Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pulmonology for March 2009. 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.
Safe Practice Scores Do Not Add Up to Fewer Patient Deaths
TUESDAY, March 31 (HealthDay News) -- In hospitals, higher self-reported scores for improvements in safe practices do not correlate with reduced mortality rates, researchers report in the April 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Children's Lung Function Linked to Genetic Variants
MONDAY, March 30 (HealthDay News) -- In children, variants in GST mu genes are associated with decreased lung capacity and small airway flow, according to a study published in the April 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Lung Hypertension Common in Heart Failure Patients
FRIDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Pulmonary hypertension is common in patients with preserved ejection fraction heart failure, and pulmonary artery systolic pressure may be effective in diagnosing heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and predicting the risk of death, researchers report in the March 31 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Hundred Steps Per Minute May Be Good Fitness Goal
THURSDAY, March 26 (HealthDay News) -- Taking 3,000 steps in 30 minutes on most days of the week might be a good pace for people to follow to protect their health, according to research published online March 17 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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Cost Barriers Slow Adoption of Electronic Health Records
WEDNESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Citing cost barriers, relatively few U.S. hospitals have adopted electronic health records, posing a major obstacle for policy makers who say health information technology is critical to the improvement of health care quality and cost-effectiveness, according to an article published online March 25 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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C-Reactive Protein Levels Associated With Cancer Risk
WEDNESDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) are associated with increased risk of cancer and earlier death after cancer diagnosis, according to a report published online March 16 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Smoking Linked to Risk of Acute, Chronic Pancreatitis
TUESDAY, March 24 (HealthDay News) -- Smoking is independently associated with an increased risk of pancreatitis, according to study findings published in the March 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Continuing to Smoke Worsens Pain in Lung Cancer
MONDAY, March 23 (HealthDay News) -- Lung cancer patients who continue to smoke even after their diagnosis are more likely to experience moderate to severe pain, researchers report in the March issue of the Journal of Pain.
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Early Television Exposure Linked to Childhood Asthma
FRIDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- In early childhood, increased television viewing is associated with a higher risk of developing asthma in later childhood, according to the results of a study published online March 13 in Thorax.
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Religious More Likely to Use Life-Prolonging Care
TUESDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with advanced cancer who rely more strongly on religion to cope with illness are more likely to receive mechanical ventilation and intensive life-prolonging care at the end of life, according to a study in the March 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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One in Five U.S. Adults Continues to Smoke
MONDAY, March 16 (HealthDay News) -- Although smoking prevalence is declining nationwide, about one in five U.S. adults still smokes, and only one state has reduced smoking prevalence to the 12 percent or less goal established by Healthy People 2010, according to a report published in the March 13 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Ozone Hikes Risk of Death from Respiratory Causes
WEDNESDAY, Mar. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Increased concentration of environmental ozone exposure significantly increases the risk of death from respiratory causes, but does not significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular death when particulate matter (PM) concentration is also taken into account, according to research published in the Mar. 12 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Metabolic Syndrome Linked to Reduced Lung Function
MONDAY, Mar. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Metabolic syndrome is associated with a higher risk of lung function impairment, primarily due to abdominal obesity, according to research published in the Mar. 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Simpler Apnea Treatment Model Deemed Effective
MONDAY, Mar. 9 (HealthDay News) -- A simplified model of diagnosing and treating obstructive sleep apnea can lead to outcomes that aren't inferior to those from in-hospital polysomnograms involving physicians, according to research published in the Mar. 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Pulmonary Embolism Common in Acute COPD Patients
FRIDAY, Mar. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Pulmonary embolism may occur in one-quarter of patients hospitalized with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to research published in the March issue of Chest.
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Receptor in Osteosarcoma May Provide Treatment Approach
FRIDAY, Mar. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Interleukin-11 receptor alpha (IL-11Rα) appears to present a target for therapy of osteosarcoma, according to research published online Feb. 24 in Cancer Research.
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Depression Symptoms in Stable COPD Linked to Mortality
FRIDAY, Mar. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Depression symptoms occurring in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with all-cause mortality, according to a report published in the March issue of Chest.
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Exercise in Later Life Reduces Mortality Risk
FRIDAY, Mar. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Men who increase their level of exercise later in life can bring their mortality risk into line with their counterparts who have constantly exercised, according to a report published online Mar. 5 in BMJ.
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Transdermal Patches Pose Burn Risk During Scans
FRIDAY, Mar. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about the risk of burns as a result of wearing medicated patches, such as those used for smoking cessation or pain relief, during MRI scans.
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Breathing Helium Improves Exercise in Pulmonary Disease
THURSDAY, Mar. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients who breathe helium during pulmonary rehabilitation increase their exercise intensity and duration and improve their quality of life more than patients who breathe air, according to research published in the March issue of Chest.
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Obama Wants to Spend $630 Billion on Health Care Reform
THURSDAY, Mar. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Achieving health care reform is one of President Barack Obama's major challenges, and his newly released spending plan calls on Congress to commit $630 billion over the next decade to finance that reform, according to an article published online Mar. 4 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Mepolizumab Beneficial in Eosinophilic Asthma
WEDNESDAY, Mar. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Mepolizumab therapy reduces exacerbations and has other benefits in asthma patients with eosinophilia, according to two studies published in the Mar. 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract - Haldar
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Abstract - Nair
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Vitamin K Doesn't Reduce Bleeding in Warfarin Patients
TUESDAY, Mar. 3 (HealthDay News) -- In patients receiving warfarin, vitamin K does not reduce bleeding, according to study findings published in the Mar. 3 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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US Motor Vehicle-Related Death Rates Vary Geographically
MONDAY, Mar. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Although the mortality rate related to motor vehicles remained almost unchanged from 1999 to 2005 in the United States, on closer inspection the data reveals wide variations from state to state, as well as by gender and ethnicity, according to a report published in the Feb. 27 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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IFRD1 Gene Linked to Severity of Cystic Fibrosis
MONDAY, Mar. 2 (HealthDay News) -- The IFRD1 gene appears to play a role in the severity of cystic fibrosis lung disease through its influence on neutrophil effector function, according to research published online Feb. 25 in the journal Nature.
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Much Lung Cancer Disparity Appears to Be Due to Smoking
MONDAY, Mar. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Smoking appeared to explain much -- but not all -- of the inequality in lung cancer risk attributable to differences in education in a large sample of Europeans, according to research published in the Mar. 4 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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Trio of Studies Shed Light on Pediatric Asthma Issues
MONDAY, Mar. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Children with asthma have fewer symptoms when their exposure to air pollution is reduced, while antibiotic use is associated with an exacerbation of symptoms, according to two studies published in the March issue of Pediatrics. A third study found that pertussis vaccination is not associated with increased risk of asthma.
Abstract - Renzetti
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Abstract - Marra
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Abstract - Spycher
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