News by Subject Medicine & Health

Waterpipe tobacco smoking, otherwise known as 'hookah' or 'shisha,' is becoming increasingly popular worldwide, especially among youth. Traditional hookahs burn charcoal as a heat source, but recently, electrical heating elements (EHEs) have been introduced to the market. Reinforced by product advertising and package labeling, many hookah smokers believe that EHEs are less harmful than charcoal. Now, researchers report in ACS' Chemical Research in Toxicology that although EHEs reduce some toxicants, they increase others.

Fewer deaths and serious illnesses have occurred in the US over the past decade as a result of cleaner air, according to a new report focusing on the two most potent air pollutants: fine particle (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone (O3). However, these improvements are almost entirely due to reductions in PM2.5 pollution.

Three hospital-acquired infections rates appear to be lower in patients admitted to a 'closed' intensive care unit, meaning that the ICU team has primary responsibility for the patient, rather than a primary care physician,

Women who develop COPD report smoking fewer cigarettes than men; and yet, women experience greater breathing impairments, are subjected to more acute exacerbations of symptoms and report lower quality of life than men with the disease, according to research presented at ATS 2019.

Redlining, the discriminatory mortgage-lending practice, may affect how prevalent asthma is in the neighborhood, according to research presented at ATS 2019.

People who smoke unfiltered cigarettes are nearly twice as likely to die from lung cancer and 30 percent more likely to die of all causes than those who smoke filtered cigarettes,

The airway microbiome appears to be altered in patients with severe asthma linked to high levels of white blood cells called neutrophils.

Using machine learning to analyze jaw movements during sleep, doctors may be able to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea in patients with mild to severe OSA with an accuracy comparable to polysomnography, the gold standard for OSA diagnosis.