From the category archives:

Asthma Research

House-Sharing With Microbes

September 20, 2010 Asthma Research

Household dust contains up to 1000 different species of microbes, with tens of millions of individual bacterial cells in each gram. And these are just the ones that can be grown in the lab! Dr Helena Rintala, speaking at the Society for General Microbiology’s autumn meeting in Nottingham describes how we share our living and working spaces with millions of microbes, not all of whom are bad news.

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Dogs May Not Be’ Man’s Best Friend’ During Hay Fever Season

August 24, 2010 Asthma Research

Ragweed allergy season can be even more miserable for those with dog, cat or dust mite allergies, according to new research. These year-round allergies appear to “pre-prime” the immune system so symptoms hit harder, according to a study recently published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

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Vitamin D May Treat Or Prevent Allergy To Common Mold

August 18, 2010 Asthma Research

Research conducted by Dr. Jay Kolls, Professor and Chair of Genetics at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, and colleagues, has found that vitamin D may be an effective therapeutic agent to treat or prevent allergy to a common mold that can complicate asthma and frequently affects patients with Cystic Fibrosis.

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Ultrafine Particles In Air Pollution May Heighten Allergic Inflammation In Asthma

July 7, 2010 Asthma Research

A new academic study led by UCLA scientists has found that even brief exposure to ultra-fine pollution particles near a Los Angeles freeway is potent enough to boost the allergic inflammation that exacerbates asthma.

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Breathe Easy: A Natural Fruit Compound May Help Asthma

June 15, 2010 Asthma Research

A preliminary study by a New Zealand company, Plant & Food Research,* shows that natural chemicals from blackcurrants may help breathing in some types of asthma. Researchers found a compound from a New Zealand blackcurrant may reduce lung inflammation with a multi-action assault in allergy-induced asthma.

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Inflammatory Diseases: Scientists Identify Antiviral Defense

June 15, 2010 Asthma Research

Canadian researchers have discovered a new way the body combats respiratory viral infections. In the journal PLoS Pathogens, scientists from the University of Montreal and the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center explain how the NOX2 molecule, an enzyme that…

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Side Effects Explained: Why Common Drugs Can Lead To Broken Bones

June 9, 2010 Asthma Research

New research helps to explain why some commonly used drugs come with a serious downside: They up your odds of breaking a bone. The drugs in question, glucocorticoids (e.g. cortisone and prednisone) and the insulin sensitizer rosiglitazone work through entirely different mechanisms as therapies for inflammatory diseases and diabetes respectively…

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Long-Term Use of Vitamin E May Decrease COPD Risk, Study Finds

May 17, 2010 Asthma Research

Long-term, regular use of vitamin E in women 45 years of age and older may help decrease the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by about 10 percent in both smokers and non-smokers, according to a study conducted by researchers at Cornell University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

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High-Fat Meals A No-No for Asthma Patients, Researchers Find

May 17, 2010 Asthma Research

People with asthma may be well-advised to avoid heavy, high-fat meals, according to new research. Individuals with asthma who consumed a high-fat meal showed increased airway inflammation just hours after the binge…

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Potential Treatment For Bone Death In The Hip From Osteonecrosis

May 4, 2010 Asthma Research

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found a potential new treatment for osteonecrosis, or the death of bone tissue, in people who are treated with steroids for several common medical conditions. There are currently no treatment options for people with this debilitating disease.

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One In Five Rooms Is ‘Highly Contaminated’ With Hidden Mold

April 28, 2010 Asthma Research

Surely your bathroom is fungus-free once you’ve wiped the mould off the tiles? Not according to a study by French scientists in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Journal of Environmental Monitoring.

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Microbes Help Mothers Protect Kids From Allergies

December 28, 2009 Asthma Research

A pregnant woman’s exposure to microbes may protect her child from developing allergies later in life. Researchers in Marburg, Germany find that exposure to environmental bacteria triggers a mild inflammatory response in pregnant mice that renders their offspring resistant to allergies. The study…

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