This may not be the latest news, or even the most scientific news - this is the news of interest to me, living a life that includes COPD. I hope that you will find something of value on these pages also.
After your visit here, please stop by my website -COPD and So Much More - because we are So Much More than a diagnosis...
Karen
Searching for Commonalities between Two Deadly Lung Diseases
from the National Cancer Institute Bulletin for March 9, 2010
Despite enormous strides in tobacco education during the last few decades, more than 20 percent of adult Americans still smoke, and tobacco use causes more than 400,000 deaths each year in the United States alone. The majority of these tobacco-related deaths are caused by two diseases: lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). These diseases often occur together in patients.
“With a background of tobacco exposure, you have several disease pathways that are studied separately even if they co-exist,” explained Dr. Eva Szabo, chief of NCI’s Lung and Upper Aerodigestive Cancer Research Group in the Division of Cancer Prevention.
“Having COPD is a risk factor for lung cancer,” said Dr. Antonello Punturieri, program director in the Division of Lung Diseases at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). “Many patients have moderate and often severe COPD in addition to lung cancer. But we don’t understand how tobacco exposure may lead to only COPD, or only lung cancer but not COPD, or COPD and lung cancer.”
Until recently, scientists have tended to study either lung cancer or COPD. But that is beginning to change. More laboratories are now looking at the complicated interplay between the two diseases and their risk factors, including smoking.
Roles for Both Exposure and Genetics
Among smokers, only 15 to 20 percent get either lung cancer or COPD, leading researchers to propose a genetic component of risk. Dr. Laura Bierut, professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine, and her colleagues recently identified a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)—a variation in a single unit of DNA—on chromosome 15 that is associated with smoking behavior. This same variant increases the risk of lung cancer and COPD.
As more of these genetic risk factors are discovered, “the million-dollar question will be, Is the link between these genetic variants to lung cancer and COPD driven only through their influence on smoking behavior—such as increasing the number of cigarettes smoked per day—thus increasing the risk of disease? Or is there a direct pathogenic effect of these genetic variants on lung cancer and COPD?” said Dr. Bierut.
The SNP on chromosome 15 does appear to have an independent effect on disease risk. “If you incorporate the pack-years someone has smoked or how many cigarettes someone smokes per day into the statistical analyses, the genetic variant continues to contribute to lung cancer risk, above and beyond the behavior.”
She added that translational animal studies will likely be needed to tease apart the relationships between behavior, exposure, and disease, which are incredibly complex to study in humans.
A Cancer-friendly Microenvironment
Dr. James Crapo, professor of medicine at National Jewish Health, is interested in the role that chronic inflammation plays in both COPD and lung cancer.
“Clearly there are some shared factors that create risk for people who develop COPD and lung cancer. My hypothesis is that some individuals develop chronic inflammation that’s progressive even if they stop smoking,” he said.
“As we move into studying lung cancer and COPD associations, it’s very important that we start thinking of COPD as a syndrome with different subtypes,” he continued. “People tend to think of COPD as destruction of the lung tissue, but that only describes a subset of COPD. In fact, a large proportion of our COPD patients predominantly have airway inflammation and not tissue destruction, and inflammation is an environment in which cancer can develop.”
Dr. Crapo believes that there is a subtype of COPD that has a much stronger cancer association than others COPD subtypes. “And I’d bet that it’s the COPD patients who predominantly have airway disease who are at greater risk of cancer,” he said.
As part of the 12,000-person COPDGene cohort study, Dr. Crapo and his colleagues are performing genome-wide association studies to look for genetic links to airway inflammation and other possible risk factors for COPD. Although the cohort is designed to primarily examine COPD, the researchers hope to also collect data on lung cancer incidence.
“Once we find out what’s driving both of these diseases to occur in the same subjects, if it’s something like inflammation that we can treat at an early stage, we could potentially prevent the lung cancer and COPD from developing. That’s the long-term hope for us,” he explained.
Encouraging an Emerging Field of Research
On March 2, NCI and NHLBI released a joint request for applications (RFA) to encourage cross-disciplinary, translational research into common disease-causing mechanisms of lung cancer and COPD. The RFA will fund 8 to 12 new research projects and will favor applications with two principal investigators—one from the pulmonary community and one from the cancer community—to foster collaborative activities.
The two main objectives of the research effort will be to identify the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics that determine individual susceptibility to lung cancer and COPD, and to better understand the shared biochemical, molecular, and immunological pathways involved in the origin and progression of the two diseases.
“These patients are complex. Though they may die from one disease, they often have other tobacco-related diseases at the same time,” said Dr. Szabo. “A better understanding of one disease may lead to clues for the other; not only clues about pathogenesis, but clues to possible therapeutic targets.”
—Sharon Reynolds
National Cancer Institute Website - click here
March 10, 2010
Tags: copd and lung cancer link, COPD gene, lung cancer gene Posted in: COPD - New Research and Findings, COPD - lung cancer 
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Pets In Your Bed - A Good Idea? Or Not?
WebMD discusses the health implications of your pets sleeping in your bed with you and how you can keep your bedroom healthy.
Click Here to read article from WebMD
March 10, 2010
Tags: pets and COPD, sleeping with pets Posted in: COPD - Allergies, COPD - Living With It No Comments
The Emotional Toll of Osteoporosis
WebMD Information and Resources
The emotional toll of osteoporosis is very real. Having a fracture, or even seeing yourself as more “fragile” than you once thought you were, can lead to a negative body image, poor self-esteem, and a sense of limitations in activity and mobility.
Kyphosis, the “dowager’s hump” that results from vertebral fractures, has been associated with significant depression in people with osteoporosis. After one fracture, many people with osteoporosis are so fearful that they may fall and injure themselves again that they don’t pursue the activities they enjoy.
One way to cope with depression and other psychological problems related to osteoporosis is to find support from other people going through the same thing. The National Osteoporosis Foundation sponsors local support groups called Building Strength Together. Anyone can start one in their community. You can find one, join one, or start one on their web site at http://www.nof.org/patientinfo/support_groups.htm.
Read the complete article at WebMD - Click Here
Also See:
> The Best Calcium Supplements
March 9, 2010
Tags: osteoporosis calcium supplements, osteoporosis depression, osteoporosis exercise, osteoporosis support groups, osteoporosis treatment Posted in: COPD - Exercise, COPD - Patient Resources, COPD - Support, Education and Advocacy One Comment
Can’t Do Yoga? Think Again
A WebMD Health and Fitness feature article
If you’ve ruled out yoga for physical reasons, it might be time to reconsider.
In Hollywood and glossy magazines, yoga is usually associated with a Jennifer Aniston-type twisting her lithe body into a gravity-defying pretzel. So even though yoga is popular, it can be daunting to people who aren’t already bendy and buff.
“The average citizen thinks, ‘I can’t do all those poses. I’m not cut out for yoga,’ says Michele Olson, PhD, FACSM, professor of exercise science at Auburn University Montgomery in Montgomery, Ala.
But don’t fold up your yoga mat just yet. It’s got benefits for people of all shapes, sizes, and abilities. Here are four people who prove that yoga isn’t just for a certain “type” — and reasons you might give it a try.
Click here to read this article at WebMd
March 9, 2010
Tags: COPD and yoga, yoga and chronic illness Posted in: COPD - Exercise No Comments
Tuesday’s COPD Tune
Tuesday’s COPD Tunes come to us through the creative efforts of EFFORTS Vice President Ann Lornie.
Thanks, Ann!
This week let’s have a rocking good time and revisit Elvis Presley and The Heartbreak Hotel…
Since my addiction left me
Along with the smoky smell
My home is now so clean and sweet
It’s like the Ritz Hotel
*
I’m no longer smoking, baby,
I’m no longer smoking,
I’m no longer smoking - this is why
*
My common sense was clouded
Over half my lungs destroyed
I now have Emphysema
Which I’d hoped I could avoid
*
Breathing’s an effort, baby
Breathing’s an effort
It’s such an effort, I could cry
*
But now I’ve found a website
And the members understand.
I’m not alone, beset with fright,
They’re going to hold my hand
*
The group’s called EFFORTS, baby
The group’s called EFFORTS
I’m so glad EFFORTS caught my eye!
*
My tears are no longer flowin’
I certainly won’t look back
The members cries say: ‘exercise’
For your health, so I’m on track
*
Getting so strong now, baby,
Getting so strong now
Getting so strong now; I might fly!
*
If your lungs can barely function
Then you’ve got a tale to tell
How you’re fit enough to walk the street,
Are you really jet propelled?
*
Keep on walking, baby
Keep on walking
Keep on walking - do please try!
With love - Ann in England - Vice President, EFFORTS
March 9, 2010
Tags: Ann Lornie COPD song, Ann Lornie EFFORTS, COPD song lyrics, Tuesday COPD Tune Posted in: Tuesday's Tunes No Comments
