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.

Cleaning products and solvents increase risk of asthma

Exposure to the fumes emitted from solvents and cleaning products at home may increase the risk of childhood asthma, suggests a study by Australian researchers from Curtin University and the University of Sydney.

25 Aug 2004

Effect of prebiotic and probiotic foods on health

A group of researchers at the Public University of Navarre, led by Senior Lecturer in Zoology, Elena Urdaneta Artola, have studied both the mechanisms whereby foodstuffs known as functional act at a gastrointestinal level as well as their possible beneficial effects on the health of individuals.

23 Aug 2004

Peginterferon and Ribavirin combination promising for those with HIV and HCV

Since the introduction of highly active combination drug therapy for HIV, liver failure attributable to infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has become a leading cause of death among those infected with the virus that causes AIDS.

22 Aug 2004

Research will lead to better treatments for mastocytosis

Tens of millions of people know what it's like to suffer the seasonal torment of allergies, when just a whiff of pollen, mold or dust can set off a chain reaction in the body that causes sniffling, sneezing and coughing.

18 Aug 2004

Contract for the production of an investigational vaccine based on an H9N2 strain of avian influenza virus

In 1999 and 2003, an H9N2 influenza strain caused illness in three people in Hong Kong. Scientists are concerned about H9N2 and other emerging types of avian influenza viruses because as they spread—most commonly through poultry—they continually mutate, increasing chances that they may infect humans, evade the body’s immune response and become more lethal.

17 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

Softening agents in their home linked to asthma and allergies

There is a clear co-variation between allergic symptoms in children and the concentration of softening agents in their homes. This is a finding made by a Swedish-Danish research team in a recently published study financed by Formas

16 Aug 2004

Children who have severe allergic reactions when stung by bees should receive venom immunotherapy

Children who have severe allergic reactions when stung by bees, wasps and other insects should receive venom immunotherapy, or allergy shots, to reduce the chance of future life-threatening reactions if a repeat sting should occur, said an allergist at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

11 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

24-year long asthma study is answering doctors' questions about asthma and its causes

Doctors have concluded that children do not usually outgrow asthma after puberty as was previously assumed. There are also other factors that contribute to the onset of asthma in test subjects, including infection and obesity.

5 Aug 2004

45% of specialists admit having made a recent medical error

Otolaryngologist Dr. David Roberson has first-hand experience with medical errors. He remembers one near-miss in a patient about to receive a cochlear implant – and says it typifies the kinds of mistakes he and his colleagues have turned up in a national survey.

3 Aug 2004

Research using genomic testing reveals new information on flesh-eating bacteria

New research using nearly a dozen different genomic testing procedures has revealed unprecedented detail about the molecular characteristics and virulence of group A streptococcus (GAS), the “flesh-eating” bacteria, according to scientists at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories, part of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

27 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

New book predicts a "vaccine century"

A new book published by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) predicts that the 21st century will become the "century of vaccines" thanks to rapid developments in the field of immunization.

21 Jul 2004

Soy formula not a good choice for infants at risk of allergies

Soy-protein based infant formulas have been used to treat infants who have food allergies or intolerances.

21 Jul 2004

Expansion of clinical trial of an experimental West Nile virus (WNV) treatment

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, one of the National Institutes of Health, has expanded its clinical trial of an experimental West Nile virus (WNV) treatment to about 60 sites throughout the United States and Canada.

15 Jul 2004

Latest findings on HIV pathogenesis at AIDS Conference in Bangkok

At the XVth International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation (LIR), will present his laboratory’s latest findings on how aberrant immune activation underlies HIV pathogenesis.

15 Jul 2004

Allergy News and Research

Further Reading

Cleaning products and solvents increase risk of asthma

Effect of prebiotic and probiotic foods on health

Peginterferon and Ribavirin combination promising for those with HIV and HCV

Research will lead to better treatments for mastocytosis

Contract for the production of an investigational vaccine based on an H9N2 strain of avian influenza virus

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

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

Nasal cream effective in reducing the symptoms of allergic rhinitis

Softening agents in their home linked to asthma and allergies

Children who have severe allergic reactions when stung by bees should receive venom immunotherapy

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

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

24-year long asthma study is answering doctors' questions about asthma and its causes

45% of specialists admit having made a recent medical error

Research using genomic testing reveals new information on flesh-eating bacteria

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

New book predicts a "vaccine century"

Soy formula not a good choice for infants at risk of allergies

Expansion of clinical trial of an experimental West Nile virus (WNV) treatment

Latest findings on HIV pathogenesis at AIDS Conference in Bangkok

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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