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Reducing drinking could help with smoking cessation, research finds
January 08, 2019

Reducing drinking could help with smoking cessation, research finds

If quitting smoking is one of you or your patient’s New Year’s resolutions, you might want to consider cutting back on your drinking, too. New research has found that heavy drinkers who are trying to stop smoking may find that reducing their alcohol use can also help them quit their daily smoking habit. Heavy drinkers’…

Reducing drinking could help with smoking cessation, research finds
December 18, 2018

Scientists found molecular ‘switch’ for allergic asthma treatment

A team of Russian scientists identified the role of the interleukin-6 molecule in the development of allergic asthma. Now it can be a new target for the treatment of this disease. The results are published in Frontiers in Immunology. About 300 million people worldwide suffer from asthma, one of the most common chronic lung diseases in…

December 04, 2018

This is why it’s so hard to quit smoking.

The science behind why it’s so difficult to quit smoking is crystal clear: Nicotine is addictive – reportedly as addictive as cocaine or heroin. Yet any adult can stroll into a drug store and buy a pack of cigarettes, no questions asked. “From a scientific standpoint, nicotine is just as hard, or harder, to quit…

October 30, 2018

Philip Morris stop-smoking campaign attacked as a PR stunt

Marlboro cigarette maker Philip Morris International (PM.N) drew accusations of hypocrisy after using a four-page newspaper advertisement to urge smokers to quit cigarettes. The wraparound advertisement covering Monday’s Daily Mirror tabloid is part of Philip Morris’s 2 million pound ($2.61 million) “Hold My Light” campaign, in which the world’s biggest international tobacco company is pushing…

October 16, 2018

Triple Therapy Improves COPD Exacerbations Regardless of Reversibility Status

Single-inhaler triple therapy fluticasone furoate/umeclidinium/vilanterol (FF/UMEC/VI; Trelegy Ellipta) continues to boast positive findings from the Informing the Pathway of COPD Treatment (IMPACT) study. In new data to be presented at the 2018 CHEST Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has reported their first-of-its-kind triple therapy inhaler significantly reduced the annual rate of moderate-to-severe…

October 03, 2018

Mouse Study: Lung Inflammation from Childhood Asthma May Be Linked to Later Anxiety

Research has shown that childhood asthma is associated with a two to three times higher chance of developing an internalizing disorder such as anxiety or depression, but the exact reasons for this have remained a mystery. In a new mouse study at Pennsylvania State University, the researchers suggest that persistent lung inflammation may be one…

September 18, 2018

Putting the Brake on E-Cigarettes

The FDA has launched strong regulatory and enforcement moves against the industry, branding the use of e-cigarettes among teens and ‘epidemic.’ In a pronouncement, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on Sept. 12 declared e-cigarette use “epidemic” among teens, signaled a possible ban on flavored e-cigarette liquids and launched sweeping enforcement efforts against retailers…

September 05, 2018

Testosterone Replacement Therapy Can Slow Men’s COPD, Study Finds

Testosterone replacement therapy can help slow the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in men, a new study shows. Men with COPD tend to experience shortness of breath, leading physicians to prescribe them long-term steroid-based medications. While these medications help treat pulmonary symptoms, they are also associated with testosterone dysfunction. Accordingly, previous studies have shown that…