Patients with Emphysema often have very limited ability to exercise and have very restricted quality of life. This study from spain showed that Epidural perfusion (injection directly around the spinal cord) of methadone at chest level appears to not only reduce symptom of shortness of breath in patients with emphysema but also improve exercise capacity and quality of life in these patients with advanced emphysema without making the breathing any worse. chest

Rhinitis (swelling of the lining of the nose causing runny or stuffy nose) and asthma are considered to be parts of the same disease or allergic syndrome. It is important to treat both problems in order to control asthma. In this study here, researchers showed that treating both conditions help control asthma much better than treating asthma alone. chest

Mifepristone, formerly known as RU-486, is currently being used as an "abortion pill" or medical abortion. There is a report of 4 cases of women who died after taking the abortion pill due to severe infection and shock associated with organism called Clostridium sordellii after taking this abortion pill. This is being reported so as to raise awareness and that does not mean these infections were caused by the abortion pill. New England Journal Medicine

Sleep Apnea prevents one from getting adequate sleep by causing one to stop breathing for a period of time while they sleep. These patients can have many such episodes each night. The study in the New England Journal of Medicine Showed significantly increases the risk of stroke or death from any cause, and this increase is independent of other risk risk factors, including high blood pressure. Patients with Sleep Apnea often feel tiered during the day and fall sleep easily when the sit down.

COX-2 Inhibition and Cardiovascular Risk after CABG Surgery   When administered to patients for pain control after coronary-artery bypass surgery, valdecoxib and its intravenous prodrug, parecoxib, were found to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular thromboembolic events. These findings add to the growing concern that the use of COX-2 inhibitors increases the risk of cardiovascular events, particularly in persons who are at risk for such events.

Heart Risks Associated with Celebrex Using data from a clinical trial of celecoxib to prevent colorectal adenomas, these investigators analyzed cardiovascular events over a three-year follow-up period. There was a dose-related increase in the risk of a composite outcome of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, stroke, or heart failure. The hazard ratio was 2.3 with a 200-mg dose and 3.4 with a 400-mg dose. These results raise concern that the use of celecoxib is associated with a serious risk of cardiovascular events.

COX-2 Inhibition and Cardiovascular Risk after CABG Surgery   When administered to patients for pain control after coronary-artery bypass surgery, valdecoxib and its intravenous prodrug, parecoxib, were found to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular thromboembolic events. These findings add to the growing concern that the use of COX-2 inhibitors increases the risk of cardiovascular events, particularly in persons who are at risk for such events.

Cardiovascular Events Associated with Rofecoxib   In a clinical trial of chemoprevention for colorectal adenomas, the use of rofecoxib was found to be associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular events, primarily myocardial infarctions and ischemic cerebrovascular events. Although rofecoxib has been removed from the market by the manufacturer, these data need to be carefully considered in making decisions about any future use of rofecoxib.

B-type natriuretic peptide levels are higher in patients with congestive heart failure than in patients with shortness of breath from other causes. Therefore measuring this test in patients with shortness of breath can tell you if the cause is from heart failure resulting in early treatment and discharge from hospital. The New England Journal of Medicine

High plasma homocysteine level has been associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) events in nondiabetic individuals, especially in those with previously diagnosed CHD. In persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the association between homocysteine level and cardiovascular disease may be stronger than that in nondiabetic individuals. This study showed that in patients with type 2 diabetes, plasma homocysteine level was a strong and independent risk factor for CHD events.This study showed that homocysteine is an even bigger problem in diabetic patients and requires more aggressive treatment. The Annals of Internal Medicine

Presece of certain genes in Lupus patients can be associated with risk factors such as stoke and heart attack as was reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. Mannose-binding lectin gene are associated with Lupus as well as with severe atherosclerosis. In this study, author showed that those patients with Lupus who have homozygosity for this gene are at increased risk of developing arterial blockage such as stroke and heart attack.

D-Dimer blood test that is done to look for possible blood clots is most accurate when done by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) that had the highest sensitivity and lowest negative likelihood ratio, which makes ELISA the best D-dimer test for excluding blood clots in legs and lungs.