Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pulmonology for July 2010. 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.
Specialties See Modest Compensation Increases in '09
FRIDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- Most medical specialties saw modest compensation increases in 2009, but many provider organizations are still operating at a substantial loss, according to the findings of the American Medical Group Association's (AMGA) 2010 Medical Group Compensation and Financial Survey.
More Information
FDA: Daptomycin May Increase Eosinophilic Pneumonia Risk
FRIDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has requested that the manufacturer of daptomycin (Cubicin) add information to its drug label regarding a possible increased risk of eosinophilic pneumonia in patients receiving the drug.
More Information
Two Studies Offer Support for Compression-Only CPR
WEDNESDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- Instructions from emergency dispatchers to give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with chest compressions only or compressions with rescue breathing are associated with similar survival rates, according to two studies published in the July 29 New England Journal of Medicine.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Late Preterm Babies Still at Risk for Respiratory Morbidity
TUESDAY, July 27 (HealthDay News) -- Late preterm babies -- those born at 34 to 37 weeks' gestation -- are more likely than full-term babies to suffer respiratory distress syndrome and other respiratory morbidity, though the risk decreases with each additional week of gestation, according to research in the July 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
MODS Culture Method Beneficial in TB Diagnosis
MONDAY, July 26 (HealthDay News) -- The microscopic-observation drug-susceptibility (MODS) culture method, using duplicate gastric-aspirate specimens, may be the best diagnostic test for pulmonary tuberculosis in high-risk children in a resource-poor setting, according to research published online July 26 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Generic Lovenox Approved for Deep Vein Thrombosis
FRIDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- The first generic version of enoxaparin sodium injection (brand name: Lovenox), a blood-thinning drug designed to prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT), has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
National Library of Medicine
Novel Technique Can Detect Abnormal Cells in Lung Cancer
THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- A new technique can identify circulating genetically abnormal cells (CACs) in the bloodstreams of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a study published online July 22 in Clinical Cancer Research.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Bevacizumab With Chemo Safe for Non-Squamous NSCLC
THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- Bevacizumab used in combination with standard chemotherapy for advanced non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has a generally manageable safety profile, according to an open-label, single group, phase 4 study published online July 21 in The Lancet: Oncology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Traffic-Related Pollution Tied to Lower Heart Rate Variability
THURSDAY, July 22 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to traffic-related air pollution is associated with reduced heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with pre-existing heart or lung disease, according to a study published in the July issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Study Examines Activity in Goodpasture's Disease
WEDNESDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- New findings suggest that Goodpasture's disease -- which is marked by progressive glomerulonephritis and pulmonary hemorrhage -- may involve a so-called autoimmune "conformeropathy," according to research published in the July 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Intervention Ups Vaccination Rate in Health Care Workers
TUESDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- An educational intervention program can increase low influenza vaccination rates in primary health care workers, according to research published in the July/August issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text
Study Looks at Pediatric Pneumonia Complication Rates
TUESDAY, July 20 (HealthDay News) -- Rates of systemic complications associated with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) fell only in children under the age of 1 following the introduction of heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) in 2000, but local complications related to CAP have increased among all pediatric age groups, according to research published online July 19 in Pediatrics.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
FDA Warns Public Regarding Stolen Advair Diskus Inhalers
MONDAY, July 19 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning to consumers, pharmacists, and wholesalers that certain lots of Advair Diskus (fluticasone propionate and salmeterol inhalation powder) inhalers were stolen from a GlaxoSmithKline distribution warehouse near Richmond, Virginia, in August 2009 and have recently been found in some pharmacies.
More Information
Home, Hospital Antibiotics Offer Similar Results in Cystic Fibrosis
WEDNESDAY, July 14 (HealthDay News) -- Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients treated with intravenous antibiotics for respiratory exacerbations have similar lung function outcomes whether their therapy is administered at home or in the hospital, according to research published online June 25 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
MPV4 Vaccine Not Linked to Henoch-Schönlein Purpura
WEDNESDAY, July 14 (HealthDay News) -- Meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (MPV4) does not appear to be associated with post-vaccination Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) in 16- to 20-year-olds, according to research published online July 12 in Pediatrics.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Pneumonia, Raised CRP Level Tied to Severe H1N1 Outcomes
TUESDAY, July 13 (HealthDay News) -- Pandemic H1N1 influenza infection often leads to hospitalization in previously healthy individuals, as well as people with underlying conditions, and an abnormal chest X-ray or an elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) level -- particularly in obese individuals or those with pulmonary conditions other than asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) -- is associated with a potentially serious outcome, according to research published in the July issue of Thorax.
Abstract
Full Text
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Tied to Heart Failure Risk in Men
MONDAY, July 12 (HealthDay News) -- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with an increased risk of incident heart failure in middle-aged and older men but not in women of any age, and it may also be associated with incident coronary heart disease in men 70 years of age and younger, according to a study published online July 12 in Circulation.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Qigong and Tai Chi Have Multiple Health Benefits
THURSDAY, July 8 (HealthDay News) -- The combined outcomes of 77 studies on Qigong and Tai Chi suggest that these practices have a positive effect on multiple areas of health and well-being, according to a review published in the July/August issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Self-Identified Race May Lead to Misestimated Lung Function
WEDNESDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- The use of predictive equations that depend on self-identified race alone may not correctly assess lung function in individuals who identify themselves as African-American, and including ancestry may improve lung-function estimates, according to research published online July 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Many Doctors in Specialties Other Than Their Early Choices
WEDNESDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- Ten years after graduation, approximately one-fourth of doctors work in a specialty other than the one they chose in their third year post-graduation, according to research published online July 6 in BMJ.
Abstract
Full Text
Editorial
Weekend ICU Admission Linked to Higher Mortality Risk
WEDNESDAY, July 7 (HealthDay News) -- Patients admitted to hospital intensive care units (ICUs) on the weekends may have an increased mortality risk, but those admitted at night do not appear to have a higher mortality risk, according to research published in the July issue of Chest.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Lung Transplantation Survival Varies Among Centers
TUESDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) -- Survival following lung transplantation varies between transplantation centers, and the variation is only partially associated with volume of procedures, according to research published in the July 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Biomass Smoke Is a Risk Factor for COPD
TUESDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to biomass smoke -- from wood and other forms of biomass, such as animal dung and crop residues -- is associated with an increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to research published in the July issue of Chest.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Cardiac, Pulmonary Function of Ticagrelor Patients Studied
TUESDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) -- Dyspnea is commonly reported by coronary artery disease (CAD) patients taking ticagrelor, but it does not appear to have a negative impact on cardiac or pulmonary function in these patients, according to research published in the July 13 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Report Addresses Physician Financial Conflicts in Care
THURSDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- In a new report, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) urges U.S. teaching hospitals to establish policies that ensure financial relationships between physicians and industry do not result in conflicts of interest that influence patient care.
Press Release
