Leanne Metcalf, Director of Research at Asthma UK, says: 'There is now a broad spectrum of evidence which suggests that the pre-natal environment, including factors such as maternal stress and family history, can influence whether or not a child will go on to develop asthma symptoms...

Researchers at Children's National Medical Center have discovered that African American children with asthma in metropolitan Washington, DC, are significantly more likely to have low levels of vitamin D than healthy African American children. This study supports recent research that suggests vitamin D plays a greater role in the body than just keeping bones healthy...

InterMune, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITMN) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Pulmonary-Allergy Drugs Advisory Committee (PADAC) voted 9-3 to recommend approval of Esbriet® (pirfenidone) for the treatment of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) to reduce decline in lung function...

Researchers in Australia have demonstrated that blocking a certain protein can reduce or prevent cigarette smoke-induced lung inflammation in mice. Inflammation underlies the disease process of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and many other smoking-related ailments...

Stress during pregnancy may raise the risk of asthma in offspring, according to researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston...

Children who have asthma are at high risk for separation anxiety, but a new study has found a home remedy that parents can use - regular family mealtimes. "It makes sense that children who have difficulty breathing might be anxious and prefer to keep their parents, who can help them in an emergency, close by," said Barbara H...

Washing out your nose with a spray or spout of salt water is safe and might even get you back to work sooner after a cold or acute sinus infection. However, there is not enough evidence to show that it can reduce your symptoms significantly, according to a new research review...

The British Lung Foundation (BLF) is supporting the very first 'Dying to Talk Awareness Week', which is being launched this week (15 - 21 March) to increase public awareness about the importance of talking about death and bereavement issues...

Several drugmakers have reached an agreement "to supply up to 200 million doses a year of cut-price pneumococcal vaccines to developing nations," according to GAVI Alliance, Reuters reports. A formal announcement of the deal is expected "in the next couple of weeks," GAVI's Deputy Chief Executive Officer Helen Evans told the news service Thursday...

The American Thoracic Society has released a new official clinical policy statement on congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), a disorder of respiratory and autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulation. The ANS regulates reflexive acts, including heart rate and blood pressure, digestion, body temperature and pain perception...

Millions of people in both the developing and developed world may benefit from new immune-system research findings from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine...

The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF) and the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) are applauding the efforts of Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) patients and family members for their work to convey to the FDA and an FDA Advisory Committee the sense of urgency and desperation regarding the disease and the lack of treatment options...

As critical care professionals develop a better understanding of the progression of H1N1, they are becoming better prepared to treat children with severe cases, according to a new study that will be published in the March issue of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (PCCM)...

On March 10-11, 2010, the Joint Advisory Committees of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) -- including the Pulmonary-Allergy Drugs and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committees -- discussed the design of post-marketing safety studies for long-acting beta-agonist (LABA)-containing products in the U.S., including SYMBICORT® (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate)...

NeoPharm, Inc. (Other OTC: NEOL.PK), announced that it has filed an orphan drug application with the Office of Orphan Products Development of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to have Orphan Drug Designation granted to IL13-PE38QQR (IL13-PE) for the treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)...

Cempra Pharmaceuticals announced the successful completion of Phase 1 clinical trials of its oral formulation of CEM-101, which showed good tolerability in those studies. The company also announced plans to submit an IND to the FDA to begin a Phase 1 study with the company's intravenous formulation of CEM-101 in mid-2010...

On Wednesday, March 10 and Thursday, March 11, the FDA is convening an Advisory Committee meeting on the clinical trial design for long acting beta-2 adrenergic agonists (LABA's). Bob Lanier, M.D...

An asthma program specifically tailored to teens could help those in rural areas manage their disease and avoid potentially fatal complications, Medical College of Georgia researchers say. Black males have a death rate from asthma that is six times greater than their white counterparts, and Dr...

The largest ever study to investigate whether its possible to prevent children with hay fever going on to develop asthma is now underway at UHSM (University Hospital South Manchester)...

A hiccup, also known as hiccough, synchronous diaphragmatic flutter (SDF), or singultus is a common condition that probably affects every human, in which there is an involuntary esophageal contraction of the diaphragm that recurs several times per minute. The diaphragm is the muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen - it is underneath the ribcage - and has a key function in breathing...