I spent a lot of time crying last week, but for a positive reason. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a cruel and life-threatening lung disease I was diagnosed with in 2016, has often been the reason for my tears. It is challenging to live with a condition that causes debilitating…
Oral therapies that kill aging cells were found to boost the levels of alpha-Klotho, a protective protein that declines with age and safeguards animals against age-related diseases — including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) — in a study involving older mice. So-called senolytic therapies are designed to kill aging senescent…
Every day in my post-transplant world begins with morning doses and ends with evening doses of medication. I also take doses in between, totaling 33–34 pills a day. Medication management is central in the life of a transplant recipient. I received a bilateral lung transplant on this past…
Using nanoparticles to deliver an anti-scarring RNA molecule to pro-scarring lung macrophages — a type of immune cell — prevented and reduced lung tissue fibrosis in a mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a study shows. To specifically target pro-fibrotic macrophages, researchers at University of Illinois College of Medicine (UICM)…
Abnormally high levels of the signaling molecule interleukin 19 (IL-19) were detected in lung tissues from both mice and humans with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in a recent study. These findings indicate that IL-19 promotes IPF progression by activating the transforming growth factor-beta pathway, a key mediator of tissue…
Laughter brings people together. It can lead to positive emotional changes, especially when you’re having a rough day. It can also boost the immune system, which enables our body to fight infections. Laughter can help us feel relaxed and vibrant and make our spirits soar. Chronic illness can trigger…
It was July 9, 2021, at 9 a.m. NBC’s “Today” show was on television in our house that morning. I was in my home office going through my morning routine while my wife, Susan, was downstairs in her home office. When my cellphone rang, I recognized the number as the…
Angion Biomedica plans to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for permission to start testing its experimental therapy ANG-3070 in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the company announced. ANG-3070 is an oral medication designed to block the activity of multiple protein receptors that contribute to…
Many chronic illness patients experience brain fog. Those living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive and life-threatening lung condition, are no exception. Due to being chronically under-oxygenated, especially as the disease progresses, many IPF patients find their brain fog prohibitive to important aspects of their life, such as excelling…
On Jan. 31, 2017, Dr. Steven Nathan, a pulmonary disease expert, sat on a stool in a clinic room across from my wife, Susan, and me, and confirmed my diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The gravity of my diagnosis hit Susan especially hard, to the point where every…
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