Veracyte has acquired the rights to a gene signature that may serve as a tool, based on a simple blood sample, for determining likely disease outcomes for people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The noninvasive blood-based 52-gene signature, developed by researchers at Yale University, will be offered as a complement…
Now more than ever, healthcare workers and hospital employees are being applauded for their work. Even in the best of times, working in healthcare is not easy. These days, our healthcare systems are stressed because of COVID-19, and medical care looks vastly different than what we are used…
Chronic lung infections caused by a variety of bacteria are a serious complication in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and are particularly risky for those with low oxygen pressure in the blood or high levels of the lung disease biomarker KL-6, a study has found.
As I sit down to write this column, my heart feels heavy. As a Canadian, I can’t help but shed tears for the senseless act of violence that occurred over the weekend a few provinces to the east of me in Nova Scotia. A seemingly respectable man in a…
The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) has opened a financial assistance program for people in rare disease community who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. Called the NORD COVID-19 Critical Relief Program, the effort will provide up to $1,000 annually to those eligible to…
Men with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are at higher risk of death and are more likely to require a lung transplant than women, according to a recent study. Researchers also identified coughing to be an independent predictor of survival in men with IPF. The study, “Differences in…
Taking oral dietary supplements of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) — an antioxidant in green tea — may stop and reverse the pro-fibrotic (scarring) state of the lungs of people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a small study suggests. These early findings support larger studies of EGCG’s anti-fibrotic potential in IPF,…
A person’s sex appears to affect whether or not they are diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), according to a study that tested respiratory physicians worldwide. Women are less likely to be given an IPF diagnosis, and men may be overdiagnosed, its results suggests. Investigators also noted that the influence of…
After writing last week about the loss of my friend, I realized that it was her birthday. That very day, she would have turned 30. I don’t believe in coincidences. I think things happen at certain times for a reason. Donate Life Month inspired me…
People with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have shorter survival times after an acute exacerbation than do those with other interstitial lung diseases (ILD), often dying within a few months of such flares, a study from Finland reports. Pulmonary fibrosis, or lung scarring, was the most common underlying cause of death…
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