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Healthcare Headlines |
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Respiratory / Asthma News From Medical News Today
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Older People Should Have The Flu Jab This Winter, Warn Experts - British Medical Journal
Despite recent doubts about its effectiveness, the influenza vaccine does give valuable protection against illness, hospital admission and death caused by influenza, and people over 65 should have the flu jab this winter, say experts on bmj.com today. Several prominent media articles have suggested that the flu vaccination programme for the over 65s is not worthwhile.
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Air Pollution Forecasting Offered To Those With Breathing Problems, European Union
World COPD Day this year provides the occasion for the launch of a website for European citizens to check national and local air quality and to learn the steps they can take to minimise any adverse effects.(1) Launched jointly by European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations (EFA) and Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), the website "Know Your Air for Health" (www.knowyourairforhealth.
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Despite Warm Temperatures, Arizona Confirms First Flu Case Of The Season
Although Valley temperatures continue to loom into the mid 80's this week, the flu is right on schedule. Today, the Arizona Department of Health Services confirms the state's first case of influenza, officially kicking off the 2008-2009 flu season. The patient is an infant from Maricopa County who is now recovering at home. "We usually expect to see our first case by Thanksgiving, so this comes as no surprise," said Will Humble, ADHS Deputy Director.
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Spike In Hospital Visits For Respiratory Illnesses During Southern California Wildfires
Raging wildfires that engulfed Southern California earlier this decade not only destroyed neighborhoods laying in their path, they also caused significant health problems for many who lived outside the fires' reach. An analysis of hospital and emergency department admissions directly before, during and after the 2003 Southern California wildfires shows a dramatic increase in treatment for those with asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory disorders.
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Gates Foundation Awards Grant For Development Of A Database To Accelerate Discovery Of New Therapies Against Tuberculosis
Collaborative Drug Discovery, Inc. (CDD) today announced that it has received a grant for $1,896,923 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a collaborative database that will enable scientists to archive, mine, and selectively collaborate around their research data to discover new cures for tuberculosis (TB). The TB bacillus infects approximately one third of the world's population and the disease kills over 1.5 million people every year.
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Mothers See Flu As Serious Health Threat, But Often Don't Get Their Families Vaccinated
While 78 percent of mothers in the United States consider influenza a severe and potentially life-threatening disease that can strike anyone, only half say it is likely their families will get vaccinated this season, according to a new survey from the American Lung Association.
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TB Patient Gets New Windpipe Made With Own Stem Cells
A 30-year old Columbian woman living in Spain whose airway was damaged from tuberculosis is the first person in the world to receive a new airway engineered from tissue that was grown from her own stem cells which means she is likely to have a much better quality of life because she will probably not have to take drugs for the rest of her life to stop her immune system rejecting the tissue.
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Brain Cells In Mice Destroyed By Drug Therapy For Premature Infants
A class of drugs that are used in premature infants to treat chronic lung damage can cause damage in the brain. New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests the drugs may cause cognitive and motor-control problems even when they are given before birth. The researchers have identified the cells damaged by the drugs, called glucocorticoids, as well as the time window during which brain injury can occur.
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According To Canadian Research Study Asthma May Be Over-Diagnosed By Up To 30 Percent
A new research study suggests that asthma may be over-diagnosed by up to 30 per cent in Canadian adults. The study, led by Ottawa researcher Dr. Shawn Aaron, examined 496 people from eight Canadian cities who reported receiving a diagnosis of asthma from a physician. When the individuals were retested for asthma using the accepted clinical guidelines, it was found that 30 per cent had no evidence of asthma. Two thirds of these individuals were able to safely stop taking asthma medications.
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Extending Chemotherapy Improves Control Of Lung Cancer
A new Australian study has found that extending the use of chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer better controls the disease, as well as providing a modest improvement in survival. The study will be reported today (18/11) to the Clinical Oncolgoical Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting in Sydney.
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