Allergy News and Research

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The term allergy encompasses a wide range of conditions; it is not a disease in itself. In 1906 Clemens von Pirquet was the first to describe allergies as a changed or altered reaction of the immune system in response to exposure to foreign proteins. These days the term allergy – medically termed hypersensitivity, signifies an exaggerated reaction to foreign substances.

Arsenic exposure during pregnancy may increase risk of infections, respiratory symptoms in children

Children born to women who were exposed to higher arsenic during pregnancy have a greater risk of infections and respiratory symptoms within their first year of life, a Dartmouth College-led study shows.

10 Nov 2015

Allergic response can be unexpected clue in medical mystery

Most people think of allergists as the doctors who help solve sneezing, wheezing and itchy eyes. They might not realize allergists are the medical mystery detectives with the expertise to discover what is causing all sorts of unusual allergic responses.

6 Nov 2015

Researchers identify seven genetic risk loci involved in atopic march

There's a typical "career" for some allergic people, and it starts very early on the skin: babies develop atopic dermatitis, food allergies may follow, then comes asthma and later on hay fever. A group of scientists led by Ingo Marenholz and Young-Ae Lee at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, working with colleagues from several institutions, has now identified seven genetic risk loci for this course of disease.

6 Nov 2015

Majority of people not allergic to intravenous penicillins, say ACAAI allergists

Most people who think they're allergic to penicillin have been told so by a doctor after they've had a reaction to the drug. And the majority, even though they've never been allergy tested, never take penicillin again.

6 Nov 2015

Researchers uncover important mechanism that could help protect against infection, allergy and cancer

New research has uncovered an important mechanism in the drive to understand immunological processes that protect us against infection, allergy and cancer.

5 Nov 2015

New research shows siblings of children with food allergies have sensitivity, but not true allergy

If one child in a family has a food allergy, the reasoning sometimes goes, chances are good that siblings might also have food allergies. Not necessarily, according to new research which shows that 53 percent of siblings of children with food allergies had a food sensitivity, but only 13 percent had actual food allergy.

5 Nov 2015

New book by Virginia Tech researchers explains a set of techniques to model the immune system

The complexity of the human immune response has been difficult to characterize on a 'big picture' level, but researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have written the book on how it can be done.

5 Nov 2015

New therapy attacks the source of asthma, treats the disease at cellular level

Imagine you suffer from severe asthma, and you've tried every treatment available, but nothing has worked. You still can't breathe. Then a new therapy comes along that attacks the source of the asthma, as opposed to the symptoms, and treats the disease at a cellular level. That's the promise of biologics, and the topic of four presentations at the 2015 ACAAI Annual Scientific Meeting in San Antonio, November 5-9.

5 Nov 2015

Breastfeeding may not protect against allergies

Pregnant women and new mothers receive many messages regarding the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for babies in the first year of life. Breastfeeding is thought to reduce the risk of allergic rhinitis (hay fever), asthma, food allergies and eczema in children.

5 Nov 2015

Many seasonal allergy sufferers take OTC products rather prescription medications

Anyone suffering with seasonal allergies knows the local pharmacy carries shelves full of over-the-counter medications to help manage symptoms. Unfortunately, most seasonal allergy sufferers take over-the counter (OTC) products rather than the treatments they actually prefer - prescription medications.

5 Nov 2015

New vaccine candidate shows great promise at fighting respiratory syncytial virus

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers say a new candidate vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) made with a weakened version of the virus shows great promise at fighting the disease, the leading cause of hospitalization for children under the age of one in the U.S.

5 Nov 2015

Nucala (mepolizumab) approved for treatment of asthma patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Nucala (mepolizumab) for use with other asthma medicines for the maintenance treatment of asthma in patients age 12 years and older. Nucala is approved for patients who have a history of severe asthma attacks (exacerbations) despite receiving their current asthma medicines.

5 Nov 2015

Researchers track re-emergence of scarlet fever-causing bacteria

An international study led by University of Queensland researchers has tracked the re-emergence of a childhood disease which had largely disappeared over the past 100 years.

4 Nov 2015

Gastric reduction surgery can significantly increase patient's risk of developing allergy

Amongst other things, operations to reduce the size of the stomach can significantly increase the patient's risk of developing an allergy. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the Medical University of Vienna.

4 Nov 2015

International research project examines effectiveness of tried and tested medicines for different diseases

The Medical University of Vienna is coordinating an international research project, which investigates the effectiveness of tried and tested medicines for the treatment of some of the heaviest burdens of our modern society including diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. One molecule that these disorders have in common is a receptor known as the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), which is the molecular starting point of this project.

4 Nov 2015

In-home test kits help parents lower allergen levels in their homes

In-home test kits, coupled with patient education, help parents reduce allergen levels in their homes, according to scientists from the National Institutes of Health. The researchers found that parents may become more motivated to participate in allergen reduction interventions, when they can actually see results for themselves.

3 Nov 2015

Rheumatoid arthritis significantly increases risk of death due to cardiovascular causes

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been associated with increased risk of death in the past, but a new study by investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital brings that risk into sharper focus. Using data from the Nurses' Health Study, which has followed more than 100,000 female registered nurses since 1976, researchers found that rheumatoid arthritis significantly increased participants' overall risk of death, especially risk of death due to respiratory or cardiovascular causes.

3 Nov 2015

Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital offers Halloween safety tips

Each year Halloween provides an opportunity for families to get together, get creative with costumes, get outside and, most importantly, have fun.

31 Oct 2015

Johns Hopkins doctors urge people to get vaccinated against influenza virus

Flu season is upon us again — and yes, you should get the flu vaccine. Doctors at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine say everyone 6 months of age and older should get vaccinated against the influenza virus this year.

31 Oct 2015

University of Kansas professor recognized with MERIT Award

Emily Scott, professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Kansas, has been recognized with a MERIT Award from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences. It's a rare and important recognition -- researchers can receive them only once in a career.

30 Oct 2015

Allergy News and Research

Further Reading

Arsenic exposure during pregnancy may increase risk of infections, respiratory symptoms in children

Allergic response can be unexpected clue in medical mystery

Researchers identify seven genetic risk loci involved in atopic march

Majority of people not allergic to intravenous penicillins, say ACAAI allergists

Researchers uncover important mechanism that could help protect against infection, allergy and cancer

New research shows siblings of children with food allergies have sensitivity, but not true allergy

New book by Virginia Tech researchers explains a set of techniques to model the immune system

New therapy attacks the source of asthma, treats the disease at cellular level

Breastfeeding may not protect against allergies

Many seasonal allergy sufferers take OTC products rather prescription medications

New vaccine candidate shows great promise at fighting respiratory syncytial virus

Nucala (mepolizumab) approved for treatment of asthma patients

Researchers track re-emergence of scarlet fever-causing bacteria

Gastric reduction surgery can significantly increase patient's risk of developing allergy

International research project examines effectiveness of tried and tested medicines for different diseases

In-home test kits help parents lower allergen levels in their homes

Rheumatoid arthritis significantly increases risk of death due to cardiovascular causes

Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital offers Halloween safety tips

Johns Hopkins doctors urge people to get vaccinated against influenza virus

University of Kansas professor recognized with MERIT Award

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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