A former substitute teacher and school volleyball coach has been indicted for allegedly damaging a Portland Police vehicle during a riot in August, officials recently announced.

Scientists found that the lungs of vapers -- like the lungs of smokers -- have elevated levels of protease enzymes, a condition known to cause emphysema in smokers. The researchers also found that the nicotine in vaping liquids is responsible for the increase in protease enzymes.

Researchers have identified proteins that control mucous production and suggest clues to treating colon and airway diseases.

Researchers revealed that the immune cells basophils caused emphysema in mice with COPD-like features induced by intranasal administration of elastase. They showed that basophils, previously linked mainly to allergies and fighting parasites, initiated a cascade of reactions eventually leading to the release of excess MMP-12 and the destruction of alveolar walls. The team hopes that the findings will lead to breakthroughs in the treatment of COPD.

Researchers have found a novel, pathogenic entity that is a fundamental link between chronic inflammation and tissue destruction in lungs of patients with COPD. These exosomes from activated neutrophils caused COPD damage when they were instilled into the lungs of healthy mice. Remarkably, neutrophil exosomes from the lung fluids of human patients with COPD and neonates with bronchopulmonary dysplasia also caused COPD lung damage when put into the lungs of healthy mice.

Researchers have developed a new computational way of analyzing X-ray images of lungs, which could herald a breakthrough in the diagnosis and assessment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other lung diseases.

A study with more than 3,300 participants in 12 countries has established a relationship between occupational exposure to biological dusts, gases, fumes and pesticides and COPD. The researchers did a follow-up of the participants 20 years after the first assessment.

Researchers have developed an automated way to design customized hardware that speeds up a robot's operation. The system, called robomorphic computing, accounts for the robot's physical layout in suggesting an optimized hardware architecture.

Researchers have identified the biological mechanism that explains why some people experience abdominal pain when they eat certain foods. The finding paves the way for more efficient treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and other food intolerances. The study was carried out in mice and humans.

An international team of researchers has developed a new method to better understand how nanomedicines -- emerging diagnostics and therapies that are very small yet very intricate -- interact with patients' biomolecules.