Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pulmonology for September 2008. 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.
News Media Under-Report Drug Company Funding of Research
TUESDAY, Sept. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Reports on medication research published in general news media often fail to disclose that the research received pharmaceutical company funding and frequently refer to drugs by brand name rather than using the generic name, according to an article published in the Oct. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Periodic Fasting May Decrease Cardiac Risk
MONDAY, Sept. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Both the proscription of tobacco products and periodic fasting may lower the risk of coronary artery disease, according to the results of a study published in the Oct. 1 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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Exercise Helps with Smoking Cessation in Pregnancy
MONDAY, Sept. 29 (HealthDay News) -- A physical activity intervention to help pregnant women stop smoking appears to be feasible and beneficial, according to study results published in the Sept. 23 issue of BMC Public Health.
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Inhaled Anticholinergics Increase Cardiovascular Risk
TUESDAY, Sept. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Use of inhaled anticholinergics raises the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a meta-analysis published in the Sept. 24 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Physicians May Lack Empathy with Lung Cancer Patients
TUESDAY, Sept. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians miss many opportunities for empathic communication during consultations with lung cancer patients, according to a report published in the Sept. 22 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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No Change to 2009 Part B Medicare Premium
MONDAY, Sept. 22 (HealthDay News) -- There will be no change to the Part B Standard Medicare premium in 2009 compared with 2008. This is the first time since 2000 that the premium has not risen over the prior year, according to an announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
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Childhood Paracetamol Use Linked to Later Asthma Symptoms
FRIDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The use of paracetamol (acetaminophen), whether in the first year of life or later in childhood, is associated with higher risk of asthma symptoms at ages 6 and 7, according to research published in the Sept. 20 issue of The Lancet.
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Measuring Exhaled NO Adds Little to Asthma Treatment
FRIDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Regularly measuring fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (NO) didn't lead to improvement in asthma symptoms or lung function in young patients with asthma, according to research published in the Sept. 20 issue of The Lancet.
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Editorial
Several Risk Factors Linked to Adult-Onset Asthma
FRIDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Factors associated with asthma diagnosed in adulthood include persistent wheezing in early life, bronchial hyper-responsiveness at 6 years of age, and allergic or non-allergic rhinitis in adulthood, according to the results of two studies published in the Sept. 20 issue of The Lancet.
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Abstract - Shaaban
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Editorial
Antibiotic Resistance Has Become a Global Pandemic
FRIDAY, Sept. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A concerted international and national response, behavior change by consumers and providers, and the development of antibacterial agents are all urgently needed to tackle the global problem of rapidly increasing antibiotic resistance, according to an article published online Sept. 18 in BMJ.
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Sarcoidosis Patients at Risk of Mental Illness
THURSDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Sarcoidosis patients are at risk of developing depression, anxiety and other mental disorders, and many should be referred for psychiatric or psychological evaluation, according to a report published in the September issue of General Hospital Psychiatry.
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Screening May Point to Lung Cancer Before Symptoms Arise
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Diagnosing lung cancer before symptoms become evident may be possible by screening for autoantibodies to particular antigens, according to research published online Sept. 15 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Healthy Middle-Age Lifestyle Halves Women's Risk of Death
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Middle-aged women who avoid smoking, maintain a healthy body weight, get regular exercise and eat a diet low in red meat and trans-fats can reduce their risk of premature death by more than half, according to study findings published online Sept. 16 in BMJ.
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Pulmonary Medications May Affect Death Risk
TUESDAY, Sept. 16 (HealthDay News) -- In patients newly diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), medication use may affect the risk of death. Inhaled corticosteroids appear to reduce the risk of death while ipratropium appears to increase it, according to a report published in the Sept. 16 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Detoxifying Protein Levels Lower in COPD Lungs
FRIDAY, Sept. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Levels of a protein involved in detoxifying oxidants are lower in the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to lower levels of a stabilizing protein, researchers report in the Sept. 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Obesity Linked to Poor Asthma Outcomes
THURSDAY, Sept. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Obese individuals with asthma are more likely to have poor asthma outcomes and more asthma-related hospitalizations than normal-weight individuals, according to a study published online in September in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
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Smoking Cessation Services Fail to Attract Young People
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Smoking cessation services fail to attract young people and have only a modest impact on smoking behavior among the young, according to an editorial published online Sept. 10 in BMJ.
Editorial
Race-Specific Model Better Predicts Lung Cancer in Blacks
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Risk models of lung cancer developed in white populations may not accurately predict risk in black populations, researchers report in the September issue of Cancer Prevention Research.
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Lung Cancer in Lifelong Non-Smokers Found to Be 'Rare'
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Among people who have never smoked, the death rate from lung cancer is higher in men than women, but the risk of the disease doesn't appear to have increased over time in this group, according to research published online Sept. 9 in PLoS Medicine.
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No Reduction in Deaths After Flu Vaccine in Elderly
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Influenza vaccination in the elderly does not reduce the likelihood of death outside flu season once other factors are taken into account, researchers report in the Sept. 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Editorial
Low Sweat Production Linked to Exercise-Induced Asthma
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Decreased sweat secretion rates are associated with positive response to methacholine challenge testing among patients with suspected exercise-induced asthma, according to a report in the September issue of Chest.
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Continuous Oxygen Use Linked to Increased Mortality
TUESDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Continuous oxygen use in non-hypoxic patients with severe emphysema is common and identifies a high-risk cohort of emphysema patients, researchers report in the September issue of Chest.
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Daytime Sleeping Slows Recovery in Rehab Inpatients
MONDAY, Sept. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Sleep disturbance is common among patients treated in acute rehabilitation units and increased daytime sleeping may be associated with less functional recovery, according to an article in the September issue of Sleep.
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Heavy Snoring Linked to Carotid Atherosclerosis
FRIDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Heavy snoring is associated with a more than 10-fold higher risk of carotid atherosclerosis but not with femoral atherosclerosis, researchers report in the Sept. 1 issue of Sleep.
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Physical, Sexual Abuse Linked to Asthma in Children
FRIDAY, Sept. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Puerto Rican children are more likely to have asthma if they have been a victim of physical or sexual abuse, according to a study published in the Sept. 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Prenatal Cigarette Smoke Leads to Breathing Difficulties
THURSDAY, Sept. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Preterm infants born to smoking mothers, which increases their risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), have defects in oxygen saturation and recovery after breathing pauses during hypoxia, according to study findings published in the Sept. 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Education Not Associated with Lung Cancer Survival
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Education level is associated with performance status, but is not associated with survival in small-cell or non-small-cell lung cancer patients enrolled in clinical trials, according to research published in the September issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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