Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of upper and lower respiratory tract diseases, such as chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), allergic rhinitis (AR), and asthma (AS). In the current study, researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and affiliated organizations aimed to assess the role of the essential antioxidant enzyme, heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX1), in these airway diseases.

One potentially serious complication of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is pulmonary hypertension (PH). Based on previous research that revealed involvement of perivascular immune and inflammatory responses in regulation of vascular remodeling and PH processing, researchers from Fudan University investigated the immunologic factors linked to OSA-induced PH.

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have tested a broadly neutralizing antibody that binds the stem of a protein against H5N1 avian influenza, which prevented severe disease in nonhuman primates and was effective for at least 8 weeks. The scientists remark on the potential of the design developed by Astrazeneca plc against a possible outbreak of the influenza A virus.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a chronic lung disease characterized by the replacement of normal lung tissue by scar tissue, resulting in worsening lung function and impaired gas exchange. Autotaxin (ATX), the enzyme that produces the lipid mediator lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), is upregulated in lung fibrotic tissue.

Researchers from Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center presented data from a study that aimed to investigate the genetic mechanisms underlying yellow nail syndrome (YNS), a rare disorder characterized by three features, namely yellow dystrophic nails, lymphedema and chronic lung disease.

Phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) is a cGMP-specific hydrolytic enzyme highly expressed in pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cells.

An experimental tuberculosis (TB) vaccine with a dual mission – self-destruction after inducing immunity – improved the design of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy, a vaccine also used against cancer. Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh engineered this strain with a double break, which is effective and safer after an intravenous administration, according to their results in nonhuman primates and mice.

CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. has obtained clearance from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) to conduct clinical trials in China of SYH-2059 tablets for interstitial lung disease, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and progressive pulmonary fibrosis.