Allergen News and Research

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Comprehensive home-based environmental intervention results in decreased asthma symptoms

Through efforts to limit exposure to environmental irritants, health workers and municipalities can cut illness generally among inner-city children with asthma and also the number of clinic visits for those young patients by at least 19 percent, a new study concludes. The cost can be as low as $1,469 per affected family.

25 Oct 2005

Study on childhood asthma shows home-based interventions are cost-effective

New data suggest that a home-based environmental intervention program is a cost-effective way to improve the health of inner-city children who have moderate to severe asthma.

12 Oct 2005

Dilute bleach neutralizes the mold allergens that cause most mold-related health complaints

Researchers at National Jewish Medical and Research Center have demonstrated that dilute bleach not only kills common household mold, but may also neutralize the mold allergens that cause most mold-related health complaints.

22 Sep 2005

Significant death risk linked to airborne particles

Experts may be significantly underestimating air pollution's role in causing early death, according to a team of American and Canadian researchers, who studied two decades' worth of data on residents of the Los Angeles metro area.

20 Sep 2005

Bacteria lurking in household dust produce chemicals that may trigger asthma

These bacterial chemicals, called endotoxins, particularly those found on bedroom floors, were linked with increased respiratory problems in adults.

7 Sep 2005

Asthmatics don't need to hear the word "wheeze"

According to a new study, as far as asthmatics are concerned, just the mention of words such as "wheeze" can activate an attack.

30 Aug 2005

Butterbur extract should be considered as an alternative treatment for hayfever

The largest trial so far conducted using Butterbur extract to treat intermittent allergic rhinitis (hay fever) shows that this plant extract is as effective as a commonly used antihistamine (Telfast 180).

22 Aug 2005

Body's own defense mechanism causes some of the most serious asthma symptoms

McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) scientists have discovered that our body's own defense mechanism causes some of the most serious asthma symptoms.

13 Aug 2005

More than fifty percent of the U.S. population tested positive to one or more allergens

The new findings, based on data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), shows that 54.3% of individuals aged 6-59 years old had a positive skin test response to at least one of the 10 allergens tested.

4 Aug 2005

Relationship between allergies and mold spores in lawns

"Have you ever driven down the road and seen someone mowing the lawn wearing a mask? This is an example of the relationship between allergies and mold spores in lawns. Dr. Phil Colbaugh, research plant pathologist at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in Dallas, cites a common image seen in Texas throughout the warm weather months.

2 Aug 2005

Study suggests that adult patients with persistent asthma from inner-city populations are not being optimally evaluated

Adults with moderate and severe asthma may not have received optimal evaluation to determine if they were allergic to indoor allergens. Allergy and exposure to several indoor allergens like cockroach, dust mite, molds, and pets can play an important role in the worsening of asthma.

21 Jul 2005

If strawberries weren't red they wouldn't cause allergies

Researchers say if strawberries were another colour they might be safer for allergy sufferers to eat.

12 Jul 2005

Disruption of a single gene, Nrf2, plays a critical role in determining the susceptibility to asthma

A research team led by Shyam Biswal , PhD, at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found the absence of Nrf2 exacerbated allergen-mediated asthma in mice models.

5 Jul 2005

Powerful steroids could be avoided in many cases of childhood eczema

An expert at the University of Sheffield will be talking about the causes for the increased incidence of eczema in children in a Channel Four documentary, Allergic to Everything on Thursday 30 June at 9pm.

27 Jun 2005

Australian scientists develop unique animal model for asthma

The State Government of Victoria, Australia has announced that Melbourne veterinary scientists have developed a unique animal model for asthma that may help drug companies fast track the creation of therapies for the disease.

19 Jun 2005

Researchers determine potentially safer way to diagnose food allergy

Researchers may have defined a safer and less expensive way to determine the presence of food allergy in children, according to new research in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology (JACI). The JACI is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).

9 Jun 2005

World first air purification technology for H5N1 Avian Influenza

Sharp Corporation has demonstrated that Plasmacluster Ions reduce activity of the highly fatal and highly pathogenic airborne H5N1 avian influenza ("bird flu") virus by 99%.

6 Jun 2005

Day care facilities were shown to be an important source for allergen exposure

Day care facilities were shown to be an important source for allergen exposure, according to a study featured on the online version of the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology (JACI). The JACI is the peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).

2 Jun 2005

Day care facilities are a significant source for indoor allergens

Researchers studying day care facilities in the South have found the facilities to be a significant source for indoor allergen levels. A new study of 89 day care settings in two central North Carolina counties found detectable levels of seven common allergens from fungus, cats, cockroaches, dogs, dust mites, and mice in each facility tested. The levels were similar to those found in Southern homes.

1 Jun 2005

What is Sick Building Syndrome?

Science-based identification of mold and other causes of Sick Building Syndrome may improve its management, say plant pathologists with The American Phytopathological Society (APS).

26 May 2005