.sciam.com)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - More than half of patients with advanced COPD have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), new research suggests.In GERD, stomach acid seeps into the esophagus causing burning and pain in the chest. COPD, short for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a progressive lung disease caused by smoking that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

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Opportunistic infections in lung disease: Pseudomonas infections in cystic fibrosis

athena submitted, created time 1 year 7 months (www.sciencedirect.com)

"Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that significantly contributes to morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis. Defective mucociliary clearance associated with the absence of the functional cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator in airway epithelium plays a critical role in the initial colonization of this pathogen. P. aeruginosa, while initiating a profound inflammatory response, employs multiple mechanisms to evade immune clearance

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