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.

FDA expands use of influenza vaccine FluMist

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved expanding the population for use of the nasal influenza vaccine FluMist to include children between the ages of 2 and 5.

20 Sep 2007

Discovery of cause of Job's syndrome

The rare immunodeficiency disorder known as Job's syndrome is caused by a specific genetic mutation that both overstimulates and understimulates the human immune system, leading to harmful bacterial and fungal infections and the physical features characteristic of the syndrome, according to two independent groups of scientists, one from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the other from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University.

20 Sep 2007

Common abdominal pain may be due to a potentially treatable newly recognized inflammatory reaction

As many as one in four people in westernized countries experience pain or discomfort in their upper abdomen, and physicians have almost nothing to offer except anti-acid medicines, which usually don't work.

20 Sep 2007

Alternative methods proposed to detect pesticides and antibiotics in water and natural food

Water or food of natural origins (from plants or animals) that we consume on a daily basis can contain unwanted ‘supplies' for our organism, such as pesticides or antibiotics.

18 Sep 2007

Socioeconomic factors in allergic fungal rhinosinusitis

A new socioeconomic study has discovered that allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS), a chronic sinus disease affecting many living in the southern and southeastern United States, affects African American more than other ethnic groups.

18 Sep 2007

Dendritic cells turn T cells into T regs

Regulatory T cells (also known as T regs) suppress some of the immune system's more inappropriate responses, preventing it from attacking the body's own tissues and stifling its activity once invading microbes have been fought off.

17 Sep 2007

Economic development linked to differences in rates of asthma symptoms

Children with allergic sensitizations in economically developed countries are much more likely to develop asthma than similarly sensitized children in poorer countries, according to a team of international researchers.

17 Sep 2007

GeoVax Labs presents successful human trial results for its HIV/AIDS vaccines

GeoVax Labs, Inc. has announced the presentation of successful human trial results for its HIV/AIDS vaccines at the AIDS Vaccine 2007 Conference held August 20-23, 2007 in Seattle, Washington.

13 Sep 2007

Breastfeeding offers no protection against asthma or allergies

New research says breastfeeding does not protect children against developing asthma or allergies.

12 Sep 2007

Diet rich in fruit, veg and fish reduces children's asthma risk

According to new research a diet rich with fruit, vegetables and fish can reduce a child's risk of developing asthma and allergies.

12 Sep 2007

Giving children a diet rich in fish and

“We believe that this is the first study that has assessed the impact of a child's diet on asthma and allergies and also taken into account the food their mother ate during pregnancy” says lead author Dr Leda Chatzi from the Department of Social Medicine at the University of Crete, Greece.

12 Sep 2007

Breastfeeding does not protect children against developing asthma or allergies

Breastfeeding does not protect children against developing asthma or allergies, says a new study led by McGill University's Dr. Michael Kramer and funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

12 Sep 2007

Hospitals often put allergy sufferers ar risk

Patients are being put at risk because some hospital doctors are not always following warning procedures over known drug allergies, new research launched at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester shows.

10 Sep 2007

Two cases of anthrax in the U.S. from African animal hides

Two cases of anthrax have been reported in the U.S. and the culprit again appears to be African animal hides.

9 Sep 2007

A little dirt never hurt!

A little dirt never hurt. But in today's super-clean world, vaccinations, anti-bacterial soaps, and airtight doors and windows are keeping dirt and disease-causing germs at bay.

5 Sep 2007

Novel HIV vaccine set for clinical development

A promising new HIV vaccine created at The Wistar Institute has received funding for clinical development aimed at moving the vaccine into human clinical trials as soon as possible.

3 Sep 2007

Cell that triggers symptoms in allergy attacks can also limit damage

A blood cell known as a troublemaker for triggering the itch and inflammation in allergy attacks, the mast cell, can also calm down the flare-ups, researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine have found.

3 Sep 2007

New guidelines for childhood asthma recommend inhaled corticosteroids

New guidelines aimed at dealing with asthma have been released by government health experts in the United States.

30 Aug 2007

Lipid offers new ways of treating inflammatory kidney diseases

Scientists report in the September 2007 issue of the Journal of Lipid Research that a lipid known to protect the heart from inflammation and to cause skin allergic reactions also reduces inflammation of the kidneys.

29 Aug 2007

Limited human-to-human spread of Avian-flu virus in Indonesia in 2006 confirmed

In the first systematic, statistical analysis of its kind, infectious-disease-modeling experts at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center confirm that the avian influenza A (H5N1) virus in 2006 spread between a small number of people within a family in Indonesia.

28 Aug 2007