Allergies News and Research

Latest Allergies News and Research

AeriSeal System appears to be effective in treating emphysema

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham injected a foam sealant into the lungs of a former smoker on Oct. 29, 2012, to treat his worsening emphysema. He was the first patient in the United States treated in a late-stage clinical trial of the AeriSeal System.

3 Nov 2012

Allergic rhinitis common in otitis media patients

Allergic rhinitis is a common comorbidity in children with otitis media with effusion, suggest study findings.

2 Nov 2012

NJH researchers discover novel target for treatment of food allergies

Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered a novel target for the treatment of food allergies. Erwin Gelfand, MD, and his colleagues report in the October 2012 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology that levels of the enzyme Pim 1 kinase rise in the small intestines of peanut-allergic mice. Inhibiting activity of Pim 1 markedly reduced the allergic response to peanuts.

2 Nov 2012

Bronchial thermoplasty helps control severe asthma

Nearly 24 million people in this country suffer from asthma. For most of them, avoiding allergens and taking medications help keep their asthma under control. But for a small group with severe persistent asthma, frequent hospital visits tend to be the norm and taking medications and lifestyle changes don't do the trick. Northwestern Memorial Hospital is now using a new procedure called bronchial thermoplasty (BT), the first non-drug therapy approved by the Federal Drug Administration, for patients with severe asthma.

31 Oct 2012

Researchers learn how E2-79 molecule destroys complexes that induce allergic responses

Researchers have learned how a man-made molecule destroys complexes that induce allergic responses - a discovery that could lead to the development of highly potent, rapidly acting interventions for a host of acute allergic reactions.

29 Oct 2012

Skin safety tips to avoid allergies during Halloween

The effects of using face paints for Halloween can be scary, says Sofia Chaudhry, M.D., assistant professor of dermatology at Saint Louis University.

29 Oct 2012

Allergies and hygiene: an interview with Sally Bloomfield

Allergies occur when the body overreacts to substances in our environment, such as pollen, dust mites and so forth. What happens is that when we are exposed to these potential threats, the immune system should react, deal with it, and then shut down.

26 Oct 2012

New treatments show promise for people with food allergies

New treatments are offering the prospect of eating without fear for the 15 million people in the United States with food allergies, according to the cover story in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News.

26 Oct 2012

Simple tricks to keep mold and dust mites at bay during winter

Spring and summer are not the only seasons that bring misery to those with allergies. The winter months can be brutal for people sensitive to mold spores and dust mites.

25 Oct 2012

Halloween safety tips from UC San Diego

The Regional Burn Center and Emergency Departments at UC San Diego Health System - along with the California Poison Control System - San Diego Division located at UC San Diego Medical Center - offer the following safety precautions to help parents and guardians make Halloween safe this year.

23 Oct 2012

House dust protein worsens allergic asthma symptoms

A bacterial protein found in common house dust may worsen a person’s asthmatic response to other indoor allergens, say researchers.

19 Oct 2012

Linezolid proves effective in treating drug-resistant TB

When tested in patients hospitalized with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) unresponsive to previous treatment, linezolid, an antibiotic used to treat severe bacterial infections, proved largely effective when added to the patients' ongoing TB treatment regimen.

19 Oct 2012

Weill Cornell Medical College researcher wins 2012 William B. Coley Award

Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University, is a winner of the 2012 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic Immunology from the Cancer Research Institute for her outstanding achievements in immunology and cancer research.

19 Oct 2012

Novel drug increases survival in animal models exposed to high-dose radiation

A novel drug that mimics a naturally occurring molecule found in coffee and blueberries has been developed to treat radiation exposure. Charles R. Yates, Pharm.D., Ph.D., and colleagues Duane Miller, Ph.D., and Waleed Gaber, Ph.D., from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Baylor College of Medicine, show that application of this drug, starting 24 hours after radiation exposure, increases survival in animal models by three-fold compared to placebo.

17 Oct 2012

Antibiotic injections are associated with lower risk of infection in cataract surgery

Intracameral antibiotic injections were associated with a 22-fold reduction in the risk of postoperative infection following cataract surgery when compared with the standard post-operative treatment of antibiotic eyedrops, according to a Kaiser Permanente study.

16 Oct 2012

Early pollution exposure has long-lasting respiratory effects

Exposure to traffic-related pollution during the first year of life continues to affect lung function at age 8 years, show the results of a Swedish study.

16 Oct 2012

Rehabilitation program combats occupational skin disease

Results from a German study suggest that a 6–10 week rehabilitation program set up to help people overcome severe occupational skin disease continues to have significant benefits for participants 1 year after discharge.

16 Oct 2012

Flagellin in house dust may worsen allergic responses to inhaled substances

A bacterial protein in common house dust may worsen allergic responses to indoor allergens, according to research conducted by the National Institutes of Health and Duke University. The finding is the first to document the presence of the protein flagellin in house dust, bolstering the link between allergic asthma and the environment.

16 Oct 2012

NIAID-funded study to evaluate PPSV23 and PCV13 in Phase Iib pneumococcal trial

Researchers plan to see if a higher dose of a pneumococcal vaccine will create a stronger immune response in older adults who received an earlier generation vaccine against pneumonia and other pneumococcal diseases.

16 Oct 2012

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin molecule makes mice resistant to skin cancer

A molecule involved in asthma and allergies has now been shown to make mice resistant to skin cancer, according to scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

16 Oct 2012