Latest emphysema Stories

Monitoring blood for tiny particles released by cells lining the lungs may help clinicians diagnose emphysema in its earliest stages, according to researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College. The particles, called endothelial microparticles (EMPs), are shed during the disease process as tiny blood vessels in the lungs, called pulmonary capillaries, are injured and die.The findings were published online ahead of the print edition of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of...

Researchers say the test, which measures destruction of lung air sacs, could help prevent progression of the common, and fatal, lung diseaseDuring a regular annual physical exam, blood is usually drawn to check the health of a person's heart, kidneys and liver. Now, researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center say a blood test that detects the early development of emphysema -- well before symptoms occur -- may someday also be offered.In the March 11 online edition...

A team of researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have found that approximately one out of every twelve adult smokers have abnormal lung densities present on chest computed tomography (CT) images suggestive of interstitial lung disease which is associated with substantial reductions in lung volumes. In addition, despite being positively associated with smoking, these lung densities were inversely not associated with emphysema. This research is published online on March 10th in the...

Editor's note: Daliresp has been approved as the trade name for roflumilast. SILVER SPRING, Md., March 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved roflumilast, a pill taken daily to decrease the frequency of flare-ups (exacerbations) or worsening of symptoms from severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090824/FDALOGO) COPD is a serious lung disease that makes breathing difficult. Symptoms can...

Editor's note: A trade name for roflumilast was not available at the time of approval. SILVER SPRING, Md., March 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved roflumilast, a pill taken daily to decrease the frequency of flare-ups (exacerbations) or worsening of symptoms from severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090824/FDALOGO) COPD is a serious lung disease that makes breathing difficult....

IRVINE, Calif., March 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Uptake Medical® Corp., a developer of medical technologies for the non-surgical treatment of lung diseases including emphysema, announced today that Scott Huennekens, President and CEO of Volcano Corporation, (Nasdaq: VOLC) has joined the company's Board of Directors. Mr. Huennekens has served as President, CEO and Director of Volcano since April 2002. He led the company from a pre-revenue start-up to its IPO in 2006 and its current...

Researchers from Duke University Medical Center have identified how nanoparticles from diesel exhaust damage lung airway cells, a finding that could lead to new therapies for people susceptible to airway disease.The scientists also discovered that the severity of the injury depends on the genetic make-up of the affected individual."We gained insight into why some people can remain relatively healthy in polluted areas and why others don't," said lead author Wolfgang Liedtke, M.D.,...

MIAMI, Jan. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alpha-1 Foundation announced today that it has awarded two research grants to investigators whose research will contribute to our understanding of the causes and mechanisms that give rise to lung disease. The first grant will investigate how cigarette smoke promotes the onset of emphysema through the destruction of elastic fibers in the lung, and how the alpha(1)-proteinase inhibitor (A1PI) protein protects the elastic fibers from degradation. The...

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- PneumRx, Inc. (www.pneumrx.com), a medical device company dedicated to bringing innovation and improvements to the treatment of lung disease, today announced that it has raised $33 million in working capital commitments. The oversubscribed round was led by Forbion Capital Partners and co-led by Endeavour Vision, both leading venture capital firms from Europe, and also included a prominent strategic corporate partner. The syndicate was...

A team of Johns Hopkins Children's Center researchers has discovered that a protein involved in cystic fibrosis (CF) also regulates inflammation and cell death in emphysema and may be responsible for other chronic lung diseases.The findings, published online in the December issue of The Journal of Immunology, pave the way toward new treatments to prevent lung damage caused by infections or cigarette smoke in emphysema.The protein, called CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance...