Asthma News and Research

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Asthma is a common inflammatory disease affecting the airways that leads to shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing. Symptoms range from mild to severe but are generally manageable with appropriate treatment.

Study: Drive for energy efficient homes could raise asthma risks

The drive for energy efficient homes could increase asthma risks, according to new research.

11 Dec 2014

Study examines benefits of IS technique in assessing effect of pollution on urban asthmatic children

For the firefighters and rescue workers conducting the rescue and cleanup operations at Ground Zero from September 2001 to May 2002, exposure to hazardous airborne particles led to a disturbing "WTC cough" -- obstructed airways and inflammatory bronchial hyperactivity -- and acute inflammation of the lungs. At the time, bronchoscopy, the insertion of a fiber optic bronchoscope into the lung, was the only way to obtain lung samples. But this method is highly invasive and impractical for screening large populations.

11 Dec 2014

Tips to reduce migraine risk during holiday season

Certain foods and drinks can trigger migraine in many people, and those who suffer from migraines need to be especially careful to avoid these triggers as they attend holiday celebrations. With this in mind, the American Migraine Foundation and its Chair, David W. Dodick, MD, FRCP (C), FACP, want to help people with migraine avoid these potential triggers, so that they can better enjoy the season. Dr. Dodick is also Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine (Scottsdale, AZ).

11 Dec 2014

Adverse childhood experiences impact child health, school outcomes

Nearly half of all children in the United States are exposed to at least one social or family experience that can lead to traumatic stress and impact their healthy development - be it having their parents divorce, a parent die or living with someone who abuses alcohol or drugs - increasing the risk of negative long-term health consequences or of falling behind in school, suggests new research led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

9 Dec 2014

Children born prematurely need to be placed in a priority group for seasonal flu vaccination

Children born prematurely are at an increased risk of flu-related complications, despite not being identified as an “at risk” group in UK, USA, or WHO guidelines, and should be a priority group for the seasonal flu vaccination, new research published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine suggests.

8 Dec 2014

Vitamin C may reduce exercise-induced bronchoconstriction and respiratory symptoms

Physical activity increases oxidative stress, and therefore, as an antioxidant vitamin C might have particularly evident effects on people who are participating in vigorous exercise. In several studies, vitamin C administration attenuated the increases in oxidative stress markers caused by exercise. Furthermore, vitamin C is involved in the metabolism of histamine, prostaglandins, and cysteinyl leukotrienes, all of which appear to be mediators in the pathogenesis of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.

8 Dec 2014

New diagnostic system describes symptoms using the image of patient's tongue

Physicians often ask their patients to "Please stick out your tongue". The tongue can betray signs of illness, which combined with other symptoms such as a cough, fever, presence of jaundice, headache or bowel habits, can help the physician offer a diagnosis. For people in remote areas who do not have ready access to a physician, a new diagnostic system is reported in the International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology that works to combine the soft inputs of described symptoms with a digital analysis of an image of the patient's tongue.

7 Dec 2014

MorphoSys, Xencor announce final results from MOR208 Phase 1/2a trial in patients with CLL/SLL

MorphoSys AG and Xencor Inc. today announced the publication of final results of a Phase 1/2a trial evaluating MOR208 (formerly XmAb5574) in patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic leukemia (CLL/SLL).

7 Dec 2014

PulmoFlow's nebulized drug and device combination gets FDA approval for cystic fibrosis

On Tuesday, the FDA granted final approval of PulmoFlow, Inc.'s New Drug Application for Kitabis Pak – a co-packaging of generic tobramycin inhalation solution with a PARI LC PLUS Nebulizer. This is the first nebulized drug and device combination to be approved for patients with cystic fibrosis.

3 Dec 2014

Scientists report new approach to defeating asthma by targeting allergen

Current asthma treatments can alleviate wheezing, coughing and other symptoms felt by millions of Americans every year, but they don't get to the root cause of the condition. Now, for the first time, scientists are reporting a new approach to defeating asthma by targeting the trigger -- the allergen -- before it can spark an attack. They describe their new compound, which they tested on rats, in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

3 Dec 2014

New blood test could help detect cold-related asthma risk

People who have asthma generally suffer worse with colds caused by rhinoviruses than other people do. There are also asthmatics and patients with the severe lung condition COPD in whom the cold virus can trigger serious flare-ups of their condition. A team of researchers from the Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research at the MedUni Vienna has now discovered how this risk group can be filtered out using a blood test.

2 Dec 2014

SPLUNC1 protein binds to pulmonary lipids to fight lung infection

Scientists have taken an important step toward a new class of antibiotics aimed at stopping lung infections. They found that a protein found in large airways, called "SPLUNC1," binds to lipids critical to defending against bacterial and viral infections, as well as keeping lung tissue flexible and hydrated.

2 Dec 2014

Australian Prescriber publishes top 10 subsidised drugs in Australia

The annual publication of the top 10 subsidised drugs appears in the December edition of Australian Prescriber. Statins (cholesterol-lowering medicines) top the lists again.

1 Dec 2014

Researchers dismiss causal link between antibiotics treatment and childhood asthma

In a new register study in the scientific journal BMJ, researchers at Karolinska Institutet are able to dismiss previous claims that there is a link between the increased use of antibiotics in society and a coinciding rise in childhood asthma. The study includes half a million children and shows that exposure to antibiotics during pregnancy or early in life does not appear to increase the risk of asthma.

1 Dec 2014

Academics say more public health interventions needed to tackle 'lifestyle' diseases

More public health interventions, along the lines of the smoking ban, are needed to tackle Britain's devastating toll of 'lifestyle' diseases, including heart disease and cancer, according to academics.

From The University of Manchester 27 Nov 2014

Low asthma medication adherence predictors identified in adolescents

Inhaled corticosteroid adherence among adolescents with asthma is low and is associated with a lack of knowledge about treatment and patients’ perceptions about their medicines, show findings of a study published in the Journal of Asthma.

25 Nov 2014

Abnormal vitamin D, trace element levels may indicate asthma risk

Serum levels of vitamin D, copper and zinc could help identify infants with recurrent wheezing who are at risk of developing asthma, Turkish researchers suggest.

25 Nov 2014

Stable asthma prevalence masks increase in allergic phenotype

The prevalence of childhood asthma in Sweden appears to have stabilised, with no increase seen between 1996 and 2006, researchers report.

25 Nov 2014

Scientists identify four new genes associated with severe food allergy

Scientists have identified four new genes associated with the severe food allergy eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Because the genes appear to have roles in other allergic diseases and in inflammation, the findings may point toward potential new treatments for EoE.

21 Nov 2014

UEA researcher awarded NIHR grant to reduce avoidable asthma deaths in the UK

Leading researcher Dr. Andrew Wilson from the University of East Anglia has been awarded £1.7million in funding from the National Institute for Health Research, enabling the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research to identify people most at risk of an asthma attack in order to reduce the high number of avoidable asthma deaths.

19 Nov 2014