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Journaling — writing thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly — improved the mental health of adolescents with cystic fibrosis, results from a feasibility study reveal. All teens with cystic fibrosis (CF) who completed post-therapy surveys said journaling helped them express their feelings and recommended others with CF…

Researchers have developed new synthetic molecules that can transport chloride salts across cell membranes, which showed promise for restoring normal mucus production in a cell model of cystic fibrosis (CF), a new study shows. “One day, [these molecules] could be leveraged into a drug that treats cystic fibrosis,” Bing…

More than half of the infections caused by the Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC), a bacteria known to cause serious complications in people with cystic fibrosis (CF), were successfully eradicated, a 20-year study reported. Despite some CF patients testing negative following initial treatment for more than two years, however, subsequent…

Freezing and thawing breast milk negatively affected how nutrients are digested under lab conditions mimicking the gastrointestinal environment of an infant with cystic fibrosis (CF), scientists report. The addition of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) at sufficient doses was able to restore more normal fat breakdown under CF…

Oral red ginseng extract eased the signs of cystic fibrosis (CF) in the lungs of rats, a study reports. The extract’s effect was thought to enhance the activity of TMEM16A, a chloride transport protein similar to CFTR, which is defective in CF. The treatment improved chloride flow and reduced…

Men with cystic fibrosis (CF) commonly have low testosterone levels, though this is likely underrecognized due to a lack of testing, a new study highlights. The findings underscore the importance of checking testosterone levels in men with CF so that interventions can be discussed if warranted, researchers said in…

Dietary factors were associated with measures of glucose tolerance — how well the body processes sugar in the bloodstream — among cystic fibrosis (CF) patients in a recent report. Left uncontrolled, impaired glucose tolerance is associated with the development of CF-related diabetes, or CFRD, where blood sugar levels…

Telemedicine programs for managing cystic fibrosis (CF) were at least as effective as standard in-clinic care, according to a review study. Adhering to treatment regimens and patient satisfaction with telemedicine improved significantly across most studies examined, and most participants favored continuing with telemedicine. The review study, “…

Electronic home monitoring using a spirometry device may help improve lung function in children with cystic fibrosis (CF), according to a recent study. Specifically, a standard measure of lung function called forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) was found significantly improved in children who used the device, compared…

Almost two years of treatment with Kaftrio (elexacaftor, tezacaftor, and ivacaftor) did not affect liver stiffness — an indicator of liver fibrosis — in adults with cystic fibrosis (CF), according to a recent study in the U.K. However, patients with elevated markers of liver stiffness before starting on…