Respiratory

The FDA cleared the first generic version of EpiPen and EpiPen Jr, an epinephrine auto-injector for severe allergic reactions, 2 years after generic drugmaker Teva Pharmaceuticals was first turned down in its bid to win approval for the device. The Teva device is the first-ever generic to the one marketed by Mylan, which is still in short supply during the busy back-to-school season in pharmacies due to production issues at Pfizer, which makes the device.

The global age-standardized lung cancer mortality rate among women is expected to increase by 43% from 2015 to 2030, while the global age-standardized breast cancer mortality rate is projected to decrease by 9%, according to an analysis published in Cancer Research.

A phase IV noninferiority trial evaluating the difference between video-based and face-to-face inhaler education for patients with asthma did not find a difference in the endpoints that were analyzed. The results were published in PLoS One.

A recent study found that markers of platelet activity are increased in plasma of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and these are then normalized with antimycobacterial treatment. The researchers said their findings could have implications for new types of drug therapies.

Special nutrition bars seem to have a beneficial effect on lung function in patients with noneosinophilic, low-inflammation asthma and obesity, according to a new study.

Both asthma and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), both chronic conditions, have been associated with each other in previous studies, but questions remained as to the strength of the association because of other possible confounders. A new review of published data, followed by a population-based study, says the association remains after controlling for possible confounders.

Coal worker’s pneumoconiosis (CWP), commonly called black lung, is making a return, especially in central Appalachia, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health.

A new research study, published in JAMA Cardiology, aimed to further confirm a previous correlation between asthma and atrial fibrillation (AF) and to determine if the degree of asthma control affected the risk of developing AF.

New tools from the American College of Chest Physicians' CHEST Foundation, the Allergy & Asthma Network, and the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology can help clinicians and patients to work together to choose the best treatment and increase adherence.

Nearly half of patients visiting urgent care centers who were diagnosed with an acute respiratory condition, for which antibiotics are neither recommended nor effective, walked away with an antibiotic prescription anyway.

Do e-cigarettes help current smokers quit, or do they just become an additional nicotine habit? A new study of more than 30,000 adults in Sweden indicates that traditional smokers use both methods.

Current screening criteria for lung cancer risk assessments often miss a large proportion of cases. Research suggests that a panel of circulating protein biomarkers may improve lung cancer risk assessment and may be used to define eligibility for computed tomography screening.

Consumption of fast foods—especially hamburgers—3 or more times per week was more likely to be associated with severe asthma when compared with the consumption of fast foods only 1 to 2 times per week.

Although acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are often caused by viruses for which antibiotics are not effective, antibiotics remain commonly prescribed for ARIs.

A pair of articles paint a devastating picture of the effects of climate change on human health. One paper cited increased air pollution spurred by air conditioning and another paper said that the decreased nutritional quality of staple crops will increase diseases like anemia and diarrhea.

Smoking and tuberculosis (TB) have always had a strong epidemiological association.

Children who live in neighborhoods with low walkability may be more likely to develop asthma that will continue through later childhood.

Asthma is a common disease that affects people of all ages; however, it is underdiagnosed. Researchers have recently identified a genetic biomarker of asthma that can be tested for using a nasal brush and basic follow-up data analysis.

Smoke-free policies not only protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke exposure, but they also reduce the social acceptability of smoking, help prevent youth and young adult smoking initiation, and increase smokers’ efforts to quit smoking. A recent report from the CDC assessed the importance and efficacy of smoke-free and tobacco-free policies among colleges and universities.

The environment children live in can often affect their pediatric asthma.

Compared with the general population, adults who survive an opioid overdose are 24 times more likely to die during the year after the incident from a variety of mental health and medical conditions, including from substance use–associated diseases and suicide, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry.

A conservative coalition is pushing a plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but centrist Republicans getting ready for the midterm elections have no interest in it; the World Health Organization has unveiled the 11th version of its International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11); doctors in Puerto Rico are seeing a stunning rise in the number and severity of asthma cases that they attribute to destruction caused by Hurricane Maria last September.

Having adenoids or tonsils removed in childhood is a fairly common operation, but little is known about the long-term effects. A new study found that removal significantly increased the risk of respiratory, allergic, and infectious diseases later in life, and that the long-term risks of these surgeries deserve careful consideration.

Two recent studies evaluated the effects of asthma through addressing the costs and adherence to medications as well as the accessibility to certain resources for patients.

Results, lessons, and challenges of a local lung cancer screening program within a national demonstration project.

Major medical groups as well as patient advocacy groups filed friend-of-the-court briefs Thursday in Texas v. Azar, the lawsuit that seeks to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA), warning about the damage that would occur to American healthcare if the ACA is reversed by the courts. In addition, legal experts who have previously disagreed with each other about legal and policy questions about the ACA united in another filing, saying the arguments of both "the plaintiff States and the United States on the severability of the insurance mandate from the other provisions of the ACA are inconsistent with settled law."

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) can result in pulmonary and extrapulmonary infections and are primarily acquired from environmental sources, including soil and water exposed surfaces. Recent studies investigated the risk factors of NTM infections and their prevalence among patients in the United States.

This longitudinal examination of the asthma medication ratio in a national sample of children has determined the predictive accuracy of a rolling 3-month ratio.

An allergy and asthma organization says it has ranked the top 100 cities in the United States where it is challenging to live with asthma, showing the influence of community factors on asthma rates.

Analysis of insurance claims reveals that criteria other than the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) persistent asthma definition can identify more at-risk patients with reasonable loss of specificity.