http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news from American Thoracic Society A new study from researchers in Japan indicates that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is independently associated with visceral (abdominal) fat accumulation only in men, perhaps explaining gender differences in the impact of OSA on cardiovascular disease and mortality. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-obstructive-apnea-visceral-fat-accumulation.html Sleep apnea Wed, 22 May 2013 15:36:50 EST news288455804 More than 40 percent of patients being treated for COPD at a federally funded clinic did not have the disease, researchers found after evaluating the patients with spirometry, the diagnostic "gold standard" for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-copd-over-diagnosed-uninsured-patients.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 22 May 2013 09:19:42 EST news288433175 A study of veterans at high risk for developing lung cancer shows that low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) can be highly effective in helping clinicians spot tiny lung nodules which, in a small number of patients, may indicate the earliest stages of the disease. LDCT uses less than a quarter of the radiation of a conventional CT scan. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-scans-cancer-earliest-stages.html Cancer Tue, 21 May 2013 15:18:35 EST news288368304 African-Americans are less likely than whites and women are more likely than men to have had a prior diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) regardless of their current disease severity, according to a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-gender-diagnosis-copd.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 15:17:30 EST news288368244 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is primarily associated with the respiratory symptoms that are its hallmark, but in fact, patients who struggle with the disease also experience significant amounts of chronic pain. A new study conducted by researchers in Pennsylvania and New Mexico estimates the degree of pain suffered by these patients to be close to that experienced by patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-copd-significant-persistent-pain.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 11:43:41 EST news288355411 Depression is common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and has been linked with disease severity and impaired quality of life. Now, for the first time, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have linked the systemic inflammation associated with COPD with depression in these patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-inflammation-depression-copd-patients.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 11:39:07 EST news288355140 Delayed transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) in hospitalized patients significantly increases the risk of dying in the hospital, according to a new study from researchers in Chicago. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-icu-death-hospital-patients.html Other Tue, 21 May 2013 10:00:02 EST news288347150 The surgical management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in U.S. hospitals varies widely depending on the race of the patient, according to a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-racial-disparities-surgical-non-small-cell.html Cancer Tue, 21 May 2013 09:50:01 EST news288347131 Clinical measurement of physical activity appears to be an independent predictor of whether or not patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will end up being hospitalized, according to a new study conducted by researchers in Connecticut. The study also corroborates an earlier investigation that linked higher levels of inactivity with an increased incidence of hospitalizations among patients with COPD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-hospitalizations-copd-population.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 09:40:01 EST news288347114 Treatment with an Alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor (A1-PI), a naturally occurring protein that protects lung tissue from breakdown and protects the lung's elasticity, is effective in slowing the progression of emphysema in patients with Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), a life-threatening genetic disorder, according to a new study presented at the 2013 American Thoracic Society International Conference. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-treatment-a1-pi-emphysema-alpha-antitrypsin.html Cancer Tue, 21 May 2013 09:27:19 EST news288347219 A novel approach to obstructing the runaway inflammatory response implicated in some types of asthma has shown promise in a Phase IIa clinical trial, according to U. S. researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-monoclonal-antibody-effective-safe-asthma.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 09:24:57 EST news288347089 Extended use of a common antibiotic may prolong the time between hospitalizations for patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a post-hoc analysis of a multicenter study which compared the hospitalization rates of patients treated with a 12-month course of azithromycin to the rates of those treated with placebo. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-antibiotic-therapy-beneficial-patients-copd.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 09:24:33 EST news288347065 The negative effects of poorly controlled asthma symptoms on sleep quality and academic performance in urban schoolchildren has been confirmed in a new study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-asthma-symptoms-impair-quality-school.html Inflammatory disorders Tue, 21 May 2013 09:24:13 EST news288347043 Living near a major roadway during the prenatal period is associated with an increased risk of respiratory infection developing in children by the age of 3, according to a new study from researchers in Boston. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-prenatal-exposure-traffic-respiratory-infection.html Health Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:11 EST news288274269 People who are consistently exposed to both wood smoke and tobacco smoke are at a greater risk for developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and for experiencing more frequent and severe symptoms of the disease, as well as more severe airflow obstruction, than those who are exposed to only one type of smoke, according to the results of a new population-based study conducted by researchers in Colombia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-combined-wood-tobacco-exposure-symptoms.html Health Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:10 EST news288274325