Virtual Respiratory Centre Medical News

Study finds link between birth order and asthma symptoms

Among four year-olds attending Head Start programs in New York City, those who had older siblings were more likely to experience respiratory symptoms including an episode of wheezing in the past year

Researchers find gene location that gives rise to neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer

Using advanced gene-hunting technology, an international team of researchers has for the first time identified a chromosome region that is the source of genetic events that give rise to neuroblastoma,

Immune system pathway identified to fight allergens, asthma

For the first time, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have identified genetic components of dendritic cells that are key to asthma and allergy-related immune response ma

Teens think they have asthma under control, but benefit from new approach to treatment

Two studies that offer new insights to help adolescents and younger children improve their asthma control will be presented by researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center at t

Commonly used medications associated with impaired physical function in older adults

Older adults who take drugs designed to block the neurotransmitter acetylcholine – including common medications for incontinence, high blood pressure and allergies – are more likely to be

Prevention and control of childhood pneumonia

This month’s WHO Bulletin, led by the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia (GAPP), focuses on the prevention and control of childhood pneumonia. It highlights research

Researchers find link between advertising and increased tobacco use among India�s youth

As the westernisation of India accelerates, tobacco advertising and marketing have been linked to increased tobacco use by urban Indian children as young as 11, according to a study released today by

New treatment could reduce chronic lung disease in premature babies

A less traumatic way of delivering surfactant, a lung lubricant that premature babies need to help them breathe, could reduce the incidence of respiratory problems they’ll have later, Medical

Researchers light up lungs to help diagnose disease

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have developed innovative technology which illuminates a person´s lungs and helps clinicians identify if they are functioning correctly. The new techno

Common vitamin and other micronutrient supplements reduce risk of TB recurrence

New findings show a link between micronutrient supplementation and reduced risk of recurrence during tuberculosis chemotherapy, according to a study published in the June 1 issue of The Journal of

New research shows nearly 40% of smokers have a mental illness � and it�s costing them dearly

SANE Australia is calling for urgent action to introduce quit smoking programs and supports for people with a mental illness, following an Access Economics report, Smoking and Mental Illness: C

Inhibiting stress oxidant may be new therapy for COPD

A study in Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology published by Wiley-Blackwell has showed that the generation of oxidative stress increases pulmonary inflammation – thus encour

Mouth may tell the tale of lung damage caused by smoking
Cells lining the mouth reflect the molecular damage that smoking does to the lining of the lungs, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report today at the annu

Asthma deaths spike
New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that the Australian asthma death toll jumped in 2006, with an additional 84 deaths being recorded compared to 2005 data.

Risk factors found for RSV infection in immunocompromised children

St. Jude investigators and collaborators have shown how to predict if a child who is infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) while being treated for cancer or another catastrophic disease i