News by Subject Medicine & Health

A free, simple screening for lung cancer can save a patient money, while building a healthy relationship for any medical needs they may have in the future. The research, published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, shows the partnership can be beneficial for patients looking for cardiology specialists, family medical care and other health-related issues, as well as for medical facilities that offer the free screening.

A new study published in the January issue of CHEST® establishes that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) face heightened risks of death, critical illness, and hospitalization if they develop the flu and demonstrates the beneficial effects of influenza vaccination. The report also reveals gaps in care that need to be addressed, including less-than-universal influenza vaccination in patients with COPD and failure to provide an antiviral medication in a timely manner once the patient is diagnosed with the flu.

Screening all hospitalized patients with HIV for tuberculosis using urine tests would improve life expectancy and be cost-effective in Malawi and South Africa, reports an international team of investigators led by Massachusetts General Hospital physicians.

The world's first genetic sequencing of precancerous lung lesions could pave the way for very early detection and new treatments, reports a new study led by UCL researchers published in Nature Medicine.

As levels of ozone and fine particulate pollution (PM2.5) rise, more patients end up in the ER with breathing problems, according to the largest US study of air pollution and respiratory emergency room visits of patients of all ages. The study was published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Rapid blood tests used by the NHS are unable to rule out tuberculosis (TB) and should be replaced with a new, more accurate test, a study has found.

New research published by teams from Leicester, UK and Paris, France in collaboration with international partners from the US and Australia, has found a common genetic factor that confers a significant risk of atypical heart attacks in women.

Researchers have found a novel, pathogenic entity that is a fundamental link between chronic inflammation and tissue destruction in lungs of patients with COPD. These exosomes from activated neutrophils caused COPD damage when they were instilled into the lungs of healthy mice. Remarkably, neutrophil exosomes from the lung fluids of human patients with COPD and neonates with bronchopulmonary dysplasia also caused COPD lung damage when put into the lungs of healthy mice.

Boys and girls with more muscle mass in childhood and adolescence have higher lung function.