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Researchers say they have answered a long-standing question regarding lung disease caused by cystic fibrosis: Which comes first, infection or inflammation?

“Using our model, we are beginning to answer that question, and it looks like infection does precede inflammation,” study author Dr. David Stoltz, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Iowa, said in a news release from the school. “The importance of that finding is that it could dictate what types of therapy we might use. Knowing that infection is first suggests that if we can prevent or fight infection, then that might delay or prevent the lung disease in people with CF.”

Most of the deaths and disability in people with CF result from lung disease.

The findings also appear to suggest that lung infections in children with cystic fibrosis should be treated early and aggressively, Stoltz said.

The researchers reached their conclusions by studying pigs with a genetic mutation that causes cystic fibrosis.

“This is a really great example where the pig serves as a model for what happens in the human, and the pig reacts to this disease in nearly the same way,” study co-author Randall Prather, distinguished professor of reproductive biotechnology at the University of Missouri, said in the news release. “In contrast, when you use mice, they don’t get the lung disease that is common in patients with cystic fibrosis.”

The study was published online in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

The first device that uses radiofrequency energy to help control lung inflammation in adults with severe chronic asthma has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Alair Bronchial Thermoplasty System is designed for people 18 and older whose asthma isn’t controlled with medication, including inhaled corticosteroids or long-acting beta agonists.

The device delivers radiofrequency energy directly to the airways, heating and reducing the thickness of lung tissue and improving users’ ability to breathe, the agency said in a news release.

To achieve the device’s full benefit, users will require multiple sessions targeting different parts of the lungs.

The device was evaluated in a clinical study involving 297 people with severe and persistent asthma. As a condition of approval, California-based manufacturer Asthmatx Inc. must conduct additional studies to evaluate the product’s long-term safety and effectiveness, the FDA said.

Potential side effects include asthma attacks, wheezing, chest pain or tightness, partially collapsed lung, coughing up blood, anxiety, headache or nausea.

The device should not be used by people with an implanted pacemaker or defibrillator, the agency said.

The human body produces a substance similar to capsaicin — which makes chili peppers hot — at sites of pain, and blocking production of this substance can ease pain, a new study shows.

The findings may lead to the development of non-addictive painkillers, according to the researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.

In work with mice, the scientists found that a family of fatty acids called oxidized linoleic acid metabolites (OLAMs) play an important role in the biology of pain.

“This is a major breakthrough in understanding the mechanisms of pain and how to more effectively treat it,” senior investigator Kenneth Hargreaves, chair of the Department of Endodontics in the Dental School at the UT Health Sciences Center, said in an UT news release.

“These data demonstrate, for the first time, that OLAMs constitute a new family of naturally occurring capsaicin-like agents, and may explain the role of these substances in many pain conditions. This hypothesis suggests that agents blocking either the production or action of these substances could lead to new therapies and pharmacological interventions for various inflammatory diseases and pain disorders such as arthritis, fibromyalgia and others, including pain associated with cancer.”

The researchers developed two new classes of analgesic drugs that target OLAMs.

“Nearly everyone will experience persistent pain at some point in their lifetime,” Dr. Hargreaves said. “Our findings are truly exciting because they will offer physicians, dentists and patients more options in prescription pain medications. In addition, they may help circumvent the problem of addiction and dependency to pain medications, and will have the potential to benefit millions of people who suffer from chronic pain every day.”

The research was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.