January 23, 2006 |
Mists of inhaled saltwater can reduce the pus and infection that fills the airways of cystic fibrosis sufferers, although side effects include a nasty coughing fit and a harsh taste. That's the conclusion of two studies published in the Jan. 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. They found that inhaling a mist with a salt content of 7% or 9% improved lung function and, in some cases, produced less absenteeism from school or work.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
September 3, 1998
The genetic defect that causes cystic fibrosis also appears to be involved in a life-threatening inflammation of the pancreas that afflicts about 100,000 Americans. Two studies in today's New England Journal of Medicine provide the first solid evidence that chronic pancreatitis may be linked to a bad gene. Researchers estimate that the cystic fibrosis gene may play a role in about 10% to 15% of these cases, even though victims show no signs of cystic fibrosis.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
July 30, 1990 |
A newly discovered cluster of genetic flaws responsible for a small fraction of cystic fibrosis cases may provide valuable clues to finding a treatment for the nation's most common inherited fatal disease, a U.S.-Canadian research team reported last week in the British journal Nature. The four genetic defects together account for about 7% of cystic fibrosis cases in whites and 5% in American blacks.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
September 26, 1996 |
A British geneticist said Wednesday that he and colleagues have successfully used genes to treat cystic fibrosis patients. Eight volunteers with cystic fibrosis were given one dose of normal genes by Dr. Chris Higgins of Oxford University to counteract the genetic mutation that causes the disease. Six had no symptoms of the disease for three weeks, he reported. Higgins said the technique used was not strictly gene therapy. "What we are really doing is gene transfer, not gene therapy.
August 24, 1989 |
Researchers have discovered and isolated the gene that causes cystic fibrosis when it is defective, a major step that could help in developing treatments for the fatal disease, a scientist said today. The discovery will "open up the door to more focused experiments" to find treatments that strike at the basic cause of the disease, said Lap-Chee Tsui of the Research Institute at the Hospital for Sick Children.
February 1, 1990 |
A new test can spot three-quarters of all adults who risk having children with cystic fibrosis, and more accurate versions should soon allow routine screening of everyone in the United States for this common genetic defect, researchers report. The screening can help parents avoid having children with cystic fibrosis. But experts say it also raises ethical and practical questions about who should get the test and what should be done with the information it provides.
March 30, 1995 |
High doses of a common over-the-counter pain reliever slowed lung deterioration by 90% over four years in children with cystic fibrosis, a study has found. The benefits of ibuprofen--sold under such brand names as Advil, Nuprin and Motrin--were most dramatic in children ages 5 to 13 who consistently took it in addition to conventional treatment with other drugs, the study's authors said. Ibuprofen might also have some reduced benefit in older patients, the researchers said.
December 9, 1994 |
Scientists said Thursday that they have wiped out certain cystic fibrosis symptoms in mice, an advance in the search for a cure for the inherited disease that usually kills its human victims before their 30th birthdays. The research, being published today in the journal Science, establishes for the first time that the disease in mice can be corrected with a human gene. The work focused on intestinal symptoms and researchers are now probing whether a similar approach will work on mice lungs.
April 26, 1990 |
Use of a common high blood pressure medicine as a nasal spray appears to slow the life-threatening lung damage that cystic fibrosis causes, and could dramatically improve the lives of people who have the frequently inherited disorder. The conclusions were drawn from a preliminary study of the drug amiloride. The medicine, when inhaled, seemed to help clear the secretions that clog the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients.