When I set out to establish a career some years ago, I couldn’t have foreseen that many of the skills that set me apart as a desirable employee would eventually be lost to a fatal illness. Unfortunately, this is now my reality as I continue my battle with…
I’m Seeking Solutions to Workplace Struggles
The nerve injury-induced protein 1 (Ninjurin1, or Ninj1) may contribute to pulmonary fibrosis (PF) by promoting the inflammatory response of immune cells, called macrophages, leading to the activation of lung fibroblasts, a study shows. The study, “Ninjurin1 Plays a Crucial Role in Pulmonary Fibrosis by Promoting Interaction between Macrophages…
Panobinostat, an approved treatment for multiple myeloma, exerts anti-fibrotic activity, inducing cell death and reducing the proliferation of lab-grown fibroblasts from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients, a preclinical study reports. The data also suggest that, despite an ability to inhibit cellular pathways involved in fibrosis, approved IPF…
Most of society thinks of grief in the context of a loved one’s death. However, people with chronic illness grieve other things as well, such as personal losses inflicted by disease. Since my 2016 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) diagnosis, I have become increasingly aware of the things I’ve…
Gait speed, measured by the four meter gait speed (4MGS) test, is an independent predictor of all-cause mortality and hospitalization in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), according to a recent study. The tool could be used as a prognostic approach to select cohorts in clinical trials, optimize trial endpoints,…
Pulmonary fibrosis patients need all the compassion we can get. It turns out that the most important person to give us compassion is … ourselves! A growing body of work demonstrates the powerful effects of self-compassion on our health. Studies have shown that people…
The nasal epithelium of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) shows different levels of gene expression implicated in inflammatory and immune responses than those without the disease, a study reports. According to the researchers, these findings support nasal sampling as a noninvasive and inexpensive approach to identify and monitor…
Veracyte recently announced the expansion of an early access program offering the Envisia Genomic Classifier test for the diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). In the U.S., 20 medical centers in 12 states are now offering the Envisia Genomic test through the program, and the company expects it to…
Esbriet (pirfenidone) can improve survival rates of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients by 30 percent, a real-world retrospective analysis shows. The study, “Pirfenidone improves survival in IPF: results from a real-life study,” was published in the journal BMC Pulmonary Medicine. Genentech’s Esbriet is an approved…
With the holiday season upon us, the social gatherings have begun. An unofficial start to the holidays for me is attending my family Christmas dinner, which occurs on the last Saturday of November. Our extended family is too large to bring everyone together in December, so we…
