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.

Inhaled corticosteroids can reduce breathing problems in children at high risk for asthma

Studies in older children and adults show that the most effective long-term control medicine for persistent asthma (symptoms more than two days a week or more than twice a month at night) is inhaled corticosteroids, which reduce airway swelling and help prevent asthma symptoms (e.g., asthma attacks).

10 May 2006

Air purifiers increase ozone levels exceeding health standards

In a small, poorly ventilated room, an indoor air purifier that produces even a few milligrams of ozone per hour can create an ozone level that exceeds public health standards, researchers at UC Irvine have found.

10 May 2006

Off-label prescribing common, often not backed by data

A study of office-based physicians in the United States suggests that about one-fifth of medications are prescribed to treat conditions for which they are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and that nearly three-fourths of those uses lack strong scientific support, according to an article in the May 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

9 May 2006

Corticosteroids may be linked to an increased risk for atrial fibrillation

High doses of medications known as corticosteroids may be linked to an increased risk for atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder characterized by an irregular heartbeat, according to an article in the May 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

9 May 2006

Europe wide study to examine causes of asthma

The GABRIEL project, funded through an EC Framework 6 grant, involves over 150 scientists from 14 European countries and Russia, using the latest research across a variety of disciplines, including genetics, epidemiology and immunology, to identify key factors in the development of asthma bronchiale.

9 May 2006

Bronchial thermoplasty offers significant improvement for asthmatics

Asthmatic patients showed significant improvement in peak expiratory flow, airway responsiveness and number of symptom-free days after treatment with bronchial thermoplasty, a new procedure designed to reduce the ability of airway smooth muscle to narrow from inflammation.

3 May 2006

Passive smoking associated with behavior problems in children and pre-teens

A new Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center study shows that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, even at extremely low levels, is associated with behavior problems in children and pre-teens.

3 May 2006

Minority and multiracial children experience many disparities in medical and oral health status

Minority and multiracial children experience many disparities in medical and oral health status, access to care, and use of services, according to a new national study by researchers at the Center for Advancement of Underserved Children at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.

3 May 2006

Traffic, susceptibility and childhood asthma

Young children who live near a major road are significantly more likely to have asthma than children who live only blocks away, according to a study that appears in Environmental Health Perspectives.

3 May 2006

Lipoxin A4 regulates bronchial epithelial cell responses to acid injury

Doctors are gaining new leverage in the fight against lung injury caused by acid reflux. The paper by Bonnans et al., "Lipoxin A4 regulates bronchial epithelial cell responses to acid injury," appears in the April issue of The American Journal of Pathology and is accompanied by a commentary.

3 May 2006

Dimensional analysis of the concept of obesity

Health professionals need to use more than tape measures and scales to define and tackle obesity, according to a paper in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.

3 May 2006

Nasal flu spray offers best protection for babes and toddlers

According to one of the largest comparisons of flu vaccines ever carried out, spraying a flu vaccine into the noses of babies and preschoolers is a far more effective method of protecting them than injections.

2 May 2006

Preconception health care should be part of routine medical visits

Every visit to the doctor for women of childbearing age should be considered an opportunity to discuss reproductive health- especially since more than half of all pregnancies are unintended, according to a report published today in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Recommendations and Reports.

26 Apr 2006

Preconception health care should be part of routine medical visits

26 Apr 2006

Scientists document an organ-specific innate immune system

In research published in the April 18 edition of the journal Immunity, scientists at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine outline the unique mechanism by which the lung shapes its defensive strategies against microbial invasion.

18 Apr 2006

Inhaled corticosteroids ease asthma symptoms

Adults and children with asthma will breathe deeper and have better control over their asthma with inhaled corticosteroids than with the medicine cromolyn, according to a new review of recent studies comparing the two treatments.

18 Apr 2006

Brits get serious about drinking and depression

Experts in the UK are warning that the favorite ritual of a glass of wine at the end of a stressful working day is for many a form of "self-medication" and a substitute for seeking professional help with their problems.

18 Apr 2006

Telithromycin antibiotic may help reduce some symptoms of a bad asthma attack

The researchers however believe the positive effects of the drug may be as a result of its impact on two bacteria - Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae - found present in 61% of patients in the study.

13 Apr 2006

Antibiotic telithromycin is effective at treating acute asthma attacks

Researchers have demonstrated that an antibiotic is effective at treating acute asthma attacks, potentially providing a new way to help asthma sufferers.

13 Apr 2006

IL-25 both promotes and limits inflammatory diseases

The same signal responsible for promoting the type of immune responses that cause asthma and allergy can also limit the type of inflammation associated with debilitating diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis and multiple sclerosis, according to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

13 Apr 2006