The weight of the world is getting heavier. With the holiday season underway and the omicron variant of the coronavirus spreading, feelings of anxiety, sadness, and fear of social isolation are increasing. While I acknowledge that predictions are not always accurate, current scientific models suggest that this variant…
Why I’m Getting a 4th Dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine
The University of Calgary is developing a clinical tool to help identify the environmental and occupational risks of pulmonary fibrosis (PF), an undertaking that could lead to a deeper understanding of how the disease takes hold and aid in developing treatments. During the 18-month project, supported by the Three…
Along this journey with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, my care team has had several different tools at their disposal. Some must be used in combination with others, while some are only used to gather information. Pulmonary rehabilitation, which can be deployed both pre- and post-transplant, falls under both…
A $5 million gift to the University of South Florida (USF) from the philanthropist and entrepreneur Timothy Ubben will be used to create the Ubben Family Center for Pulmonary Fibrosis, dedicated to disease research. The center will be located at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa. This…
Pinocembrin, a compound isolated from eucalyptus trees, significantly reduced the signs and symptoms of lung damage in a sheep model of pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a study demonstrated. “We found that pinocembrin improved lung function, attenuated [eased the effect of] lung inflammation, and decreased overall pathology scores compared to damaged…
AstraZeneca has added a novel target for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) to its portfolio, which was uncovered using BenevolentAI’s artificial intelligence-driven medication discovery platform. “The cause of IPF is largely unknown and the exact mechanisms involved in the progression of IPF remain elusive,” Anne Phelan, PhD, chief scientific…
It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is here, and Christmas is less than two weeks away. Although many family and holiday traditions will likely resume thanks to COVID-19 vaccinations, it’s still surreal to think that this is our second time celebrating the holidays amid a pandemic. In…
A lyric-writing challenge has culminated in a new song, “Breath of Life (Para Don Berna),” that is being debuted by “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks and New York Yankees veteran and Latin Grammy nominee Bernie Williams to increase awareness and promote the early diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
My pulmonologists are talented jugglers. They must determine my medication dosages, keep my lab results within the standard ranges, and minimize medication side effects. After my bilateral lung transplant in August 2020, it took a year to find the correct balance between all three. Medication baseline The balancing act started…
Welcome to my new column, “Make Every Breath Count.” Before I started writing it, I thought about what readers might want to know about me and why I’m writing this column. What details would make them want to continue reading? It all started with a cough. In the fall of…
