Respiratory

The FDA has approved dupilumab (Dupixent) for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

Authors say more work is needed to understand the mechanisms behind their findings.

According to a study published earlier this week, nearly 95% of healthcare workers risk potentially transmitting respiratory viruses to both patients and coworkers by attending work even when they show symptoms.

European researchers said they have mapped the human lung on a single-cell level, differentiating cell types between patients with asthma and those without, including the discovery of a new cell state that produces mucus in asthma. This understanding could lead to finding new drug targets for treating asthma, the researchers said.

According to a recent study presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in Dallas, Texas, and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine, nearly three-fourths of patients with mild, persistent asthma had a low sputum eosinophil levels and did not differ in their response to either mometasone or tiotropium when compared with placebo.

A recent study showed that older adults with uncontrolled asthma can benefit from interventions that tailor self-management support to improve various factors that impede asthma control, including those related to psychosocial, health, function, and cognitive barriers.

According to new research, recent advances in acoustic engineering and artificial intelligence have “shown promise” in the identification of respiratory conditions based on sound analysis, which may thus reduce dependence on support services and clinical expertise.

A recent joint American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society statement urged policymakers and clinicians to take seriously the role that inhaled vapors, gas, dust, or fumes have in creating occupational respiratory disease.

Children allergic to peanuts have higher total healthcare costs and consume more healthcare services, including emergency department (ED) visits, and had comorbidities of allergic rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis, than those without the allergy.

Researchers in Australia studying thunderstorm-triggered asthma suggested that ways to better stratify at-risk individuals are needed.

Researchers recently conducted a study in which they trained an artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning tool to detect lung cancer tumors in computed tomography scans. The algorithm's evaluation was then compared with that of 6 radiologists, and the results showed that the AI was more accurate when prior CT imaging was not available.

Vermont's Attorney General has sued the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, for allegedly directing a deceptive opioid marketing campain; drug manufacturer Eli Lilly has offered a half-priced, generic version of Humalog insulin; asthma rates for children fell in Los Angeles after air quality improved.

Increased use of primary care could lower rates of respiratory failure and reduce admissions to intensive care units.

A health tracking app that monitors asthma control in children in real time and sends medication reminders successfully reduced emergency department visits as well as the use of inhaled corticosteroids, according to a new study.

A recent study assessed patients’ preferred route of administering biologic drugs for severe asthma, as well as their related beliefs and preferences. The authors said convenience and efficacy beliefs about pharmaceuticals are important for physicians to understand in order to share decision making with patients.

According to a recent study, patients with common lung diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung fibrosis are significantly more likely to develop cardiovascular disease.

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) found that childhood-onset asthma was associated with nearly 3 times as many genes as asthma that develops in adults, in which environmental factors play a much bigger role.

Using a form of artificial intelligence called natural language processing (NLP) to mine information in electronic health records (EHRs) can uncover early cases of childhood asthma more quickly, reducing the long-term morbidity of this chronic disease, improve current care, and streamline and advance new therapeutic discoveries.

In a proof-of-concept study recently published in Science Translational Medicine, researchers from Penn Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia were able to edit out a lethal lung disease using CRISPR in utero mice models.

Two Democratic members of Congress introduced a bill this week aimed at reversing the increase in vaping among children and teenagers by raising the minimum purchasing age for all tobacco products to 21 years old, among other things.

During the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Disease (ECCMID), being held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, April 13-16, researchers are presenting findings that suggests the mode of delivery influences the development of gut microbiota in infants, regardless of a mother’s use of antibiotics, which could then affect infants’ respiratory health during his or her first year.

The United States ranks highly in a global study examining traffic-related pollution and new cases of childhood asthma, and the authors suggest that pollution guidelines may need to be re-evaluated, since most affected children live in areas where pollution falls within current limits.

A recent study conducted in mice found that the ability of cells to use glucose can actually help to regulate the immune system during lung inflammation.

There may be a difference between controlled burns and wildfires on one’s immune system.

Two abstracts presented Saturday at The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 2019 Annual Meeting, held February 22-25 in San Francisco, California, discussed how formulary switching can affect outcomes for patients with severe persistent asthma, as well as how improving outcomes may be associated with increased quality measures.