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SLIT immunotherapy effective for long-term remission of bothersome allergy symptoms

Antihistamines and nasal steroids offer good short-term options for people with mild allergy, but allergy immunotherapy, better known as "allergy shots," is a preferred method for achieving long term remission of more bothersome allergy symptoms. Allergists mark the 100th anniversary of immunotherapy and present the latest advances at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) annual scientific meeting in Phoenix, Nov. 11-16.

12 Nov 2010

Chemicals in everyday substances increase risk of allergies in children

The use of chemicals in our everyday lives entails increased risks of allergies in children, according to a study at Karlstad University in Sweden. The prevalence of PGEs, propylene glycol and glycol ethers, in bedroom air is associated with asthma, hay fever, and eczema, but also with antibodies against common allergens in children. The study shows a risk increase of up to 180 percent.

19 Oct 2010

Non-GMO Day to raise awareness on genetically modified organisms in food supply

On Sunday, Oct. 10, Whole Foods Market and retailers across the country will celebrate Non-GMO Day to raise consumer awareness about the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the food supply. Driven by the nonprofit Non-GMO Project, this Sunday's events are designed to send a wakeup call to consumers across the country.

8 Oct 2010

VentiRx announces VTX-1463 trial results for allergic rhinitis treatment

VentiRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel Toll-Like Receptor 8 (TLR8) candidates for the treatment of cancer, respiratory and inflammatory diseases, announced today results from its randomized, placebo controlled clinical trial evaluating VTX-1463 for the treatment of allergic rhinitis.

8 Oct 2010

ISTA Pharmaceuticals announces Phase 1/2 clinical study results of bepotastine besilate nasal spray

ISTA Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced positive preliminary results from a Phase 1/2 clinical study of bepotastine besilate nasal spray conducted in Canada for the treatment of symptoms associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis, the inflammation of the nasal passages caused by allergies.

6 Oct 2010

Researchers discover biomarker for allergy can originate from mother

Allergies occur when the defence mechanisms of the immune system malfunction and misread normal substances entering the body as invading pathogens. Antibodies are part of our biochemical arsenal for combating viruses, bacteria, parasites and other alien substances, but during an allergic reaction the antibody, known as IgE, is directed against usually harmless substances such as grass pollen, nuts, pets or eggs. However, researchers from COPSAC (Copenhagen Studies on Asthma in Childhood) at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen recently discovered indications that IgE in the blood of the umbilical cord could originate from the mother, and decided to conduct a focused study on this.

6 Oct 2010

Majority of Canadians with asthma consider their disease 'well controlled'

A new survey, Asthma Insight and Management in Europe and Canada (EUCAN AIM), reveals that a majority of Canadians with asthma considered their disease "well controlled" at the time of the survey. However, in the year prior to the survey, more than half (52 per cent) required acute treatment for asthma, including seeing a doctor for worsening symptoms (45 per cent), unscheduled emergency room visits (28 per cent), and being hospitalized overnight (five per cent).

5 Oct 2010

Asthma symptoms peak 17 days after Labor Day: Study

Next week, Thursday could be the worst day of the year for people with asthma. If past experience holds, on September 23 there will be 3 times more asthma-related deaths and 4 times more asthma-related hospitalizations than on any other day of the year.

18 Sep 2010

Emergency physicians to present research studies at Research Forum 2010

The risks associated with boarding admitted patients in the emergency department – including patient mortality – as well as proposed solutions will be key themes of Scientific Assembly, the annual meeting of the American College of Emergency Physicians. In addition, emergency physicians will present more than 450 research studies during 2010 Research Forum, the premier, annual scientific research event focused on the latest advances in the practice of emergency medicine.

14 Sep 2010

ACAAI's survival tips for ragweed allergy

August marks the start of misery for as many as one in five Americans who suffer from hay fever, also called seasonal allergic rhinitis. That's because ragweed, the main cause of hay fever, begins blooming around mid-August and in one day each plant can produce a million pollen grains that can travel for miles from its source.

19 Aug 2010

Knowing allergy triggers allows sufferers to practice avoidance measures

If you spend August sneezing, ragweed may be your allergy enemy. If, like clockwork, you suffer in the spring, tree pollen may be to blame. And if your eyes itch and head feels stuffed up after the first frost should have killed every outdoor allergen, you may have indoor allergies.

17 Aug 2010

Allergy shots can cause systemic side effects: Study

Allergy shots can reduce symptoms of asthma, use of inhaled medications and allergy-related asthma attacks, confirms an updated review of studies. Yet, the treatment can also cause systemic side effects that range from a stuffy nose to fatal anaphylactic shock.About 30 percent of asthma patients experience improved breathing after receiving a series of injections that desensitize their immune systems to specific irritants, according to the review. The medical term for this treatment protocol is allergen immunotherapy.

9 Aug 2010

Hayfever: time we moved exams to the winter?

Crucial exams take place during adolescence in most societies, which can have a major impact on an individual’s career trajectory. In a Guest Editorial appearing in the August issue of Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine, a team of UK experts review the evidence of the disease burden associated with hayfever and summarize recent evidence suggesting that poorly controlled hayfever can adversely impact on exam performance.

5 Aug 2010

Researchers identify a substance that protects farm children from allergies, allergic asthma

Researchers from Bochum have isolated the substance in cowshed dust that possibly protects farm children from developing allergies and allergic asthma, namely the plant sugar molecule arabinogalactan. If high concentrations thereof are inhaled during the first year of life it inhibits the immune system from excessive defense reactions.

20 Jul 2010

Phase 1/2 clinical study of bepotastine besilate nasal spray initiated for seasonal allergic rhinitis

ISTA Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced it has initiated a Phase 1/2 clinical study of bepotastine besilate nasal spray for the treatment of symptoms associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis, the inflammation of the nasal passages caused by allergies. The randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of three concentrations of bepotastine besilate, dosed twice daily, in an Environmental Exposure Chamber model of allergic rhinitis caused by natural exposure to seasonal allergens.

14 Jul 2010

UCLA study highlights traffic-related asthma flares in urban areas

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

2 Jul 2010

Extract of French maritime pine tree bark reduces hay fever symptoms

An estimated 60 million people in the U.S. are affected by allergic rhinitis, commonly known as hay fever, according to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology. Hay fever is an allergic inflammation of the nasal airways that causes itching, swelling, mucus production, hives and rashes. A study published in the June 14, 2010 issue of Phytotherapy Research demonstrates Pycnogenol- (pic-noj-en-all), an antioxidant plant extract derived from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, substantially improves the symptoms of hay fever.

24 Jun 2010

Scientists develop plastic antibody that works in bloodstream of living animal

Scientists are reporting the first evidence that a plastic antibody - an artificial version of the proteins produced by the body's immune system to recognize and fight infections and foreign substances - works in the bloodstream of a living animal. The discovery, they suggest in a report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, is an advance toward medical use of simple plastic particles custom tailored to fight an array of troublesome "antigens."

10 Jun 2010

Unhealthy diet and lifestyle linked to childhood asthma - study

Asthma in children is on the rise worldwide and scientists have often blamed the environment for this trend. Britain has more than 1.1 million children and the US has nearly 10 million children with asthma. In a new international study diet has been cited to be a factor that affects asthma in children. The study on Allergies and Asthma in Childhood has shown what many parents knew for a while now – burgers are not good for children.

3 Jun 2010

Top physicians offer health advice to help people survive during summer

This summer a variety of top physicians at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital are offering health advice to help survive the travails that come with one of the most active seasons of the year.

3 Jun 2010