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China’s Food Safety Challenges

September 7, 2010

Sino-American cooperation to increase product safety is increasing, but this does not relieve concern about the safety of food and other Chinese exports to the U.S. China’s enforcement of its own laws remains inconsistent, local governments often try to hide information about defective products, and whistleblowers risk punishment. Moreover, as China’s foreign trade expands, problems may also grow in other areas.

Fake Drugs, Poison Pills

September 7, 2010

Counterfeit drugs used to be a problem for poor countries. Now they threaten the rich world, too

$30 Million Awarded to "Popcorn Lung" Sufferer

September 7, 2010

Many people love the smell of fresh, buttery popcorn. But inhaling that aroma day in and day out for several years may have caused significant lung damage for one Illinois plant worker.

Two-year-old child living with an artificial lung

September 7, 2010

According to media published ‘online’ in the U.S., “Stark Owen has two years and is the world’s youngest patient living with a lung artificial. The child, who suffers from severe pulmonary hypertension, suffered cardiac arrest before ten o’clock that doctors saved the life ‘in extremis’. Now awaiting a transplant. “

CDC No Longer Recommends Delaying Influenza Vaccination for Elderly

September 5, 2010

Physicians should no longer delay vaccinating elderly patients against seasonal influenza until October or November, but instead encourage all patients aged 6 months and older to get immunized as soon as vaccine is available in their community, an official with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday.

Home-Based Sleep Apnea Diagnosis Sometimes Equals In-Lab Polysomnography

September 5, 2010

Sleep specialists can sometimes diagnose and manage obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with home-based tests instead of in-lab polysomnography, new research suggests.

Realities and Expectations of Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine: Impact of Translating Genetic Knowledge into Clinical Practice

September 5, 2010

The implementation of genetic data for a better prediction of response to medications and adverse drug reactions is becoming a reality in some clinical fields. However, to be successful, personalized medicine should take advantage of an informational structured framework of genetic, phenotypic and environmental factors in order to provide the healthcare system with useful tools that can optimize the effectiveness of specific treatment. The impact of personalized medicine is potentially enormous, but the results that have so far been gathered are often difficult to translate into clinical practice.

Cutoff Points in Medicine -- Why Use Them?

September 4, 2010

It's odd that only the medicine example seems to make sense: we give a weather forecast of 68° or 92°-- not just "higher than 65°" -- but we describe a patient as obese, hypertensive, but free of diabetes and not suspicious for prostate cancer. Indeed, cutoff points are so ubiquitous in medicine that statisticians have developed special methods to choose them. Many of these methods are, well, rather silly.

Achieving Drug-free Remission: Elucidating the Role of TNF in Rheumatoid Arthritisinhibitors

September 4, 2010

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory disease that causes significant morbidity and mortality. RA patients should be started with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs such as methotrexate (MTX) as early as possible. However, the use of MTX often fails to control disease activity and prevent structural damage, and more effective treatment strategies are needed. TNF plays a pivotal role in the pathological processes of RA through the accumulation of inflammatory cells and the self-perpetuation of inflammation, leading to joint destruction.

Contraception, abortion, and pulmonary arterial hypertension

September 3, 2010

Despite therapeutic advances, maternal mortality is high in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). PAH treatment may interfere with the proposed method of contraception. Moreover, some treatments (endothelin receptor antagonists, anti-vitamin K) are teratogenic. If pregnancy is strictly not recommended in PAH, few specific contraceptive guidelines are available. The contraceptive method must be discussed on a case by case basis with the patient, the reference team for PAH, and the gynecology department.The advantages of the intrauterine device (IUD) with progesterone (reliability, simplicity, compliance, few contraindications and interactions, possibility of use in the nulliparous patient, reimbursement by the healthcare system) make it a good contraceptive choice in these circumstances. Therapeutic abortion is a situation of contraceptive failure, it must always be performed in hospitals. It must lead to effective contraceptive advice.

Potential for Pharmacokinetic Interactions Between Ambrisentan and Cyclosporine

September 3, 2010

The addition of Ambrisentan to steady-state Cyclosporine A appeared less tolerable (lead to 1.5 fold increase of plasma Ambrisentan level) as compared with the addition of Cyclosporin A to steady-state Ambrisentan. A maximum Ambrisentan dose of 5 mg is recommended if it is coadministered with Cyclosponine A. No change in Cyclosporin A dose is recommended if it is coadministered with Ambrisentan..

Paxil Researcher Pleads Guilty to Charges

September 3, 2010

Washington, DC: GlaxoSmithKline is the subject of more bad publicity after a researcher was allegedly found to have falsified data in trials about Paxil. Meanwhile, the drug maker faces lawsuits alleging newborns suffered Paxil Birth defects when they were exposed to Paxil prior to birth. [..] Lawsuits filed against GlaxoSmithKline allege the company did not adequately warn patients about the risk of birth defects, resulting in babies being born with serious health problems, including heart defects and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN).

Pfizer to Acquire FoldRx Pharmaceuticals

September 1, 2010

FoldRx Focused on First-in-Class, Disease-Modifying, Oral Therapeutics to Treat Diseases Caused by Protein Misfolding

Epoprostenol treatment for idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension in pregnancy.

August 31, 2010

Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension is a rare condition associated with significant maternal mortality. We report the management of a 37-year-old multigravida with severe disease using epoprostenol, a multidisciplinary approach, and a planned delivery. Although the patient survived the pregnancy, her pulmonary function significantly worsened. Epoprostenol, a pulmonary vasodilator, should be considered when indicated during pregnancy. Neither fetal nor neonatal harm was identified.

Increased risk of pulmonary embolism among patients with hyperthyroidism: a five-year follow-up study.

August 30, 2010

Teipeh -- Due to to a 5-year long term study of the Teipeh Medical University, patients with hyperthyroidism have a 2.31 higher pulmonary emobolism risk.

Mutations in the G6PC3 gene cause Dursun syndrome, an overlap synodrome, with PH

August 30, 2010

Abstract of an article by Durson et. Al. at Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre (MAHSC), University of Manchester, Manchester, UK --

Dursun syndrome is a triad of familial primary pulmonary hypertension, leucopenia, and atrial septal defect.

Here we demonstrate that mutations in G6PC3 cause Dursun syndrome. Mutations in G6PC3 are known to also cause severe congenital neutropenia type 4. Identification of the genetic basis of Dursun syndrome expands the pre-existing knowledge about the phenotypic effects of mutations in G6PC3. We propose that Dursun syndrome should now be considered as a subset of severe congenital neutropenia type 4 with pulmonary hypertension as an important clinical feature

SSRIs: Are They Worth the Risk?

August 30, 2010

Bellingham, WA: Women who take antidepressants may know that potential SSRI side effects including an increased risk of Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN). A new study conducted in the US also suggests that antidepressants may not be useful for treating depression, while British studies suggest an increased risk of stroke and fracture for people who use antidepressants.

Echocardiography May Help Detect Pulmonary Vasculopathy in the Early Stages of PAH Associated with Systemic Sclerosis

August 29, 2010

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with systemic sclerosis is associated with a poor prognosis, but this can be improved by early disease detection. Abnormal pulmonary and cardiac function can be detected early by means of echocardiography, whereas right heart catheterization is usually performed later.

Dyspnoea in Patients with Acute Heart Failure: An Analysis of its Clinical Course, Determinants, and Relationship to 60-day Outcomes in the Protect Pilot Study

August 29, 2010

Dyspnoea is the most common symptom leading to hospitalization for acute heart failure (AHF). Its early and persistent relief is an important goal of therapy, but little is known about its course, determinants, and prognostic significance.

In Heart Failure, High LV Diastolic Pressure, Obesity, Arrhythmia up Pulmonary HTN Risk

August 29, 2010

In heart failure patients with ejection fractions above 50%, independent risk factors for pulmonary hypertension include high left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), morbid obesity, and arrhythmia, a new study shows.

Excuses for Eating Chocolate Can Now Include Heart-Failure Prevention

August 28, 2010

Not that many would need further encouragement to eat chocolate regularly, but a prospective observational study of older women in Sweden suggests that partaking of it up to a few times a week can cut the risk of heart failure by about a third.

Rising Furosemide Doses in Heart Failure Patients Don't Bode Well

August 28, 2010

A rising need for furosemide is linked with a rising risk for death in elderly heart failure patients, a Canadian team reports in the American Heart Journal for August.

Are you ready for a world without antibiotics?

August 27, 2010

Antibiotics are a bedrock of modern medicine. But in the very near future, we're going to have to learn to live without them once again. And it's going to get nasty.

Malignant pertussis: an underdiagnosed illness

August 26, 2010

Tunesia -- Malignant pertussis is a rare life-threatening illness characterized by severe respiratory failure, severe leukocytosis, and pulmonary hypertension. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of malignant pertussis in infants admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for severe acute respiratory failure associated with severe leukocytosis...(click the headline for more)

NO Delivery System Recalled

August 26, 2010

WASHINGTON -- The FDA has issued a class I recall -- the agency's most serious -- for the nitric oxide delivery system Inomax because of a pressure switch problem that could be fatal.

An element in the switch may tear and interrupt drug flow to the patient, which can cause hypoxemia, hypotension, pulmonary hypertension, and death.

A doctor's journey from Iran to the United States

August 26, 2010

As an 11-year-old in 1982, Roham Zamanian , MD, embarked on a perilous two-year effort to escape from Iran. Zamanian is now an assistant professor and director of the adult pulmonary hypertension service at Stanford's Vera Moulton Wall Center for Pulmonary Vascular Disease.

2-year-old is youngest to get artificial lung

August 26, 2010

A child suffering from pulmonary arterial hypertension at St. Louis Children's Hospital has become the youngest in the world to have used Novalung, a device that mimics the function of a lung. This artificial lung machine had never before been used in a child, or in any patient in the United States, the hospital said.

Actelion Announces New Drug - VELETRI®

August 25, 2010

Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the brand name VELETRI® for the company's epoprostenol for injection therapy. VELETRI has been commercially available since April 2010 as Epoprostenol for Injection for the treatment of moderate to severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and PAH associated with the scleroderma spectrum of disease. Actelion plans to release VELETRI-labeled product by early fourth quarter of 2010.

Imatinib Mesylate trial in five PAH patients over 24 weeks

August 24, 2010

Japanese scientists reported their experience of a 24-weeks trial of imatinib mesylate for the treatment of PAH patients in a full text paper. The paper. In short the drug showed positive effects in some patients but causes renal problems in others. Those who are interrested in more details can read the (scientificly written) full text paper by clicking on the head line.

Exercise pulmonary hypertension associated with systemic sclerosis: Four distinct entities.

August 24, 2010

Exercise pulmonary hypertension (PH) may represent an early, but clinically relevant phase in the spectrum of pulmonary vascular disease. Limited data exist regarding the prevalence of exercise PH by right heart catheterization (RHC) in scleroderma spectrum disorders (SSc-spectrum). Scientists from the UCLA, Los Angeles California identified 4 different groups of patients..(read more by clicking on the above headline)

Macitentan, a tissue-targeting endothelin receptor antagonist

August 24, 2010

Macitentan (ACT-064992), under development by Actelion Ltd in collaboration with Japanese licensee Nippon Shinyaku Co Ltd, is an orally active, non-peptide dual endothelin (ET)A and ETB receptor antagonist for the potential treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). [..]

Macitentan, because of its ability to target the tissues and to block both ETA and ETB receptors, is emerging as a new agent to treat cardiovascular disorders associated with chronic tissue ET system activation. [..]

At the time of publication, a phase II trial in patients with IPF and a phase III trial in patients with PAH was ongoing. It is expected that the results of these trials will validate the safety and efficacy of macitentan.

Local Family’s Battle With Rare Lung Disease Brings Visit From Vanderbilt Research Doctor

August 24, 2010

ecently, Dr. Eric Austin, a research doctor, and Lisa Wheeler, a research nurse coordinator, from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., traveled to visit the family of Howard and Mildred Motley.
Dr. Austin and Ms. Wheeler are researching the rare lung disease, Primary Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PPAH). Since multiple members of the Motley family have been diagnosed with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, they were asked to participate in the research study.
The family members affected are: Howard Motley, his daughters, Kim Lathrop and Shelia White and his grandchildren, Matthew White, Racheal White and Cristin White, who passed away in 1994 from the disease. Having this many people affected in one family is very uncommon. ...

Why Immunizations Don’t End with Childhood

August 23, 2010

Most of us think that immunizations end with childhood. We get the shots, and then we’re protected for life, right? Not so.

Statistics in Drug Advertising: What They Reveal and What They Hide : Conclusion

August 22, 2010

The literature reviewed here supports the contention made in the Introduction that pharmaceutical companies misuse statistics in their advertisements to present their products in a favourable light. Except in Canada, they almost never use ARRs or number need to treat, they omit confidence intervals and information about the power of studies they cite and they cite research that often has methodological problems. Magazine and television DTC advertisements also use statistics in a misleading manner although this form of advertising has not been as well studied as medical journal advertisements.

Oral Immunotherapy with Inactivated Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Reduces Severity of Acute Exacerbations in Severe COPD

August 22, 2010

Acute exacerbations of COPD reflect in part an inappropriate host response to abnormal bacterial colonization. Orally administered inactivated nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) can drive a specific T-cell response that by promoting intrabronchial phagocytosis down-regulates bronchus inflammation.

Preventive Health Services for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients: Whose Job is it?

August 22, 2010

Apropos of the article about preventive health care for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in this issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy, we offer some thoughts about how best to delineate the roles of the specialist (rheumatologist) and the generalist in the provision of services to these patients. Even in the best circumstances, these services are now provided at a rate that is less than optimal. We also offer a point about empowering patients to become vigilant about their own care.

The Way Toward Lung Regeneration?

August 21, 2010

Basic scientists at Yale have made important steps toward lung regeneration. In essence, they stripped rat lungs of all cells, leaving just the connective tissue matrix. This acellular "scaffold," with its ghostly outline of airways, parenchyma, and vascular structures, was then "seeded" with cultured epithelial and endothelial cells derived from rodent stem cells. Remarkably, the various cell types "knew" where to home in on, and they began to settle and repopulate the skeletal matrix. The resulting organ had mechanical properties similar to those of native lungs. Moreover, when implanted in rats in vivo, the organs were able to participate in gas exchange for up to 120 minutes.

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Interstitial Lung Disease

August 21, 2010

Although RA is defined as a symmetrical inflammatory arthropathy, a wide variety of extra-articular manifestations are seen in patients with RA. The pleuropulmonary manifestations of RA encompass airway diseases (e.g. bronchiolitis obliterans), pleural diseases (e.g. pleuritis with or without effusion) and parenchymal pulmonary diseases. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is associated with RA (RA-ILD), but the prevalence, incidence and natural history are not well defined. The prevalence of ILD in RA depends on the population selected for study (mild vs severe disease) and the methods applied for its detection (clinical, physiological, radiological or pathological). The paper by Koduri et al. in this issue of Rheumatology sheds light on the incidence and the natural history of RA-ILD.

Size and gender matter for heart transplants

August 19, 2010

When it comes to heart transplants, size and gender are major factors, a study on survival rates after such surgery shows.

The 20-year German study on 1,000 transplants showed that men who receive donor hearts from women have worse survival rates than women receiving male hearts

Give, and let live

August 19, 2010

There’s a woman in Ontario whose lungs don’t work. Disease has left her with less than 10 per cent capacity.

She breathes only with the aid of an oxygen tank. She rarely leaves the house.

Hospital wants state to pay for transplants

August 18, 2010

ONE of Sydney's biggest hospitals is more than $5 million in debt because the state government has refused to fund its world-renowned heart transplant program - even though the country's three other transplant units are all government funded

Lung Stem Cells Vital to Lung Repair Associated With Poor Cancer Prognosis When Found in Tumor

August 17, 2010

ScienceDaily (Aug. 16, 2010) — Adult stem cells that are vital for airway repair in the lung but that persist in areas where pre-cancerous lesions are found are associated with a poor prognosis in patients who develop cancer, even those with early stage disease, researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have found

Highly Targeted T-cell Therapy Destroys Lung and Bone Marrow Tumors in Mice

August 17, 2010

Immune-cell therapy relies on modifying a patient's own T-cells to attack a specific tumor. The problem is delivering enough T-cells to their target. To overcome this issue, MIT scientists managed to encapsulate within special pods interleukins, drugs that promote proliferation of new T-cells, and attach these vehicles onto the backs of tumor hunting T-cells

Pharmaceutical Strategies Group Releases Latest Research on Controlling Specialty Drug Costs

August 16, 2010

PLANO, TX -- 08/16/10 -- Pharmaceutical Strategies Group (PSG) announced today the release of a whitepaper detailing strategies for employee plan sponsors, health plans, and other organizations to effectively manage utilization and control the costs of specialty drugs

Life-saving medical breakthrough in Australian-first operation

August 16, 2010

A man has become the country's first person to have an artificial heart implanted to keep him alive. Doctors gave Angelo Tigano only two weeks to live at the start of this month.

Experts Predict 'Normal' H1N1 Flu Season This Year

August 14, 2010

Despite the current lull in H1N1 influenza activity, experts say it's likely that the Northern Hemisphere will see a new, but still mild, wave of the virus this flu season.

When the Doctor Doesn’t Look Like You

August 13, 2010

One night during my training, over dinner in the hospital cafeteria, a fellow resident and I had a discussion about the situation of one of our professors. Known for his blistering teaching sessions, this senior surgeon possessed the uncanny ability to sniff out lapses in memory or judgment among doctors-in-training. Early on in my internship ...

Primary care doctors are in retreat

August 13, 2010

Where have all the primary care doctors gone? And more importantly, how can we get more of them?

Generics As Good As Costly Blood Pressure Meds, Study Finds

August 13, 2010

Costly, brand-name blood pressure-lowering drugs are no better at preventing cardiovascular disease than older, generic diuretics, reveals long-term data from a large study.

Health Buzz: New Superbug Could Make Worldwide Debut

August 12, 2010

A new gene that can morph any bacterium into an antibiotic-resistant "superbug" has appeared in British hospitals, and scientists fear it could soon appear worldwide. New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase, or NDM-1, has been identified in about 50 people who returned to the United Kingdom after having surgery in India or Pakistan, British scientists reported Wednesday in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases. The gene, which exists in bacteria like E. coli, causes resistance to even the most ...

Nitric Oxide System Recalled for Potential Leakage

August 12, 2010

Ikaria is voluntarily recalling its system for administering nitric oxide gas (Inomax DS drug delivery system) because a pressure switch could leak, endangering patient care.

Potential treatment for pulmonary hypertension discovered

August 12, 2010

Researchers at University of Alberta have discovered potential treatment for a deadly disease called pulmonary hypertension.

MRSA Infections Decline in Hospitals

August 11, 2010

There has been a dramatic decline in hospital-acquired and other health care-related MRSA infections, the CDC reports.

Remote Monitoring Benefit Affirmed in Heart Failure

August 11, 2010

Keeping an eye on heart failure patients with remote monitoring technology between visits can improve outcomes, according to a Cochrane review.

The Health Benefits of Apples

August 10, 2010

Make healthy food choices and ensure you are obtaining the necessary servings of fruit a day! The average person should aim for two cups of fruit every day as your daily serving, but this depends on your age, health needs and unique preferences according to Tree Top’s nutritionist Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD, LDN. There are many different options to fill your day’s ...

Danger Lurking in Some Dietary Supplements?

August 10, 2010

A dozen ingredients commonly found in dietary supplements should be avoided, according to a new report, because they are linked to cancer, coma, kidney and liver damage, heart problems, and death.

Woman whose lungs collapsed 15 TIMES battles back from brink to win gold at European meet

August 10, 2010

A former fitness instructor who defied death after a one-in-a-million lung disease put her in a coma, has gone on to win gold at an international sports event.

Justine Laymond battled backfrom the brink after her lungs collapsed 15 TIMES.

Ikaria Recalls INOMAX DS Drug-Delivery System

August 10, 2010

CLINTON, N.J., Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Ikaria, Inc. announced today that its INOMAX® DS drug-delivery systems in the United States are being voluntarily recalled due to the potential failure of a pressure switch which may have an impact on the administration of INOMAX® (nitric oxide) for inhalation to patients.

Some Evidence Vitamin D Might Fight Respiratory Infections

August 9, 2010

A daily vitamin D supplement may help young men enjoy more sick-free days during cold and flu season, a small study suggests.

FDA Stops Stem Cell Treatments in USA

August 9, 2010

Regenerative Science Inc., a US based clinic in Colorado issued a press release yesterday stating that the FDA has ordered them to stop treating patients with their own adult stem cells, a practice that the clinic says helps patients avoid other methods of invasive, orthopedic surgery. And, while the FDA is busy banning stem cell research in the USA, many patients with COPD and other health conditions are forced to go to other countries to get treatment, a practice that has many patients angry and frustrated.