Lung

Not getting enough vitamin D can weaken bones, teeth, and muscles by interfering with calcium absorption. Now there's another reason to avoid a serious D deficiency: it can make respiratory tract infections much worse, according to a new study.

Scientists who won a 2024 IgNobel Prize for "discovering that many mammals are capable of breathing through their anus" have now completed a successful trial based on this, using a technique that gets oxygen into the blood via an unconventional route.

Hair care may be turning your bathroom into a hazardous emissions zone, as scientists find that 10-20 minutes of styling with common products and tools resulted in 10 billion ultrafine particles being inhaled and able to cross into the bloodstream.

New research has identified the mechanism by which air pollution damages the lungs’ self-cleaning system, leaving us vulnerable to infection. In doing so, it has also identified a way to reverse that damage and restore lung function.

While a stethoscope will tell you if someone has a respiratory ailment, it will only share that info in the few minutes it's being used. A new device could paint a much bigger picture, by monitoring the patient's breathing for days at a time.

A three-year study has found robust evidence that one vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus offers older adults long-term protection, even if efficacy wanes. Despite this, just one dose cut serious illness by nearly two thirds across three seasons.

Researchers have discovered a particular type of cancer cell that relies on its own biological electric utility company to thrive. Disrupting this power plant – with the help of a puffer fish – showed a breakthrough way to fight the tumors.

A breakthrough new AI model is able to detect the presence of different lung diseases from ultrasound videos, with 96.57% accuracy, and it is even able to distinguish whether the abnormalities are due to pneumonia, COVID-19 or other conditions.

A coughing, sneezing, 3D-printed model of the human nose and upper airway has provided researchers with a better understanding of how airborne infections are transmitted. The knowledge will aid in developing effective ways of reducing that spread.

Researchers have developed a nanoscale sensor that detects lung cancer by analyzing isoprene levels in your breath. The team believes its breakthrough could unlock a non-invasive, low-cost method to catch the disease early and save lives.

Zinc has been found to be important in reducing lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis, whose immune cells' natural bacteria-fighting ability has been reduced by the genetic mutation that causes the disease.

Improving the health of the gut microbiome by way of fecal transplant or dietary modification has been shown to noticeably improve COPD symptoms, opening the door to microbiome-targeted treatments for this currently incurable condition.