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.

Carbon monoxide inhibitor controls traumatic bleeding

A chemical that blocks carbon monoxide (CO) has been used for the first time to arrest traumatic bleeding in rats, according to a Tulane University research team.

6 Apr 2006

Yoga improves respiratory function

Young and healthy Thais who participated in just 18 short yoga sessions showed significant improvements on six of seven measures of respiratory function, according to research from Khon Kaen University.

6 Apr 2006

Inflammation cuts both ways

Inflammation cuts both ways. When invaded by an infectious agent, for example, the body calls on the forces of inflammation to fight and defeat the intruder.

6 Apr 2006

Evidence of estrogen and progesterone hormone allergy discovered

Some women with menstrual cycle disorders like asthma and migraine headaches may be experiencing allergies to their own estrogen and progesterone hormones, Texas researchers have discovered.

4 Apr 2006

Nrf2 gene findings may offer therapeutic potential for sepsis treatment

Disruption of a single gene, Nrf2, plays a critical role in regulating the body's innate immune response to sepsis and septic shock, according to a study by a research team led by Shyam Biswal, PhD, at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

4 Apr 2006

Combination of salmeterol and fluticasone propionate cuts inflammatory cells in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The combination of two existing clinical treatments, salmeterol and fluticasone propionate, can significantly reduce inflammatory cells in the airways of current and former smokers being treated for moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

4 Apr 2006

Immune response protects against brain tumor development

In their quest to determine whether immune system surveillance guards against brain tumor development, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have found that allergies and asthma that stimulate inflammation may be protective, but use of antihistamines to control the inflammation could eliminate that protection.

4 Apr 2006

Mustard and garlic kick linked to single pain receptor

A single pain receptor is solely responsible for the kick delivered by mustard oil and garlic, according to research in the Cell. Mustard oil is the active ingredient in mustard and in the pungent green sushi condiment known as wasabi.

28 Mar 2006

Asthma drug approved for children age four up

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given approval for the use of the asthma drug Flovent HFA in children four to eleven years of age.

26 Mar 2006

Benefit of fish oils under question

In a turn up for the books, experts are now saying that contrary to the widely held belief that the omega 3 fats found in oily fish help prevent heart disease, this has not been proven.

26 Mar 2006

Atopy can lead to adult-onset asthma

New research shows that hereditary predisposition to develop asthma (atopy) is a determining factor in new cases on adult-onset asthma and that avoiding allergens may help prevent adults from developing asthma.

23 Mar 2006

Immune system protein LL-37 critical in controlling replication of vaccinia virus

Scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have identified a defect in the immune response of people with the skin condition atopic dermatitis that puts them at risk of developing serious complications following smallpox vaccination.

23 Mar 2006

Gene discovered that causes dry skin and leads to eczema and asthma

Experts, lead by the University of Dundee, have discovered the gene which causes genetic skin conditions affecting millions of people.

21 Mar 2006

A newly recognized type of immune cell may play an important role in causing asthma

...perhaps explaining why current therapies sometimes fail, report researchers from Children's Hospital Boston in the New England Journal of Medicine.

21 Mar 2006

No-smoking rules not common enough for asthmatic children

Urban children with persistent asthma living in homes with smokers are 10 times less likely to be protected by a smoking ban in the home and car than asthmatic children living with no smokers, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

20 Mar 2006

Cleaner air equates to a longer life

Researchers in the U.S. say reductions in fine particulate air pollution appears to have an affect on mortality.

16 Mar 2006

Association between leptin and asthma in adults

Women with high levels of an inflammatory protein produced by fat tissue are at significantly increased risk of asthma, finds research in published ahead of print in Thorax.

15 Mar 2006

Asthma risk increased by early use of antibiotics

Researchers suggest that when children are exposed to antibiotics in the first year of life it may increase the risk of them developing asthma later in childhood.

15 Mar 2006

Patients can have misguided view of asthma

Over half of adults with serious asthma believe they only have asthma when they have symptoms and these individuals are significantly less likely to take necessary medications during asymptomatic periods, according to a study in the March issue of Chest.

15 Mar 2006

Researchers to investigate links between asthma and genes

Professor Bill Cookson and Dr Miriam Moffatt, formerly at the University of Oxford, have joined Imperial's National Heart and Lung Institute to further develop the genetic research there, particularly focusing on how genes influence the development of asthma.

14 Mar 2006