From Deseret News archives:
A brief look at what the research says
Unrelated research from Connecticut Children's Medical Center, however, found that obese children are more apt to be hospitalized for acute asthma attacks than children who are not obese.
— Type 2 diabetes may be a risk factor for asthma, independent of other co-existing conditions, according to researchers in California.
— Serbian research suggests that patients with acute pneumonia and those with unstable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have low levels of vitamin C and plenty of inflammation. Boosting vitamin C, the researchers said, may improve their prognosis.
— University of Washington researchers found that patients with obstructive diseases who use inhaled long-acting beta-agonists do not have increased risk for developing cardiovascular events.
— Doctors ordering medications or lab results by computer may improve safety in intensive-care units, according to a Baystate Medical Center study. The electronic systems warn of potential errors and even offer suggestions such as using compression devices to reduce stress ulcers or deep-vein thrombosis.
— Being overweight may provide an advantage to patients who develop bloodstream infections such as sepsis in the intensive care unit. The researchers believe their discovery may lead to effective treatments for all body types.
— University of Utah research found that lung transplants in young patients with cystic fibrosis may actually decrease survival rates. For the study, they looked at 558 pediatric patients waiting for a transplant and 265 who had a transplant.
— A cross-sectional study from the Philippines found that full-term babies with low birthweight have little risk of poor lung function between ages 10 and 14. Researchers called the link between low birthweight and lung function "weak," except in children who had pneumonia before they were 2.
— Adults with pulmonary hypertension are more apt to have thyroid disease than those with comparable lung disease or than the general population, according to the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville. But treating the thyroid disease didn't impact the severity of the hypertension.
— Men with mild obstructive sleep apnea may feel sleepier during the day than females with the condition, according to research from Marshall University. Three of the 12 parameters a sleep study measures showed a significant difference between the sexes — more visible apnea, more time in stage 1 sleep and less time in stage 2 sleep.
— Cleveland Clinic Foundation researchers says heart surgery patients with obstructive sleep apnea are more likely to develop postoperative complications, including encephalopathy, infection and longer intensive-care stays. They suggest screening for apnea before heart surgery.
— Employer health-care costs drop when commercial drivers who have sleep apnea are treated with a continous positive airway pressure device. Researchers from Texas, Wisconsin and Minnesota found an average savings of $538 a month for each treated driver.
— Complications and hospital charges drop significantly when fibrin glue is used in thoracic surgery, instead of standard techniques such as electrocauterization and sutures because of fewer air leaks and less bleeding, according to Italian researchers.
