Cover Article
New Approaches Combat Anthrax's Deadly Effects
Our nation's recent experience with anthrax spread via mail demonstrates only too well the limitations of currently available treatments for advanced stages of this infection. Novel therapies are on the horizon, however. Although these approaches have been tested only in animal models, they may lead to new tools for battling anthrax's toxic action.

Selected Articles

• Inhaled Steroids and Bone Loss
• Does Diabetes Increase Susceptibility to Particulate Air Pollution?
• Unnecessary Antibiotics for Sore Throat: Common
• New AAP Guideline Addresses Bacterial Sinusitis
• Occupational Asthma More Common Than Thought
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
Smooth Muscle Constriction a Vital Asthma Component
Recent efforts to understand and treat asthma have often focused on its inflammatory aspects. Two new studies, however, highlight the importance of airway smooth muscle constriction in the disease.

Selected Articles

• New Atrial Fib Guidelines Target Patients With Pulmonary Disease
• Simple Intervention Increases Asthma Follow-up
• Steel Mill Particulates Induce Lung Inflammation
• Tubular Antibiotics Wipe Out Resistant Microbes
• Give Oxygen First for Acute Severe Asthma?
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
Lung Dysfunction Linked to Vascular, Heart Disease
A strong association exists between reduced lung function and two serious cardiovascular conditions, new French and Swedish studies have shown. One study found a link between diminished peak expiratory flow and carotid atherosclerosis; the other established an association between decreased forced expiratory volume in one second and ventricular arrhythmias.

Selected Articles

• CAP Guidelines Have Many Similarities and Some Differences
• Is Zinc Effective for the Common Cold?
• AHRQ Recommendations Aim to Improve Patient Safety
• A Reminder of the Potential Severity of Adenovirus
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
ß-Agonists as Monotherapy for Persistant Asthma?
Two randomized studies show that long-acting ß-agonists should be used in combination with inhaled corticosteroids and not as monotherapy for mild to moderate persistent asthma. “Our finds provide the first evidence-based support for this recommendation,” said Stephen C. Lazarus, MD, who participated in both studies.

Selected Articles

• Johns Hopkins Cited After Research Death
• Early Warning for Flu Season
• Air Pollution Exposure May Trigger MI
• APOE epsilon4 Allele Linked With Sleep Apnea
• Conference News Update: Third Triennial World Asthma Meeting
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
Wildfires Threaten Respiratory Health
Vegetation burned either in wildfires or in the household for cooking or heating can significantly contribute to respiratory disease. However, certain strategies may make it possible to mitigate smoke’s effects on respiratory health.

Selected Articles

• NETT Advantage: More Than Just Emphysema Treatment Data
• How Allergic Is Genetically Modified Food?
• Antioxidants Improve Pulmonary Function
• Literature Monitor
• Allergic Ingredients May Not Be on Food Labels
• Mutation May Explain Some Sudden Infant Deaths

Cover Article
COPD Guidelines Go Global
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, yet it remains underdiagnosed and is often inappropriately treated. In an international effort to raise awareness of COPD and improve its management, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and World Health Organization have undertaken the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease.

Selected Articles

• Surgeon General’s Report: Women and Smoking
• Can Probiotic Therapy Prevent Atopic Disease?
• Asthma Associated With Bacterial Infection
• Smoking Cessation Success May Depend on Genetics
• Conference News Update:
  American Thoracic Society's 97th International Conference
• GER May Be More Common in COPD Patients
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
Guidelines: Avoid Treating Most URIs With Antibiotics
To help quell the antibiotic-resistance problem, the American College of Physicians—American Society of Internal Medicine has created guidelines for the management of upper respiratory tract infections (URIs). And the College wants to drive home this message: Antibiotics are usually unnecessary for URIs in otherwise healthy adults.

Selected Articles

• Herbs and Prescription Drugs Don't Always Mix
• Conference News Update: 57th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology
• Novel Method to Eradicate Bacteria
• Literature Monitor
• Could Aspirin Play a Role in Alleviating Allergy?
• In Utero Exposure to Maternal Smoking Increases Asthma

Cover Article
Study: Fewer Cars Equal Fewer Asthma Exacerbations
The 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta provided researchers with a rare opportunity to observe the positive impact that decreased automobile traffic can have on pediatric asthma. Because of citywide efforts to reduce such traffic during the games, the rate of childhood asthma episodes requiring acute care fell dramatically.

Selected Articles

• Feds Release Action Plan to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance
• Sudden Infant Fatalities: SIDS or Child Abuse?
• Tobacco Control: What Works, What's Possible
• Do Additives in Nebulizers Induce Bronchospasm?
• Literature Monitor
• Study Reveals More About Asthma Genetics

Cover Article
New Asthma Therapies Fall Short of Expectations
Investigators are disappointed with the clinical trial results of two promising allergic asthma therapies that suppress eosinophilic inflammation. Neither an interleukin 5 monoclonal antibody nor recombinant human interleukin 12 significantly altered airway hyperresponsiveness or the late asthmatic response.

Selected Articles

• Education Reduces Incidence, Severity of Nut Allergy Reactions
• Pneumococcal Vaccine Prevents Acute Otitis Media
• Mast Cells: Masterminds of Allergic Disease
• Are Rapid-Onset Asthma Attacks a Distinct Entity?
• Occupational Asthma May Be More Common Than You Think
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
New Approaches to Smoking Cessation Show Promise
Two new interventions for tobacco dependence are being investigated, and preliminary findings look promising. One is a pill that blocks nicotine metabolism; the other is a vaccine that prevents nicotine from reaching the brain.

Selected Articles

• Urticaria: Difficult to Diagnose, Hard to Treat
• Skin Test Key to Assessing Penicillin Allergy
• Allergic Response Less Frequent in Third World
• Heavy Smokers May Seek Less Care for Their Asthmatic Children
• Particulate Air Pollution is Clearly a Killer
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
Early Discharge Is Safe for Some COPD Patients
Many patients with acute COPD exacerbations can be safely discharged from the hospital earlier than is commonly thought--as long as treatment is continued at home under supervision.

Selected Articles

• Antipyretics May Prolong the Flu
• Recognizing Eosinophilic Lung Syndromes
• Does Allergic Sinusitis Really Exist?
• Anti-IgE Antibody Gets High Marks From Patients and Physicians
• Unraveling the Mystery of Chemical Sensitivity
• Literature Monitor

Cover Article
Auto Crashes Linked to Delays in Sleep Disorder Diagnosis
Drivers who are habitually sleepy have a 13-fold higher risk of having a car accident than do well-rested drivers. And among patients with obstructive sleep apnea, a disproportionate number of car accidents (and other adverse events) occur during the waiting period between referral to a sleep disorders center and performance of nocturnal polysomnography.

Selected Articles

• Combined H1 and H2 Blockade for Acute Allergic Syndromes
• Do Not Depend on Epinephrine Inhalations for Anaphylaxis
• Should Healthy Adults and Children Get Flu Shots?
• Conference News Update: Annual Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology
• CF Gene Mutation May Increase Risk for Chronic Sinusitis
• Literature Monitor