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Pulmonology

News, opinions and meeting coverage in pulmonology.

Does Tylenol Protect Kidneys in Sepsis?

SAN DIEGO -- Acetaminophen (Tylenol) for severe sepsis patients improved renal function but gave mixed signals in terms of changes in the expected oxidative injury mechanism, researchers found in a pilot trial.

FDA Slashes Starting Dose for Lunesta

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- Patients starting on the sleep drug eszopiclone (Lunesta) should take no more than 1 mg at bedtime -- one-third the current label-recommended dose -- because of the risk of next-day impairment, the FDA said Thursday.

Murder: Another Ambien Side Effect?

NEW YORK CITY -- Forensic psychiatrists are facing new challenges with murders committed by people under the influence of the sleep drug zolpidem (Ambien) -- not least to persuade the criminal justice system to take their conclusions seriously.

FDA Panel Nixes OTC Singulair

Montelukast (Singulair) should not be allowed over-the-counter use for hay fever and other upper respiratory allergy symptoms, an FDA advisory panel recommended Friday.

APA Meeting Highlights Mental Health Biology

NEW YORK CITY -- The biological basis for normal and abnormal mental function is emerging as a dominant theme in psychiatry research, and the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting that starts here Saturday won't be an exception.

How To Get Medicare To Cover A Spa Trip

Good news for doctors who think their patients need a trip to the spa: Medicare will reimburse, with only two catches.

Forget Glucometers, Use Voodoo Dolls Instead: That's Improbable!

A weekly report from our friends at Improbable Research.

Spiriva Cuts Flares in Heavily Treated Asthma

SAN DIEGO -- Tiotropium (Spiriva) Respimat improved lung function and cut exacerbations in severe asthma patients who had already maxed out other treatment options, pooled analysis of two phase III trials showed.

Lyrica Edges Mirapex for Restless Legs

Patients with restless legs syndrome treated with pregabalin (Lyrica) had as much symptom improvement as those receiving pramipexole (Mirapex) in a large year-long trial, with fewer showing "augmentation."

Drug Combo Saves Kids' Tonsils in Mild OSA

The anti-inflammatory asthma drug montelukast (Singulair) plus corticosteroids was an effective initial alternative to surgery for mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children, a retrospective study showed.

Heart Attack Signal Found for Spiriva in COPD

The TIOSPIR trial was used to support safety of the mist inhaler version of tiotropium (Spiriva) compared with dry powder, but the pooled data actually showed something else -- a heart attack signal, researchers argued.

10 Questions: E. Wesley Ely, MD, MPH

What's the biggest barrier to practicing medicine today? That's just the first of the 10 Questions the 麻豆传媒 staff is asking leading clinicians and researchers to get their personal views on their chosen profession. In this series we share their uncensored responses. Here, answers from pulmonary and critical care expert E. Wesley Ely, MD, MPH.

EMTs Can Give Positive Pressure Ventilation

Out-of-hospital noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation in patients with severe respiratory distress significantly reduced rates of inhospital mortality and need for invasive ventilation, researchers found.

Debate: Who Should Prescribe CPAP?

Should primary care physicians and other nonspecialists be able to prescribe sleep apnea treatment after home testing? Experts debated that issue this month in Chest.

Radiation Safe in Unbiopsied Lung Cancer

CHICAGO -- Treating people with stereotactic body radiation for suspected -- but unbiopsied -- lung cancers appears to allow for acceptable local control of the disease with low toxicity, researchers reported here.

Brain Stimulation Helps Smokers Quit

SAN DIEGO -- Magnetic brain stimulation with a sensory cue was associated with reduced smoking rates and improved quit rates among heavy smokers unaffected by prior therapy, researchers reported here.

Common Allergy Myths Debunked

BALTIMORE -- Egg allergy is no issue for flu vaccination, allergen avoidance isn't a cure for eczema, and testing tots doesn't make skin prick testing any less accurate, according to allergists taking aim at common misconceptions.

Who's Afraid of Gummy Bears?

BALTIMORE -- From saxophone lung to the strange affair of the gummy bear allergy, case reports take center stage at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

Yoga May Be Good for COPD

CHICAGO -- With its focus on breathing exercises, yoga may improve some of the symptoms of chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD) along with boosting quality of life, researchers said here.

Scoliosis Tied to HTN Risk in Adolescents

ORLANDO -- Children with severe spinal curving from scoliosis were more likely to have worsening risk indicators for pulmonary hypertension, researchers reported here.

Sleep Problems, Poor Angioplasty Outcomes Linked

Disturbed sleep is common in heart patients following coronary angioplasty and is an independent risk factor for poor cardiac outcomes, researchers reported.

Common Cause for Bruxism, Restless Legs, Migraine?

NEW ORLEANS -- About half of patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) seen in a single neurology practice also qualified for diagnoses of bruxism and migraine, suggesting a possible common cause for these disorders, a researcher said here.

Xyrem Helps With Nighttime Sleep in Narcolepsy

NEW ORLEANS -- Narcolepsy patients troubled by frequent nighttime awakenings had less sleep disruption when taking sodium oxybate (Xyrem) than modafinil (Provigil) in a randomized trial, a researcher reported here.

MERS Knowledge Gaps Troubling to Many

SAN FRANCISCO -- Although much is known about the Middle East coronavirus (MERS-CoV), "unfortunately some issues are still unresolved," according to the man in charge of battling the outbreak.

Kalydeco: A Price Too High to Pay?

A 麻豆传媒/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report revealed the staggering annual treatment cost for the cystic fibrosis drug ivacaftor (Kalydeco) as part of an investigation of venture philanthrophy -- now a JAMA Viewpoint echoes those findings.

'Nose Knows' Devices Not Ready for Clinic

BARCELONA -- Within a decade, doctors may be able to diagnose cancer, asthma, and tuberculosis simply by having an electronic nose analyze a person's breath, researchers reported here.

Range of Due Dates Better for Expectant Moms

Pregnant women may be better off with a range of delivery dates rather than a set date due to variability in gestation times, researchers found.

FDA Warns of Fatal Skin Reactions with Acetaminophen

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- Acetaminophen is associated with rare but severe and sometimes fatal skin reactions at usual doses, the FDA said Thursday.

Medicare to Pay for More FDG-PET Scans

WASHINGTON -- Up to three scans using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-enhanced positron emission tomography technology can be covered by Medicare for oncology treatment planning, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said.

ASCO: Targeted Agent Has Slim NSCLC Benefit

CHICAGO -- The novel kinase inhibitor nintedanib may slightly delay relapse of non-small cell lung cancer when added to chemotherapy, with perhaps greater benefit in adenocarcinomas, the LUME-Lung 1 trial showed.

APA Leaders Defend New Diagnostic Guide

SAN FRANCISCO -- The fifth edition of the "psychiatrist's bible" was officially released here in all its 947-page glory, with its developers offering a spirited rebuttal to their critics.

Cystic Fibrosis: Charity and Industry Partner for Profit

When a disease-related charity becomes a venture capitalist, count the pharmaceutical industry among the winners, but the charity is not far behind as John Fauber explains in this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/麻豆传媒 investigation.

Hangover Risk Prompts Ambien Label Changes

New dosing recommendations for products containing zolpidem (Ambien, Ambien CR, Edluar) are now included in their labels, along with warnings of next-day hangover effects, the FDA said Tuesday.

Cinnamon Game Harms Players

The "cinnamon challenge鈥� -- a party trick among youths who accept a dare to swallow a spoonful of ground cinnamon -- has led to a surge in calls to poison control centers with reports of spice-induced choking and aspiration, according to a new report.

Ricin Deadly, but Not an Effective WMD

It may have been a preferred tool of Soviet hit men, but ricin generally flops as a weapon of mass destruction, several bioterrorism experts told 麻豆传媒.

FDA: Booze and Xyrem Are Dangerous Mix

WASHINGTON -- The FDA is warning healthcare professionals that patients taking the muscle weakness and narcolepsy drug sodium oxybate (Xyrem) should not consume alcohol or use central nervous system depressants.

Advair: How Safe Is This Drug?

The asthma drug Advair is used by millions of patients worldwide and for many patients it is an effective treatment, but the drug is often used as first line therapy, an unapproved and possibly dangerous indication as this investigation by MedPageToday/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reveals.

Fainting in PE Signals High Risk

ATLANTA -- Patients with pulmonary embolism brought to emergency rooms because they had passed out tended to have the most ominous risk factors for poor outcomes, a researcher said here.

Novel Drug Stars in Phase III PAH Trial

ATLANTA -- Macitentan, a next-generation endothelin receptor antagonist for pulmonary arterial hypertension, met its efficacy endpoint and was said to be well tolerated in a large clinical trial.

Subjective Effects Drive COPD Outcomes

ATLANTA -- For patients with COPD, their own assessment of breathing problems is more predictive of outcomes than spirometry or doctor-diagnosed exacerbations, a researcher said here.

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