Author Archives: Joana Fernandes, PhD

LAMA (long-acting muscarinic antagonist) treatments may be more beneficial to people with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than those with LABA (long-acting beta2-agonist), especially in patients at risk of frequent exacerbations, according to results of a recent review study. Both LAMA and LABA are long-lasting bronchodilators, widely used as first-line treatments…

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health has granted $10 million to the McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University to investigate and identify genes associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other lung disorders in people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Results of…

Treatment with a triple combo therapy in a single inhaler decreased exacerbation rates in COPD patients compared with tiotropium treatment, according to the results of a clinical trial. The triple combo is composed of beclometasone dipropionate (BDP), formoterol fumarate (FF), and glycopyrronium bromide (GB) — BDP/FF/GB. This combination has been shown…

Metered-dose inhalers are a common device among patients with lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but users may be doing it wrong and limiting the medication’s effectiveness by getting only half the medication they need, according to two studies from Rice University. One study, “Factors Determining In…

The Aerobika device, which Monaghan Medical Corporation (MMC) developed to ease symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), may also be effective in patients with non-cystic fibrosis (CF) bronchiectasis, according to a study. The research, “Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis: Regional Abnormalities And Response To Airway Clearance Therapy Using Pulmonary Functional…

A sugar molecule called keratan sulfate could play a protective role against inflammation and emphysema associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a new study. The study, “A Keratan Sulfate Disaccharide Prevents Inflammation And The Progression Of Emphysema In Murine Models,” was published in the American…

A protein called Wnt5a seems to be involved in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study published recently in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. This finding may be a path to the development of new therapies targeting this protein. The study was published under…