A common antibiotic may be the newest weapon against COPD. Researchers analyzed several previous studies and found that azithromycin, better known as Zithromax, can help reduce the severity of COPD symptoms. And while researchers stressed that it is not a cure, it can prolong the time between hospitalizations — a cornerstone of COPD treatment, according to the research.

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals said it reached an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the design of a late-stage trial for its experimental lung cancer drug. The late-stage trial will compare a combination of chemotherapy and the drug, bavituximab, with chemotherapy alone. The main goal of the trial would be to show an improvement in overall survival of patients.

People who are consistently exposed to both wood smoke and tobacco smoke are at a greater risk for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and for experiencing more frequent and severe symptoms of the disease, as well as more severe airflow obstruction, than those who are exposed to only one type of smoke.

ADHD has been linked to struggles with drugs and alcohol, less schooling and more arrests, but the latest study shows it may also contribute to problems with weight as well. In the study published in Pediatrics, researchers connected the impulsive behavior that can characterize attention deficit-hyerpeactivity disorder (ADHD) with the over-eating that contributes to calorie-overload.

Treatment for alcohol use disorders works best if the patient actively understands and incorporates the interventions provided in the clinic. Multiple factors can influence both the type and degree of neurocognitive abnormalities found during early abstinence. Look at the interactive effects of smoking status and age on neurocognition in treatment-seeking alcohol dependent (AD) individuals.

Two proteins released from fat in the knee joints of mice have been linked to arthritis in a University of Colorado study. A protein released from fat cells could be linked to rheumatoid arthritis, but that might not mean being thin lowers your risk for RA, according to a mouse study from the Journal of Immunology. For the new study, researchers examined fat cells in mice to determine how arthritis was triggered.
 

An estimated 4,837,000 asthmatics with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) could benefit substantially from antifungal treatment, say researchers from the University of Toronto and Manchester University. Their work, published today in the journal Medical Mycology, has also re-estimated the total number of asthmatics worldwide -- to reveal a staggering 193 million sufferers.

An international team of researchers reports that a once-daily tablet containing a high dose of a key ragweed pollen protein effectively blocks the runny noses, sneezes, nasal congestion and itchy eyes experienced by ragweed allergy sufferers. Tests showed that treatment with the pill also reduced the need for anti-allergy drugs to get relief.

Regular exercise is touted as an antidote for many ills, including stress, depression and obesity. Physical activity also may help decrease violent behavior among adolescent girls. Researchers analyzed results of a 2008 survey completed by 1,312 students at four inner-city high schools in New York to determine if there was an association between regular exercise and violence-related behaviors.
 

More than 90% of pediatric specialists who diagnose and manage ADHD in preschoolers do not follow the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical treatment guidelines. That’s the conclusion of researchers from who sent a Preschool ADHD Treatment Questionnaire (PATQ) to a random sample of 3,000 physicians who specialize in diagnosing and treating neurobehavioral conditions nationwide.

Toddlers are less likely to have asthma and itchy rashes if their parents "cleaned" their pacifiers by sucking on them when the kids were infants. The findings don't prove that technique protects kids against asthma, eczema or other allergies. But researchers said it's possible the transfer of mouth microbes from parents to baby may help boost the bacterial diversity of the young child's digestive system and foster immunity.

Adults as young as 35 are susceptible to declines in brain function as a result of cardiovascular risk factors, like smoking or being overweight, a new study published in the journal Stroke revealed. While researchers have known that older people with cardiovascular risk factors are more likely to show signs of cognitive impairment, this is the first study showing that younger adults are at risk too.

Double-amputee Jason Koger used to fly hundreds of miles to visit a clinician when he wanted to adjust the grips on his bionic hands. Now, he's got an app. Koger came to Philadelphia this week to demonstrate the i-limb ultra revolution, a prosthetic developed by the British firm Touch Bionics. Using a stylus and an iPhone, Koger can choose any of 24 grip patterns that best suit his needs.

Even non-smokers can experience health hazards from cigarette smoke, and the latest study suggests the dangers may depend on your gender. About 46,000 non-smokers in the U.S. die from heart disease and 3,400 are claimed by lung cancer each year, according to the American Cancer Society. The most likely culprit?

A British police force is hoping to save time and money by giving a few dementia patients GPS tracking devices, a move condemned by some campaigners as "barbaric." Last week, Sussex police announced a plan to buy GPS devices for 15 people with dementia who are at high risk of getting lost. The device can be worn around the neck or attached to a keychain.

Mapping out how an Alzheimer’s gene works could lead to new treatments. So far, nearly two dozen genes scattered across four chromosomes have been linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. But identifying such genetic risk factors doesn’t mean that researchers fully understand how they contribute to cognitive decline and dementia.

Although health officials still haven't confirmed the species of animal that is the source of the H7N9 bird flu outbreak in China, most people who fell ill had contact with birds or pigs. The report, published online April 24 in the New England Journal of Medicine, describes an investigation of the 82 people who were infected with the virus from the beginning of the outbreak (in February and March) through April 17.

Early, substantive dialogue between parents and their grade-school age children about the ills of tobacco and alcohol use can be more powerful in shaping teen behavior than advertising, marketing or peer pressure. The findings of Zhiyong Yang, an associate professor of marketing in the UT Arlington College of Business.

An atomic-level snapshot of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) protein bound to a human antibody represents a leap toward developing a vaccine for a common -- and sometimes very serious -- childhood disease. The findings define the vulnerable shape of a critical RSV component called the fusion glycoprotein.

While more Americans are breathing cleaner air than in the past, many are living in cities that have worse air quality than a decade ago. A new report from the American Lung Association (ALA) measured ozone and particle levels in the air in nearly 1,000 cities and counties in the United States between 2009 and 2011.

Swallowing a tablespoon of the dry spice on a dare could lead to serious health problems, according to the latest report on the practice. The so-called cinnamon challenge went viral in 2012 as over 50,000 video clips of people attempting to swallow a tablespoon of cinnamon in under 60 seconds popped up on YouTube — along with the inevitable gagging, coughing and misery of the unsuccessful dares.

Losing weight through exercise and healthier eating may have long-term benefits for people with mild sleep apnea. Researchers found obese study participants who went through a one-year lifestyle intervention were about half as likely to see their sleep apnea progress to more severe disease, compared to those who received little extra help.

Zoledronic acid - sold under the brand names Zometa, Zomera, and Reclast - is a drug commonly given to patients with osteoporosis, but it may actually stop bone growth, according to a new study. A common osteoporosis drug given to stop bone loss does what it aims to do, but also slows the formation of new bone growth.

Children and teens with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) use screen-based media, such as television and video games, more often than their typically developing peers and are more likely to develop problematic video game habits. Many parents and clinicians have noticed that children with ASD are fascinated with technology, and the results of our recent studies certainly support this idea.

This adds up to around 1900 fewer such admissions every year, the authors calculate, and confirms the value of public health interventions, such as smoking bans, they say. They base their findings on the number of emergency admissions for asthma among adults aged 16 and over in England between April 1997 and December 2010.

Aerobic exercise may help prevent and perhaps even reverse some of the brain damage associated with heavy alcohol consumption, according to a new University of Colorado Boulder study. The study results indicated that regular aerobic exercise like walking, running or bicycling is associated with less damage to the brain's "white matter" among heavy alcohol users.

People with sleep apnea are more likely to fail a driving simulator test and report nodding whilst driving, according to new research. Sleep apnea has previously been linked with an increased chance of being involved road traffic accidents. Early diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea ensures a return to acceptable risk levels for road users.

The company you keep in junior high school may have more influence on your smoking behavior than your high school friends. The study, which appears in the April 12 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, identifies how friends' and parental influence on cigarette smoking changes from junior high to high school.

Frozen balls of ice can safely kill cancerous tumors that have spread to the lungs, according to the first prospective multicenter trial of cryoablation. Cryoablation has potential as a treatment for cancer that has spread to the lungs from other parts of the body and could prolong the lives of patients who are running out of options.

The aches and pains people suffer after working out more than usual can be relieved just as well by exercise as by massage. "It's a common belief that massage is better, but it isn't better. Massage and exercise had the same benefits," said Lars Andersen, the lead author of the study and a professor at the National Research Center for the Working Environment in Copenhagen.

Alzheimer’s disease is more common among African Americans but the genetic contributors to the disorder haven’t been identified until now. Researchers found that two genes associated with higher risk of the neurodegenerative disorder among whites also contributed to higher rates of the disease among African Americans.

They may not seem to share much in common, but similar mechanisms could be driving the two conditions. Researchers have documented an intriguing connection between heart disease risk factors and cognitive decline; those with poorer circulation who were at higher risk of developing heart disease also seemed to show more signs of dementia and cognitive problems than those with healthier hearts.

Trevor Pacelli was diagnosed with autism at age 5 and has had to deal with many of life's complexities in an entirely different light. Now 20, Pacelli attends college and has written a book. "Six-Word Lessons on Growing Up Autistic" was published in May 2012 and talks about the daily struggles of living with autism and raising an autistic child. Pacelli lives outside Seattle.

In vivo ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) imaging can detect early changes to the lung caused by cigarette smoke exposure and provides a noninvasive method for studying lung dysfunction in preclinical models. These measures have the potential to be applied clinically to study and diagnose the early stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disorder, affecting about one-third of older adults, and currently there is no cure. A study published by Cell Press April 2nd in the Biophysical Journal reveals how the nanoscale biomechanical properties of cartilage at joints change at the earliest stages of osteoarthritis, making the tissue more prone to damage during fast physical activities.

Nearly one in five high school age boys in the United States and 11 percent of school-age children over all have received a medical diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. These rates reflect a marked rise over the last decade and could fuel growing concern among many doctors that the A.D.H.D. diagnosis and its medication are overused in American children.

A new study found that obstructive sleep apnea is associated with increased rates of ADHD-like behavioral problems in children as well as other adaptive and learning problems. "This study provides some helpful information for medical professionals consulting with parents about treatment options for children with SDB that, although it may remit, there are considerable behavioral risks associated with continued SDB."

Physical activity and its relation to obesity has been studied for decades by researchers; however, almost no one has studied the reverse -- obesity's effect on physical activity. So BYU exercise science professor Larry Tucker decided to look at the other side of the equation to determine if obesity leads to less activity. The findings, no surprise, confirmed what everyone has assumed for years.

Almost every toddler will sniffle through a cold by the time they are three, but if they wheeze while they’re sick, they may be at higher risk of developing asthma. Previous research found that wheezing-related illnesses can increase a child’s risk for developing asthma, and other studies connected certain genetic factors to this heightened tendency to wheeze.

It turns out that strengthening bone to avoid fractures starts at a very young age. Physical activity, such as the exercise children get in school gym classes, is important for fighting obesity. The scientists recorded the children’s skeletal development, and documented any reports of fractures and compared these results to those of a similarly-aged control group that completed 60 minutes of physical activity over a week.

The same sort of mathematical model used to predict which websites people are most apt to visit is now showing promise in helping map how lung cancer spreads in the human body. A team of researchers used an algorithm similar to the Google PageRank and to the Viterbi Algorithm for digital communication to analyze the spread patterns of lung cancer.

The antibiotic clarithromycin -- widely used for treating lower respiratory tract infections like pneumonia and acute exacerbations of COPD may be associated with an increased risk of heart problems. The findings require confirmation, but add to a growing body of evidence suggesting a possible link between long term cardiovascular risks and certain antibiotics, known as macrolides.

For the first time, European researchers have confirmed poor air quality due to congested road traffic is linked to kids’ asthma, the Los Angeles Times reported. A study, published online in the European Respiratory Journal, found 14 percent of childhood asthma cases were attributed to nearby traffic pollution, according to the newspaper.