According to the company, people are often infectious one to two days before any cold and flu symptoms appear, meaning eliminating workplace sickness is not as simple as keeping sick workers away from work.

Absenteeism due to sickness can be very costly. Winter, for example, often sees up to 58% of a workforce struck down, costing companies in lost time and productivity. Recent reports show influenza cases have increased by 10% in 2008, illustrating the need for preventive measures, the sanitisation solutions provider claims.

Two hundred health personnel selected from the northern sector of the country on Thursday attended a day's seminar on Wound Care and Management in Kumasi.

Organized by Association for Advancement of Wounds Care from the USA and sponsored by Ghana Health Service in collaboration with World Health Organization and Global Buruli Ulcer Initiative was to equip them in the management and care of various wounds.

Some of the topics treated included principles of modern wound care, wound care practices and techniques, wound principles for venous, diabetic ulcers and modern wound dressing.

Could this new model of CPR hold promise for better rates of neurologically intact survival?

Cardiocerebral resuscitation (CCR) is a new approach to patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest that has been shown to improve rates of neurologically intact survival by 250%-300% over the approach advocated by the 2000 American Heart Association guidelines. And EMS systems can realize these improvements without having to buy a single new gadget or device.

CCR consists of three major components:

There may only be seconds between life and death and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation can make the difference.

In Canberra less then 40 per cent of people who have a sudden cardiac arrest are given CPR quickly and effectively.

Minister for Police and Emergency Services Simon Corbell launched yesterday the ACT Ambulance Service CPR awareness campaign, which encourages all Canberrans to learn the technique.

The chance of survival of such an attack without CPR is 10-20 per cent, but with the administration of CPR the chance of survival doubles, if CPR is correctly applied.

Zoll Medical Corp ZOLL.O, a maker of resuscitation devices, posted a 33 percent increase in quarterly profit on strong sales in the North American hospital and U.S military segments.

Net income for the third quarter ended June 29 rose to $5.7 million, or 27 cents a share, compared with $4.3. million, or 21 cents a share in the year-ago period. Revenue rose 27 percent to $100.2 million.

Analysts on average expected the company to earn 26 cents a share, and post revenue of $93.3 million, according to Reuters Estimates.

Newborns in intensive care undergo many procedures that are associated with pain and stress, and many of these procedures are performed without medication or therapy to relieve the pain, according to a study released on July 7, 2008 in JAMA.

According to the authors of this study, this could instigate developmental issues. "Repeated invasive procedures occur routinely in neonates [a baby, from birth to four weeks] who require intensive care, causing pain at a time when it is developmentally unexpected. Neonates are more sensitive to pain than older infants, children, and adults, and this hypersensitivity is exacerbated in preterm neonates. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that repeated and prolonged pain exposure alters their subsequent pain processing, long-term development, and behavior. It is essential, therefore, to prevent or treat pain in neonates," they write. "Effective strategies to improve pain management in neonates require a better understanding of the epidemiology and management of procedural pain."

When Hunter Brandt's asthma attacks, it can knock him back or even send him to the hospital.

It's worse this time of year when boys want to head outside because Brandt, 7, is also allergic to pollen, trees, grass and weeds. When his allergies are flaring, he has to stay inside. A recent attack sent him to the hospital for an overnight stay.

"I can't talk or breathe. It's hard," Brandt said.

"Last year's hospital stay was better than this one because I didn't have to get shots or oxygen."

British biotech company SkyePharma (SKP.L: Quote, Profile, Research) said it had successfully completed two European Phase III clinical studies for its asthma treatment Flutiform.

The first trial, undertaken by SkyePharma's marketing partner Mundipharma, found Flutiform's performance was not statistically inferior to that of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L: Quote, Profile, Research) treatment Seretide for 182 patients with mild to moderate-severe asthma, the company said on Tuesday.

Kenya is stepping up the fight against tuberculosis, other lung diseases and leprosy as infections continue to rise.

A specialist division dealing with these diseases has been set up within the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation.

Kenya is among 22 countries with the highest TB cases in the world.

Despite asthma affecting between two to three million Kenyans - up to 10 per cent of children and five to 10 per cent of adults - the problem has remained underestimated.

MOST people often equate bad breath with problems of the teeth and oral malodour is primarily a dental problem. With this belief there is a tendency to focus ones attention on the teeth forgetting the other important contributors of bad breath such as the lips, the cheeks, the palate (roof of mouth), the tongue, the throat, and its relationships to the general well being of the child.

Changes in the odor coming from the mouth may not necessarily be problems from the teeth but may be related to problems of the other local structures of the oral cavity or to some systemic problems such as diabetes, systemic infections, metabolic disorders, etc. that may need the proper evaluation and management of a qualified health care provider.

Royal Philips Electronics has launched a series of new portable, compact patient monitors that provides a reliable, yet affordable means to observe and care for patients.

The Philips SureSigns VM3 offers ECG, respiration and pulse oximetry in one user friendly, compact monitor that helps provide quality care in almost any clinical setting. Now available to healthcare providers in India, the new Philips SureSigns VM3 is said to be the first Philips patient monitor designed for emerging markets.

The SureSigns VM3 also offers vital signs measurement and monitoring in an easy-to-use system that can be used in various departments throughout the hospital, nursing homes, private practices and rural clinics, as well as ambulances and mobile facilities.

Researchers hope computer software to be tested at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children will have a dramatic effect in saving the lives of premature babies and will take neonatal care to a completely new level.

The goal of the research project involving the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and new IBM software is to help clinicians make better decisions about treatment at a faster pace.

Currently, babies are connected to monitors that provide a variety of data on paper and onscreen, but the information is only stored for up to 24 hours and then discarded.

To date, a substantial body of research has shown adverse health effects of short-term changes in levels of air pollution. Such associations have not been investigated in smaller size cities in the Eastern Mediterranean.

A particular feature in the region is dust blown from the Sahara a few times a year resulting in extreme PM10 concentrations. It is not entirely clear whether such natural phenomena pose the same risks.

Methods: The effect of changes in daily levels of particulate matter (PM10) and ozone (O3) on hospitalization for all, cardiovascular and respiratory causes in the two hospitals in Nicosia during 1 January 1995 and 30 December 2004 was investigated using generalized additive Poisson models after controlling for long- and short-term patterns as well as for the effect of weather.

ALung recently announced the addition of two successful Pittsburgh business leaders to its Board of Directors: Jerry McGinnis, the recently retired chairman of the board of Respironics, and Pete DeComo, CEO of Renal Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fresenius Medical. The company also recently closed on the first $1 million in a $2.5 million financing round.

The company was founded in 1997 by Dr. Brack Hattler, a UPMC cardiothoracic surgeon, and Bill Federspiel, director of the Artificial Lung Laboratory at the McGowan Center, University of Pittsburgh. Together they developed the Hemolung System, a device that provides support for patients in critical care with acute lung failure.

Doctors have been told to stop routinely giving out antibiotics for common coughs, in an attempt to save the NHS millions of pounds.

The over-prescription of antibiotics has been linked to the rise of drug-resistant superbugs. Around 38m prescriptions for antibiotics were written by GPs in the UK last year, costing the NHS £175m.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) had advised doctors in England and Wales not to prescribe antibiotics straight away for respiratory infections in children and adults.

Alarmed by a seemingly high number of children in the Augusta area who have died from asthma, advocates gathered Friday to finalize plans to better coordinate care and educate the community.

About 30 people met at the Richmond County Health Department in the third of a series of community meetings prompted by the deaths.

According to information pieced together by The Augusta Chronicle , there have been at least 12 asthma deaths in the Augusta area since September 2006, with 10 in Richmond County alone -- three in 2006, five in 2007, and two this year. Columbia and Burke counties had one child death apiece.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I've had numerous bouts of pneumonia over the years. Now I've been told that I have pulmonary fibrosis. Can you tell me what to expect and is there anything I can do?

Pulmonary fibrosis is a scarring process in the lungs that tends to develop slowly over a period of years. It's often initially diagnosed incorrectly as an infection or pneumonia, which may have been the case in your situation. Getting an accurate diagnosis and finding out what's causing the condition are critical to effectively managing pulmonary fibrosis and conditions related to it.

The death of a 15-year-old Greenbrier boy on Wednesday brought statewide media coverage to an issue that affects untold numbers of teens.

Huffing, or sniffing, the act of intentionally breathing vapors with the purpose of reaching a high, is prevalent among teens, especially those between the ages of 12 to 14, according to Faulkner County Coroner Patrick Moore.

According to the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition Web site, "Inhalants are legal, everyday products which have a useful purpose, but can be misused." The coalition says more than 1,000 products can be very dangerous when inhaled "things like typewriter correction fluid, air-conditioning refrigerant, felt tip markers, spray paint, air freshener, butane and even cooking spray."

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center appear to have solved at least a piece of a puzzle that has mystified physicians for years: why so many patients with asthma also suffer from GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Clinicians first noted a relationship between the two diseases in the mid-1970s. Since then, studies have shown that anywhere from 50 to 90 percent of patients with asthma experience some aspect of GERD. But can GERD cause asthma, or, is it the other way around? Perhaps there is some shared mechanism at the root of both disorders causing them to arise together. Physicians could make a case for each scenario, but until now, the exact nature of the relationship was not clear.

An increasingly common way of treating cancers, AIDs and diabetes, not to mention asthma, is by inhaling a drug in aerosol form.

But inhalers are notoriously inefficient. At best they deliver 20% of their load into the lungs. At worst, they deliver less than 5%. The rest gets left in the mouth and throat, or gets blown back out into the air, particularly if the user's intake of breath is not well synchronised with the aerosol jet.

With some drugs costing more than their weight in gold, that is an expensive waste.

Bob Richard, a respiratory therapist at Renown Regional Medical Center, explains how the smoke from the California wildfires is affecting people's health.

Question: The smoke's been around for the last few weeks. What does that mean for people who live in the area?

Answer: "Smoke is an irritant to the lungs, especially for people who have respiratory problems. But everyone feels it. The longer the smoke is around, the longer people will feel its effects. People with health problems should stay inside, but even if you're healthy, I would urge you to avoid it if you can."

Intent on gaining a better understanding of asthma management, participants at the Techniques and Tools of the Trade workshop visited stations where experts instructed them on medication devices and assessment tools such as metered dose inhalers, nebulizer treatments, dry powder medications and peak flow meters.

More than 40 health care providers from the central region of the Illinois Asthma Partnership gathered in the Decatur Memorial Hospital classrooms Thursday to learn how to help their patients with asthma better manage the disease.

Andrea Evans, a nurse practitioner at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, led the steering committee that put together the event and a similar one set to take place in Springfield. She and her twin sons have asthma.

New research from The University of Nottingham suggests that reducing salt consumption does not appear to have any appreciable impact on asthma control.

The study contradicts previous studies that have suggested a link between low-sodium diets and improved asthma control.

Dr Zara Pogson, clinical research fellow at The University of Nottingham, says that her study did not found any evidence that cutting back on salt helps asthma patients with their symptoms.

RESPIRATORY disease is a major health problem and is on the rise in the UK. It is the second biggest killer in the country, with one in five people dying from the disease. One person in every seven in the UK is affected by lung disease - approximately eight million people. Although a major factor, lung disease is not simply smoking-related and other factors such as genetics, nutrition, social deprivation and air pollution all affect lung health.

In South Tyneside the respiratory team look after patients with a wide variety of respiratory conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea, tuberculosis and restrictive lung diseases. They also provide services for lung cancer as well as pneumonia and for chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) such as emphysema, asthma and bronchitis.

Robert Arendall's sister was once saved by strangers who knew cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Years later, he saved his mother's life by using the technique.

"CPR has made a difference in my family," said Arendall, 41, of Flint. "I think it'd be a real good idea for everyone to know how to do it."

In 2002, Arendall's sister, Sandy Crossno, had a seizure while shopping in a local Kroger store. Three customers ran to her aid, one calling 911 from a cellphone and the others performing chest compressions and breathing into Crossno's inert body. She took her first breath just as the medics arrived.

More than 20 million people in this country have trouble breathing because they suffer from asthma. An asthma attack can cause wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing fits. The respiratory therapists say the key to keeping the wheezing at bay may lie with you.. an adult with asthma.

Most people would welcome a nice leisurely stroll outside during the summer on their lunch break. As Julie Ward will tell you, it's hard to walk much less breath, when it feels like an elephant is sitting on your chest. She has had asthma since birth and the humid weather only makes it worse for her.

Jean Snyders a Respiratory Therapist and Pulmonary Rehab Coordinator at Avera McKennan says, "Asthma is a chronic airway disorder. The airways are blocked or narrowed and there is also inflammation in those passage ways."

Pregnant women who eat nuts or nut products like peanut butter daily raise the risk their children will develop asthma by 50 percent, Dutch researchers said on Tuesday.

The study also showed that moderate amounts did not seem to have an effect, meaning it is too soon to say whether pregnant women should give up nuts because they contain many important nutrients and healthy fats a developing fetus needs, they said.

"We were the first to find these strong effects on asthma symptoms," said Saskia Willers, an epidemiologist at Utrecht University, who led the study linking nuts with asthma.

Crossroads Community Hospital has received the Quality Respiratory Care Recognition award from the American Association for Respiratory Care for the second year in a row.

The award program began in 2003 in an effort to help consumers identify facilities using qualified respiratory therapists to provide respiratory care, according to information from the hospital. Hospitals which receive the QRCR designation adhere to a strict set of criteria governing respiratory care services.

The respiratory care program offered on the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville campus has received a new VersaMed iVent ventilator as a result of a national grant to acquire and maintain emergency preparedness equipment.

The state-of-the-art ventilator is one of only 35 in the state as part of the state stockpile of emergency ventilators to be used in the case of a regional disaster or widespread health emergency. UACCB was selected to receive one of the ventilators because of its rural location, excellence in education and direct responsibility for the training of future respiratory therapists.

Royal Philips Electronics has announced a series of new portable, compact patient monitors that provides a reliable, yet affordable means to observe and care for patients.

Friday, July 18, 2008: High-end patient monitors are out of reach for many small to mid-sized clinics, forcing doctors and nurses to apply treatment only based on visible symptoms. On occasion, this means they must wait for a patient's condition to deteriorate before changing treatment. With access to more affordable patient monitoring equipment, clinicians have the ability to observe a patient's vital signs and make more informed, timely decisions about patient care. Royal Philips Electronics has announced a series of new portable, compact patient monitors that provides a reliable, yet affordable means to observe and care for patients. Now available to healthcare providers in India, the new Philips SureSigns VM3 is the first Philips patient monitor designed for emerging markets.

Researchers from NYU School of Medicine have revealed that asthma and other allergies are tied to absence of specialized cells that block allergic reactions.

The researchers have identified a class of custom-made T-cells manufactured according to instructions from a gene called Foxp3 whenever we eat or inhale a potential allergen for the first time.

"We don't become allergic to lots of thingswe eat all kinds of things, we breathe all kinds of things, and what prevents us from developing allergies is that we make regulatory T cells, which specifically recognize this allergen," said Maria A. Curotto de Lafaille, Ph.D., Associate Research Scientist at NYU Langone Medical Centre.

"I told my husband to get me to the hospital because I couldn't breathe - I thought I was just going to go," recalled Reed, 67, who suffers from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

COPD is a term used to refer to two conditions of the respiratory system - emphysema and chronic bronchitis. These conditions are related and often occur simultaneously. Someone who suffers from COPD may have one, or both, of these conditions.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affects more than 26 million adults in the United States. Family physicians provide care for most of these patients. Cigarette smoking is the leading risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, although other risk factors, including occupational and environmental exposures, account for up to one in six cases. Patients presenting with chronic cough, increased sputum production, or progressive dyspnea should be evaluated for the disease. Asthma is the disease most often confused with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is based on clinical suspicion and spirometry confirmation. A forced expiratory volume in one second/ forced vital capacity ratio that is less than 70 percent, and that is incompletely reversible with the administration of an inhaled bronchodilator, suggests chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Disease severity is classified by symptomatology and spirometry.

A new study by US researchers who examined internal industry documents, market and national survey reports and lab test results, concluded that the tobacco industry manipulated the menthol content of cigarettes to attract young new smokers and encourage them to become dependent on nicotine.

The study was the work of investigators from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) in Boston, Massachusetts and was published on 16th July, in the "first look online ahead of print" issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

Menthol cigarettes have become increasingly popular with teenagers, prompting the researchers to find out if tobacco manufacturers manipulated the menthol content of cigarettes in order to target adolescents and young adults.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say one reason is laws, like the State of Washington's, that ban smoking in public places.

Recent tests found 38 percent fewer non-smokers with signs of nicotine in their blood, compared to non-smokers in the late 80's and early 90's.

Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health in the US said they discovered a method being used that involved adjusting menthol - which masks the harshness and irritation of cigarettes - to create a milder experience for the first time smoker.

Doctor Offers Tips For Minimizing Side Effects

When wildfires are blazing -- and after threatened people have ensured their personal safety -- there are steps people can take to reduce the effects of smoke on their lungs and respiratory systems.

Dr. Zab Mosenifar, director of pulmonary and critical care at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said the most likely short-term effects for people living in relatively close proximity to fires include hyper-reactivity, painful irritation of the eyes, coughing, shortness of breath, sneezing and other uncomfortable symptoms.

'Hot Water & Healthy Living' reviews scientific findings about warm-water immersion

For those who have wondered how warm water makes them feel so good, a new book may help them discover the answer. Published by the National Swimming Pool Foundation (NSPF), "Hot Water & Healthy Living" provides a thorough review of how the pressure and warmth of warm-water immersion causes the heart to pump more blood, the chest to work harder to breathe, and the mind and body to relax. Authored by Jonathan B. "J.B." Smith, Ed.D., Indiana University of Indiana, the book includes more than 25 sources of scholarly scientific research presented in a manner understandable by both experts and laypersons.

Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report related to the Medical devices industry is available in its catalogue.

This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Respiratory Care Equipment & Supplies in Millions of US$. The specific product segments analyzed are Pulmonary Function Testing Equipment, Spirometers, Sleep Apnea Diagnostic Devices, Ventilators, Humidifiers, Nebulizers, CPAP/Bi-level Devices, Oxygen Equipment, Manual Resuscitators, and Masks, Circuits & Disposables. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Latin America. Annual forecasts are provided for each region for the period of 2000 through 2015. The report profiles 223 companies including many key and niche players worldwide such as Allied Healthcare Products, Inc., Cardinal Health, Covidien Ltd., Drager Medical AG & Co. KG, DeVilbiss Healthcare, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited, Getinge AB, Hamilton Medical AG, Invacare Corporation, ResMed, Inc., nSpire Health(TM), LLC, ResMed, Inc., and Respironics, Inc. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are mostly extracted from URL research and reported select online sources.

People with asthma who regularly use salmeterol are at a greater risk of non-fatal serious adverse events than those using placebos. This conclusion was arrived at by a team of Cochrane Researchers who drew together data from 26 trials involving 62,630 patients.

The researchers found that over a four to six month period, for every thousand people treated for asthma there were 45 who suffered a serious adverse event on regular salmeterol, compared to only 40 if a placebo inhaler was given.

Salmeterol is a long-acting beta2-agonist. It is inhaled by people with asthma twice daily, and relieves symptoms for up to 12 hours. It is generally recommended for use along with corticosteroid inhalers (also known as preventer inhalers).

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NEIHS) reports that almost 31 million Americans have asthma, with 1.3 million sufferers under the age of five, making it the most common chronic disease among children. With the number of asthmatics increasing by 50% each decade, can anything be done to help?

The NIEHS defines asthma as "an inflammatory disease of the lung." The inflammation can occur along the entire airway from the nose to the lung. The airway swells, becomes narrower, and less air gets to the lung tissue. This produces the commonly known asthma symptoms: chest tightness, wheezing, breathlessness, and coughing. In acute episodes, or "attacks," these air passages become dangerously narrow, and the symptoms worsen, potentially becoming life threatening.

Risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes include being overweight or obese, having high blood pressure and cholesterol, being physically inactive, increasing age, having a family history of diabetes, and having gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

While the term sepsis is frequently used to refer to septicemia (blood poisoning), septicemia is but one type of sepsis. It is caused by any infection that can originate anywhere in the body. The most common sites include the kidneys, the liver or the gall bladder, the bowel, the skin and the lungs.

During the CME, the crowd sat in rapt attention listening to Dr Swatantra Mishra, head of Critical Care Services, MPH, talk about how severe sepsis and septic shock is a major problem worldwide. He discussed in detail about those at risk and pointed out that people whose immune systems are not functioning well because of an illness or because of medical treatments that weaken the immune system were more prone to develop sepsis. However, he cautioned that even healthy people could suffer from sepsis.

Foot infections are common in patients with diabetes and are associated with high morbidity and risk of lower extremity amputation. Diabetic foot infections are classified as mild, moderate, or severe. Gram-positive bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus and beta-hemolytic streptococci, are the most common pathogens in previously untreated mild and moderate infection. Severe, chronic, or previously treated infections are often polymicrobial. The diagnosis of diabetic foot infection is based on the clinical signs and symptoms of local inflammation. Infected wounds should be cultured after debridement. Tissue specimens obtained by scraping the base of the ulcer with a scalpel or by wound or bone biopsy are strongly preferred to wound swabs. Imaging studies are indicated for suspected deep soft tissue purulent collections or osteomyelitis. Optimal management requires aggressive surgical debridement and wound management, effective antibiotic therapy, and correction of metabolic abnormalities (mainly hyperglycemia and arterial insufficiency). Treatment with antibiotics is not required for noninfected ulcers.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the only major chronic cause of death that is constantly increasing and is set to become the third leading cause of death globally in the year 2020 according to visiting professor of Respiratory Medicine, Wisia Wedzicha.

She was the main presenter at a special meeting on the disease held on Friday evening at the Trinidad Hilton Hotel, Port-of-Spain by the Clinical Medical Sciences Department of the Medical Science Faculty of the University of the West Indies St Augustine Campus and GlaxoSmithKline.

Dr. Marie Savard appeared on "Good Morning America" today to talk about the five vaccinations every adult should have. While important, that is only half of the list compiled by the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta.

Read below for the full list, courtesy of the CDC. Click here for the CDC's full vaccination chart.

1. Tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Td/Tdap) vaccination

Tdap should replace a single dose of Td for adults aged under 65 years who have not previously received a dose of Tdap. Only one of two Tdap products (Adacel[sanofi pasteur]) is licensed for use in adults.

I had my first colonoscopy last week. How was it? Well, pretty much just like they say, meaning that the procedure itself (not that I remember a single second of it, which was just fine with me) wasn't bad at all - but the hard part was the prep. Actually, though, I was greatly impressed with the efforts put into the entire process, from the scheduling, to the detailed information mailed to me, the calls from the pre-testing people making sure I remembered the appointment and completely understood the preparation routine; and, of course, when I arrived at endoscopy, the professionalism of the seven or so people who did their jobs so well.

When all was said and done and I was on my way home - albeit a bit foggy in the head - I was thinking about medical screening in general and Katie Couric, in particular, and how she turned the heartbreak of losing her husband into something extremely positive by raising awareness of colon cancer and the importance of colonoscopy screening.

Publishing their findings in the July 22, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, lead investigator Dr Thomas Neumann (Kerckhoff Heart Center, Bad Nauheim, Germany) and colleagues report no pulmonary vein stenosis or atrioesophageal fistula with the novel cryoballoon technique, although phrenic-nerve injury was observed in 26 patients, mainly when the smaller balloon was used.

Several concepts of treatment in neonatal ARDS have been proposed in the last years. The present study compared the effects of open lung concept positive pressure ventilation (PPVOLC) with a conventional ventilation strategy combined with administration of two different surfactant preparations on lung function and surfactant homoeostasis.

Methods: After repeated whole-lung saline lavage, 16 newborn piglets were assigned to either PPVOLC (n=5) or surfactant treatment under conventional PPV using a natural bovine (n=5) or a monomeric protein B based surfactant (n=6).

Thunderstorms -- usually thought to clear the air -- are associated with about a 3% spike in emergency room visits for asthma, researchers here said.

In a study carried out in the 20-county Atlanta region, hospital data showed a significant increase in visits for asthma (P<0.001)>

Because asthma is prevalent in the region even such a small relative increase could have a "significant public health impact in the population," Dr. Grundstein and colleagues said in the July issue of Thorax.

OBJECTIVE: To Investigate the relationship among blood and sputum eosinophil levels, sinus mucosal thickening, and osteitis in patients with asthma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted an observational study of 201 patients with asthma who underwent sinus computed tomographic (CT) imaging and induced sputum analysis at Mayo Clinic's site in Rochester, MN, from November 1, 2000, through December 31, 2005. Sinus CT scans were reviewed by an investigator blinded to patients' identity and chart Information (J.B.H.) to assess for mucosal thickening. Each scan was assigned a CT score based on the Lund-Mackay staging scale. Approximately 20% of the scans were reviewed at random by a radiologist (N.G.C.) to ensure quality control. Bone changes consistent with osteitis were ascertained from radiology reports. Lung function was measured, and sputum was analyzed by conventional methods.

Mpex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has initiated a Phase 2 clinical study with MP-376 for the treatment of pulmonary infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other bacteria in patients with cystic fibrosis. MP-376 is Mpex's proprietary aerosol formulation of levofloxacin, an antibiotic that has potent activity against key bacterial pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Delivery of levofloxacin directly to the lungs of CF patients by the aerosol route can potentially provide a number of safety and efficacy advantages compared to oral or IV administration. MP-376 is delivered using a customized configuration of PARI's highly efficient eFlow(R) electronic nebulizer.

Discovery Laboratories, Inc. (Nasdaq:DSCO) held a teleconference on June 18, 2008 with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss Discovery Labs' approach to addressing key remaining items identified in the May 1, 2008 Approvable Letter to potentially gain U.S. marketing approval of SURFAXIN(r) (lucinactant) for the prevention of Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) in premature infants. Discovery Labs received clarification on its proposals and, although timeline assessment is continuing, believes that it could submit its formal response to the Approvable Letter in September 2008. Discovery Labs also believes that this response may be designated by the FDA as a Class 1 resubmission with a target review period of 60 days.

National ranking provides showcase for new brand and name.

For the eleventh year in a row, National Jewish Health has been named the best respiratory hospital in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The ranking is part of the 2008 "America's Best Hospitals" guide published by the weekly news magazine.

"This recognition continues to be tremendously gratifying. Once again our faculty and staff have risen to the challenge of providing the best care possible to our patients," said Michael Salem, MD, President and CEO of National Jewish. "We are also thrilled to have our new name, National Jewish Health, prominently featured in such a widely read magazine and Web site."

John Smedberg, five-year respiratory therapist at Biggs-Gridley Memorial Hospital, is seeing an increase in patients suffering from smoke-related symptoms, especially in the last forty-eight hours.

Smedburg has a thorough grasp of the subject of fire. In 1989, his property was right smack in the middle of Penn Valley while it burned. "When everyone else left, we stayed and saved our home" He inhaled a lot of smoke.

"Things to look for are wheezing, shortness of breath, feeling tight chested and difficulty breathing through the nose," Smedberg warned. These might warrant a trip to the doctor for treatment, which consists of a patient being put on a bronchial dialator, a check for hydration and blood pressure screening. "Our air-quality rating is 187 to 207. That's very unhealthy". With prolonged exposure, toddlers and people over fifty have a greater propensity toward distress.