Dr. Gerald D. Buckberg, distinguished professor of surgery in the division of cardiothoracic surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, was awarded the 2007 Scientific Achievement Award by the American Association for Thoracic Surgery in Washington D.C.Established in 1994, the award honors individuals who have achieved scientific contributions in the field of thoracic surgery worthy of the highest recognition. [click link for full article]

An earlier indication of whether chemotherapy benefits non-small cell lung cancer patients - provided by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging - can guide doctors in offering them better care, according to researchers in the May Journal of Nuclear Medicine. [click link for full article]

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major and increasing global health epidemic that has received insufficient attention from thehealth-care profession, governments, and the pharmaceutical industry, argues Professor Peter Barnes, one of the world’s leading experts on lungdisease. [click link for full article]

An FDA advisory committee on Thursday recommended that the agency place new restrictions on anemia medications manufactured by Amgen and Johnson & Johnson because of safety [click link for full article]

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is changing its name to the National Campaign and will focus on preventing unintended pregnancies in addition to preventing teen pregnancies, the Washington Times reports. The group launched in 1996 and set a goal of helping reduce the U.S. [click link for full article]

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have conclusive evidence that human papillomavirus (HPV) causes some throat cancers in both men and women. Reporting in the New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers found that oral HPV infection is the strongest risk factor for the disease, regardless of tobacco and alcohol use, and having multiple oral sex partners tops the list of sex practices that boost risk for the HPV-linked cancer. [click link for full article]

In the past, the newborns’ umbilical cord was not clamped right after birth, thus allowing the blood flow to stop naturally. This practice, known as “late clamping”, was replaced by “early clamping”, that is, cutting the cord immediately after the infant is expelled. However, this new practice lacks studies corroborating its benefits. In fact, recent studies on the importance of when clamping should be done have shown contradictory results. [click link for full article]

Asthma UK has recalled its Emergency Asthma Care Pack launched last week due to an error in the guide. The error appears on page 14, table five. The dose of IV Salbutamol should read 250 micrograms (mcg) not 250 milligrams (mg) as stated. Giving the medicine at the incorrect dose could result in a serious, possibly fatal, consequence. Asthma UK has written to all healthcare professionals alerting them to the error. [click link for full article]

A leading group of medical experts and patient representatives today called on politicians, clinicians, regulators and colleagues to take immediate action and work together to ease the plight of the 32 million people in Europe with asthma [1], and free up more than eight million hospital days each year [2]. The statement is part of the Brussels Declaration, a ten point action plan to challenge the current status quo and make asthma a political and medical priority. [click link for full article]

Through age 5, children born at full term with low birth weight show significantly greater risk for developing respiratory symptoms, including wheezing, coughing and pulmonary infections, according to a large longitudinal study on birth weight and development. The children’s symptoms grew worse if they were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke. [click link for full article]