Promising Gene-Based Approaches to Repair Lethal Lung Injury in the Elderly from COVID-19, Pneumonia, Flu, Sepsis

Discovery from the lab of Youyang Zhao, PhD, from Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago offers promising treatment approaches for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in the elderly that can be caused by severe COVID-19, pneumonia, flu or sepsis.

UNC Researchers Tackle the E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use–associated Lung Injury (EVALI) Epidemic

Although doctors and researchers sympathize with smokers wanting to quit smoking, scientists are discovering that vaping might not be a healthier alternative to smoking, especially in adolescents. E-cigarette products have recently been linked to a new, serious lung condition known as E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-associated Lung Injury, or EVALI, which primarily affects youth and young adults. In 2019, the illness was declared an epidemic by the CDC.

Mouse Model of COVID-19–induced Lung Injury May Aid Development of Coronavirus Treatments

Article title: The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein subunit 1 induces COVID-19–like acute lung injury in Κ18-hACE2 transgenic mice and barrier dysfunction in human endothelial cells Authors: Ruben Colunga Biancatelli, Pavel Solopov, Elizabeth R. Sharlow, John S. Lazo, Paul Ellis Marik, John…

Newly Identified Pathway, Biomarkers May Be Tools to Prevent Kidney Injury-induced Lung Damage

Article title: Altered lung metabolism and mitochondrial DAMPs in lung injury due to acute kidney injury Authors: Mark Hepokoski, Jing Wang, Kefeng Li, Ying Li, Purva Gupta, Tina Mai, Alex Moshensky, Mona Alotaibi, Laura E. Crotty Alexander, Atul Malhotra, Prabhleen Singh…

Protecting lungs from ventilator-induced injury

An unfortunate truth about using mechanical ventilation to save lives is that the pressure can cause further lung damage. Scientists are working to boost a natural cellular process in pursuit of a therapy that could lower the chances for lung damage in patients on ventilators.

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…

Breathing problems in teens: COVID-19 or lung injury due to vaping?

In a case series of three teen patients, UC Davis Health pediatricians present the common manifestations of COVID-19 and lung injury due to vaping (EVALI). As EVALI and COVID-19 share many symptoms, it is critical for health providers to get the vaping history of teenagers with unexplained breathing problems.

@atscommunity members join #CDC to craft guidance on #vaping associated lung injury. Available for comment.

Don Hayes, Jr., MD, MS, MEd, is the medical director of the Advanced Lung Disease Program and the Lung and Heart-Lung Transplant Programs at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. He is a Professor of Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, and Surgery at The Ohio…