Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pulmonology for January 2011. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Air Filters May Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk
FRIDAY, Jan. 28 (HealthDay News) -- The use of high efficiency particle air (HEPA) filters may help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with air pollution exposure, according to a study published online Jan. 21 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Diet May Be to Blame for Rise in Asthma Prevalence
FRIDAY, Jan. 28 (HealthDay News) -- The prevalence of asthma is increasing rapidly, and diet has emerged in the last 15 years as a possible culprit. Researchers explore the relationship between diet and asthma in two articles published in the February issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
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Smoking Explains Much of Europe's Mortality Gender Gap
THURSDAY, Jan. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Smoking appears to account for 40 to 60 percent of the gender gap in mortality across Europe, according to research published online Jan. 12 in Tobacco Control.
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Electronic Health Records May Not Improve Care Quality
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Electronic health records (EHRs) and clinical decision support (CDS) do not appear to improve the quality of clinical care, according to a study published online Jan. 24 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Anti-Estrogens May Slow Lung Cancer Progression
MONDAY, Jan. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Women with breast cancer who are treated with anti-estrogens have a lower lung cancer mortality rate than the general population, according to a study published online Jan. 24 in Cancer.
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Sleep Study May Predict Post-Op Issues in Children
FRIDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDay News) -- The use of polysomnography (PSG) prior to adenotonsillectomy may be useful in predicting which patients are at increased risk for postoperative respiratory complications following adenotonsillectomy, according to a study published in the January issue of Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
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Pneumonia Guidelines May Need Adjustment
THURSDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Mortality rates appear to be higher in intensive care patients at risk for multidrug-resistant (MDR) pneumonia who are treated by a protocol in compliance with current American Thoracic Society and Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines, according to research published online Jan. 20 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
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Digital Ulcers Linked to More Severe Systemic Sclerosis
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Digital ulcers are associated with more severe systemic sclerosis (SSc) disease, including skin and lung involvement, but not with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) or scleroderma renal crisis (SRC), according to research published in the January issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
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Global Mesothelioma Rates Underreported
TUESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Worldwide, one case of mesothelioma goes unreported for every four or five that are reported, according to an estimate based on available data on asbestos use and mesothelioma cases published online Jan. 6 in Environmental Health Perspectives.
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CDC Report Highlights Important Health Disparities
THURSDAY, Jan. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Among Americans, disparities in income, race and ethnicity, gender, and other social attributes have an impact on whether an individual is healthy or ill or will die prematurely, according to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released as a supplement to the Jan. 14 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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CDC: 8 Percent of Individuals in U.S. Have Asthma
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 12 (HealthDay News) -- More than 8 percent of people in the United States have asthma, and the condition is associated with substantial loss of work and school days as well as increases in emergency department visits and hospitalizations, according to a study published in the Jan. 12 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health Statistics Reports.
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Cancer Patients' Sleep Issues Linked to Smoking, Anxiety
TUESDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Lung cancer patients should be assessed for sleep disturbances, anxiety, smoking, and alcohol consumption, according to a study published in the January issue of Journal of Addictions Nursing.
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Corticosteroid Use May Shorten Children's Hospital Stays
TUESDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- The use of adjunct corticosteroids in children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is associated with shortened lengths of stay (LOS) in the hospital, especially those patients who receive concomitant β-agonist therapy, according to a study published online Jan. 10 in Pediatrics.
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Latent Tuberculosis Therapy May Be Risky in the Elderly
MONDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- People over the age of 65 appear to be at significantly increased risk for serious adverse events requiring admittance to a hospital when receiving therapy for latent tuberculosis, according to research published online Jan. 10 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
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Burnout Levels Particularly High in Residents
MONDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of burnout and risk for burnout are high in physicians, particularly residents, and more than a quarter of anesthesiology chairs meet criteria for high burnout, according to two articles published in the January issue of Anesthesiology.
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New Guidelines for Treatment of Pulmonary Fungal Infections
MONDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The American Thoracic Society has issued a new official clinical policy statement introducing new guidelines for treating fungal infections in adult pulmonary and critical care patients; the statement has been published in the Jan. 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Vitamin D Helpful in Subset of Tuberculosis Patients
THURSDAY, Jan. 6 (HealthDay News) -- A genetic subgroup of people with pulmonary tuberculosis may experience an enhanced response to therapy when supplemented by high-dose vitamin D, according to research published online Jan. 6 in The Lancet.
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FDA: Equivalence Reviews Required for Tobacco Products
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that certain tobacco products, including cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco, and all smokeless products, introduced or changed in the United States after Feb. 15, 2007, must be reviewed by the agency. In its newly published guidance, the agency says that any company marketing a tobacco product must prove that the product is "substantially equivalent" to products commercially available on Feb. 15, 2007.
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FDA: Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution Recalled
TUESDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and The Ritedose Corporation have notified health care professionals and consumers of a voluntary recall of 0.083 percent Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution, 3 mL in 25, 30, and 60 unit dose vials, as the 2.5 mg/3 mL single use vials are embossed with the incorrect concentration of 0.5 mg/3 mL. This may pose a health risk to patients, which could result in temporary and medically reversible events or even life-threatening events and death.
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CPAP Reduces Fatigue in Sleep Apnea Patients
TUESDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) may reduce fatigue and increase energy in individuals with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to research published in the January issue of SLEEP.
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