Virtual Respiratory Centre Medical News

Prednisolone not beneficial in most cases of community-acquired pneumonia

Patients hospitalised with mild to moderate community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) should not be routinely prescribed prednisolone, a corticosteroid, as it is associated with a recurrence of symptoms a

Blood clotting finding may lead to new treatments

A key protein that causes the blood to clot is produced by blood vessels in the lungs and not just the liver, according to new research published in the journal PLoS One, led by scientists at

New strain on whooping cough vaccine

Vaccination programs against whooping cough may not be fully effective because the bacteria that cause the disease have evolved new strains, a University of New South Wales study has found.

Chief Medical Officer mobilises GPs to support pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza vaccinations

Australia's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Jim Bishop, is calling on GPs to promote vaccination against the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza to their patients before the flu season begins in Australia

Parents often wait too long to treat children's asthma symptoms

Parents of young children with asthma often recognise signs that their child is about to have an asthma attack but delay home treatment until the attack occurs, researchers at Washington University Sc

Predicting which patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis will become severely ill

A simple blood test could predict which patients with the lung-scarring disease known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are soon to get far worse, an indicator that could one day influence their

Possible pharmacological targets identified in paediatric OSA

Children with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) may one day be able to have an injection or use a throat spray instead of getting their tonsils removed to cure their snoring, according to a new study fro

Smoker alert: Information you can live with

Smoking affects your cardiac health both before and after a major event like a heart attack. But how much? And does cutting back instead of quitting have a positive effect as well?

The course and treatment of unexplained chest pain

Fewer than half of individuals who have "non-specific" chest pain (not explained by a well-known condition) experience relief from symptoms following standard medical care, according to a re

Low vitamin D Levels linked to poorer lung function in asthmatics

Asthmatics with higher blood levels of vitamin D have better lung function than those with lower levels, according to new research from National Jewish Health, in Denver.

Link between lung disease and heart function found

A new study from Columbia University Medical Center researchers, has found that the heart's ability to pump effectively is diminished among people with a common lung disease, even in people with no or

Obstructive sleep apnoea may worsen diabetes

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) adversely affects glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago.

Synthetic, dissolving plates ease repairs of nasal septum defects

Attaching cartilage to plates made of the resorbable material polydioxanone appears to facilitate corrective surgery on the nasal septum, the thin cartilage separating the two airways, according to a

Diet may protect against gene changes in smokers

Leafy green vegetables, folate, and some multivitamins could serve as protective factors against lung cancer in current and former smokers, according to a study that is a first step in understanding a

New virus not linked to chronic fatigue syndrome

New UK research, published in PLoS ONE, has not reproduced previous findings that suggested chronic fatigue syndrome may be linked to a recently discovered virus. The authors of the study, fr