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.

Heart disease remains most costly condition in terms of health care expenditure for women: AHRQ

The cost of treating women for heart disease in 2008 was $43.6 billion, leading a list of the top 10 most expensive conditions for women, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

30 Jul 2011

Merck reports worldwide sales of $12.2 billion for second quarter 2011

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced financial results for the second quarter of 2011.

29 Jul 2011

Expert offers air quality control tips

A mold count of more than 50,000 has triggered an alert for dangerous air quality throughout the Midwest . The Midwest experienced a record-breaking winter for snow, and is again setting new records for heat and rain.

29 Jul 2011

Surge of generics will trigger drop in drug prices

In the next 14 months, seven of the world's 20 best-selling drugs are scheduled to go "off patent." As they do, the brand-name drugs will lose out to generic versions, cutting costs for patients and companies that provide health benefits.

27 Jul 2011

Scientists reveal complete three-dimensional atomic structure of an activated GPCR

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are popular drug targets, accounting for about one-third of approved drugs and many hundreds of drugs currently in development. They act as molecular switches that transduce extracellular signals by activating heterotrimeric G proteins located at the inside of the cell.

27 Jul 2011

Extreme heat and rain lead to higher mold count in the Midwest

A record 7 inches of rain combined with the spate of 100-plus-degree days has spawned the highest mold count recorded for the year, just short of an air pollution warning.

27 Jul 2011

Male sex hormones can protect men from inflammatory diseases

It's all down to the testosterone: men are usually more muscular than women, they have deeper voices and more body hair. And - men are less susceptible to inflammatory diseases and allergies than women. This is also due to the male sex hormones as pharmacists at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena have shown in a recent study.

27 Jul 2011

Positive data from two GSK's Promacta Phase III studies on hepatitis C-related thrombocytopenia

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that its partner GlaxoSmithKline has announced that it received positive data from ENABLE-1, the first of two Phase III studies examining Promacta in patients with hepatitis C-related thrombocytopenia, and that full data will be released at an upcoming scientific conference.

27 Jul 2011

Centene reports diluted earnings per share of $0.54 for second quarter 2011

Centene Corporation today announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2011. The discussions below, with the exception of cash flow information, are in the context of continuing operations and all financial ratios exclude premium taxes.

26 Jul 2011

Phadia demonstrates ImmunoCAP Molecular Allergy testing at AACC 2011

Today, at the 2011 American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) Annual Meeting and Clinical Lab Expo, Phadia, the global leader in allergy and autoimmune disease-related diagnostics, demonstrates how ImmunoCAP Molecular Allergy can help improve the diagnosis and management of food allergy.

26 Jul 2011

First high-resolution genetic maps for African American populations

UCLA life scientists and colleagues have produced one of the first high-resolution genetic maps for African American populations. A genetic map reveals the precise locations across the genome where DNA from a person's father and mother have been stitched together through a biological process called "recombination." This process results in new genetic combinations that are then passed on to the person's children.

25 Jul 2011

Tips for children with allergies or asthma

The new school year means new clothes, new classes, new teachers - and the same old misery due to sneezing and wheezing for children who have allergies or asthma. From the class hamster to dust mites residing in carpet to germs from cold and flu viruses, asthma and allergy triggers lurk throughout the classroom.

25 Jul 2011

UCSF, Kaiser Permanente achieve first major milestone in genomics project

One of the nation's largest and most diverse genomics projects has reached its first major milestone in just 15 months. Scientists have genotyped the DNA and analyzed the length of chromosome tips in more than 100,000 Kaiser Permanente members who agreed to be part of the research.

22 Jul 2011

The Joint Commission certifies 7 disease-specific programs at Children's Medical Center

The Joint Commission has certified seven disease-specific programs at Children's Medical Center Dallas, www.childrens.com. Children's is the only pediatric hospital in the United States with more than two such designations of excellence, making the Dallas hospital a leader in health care reform.

22 Jul 2011

Bristol-Myers Squibb signs definitive agreement to acquire Amira Pharmaceuticals

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Amira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today that the companies have signed a definitive agreement under which Bristol-Myers Squibb will acquire privately held Amira Pharmaceuticals, a small-molecule pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and early development of new drugs to treat inflammatory and fibrotic diseases.

22 Jul 2011

Breathing problems trouble U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, speculation about inhaled toxins

According to a new study some U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering unexplained breathing problems that may be related to exposure to unknown toxins.

21 Jul 2011

Three-drug regimen more effective for treating H. pylori infection

Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium known to cause peptic ulcers, is also the primary cause of gastric cancer, which is a leading cancer killer globally.

20 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 19, 2011

Kaiser Health News staff writer Christopher Weaver reports: "New consumer-controlled health insurance plans could get seed money from the government to increase competition - and maybe cut prices -- under new rules announced Monday by the Department of Health and Human Services".

19 Jul 2011

Exposure to tobacco smoke nearly doubles risk of hearing loss among adolescents

NYU School of Medicine researchers report in a new study that exposure to tobacco smoke nearly doubles the risk of hearing loss among adolescents. The study is published in the July, 2011, issue of Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery.

19 Jul 2011

Anti-malaria drug provides key insight into potential treatments for autoimmune diseases

In a study published recently in the journal Science Signaling Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) scientists demonstrate on the molecular level how the anti-malaria drug chloroquine represses inflammation, which may provide a blueprint for new strategies for treating inflammation and a multitude of autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and certain cancers.

19 Jul 2011