Popular new weight-loss drugs may pose serious surgery risks

A group of US and Canadian anesthesiologists has sounded the alarm on the new class of weight-loss drugs, this time warning that they can increase the risk of serious complications for patients under sedation on the operating table.Continue ReadingCate… Continue reading Popular new weight-loss drugs may pose serious surgery risks

Feeling wheezy? Study links low vitamin K levels to lung issues

A new study suggests that people with low levels of vitamin K in their blood are more likely to have reduced lung function and to report lung problems like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or wheezing.Continue ReadingCategory: Heal… Continue reading Feeling wheezy? Study links low vitamin K levels to lung issues

Inhaled drug reduces lung damage by targeting overactive immune cells

Researchers have developed an inhalable RNA-based drug that targets the overactive white blood cells that cause lung damage during severe infection, reducing inflammation and scarring. With human clinical trials expected next year, the drug may soon be… Continue reading Inhaled drug reduces lung damage by targeting overactive immune cells

Lab-made lungs fast-track drug testing, can replace animal test subjects

Researchers have built a lung in a lab that more accurately emulates the human lung than traditional models, opening the door to the fast-tracking of the discovery and development of drugs and a reduction in our reliance on animals for testing.Continue… Continue reading Lab-made lungs fast-track drug testing, can replace animal test subjects

Lung storage technique offers ‘paradigm shift’ for transplants

The gold standard for storing lungs for transplant procedures has been to pack them in ice in coolers, which keeps them at roughly 4 °C (39 °F). But a look back at lung transplant research has revealed that there’s an even better temperature at which t… Continue reading Lung storage technique offers ‘paradigm shift’ for transplants

New nanoparticles deliver gene-editing tech directly into the lungs

Developing effective treatments for genetic lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis has proven challenging. That might not be the case for much longer, with scientists developing a new type of nanoparticle that can carry gene-editing technology directly … Continue reading New nanoparticles deliver gene-editing tech directly into the lungs

Drug that activates bitter taste receptors offers new treatment for asthma

Humans have bitter taste receptors not only in their mouths but in their lungs, too. Researchers have exploited these receptors’ innate ability to dilate the airways to create a potent new drug that may change how we treat diseases like asthma and COPD… Continue reading Drug that activates bitter taste receptors offers new treatment for asthma

Inhalable powder designed to boost the lungs’ virus-blocking mucus

If there’s one thing that the past few years have made us of aware of, it’s the danger of respiratory viruses. An inhalable powder may one day help temporarily protect against them, by working with the natural layer of mucus in users’ lungs.Continue Re… Continue reading Inhalable powder designed to boost the lungs’ virus-blocking mucus

First evidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria moving from gut to lungs

A new case study from researchers at Oxford University has tracked, for the first time, the movement of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from a patient’s gut microbiome to their lungs. The research presents the first direct evidence of this transmission p… Continue reading First evidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria moving from gut to lungs

Study proves chronic exposure to air pollution can weaken immune system

It’s assumed that as we get older our health will gradually deteriorate. Our bodies age, wrinkles form, metabolism slows, and our immune system weakens. But how much of what we consider to simply be natural aging is actually due to preventable environm… Continue reading Study proves chronic exposure to air pollution can weaken immune system