James Cook University researchers are warning microorganisms previously thought to be benign are becoming more dangerous worldwide – and especially in the tropics. Professor John Miles from JCU’s Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine said diseases caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have been steadily increasing globally. “NTMs are the lesser-known cousins of tuberculosis. They...
INTERMOUNTAIN MEDICAL CENTER As the outbreak of lung injuries and deaths associated with e-cigarettes, or vaping, continues to spread across the U.S., researchers at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City have effectively developed a best practice treatment guide to quickly identify and treat patients who develop the new and potentially fatal respiratory injury, according to...
New criteria could identify more patients in early stages of disease, promote better care and stimulate research to slow and prevent COPD NATIONAL JEWISH HEALTH DENVER – November 12, 2019 – Researchers at National Jewish Health and dozens of leading institutions around the nation have proposed new criteria for diagnosing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),...
Scar tissue forms in the place of healthy tissue in organs This process is called cirrhosis in the liver and fibrosis in the lungs Its a hallmark of liver and lung diseases triggered by excessive drinking and smoking This damage is currently irreversible, incurable and can prove fatal But Mayo Clinic researchers discovered they can block two proteins to tell scar tissue precursors to do the opposite, removing and breaking down...
Posted Today A few years ago, Kevin Pierce, a laconic retired sheriff who has lived his whole life in the Central Valley of California, went to see his family physician about some chest pains. An X-ray showed several nodules in his lungs, suggestive of a spreading cancer – not entirely surprising since Pierce is a...
Two antibiotics, taken for a month, can stop a leading killer. But “when it’s for TB, people just sort of shrug.” Tuberculosis struck 10 million people worldwide in 2017, killing 1.6 million of them — a toll greater than that of H.I.V., malaria, measles and Ebola combined. TB is the leading infectious killer around the...
The world marks World Tuberculosis (TB) Day on March 24 every year. Most people assume that TB only affects the lungs – but the disease can also attack other organs. The Conversation Africa’s Ina Skosana spoke to Professor Nazir Ismail to find out more. Professor Ismail works and conducts his research in South Africa, one of the world’s TB hot spots. What parts of the body does TB affect? TB most...
A new biomarker that could be used to provide earlier diagnosis for a life limiting lung condition has been identified by researchers at the University of Bradford. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) affects around 6,500 people in the UK and is caused by a narrowing of the arteries supplying blood to the lungs. This leads to high blood pressure and, eventually, to heart...
AMERICAN THORACIC SOCIETY Sept. 14, 2018–Patients using inhaled steroids to control asthma and other breathing problems may be at greater risk for developing nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) lung infections, according to new research published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. IMAGE: USING INHALED STEROIDS MAY INCREASE NONTUBERCULOUS MYCOBACTERIA (NTM) LUNG INFECTION RISK. NTM are...
