Allergen News and Research

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Researchers identify a protein that could banish allergies

The suffering of millions of people with allergies could one day be eased thanks to new research from UK investigators. Findings from the University College London branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR), published in the Oct 2004 issue of Nature, detail how inactivating a key signalling molecule called p110delta reduced the effect of allergies on mice.

21 Oct 2004

Babies born by Caesarean section may be at greater risk of diarrhoea

Babies born by Caesarean section may be at greater risk of diarrhoea and sensitisation to certain foodstuffs during their first 12 months than babies born vaginally, suggests research in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

21 Oct 2004

Asthma research company Synairgen to float on London's Alternative Investment Market

A spin-out company from the University of Southampton specialising in finding and out-licensing treatments for chronic bronchitis (COPD) and the severest forms of asthma, is about to seek a listing on London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM).

13 Oct 2004

Industry briefing on food allergy

Everyone knows there’s celery in a Waldorf salad.” So said a salad manufacturer recently, but do all salad manufacturers know that celery allergy is one of the ingredients that must be clearly labelled under the new food labelling directive?

5 Oct 2004

Replacement trend to drive growth in saturated surgical gloves market

Budgetary cuts are the order of the day in the European healthcare industry. Among the many markets affected by this drive to economise, the surgical gloves market is experiencing a sudden drop in prices across Europe.

30 Sep 2004

Cutting levels of household allergens is unlikely to have much impact on childhood asthma

Cutting levels of household allergens, such as cat dander and dust mite, is unlikely to have much impact on the subsequent development of childhood asthma and respiratory allergies, suggests research in Thorax.

29 Sep 2004

New type of regulatory T cell that reduces asthma and airway inflammation

The team's research not only provides a detailed profile of these newfound cells but also sheds light on how such cells are related to other T cells and suggests that there exists a spectrum of regulatory T cells, known as Tregs, to be identified and studied.

26 Sep 2004

Link between eosinophils and asthma

Mayo Clinic researchers have used a comparative genomic strategy to demonstrate a causative link between eosinophils, a rare type of white blood cell, and asthma.

18 Sep 2004

A new lipid-based nasal ointment effective at reducing symptoms of allergic rhinitis

One in five Americans have allergic rhinitis, a number that is steadily rising, but the exact reasons for this increase are unknown. A new lipid-based nasal ointment is found effective at reducing symptoms of allergic rhinitis in German patients.

18 Sep 2004

Program that targets allergens and tobacco smoke in the home resulted in fewer asthma symptoms in children

A program that targets allergens and tobacco smoke in the home resulted in fewer asthma symptoms in children participating in the intervention than in those who were not, according to a new study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in seven metropolitan areas nationwide.

10 Sep 2004

Study aims for long term impact to help inner-city children with asthma

A study designed to reduce the levels of indoor allergens – conducted in the homes of inner-city children with asthma – resulted in fewer asthma exacerbations and unscheduled visits for asthma during a two-year period, according to a UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas researcher who participated in the multicenter study.

8 Sep 2004

Environmental factors and diet may explain the higher rates of asthma seen in developed countries

The study involved 10,902 primary school children from three cities in China at different stages of modernisation (Hong Kong, Beijing and Guangzhou). Parents were asked about asthmatic symptoms and exposure to environmental factors.

26 Aug 2004

FDA approves revised labeling for anti-inflammatory corticosteroid nasal spray

AstraZeneca has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved revised labeling for its anti-inflammatory corticosteroid nasal spray RHINOCORT AQUA® (budesonide).

26 Aug 2004

Steps families take to minimize asthma triggers in the home are either wrong or ignored

Parents of children who suffer with asthma are making many efforts to clear their homes of substances that could trigger their child's symptoms, but the steps they take aren't always the ones that could do the most good, a new University of Michigan study finds. And many don't take other steps that are known to help.

17 Aug 2004

Immunotherapy and chemotherapy combined, slows tumor progression and extends survival of patients with glioblastoma multiforme

Researchers at Cedars-Sinai's Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute have found that the combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy significantly slowed tumor progression and extended survival of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

17 Aug 2004

Nasal cream effective in reducing the symptoms of allergic rhinitis

A nasal cream applied to the inside of the nose appears effective in reducing the symptoms of allergic rhinitis, according to an article in the August issue of The Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.

16 Aug 2004

One in five children who had allergic reactions when stung by a bee as a child are likely to have reactions later in life

Although the majority of children outgrow allergies to bee, wasp and other insect stings, almost one in five who had allergic reactions when stung as children - especially those who had serious allergic reactions - are likely to have reactions later in life, according to a study by Johns Hopkins scientists.

11 Aug 2004

Austrian researchers in a world first have successfully engineered an allergy vaccine

Austrian researchers in a world first have successfully engineered an allergy vaccine using a genetically modified version of the birch pollen allergen.

9 Aug 2004

Federal agencies should assess the safety of genetically altered foods, whether produced by genetic engineering or by other techniques

Federal agencies should assess the safety of genetically altered foods -- whether produced by genetic engineering or by other techniques, such as conventional breeding for desirable traits -- on a case-by-case basis to determine whether unintended changes in their composition could adversely affect human health, says a new report from the National Academies' National Research Council and Institute of Medicine.

29 Jul 2004

Major campaign victory will create safer environments for children with food allergies

About 11 million people - roughly 1-in-25 Americans - are now believed to be affected by one or more food allergies, a disease triggered by the ingestion or contact with certain foods that may cause life-threatening reactions, or anaphylaxis, according to a recent Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network nationwide survey.

21 Jul 2004