Urban Pollution Changes Properties of Lung Cells, Causes Fibrosis

Article title: Complex urban atmosphere alters alveolar stem cells niche properties and drives lung fibrosis Authors: Randa Belgacemi, Bruno Ribeiro Baptista, Grégoire Justeau, Marylène Toigo, Andrew Frauenpreis, Rojda Yilmaz, Audrey Der Vartanian, Mathieu Cazaunau, Edouard Pangui, Antonin Bergé, Aline Gratien,…

UC San Diego Health Ranks No. 1 in San Diego, Makes National Honor Roll

U.S. News & World Report ranks 10 medical and surgical specialties at UC San Diego Health among the nation’s best.

International Lung Health Organizations Join to Raise Awareness for Bronchiectasis

In support of the second annual World Bronchiectasis Day, July 1, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies, of which the American Thoracic Society is a founding member, is joining the COPD Foundation and several global organizations to raise global awareness, share knowledge, and discuss ways to reduce the burden of bronchiectasis for patients and their families worldwide.

Omics and AI May Help Predict Lung Disease Risk in Premature Babies

Article title: Development of a peripheral blood transcriptomic gene signature to predict bronchopulmonary dysplasia Authors: Alvaro Moreira, Miriam Tovar, Alisha M. Smith, Grace C. Lee, Justin A. Meunier, Zoya Cheema, Axel Moreira, Caitlyn Winter, Shamimunisa B. Mustafa, Steven Seidner, Tina…

Reduced Expression of Extracellular Matrix Protein May Ease Markers of Sclerosis-associated Lung Disease

Article title: Fibronectin-EDA accumulates via reduced ubiquitination downstream of toll-like receptor 9 activation in SSc-ILD fibroblasts Authors: Ferhan Tuncer, Melissa Bulik, John Villandre, Travis Lear, Yanwen Chen, Beyza Tuncer, Daniel J. Kass, Eleanor Valenzi, Christina Morse, John Sembrat II, Robert…

Prompt Recognition and Treatment Found Effective for Lung Disease in Patients Who Received New Drug for Advanced Cancer

Lung disease caused by a new drug for cancers—including metastatic or advanced breast cancer—can be effectively treated using approaches that focus on early detection and prompt management, according to a study published in ESMO Open on August 11, 2022.

Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Research Explores Quality and Access to Patient Care

The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation announced research results from four studies examining access to care and outcomes for patients living with pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease.

Extracellular Vesicles in Lung Fluid May Point to Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Severity

Article title: CD14-positive extracellular vesicles in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid as a new biomarker of acute respiratory distress syndrome Authors: Rahul Y. Mahida, Joshua Price, Sebastian T. Lugg, Hui Li, Dhruv Parekh, Aaron Scott, Paul Harrison, Michael A. Matthay, David R.…

Study Finds Systemic Autoimmune Disease Patients Fare Well After Transplants, Making Surgery a Viable Treatment Option for End-Stage Lung Disease

New research presented this week at ACR Convergence, the American College of Rheumatology’s annual meeting, shows that people with systemic autoimmune diseases do as well after lung or heart-lung transplants as those without any systemic causes of end-stage lung disease.

Focus on “Growing Stronger” for Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month in September

September is Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month, presented by the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) as a way to drive awareness of pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a debilitating, incurable lung disease. Learn more about the numerous endeavors intended to rejuvenate the fight against PF throughout September.

Potential biomarker found for lung disease in scleroderma patients

Researchers have discovered a protein that may predict disease severity for scleroderma-associated interstitial lung disease, the leading cause of death for patients with the rare autoimmune condition. Higher circulating levels of the CTRP9 were associated with more severe lung disease, while low levels were associated with preserved function.

Reduced Expression of Dual Oxidase 1 Enzyme May Contribute to Age-related Emphysema

Article title: Downregulation of DUOX1 function contributes to aging-related impairment of innate airway injury responses and accelerated senile emphysema Authors: Caspar Schiffers, Lennart K.A. Lundblad, Milena Hristova, Aida Habibovic, Christopher M. Dustin, Nirav Daphtary, Minara Aliyeva, David J. Seward, Yvonne M.…

Mouse Study Suggests Androgens and Their Receptors Play Important and Positive Role in Asthma

Article title: Androgen receptor activation alleviates airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammation and remodeling in a murine model of asthma Authors: Rama Satyanarayana Raju Kalidhindi, Nilesh Sudhakar Ambhore, Premanand Balraj, Taylor Schmidt, M. Nadeem Khan, Venkatachalem Sathish From the authors: “Overall, our findings from…

Blocking Cell Death Protein Reduces COPD-associated Inflammation, Lung Damage

Article title: Blockade of PD-1 decreases neutrophilic inflammation and lung damage in experimental COPD Authors Felix Ritzmann, Kai Borchardt, Giovanna Vella, Praneeth Chitirala, Adrian Angenendt, Christian Herr, Michael D. Menger, Markus Hoth, Annette Lis, Rainer M Bohle, Robert Bals, Christoph…

Targeting mechanosensitive protein could treat pulmonary fibrosis, study suggests

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have identified a new molecular target that could potentially treat the deadly, aging-related lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The study, which will be published March 10 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), suggests that targeting a protein called MDM4 could prevent respiratory failure by initiating a genetic program that removes scar tissue from the lungs.

Immune cell implicated in development of lung disease following viral infection

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have implicated a type of immune cell in the development of chronic lung disease that sometimes is triggered following a respiratory viral infection. The evidence suggests that activation of this immune cell serves as an early switch that, when activated, drives progressive lung diseases, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Harmful Effects of E-cigarettes Long Known, But Researchers Want to Uncover More

Rockville, Md. (February 11, 2021)—The popularity of e-cigarettes continues to grow, especially among children and young adults. Some researchers have even suggested the devices are safer than traditional cigarettes. But a new research article published in the American Physiological Society’s…

University of Miami Health System and 4DMedical Launch Research Program Advancing Breakthrough Lung Technology

UHealth – the University of Miami Health System, the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, and 4DMedical recently announced the creation of the Functional Lung Imaging Research Program in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the Miller School.

Bacterial Extracellular Vesicles from Poultry Farm Dust Causes Lung Inflammation in Mice

Article title: Bacterial extracellular vesicles isolated from organic dust induce neutrophilic inflammation in the lung Authors: Velmurugan Meganathan, Regina Moyana, Kartiga Natarajan, Weshely Kujur, Shilpa Kusampudi, Sachin Mulik, Vijay Boggaram From the authors: “In summary, our studies have found that…

Patients Hospitalized with Severe Cases of Flu Do Better Than Those With COVID-19

A new study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society reveals how patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 fared, compared to those hospitalized with severe seasonal influenza. The study is believed to be the first in the U.S. to directly compare clinical features, laboratory results and health outcomes between patients with the two diseases.

Healthy Lung Month: Know these pulmonary fibrosis risk factors

October is Healthy Lung Month, an apt time to educate the public about the importance of protecting our lungs against mold, airborne pollutants and smoking – which put hundreds of thousands of Americans at higher risk for pulmonary fibrosis (PF).

Researchers Identify “Druggable” Signaling Pathway that Stimulates Lung Tissue Repair

Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a cellular pathway that can be targeted with a naturally occurring drug to stimulate lung tissue regeneration, which is necessary for recovery from multiple lung injuries. The findings, which were published today in Nature Cell Biology, could lead to better therapies for patients with lung disease, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19.

Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month Highlights Realities of Rare Disease

September’s Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month shares crucial realities and insights about the rare disease, its symptoms and helpful resources provided by the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation to educate the public about this devastating disease which impacts over 200,000 Americans.

New Clinical Practice Guidelines on Non-Invasive Ventilation in Chronic Stable Hypercapnic COPD;

A subcommittee of the American Thoracic Society Assembly in Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology has released new clinical practice guidelines to help advise clinicians on the optimal management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic hypercapnia. Hypercapnia is the buildup of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream.