Dry Airways Play A Key Role In Asthma And Smoker's Lung

Dry airways may not only play a central role in the development of the in-herited lung disease cystic fibrosis, but also in much more common acquired chronic lung diseases such as asthma and smoker's lung, the ciga-rette smoke-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Three New States Join Efforts To Screen Newborns For Cystic Fibrosis

Illinois and Vermont have joined 37 other states and the District of Columbia in requiring that all newborns be screened for cystic fibrosis at birth. In addition, the Nevada Department of Health has decided to begin regular CF screening as well. Routine screening will be implemented when state lawmakers set an implementation date.

Genetic Cause Discovered For Bone Complications Due To Cystic Fibrosis

A recent study by Dr Christina Haston, a researcher of the McGill University Health Centre research Institute, sheds some new light on the bone problems that generally accompany cystic fibrosis. Dr Haston's study is pointing at genetics as contributing to this bone frailty, a finding which may have some implications in changing therapeutic practices.

Scorpion Peptide May Be Key To Secretory Diseases

Researchers have discovered a peptide in scorpion venom that may hold the key to understanding and controlling cystic fibrosis and other secretory diseases.In the December 28 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, an international team of researchers describes how this novel peptide, called GaTx1, can control the movement of ions and water out of cells by interacting with a crucial chloride channel.

Increased Cystic Fibrosis Severity And Deficiency In The Protein MBL2 Linked

Cystic fibrosis (CF), a hereditary disorder causing thick mucous production and frequent lung infections, is associated with a high mortality rate primarily due to lung failure. Although it is known that mutations in the CFTR gene cause the disease, variations in other genes between individuals with CF modify the severity of the disease.

Decline In Cystic Fibrosis Since Introduction Of Prenatal Carrier Screening

A brief report in the February 28, 2008, New England Journal of Medicine, led by researchers at the New England Newborn Screening Program (NENSP) of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS), indicates a declining incidence of a genetic disease, providing what may be the first demonstration of a link between two independent population-based screening programs.

Mpex Candidate, MP-376, Granted U.S. Orphan Drug Status For The Treatment Of Cystic Fibrosis

Mpex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Office of Orphan Products Development has granted Mpex orphan drug designation for levofloxacin solution for inhalation for the treatment of pulmonary infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other bacteria in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Computer Simulations Point To Key Molecular Basis Of Cystic Fibrosis

Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have identified a key molecular mechanism that may account for the development of cystic fibrosis, which about 1 in 3000 children are born with in the US every year. The findings, published February 29 in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology, add new knowledge to understanding the development of this disease and may also point the way to new corrective treatments.

First Step To Create Cystic Fibrosis Model Using Pigs

Cystic fibrosis is the most common genetic disease in Caucasians. The median lifespan for those with the disease is 36 years, and lung disease is the major cause of mortality. For years, scientists have studied cystic fibrosis using mice in which the cystic fibrosis gene was altered.

Cystic Fibrosis Development Better Understood

According to a report in the open-access journal PLoSComputational Biology, there is a specific molecularmechanism that could be responsible for the development of cysticfibrosis. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcherssuggest better understanding of the disease may help to develop newcorrective treatments.