Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Allergy News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/allergy/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169997.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169997.php The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded approximately $208 million to two programs that support research to better understand the human immune response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including those that may be introduced into a community through acts of bioterrorism. Immune System / Vaccines Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169999.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169999.php The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has renewed the contract to continue studying asthma in children living in lower-income, inner-city environments. Respiratory / Asthma Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170011.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170011.php Less restrictive dietary options, better detection, targeted avoidance measures, educational directives and potential new therapies are improving food allergy management and giving hope to the more than 12 million Americans affected according to experts at the thirteenth international food allergy conference held during the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Miami Beach, Fla. Allergy Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169958.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169958.php Heavy traffic corridors in the cities of Long Beach and Riverside are responsible for a significant proportion of preventable childhood asthma, and the true impact of air pollution and ship emissions on the disease has likely been underestimated, according to researchers at the University of Southern California (USC). Water - Air Quality / Agriculture Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169879.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169879.php The World Health Organization recently declared H1N1 swine flu a global pandemic, resulting in the creation of rigorous vaccination programs worldwide. Children are among those considered particularly susceptible to contracting swine flu and are viewed as a top priority in receiving this vaccine. Most H1N1 swine flu vaccines are prepared from virus grown in chicken's eggs, resulting in a vaccine that contains remnants of egg proteins. Swine Flu Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169767.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169767.php Zinc Deficiency May Contribute to Allergic Asthma (#8362) Zinc deficiency may play a role in the development of extrinsic or allergic asthma. Researchers from India evaluated serum zinc levels and absolute eosinophil count in 96 cases of asthma (61 patients had intrinsic asthma and 35 had extrinsic asthma). Patients who suffered from any comorbid illness were excluded from the study. Respiratory / Asthma Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169561.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169561.php Schering-Plough Corporation (NYSE: SGP) announced that its investigational sublingual Grass (Phleum Pratense) Allergy Immunotherapy Tablet (AIT) has met the primary endpoint in a Phase III study of adult subjects in the U.S. with a history of grass pollen induced rhinoconjunctivitis with or without asthma. Allergy Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169102.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169102.php Dey Pharma, L.P., a subsidiary of Mylan Inc. (Nasdaq: MYL - News), launched a newly designed, patient-friendly EpiPen® Auto-Injector 0.3/0.15 mg. This next-generation EpiPen Auto-Injector maintains the simplicity, speed, safety and reliability of EpiPen Auto-Injector with several new, user-friendly features, including being the only auto-injector with needle-protection before and after use. Dey President Carolyn Myers, Ph.D. Allergy Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168580.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168580.php It's just like something you'd see in an old movie heading off into the hills with the kids to cut down a Christmas tree to bring home. But doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas say if you choose the wrong tree, you could make the holiday season miserable. About one in ten people are allergic to mountain cedar pollen, and these trees release their pollen just at the time you'd be bringing them indoors to decorate. Allergy Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168239.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168239.php Parents of children with food allergies are aware of the dangers lurking in Halloween treats, but little attention is paid to asthma, which can also be frightening for asthmatic children participating in Halloween festivities. "If your child suffers from asthma and/or allergies, be aware and prepared for potential triggers to ensure a safe and fun time for all during the holidays," according to Clifford W. Allergy Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168245.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168245.php ISTA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ISTA) announced poster presentations of results from the Company's Bepreve(TM) (bepotastine besilate ophthalmic solution) 1.5% Phase 3 clinical studies in allergic conjunctivitis. The studies demonstrated Bepreve was safe and well-tolerated when given twice daily for six weeks in a healthy pediatric population as young as three years of age. Eye Health / Blindness Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168103.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168103.php A group led by Dr. Dieter Brömme at the University of British Columbia has demonstrated that glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) contribute to skeletal abnormalities in patients with lysosomal storage diseases. Their report can be found in the November 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology. Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are a group of diseases in which the dysfunction of a lysosomal enzyme results in decreased breakdown of GAGs, a type of carbohydrate, in various tissues. Bones / Orthopaedics Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167338.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167338.php The most comprehensive and detailed review of the burden posed by allergic disease in Scotland concludes that one in three of the Scottish population are affected by allergies at some point in their lives - higher than in England. The study, published in the October issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, found that allergic disease costs NHS Scotland over £130 million with the cost of GP consultations for asthma alone standing at £786,000. Allergy Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166800.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166800.php An apparent allergic reaction after an immunization should be investigated rather than avoiding future immunizations, which could leave patients at greater risk of disease, according to new medical guidelines published in the October issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). Allergy Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166559.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166559.php Vaccination can lower children's risk of allergy. Cathleen Muche-Borowski and her coauthors present a clinical practice guideline for allergy prevention in the current issue of Deutsches Arzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2009; 106[39]: 625-31). Allergic diseases are becoming increasingly common in Western industrialized countries. Allergy Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166361.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166361.php More than eighty children with personal stories of the challenges of managing food allergies spoke to their elected representatives and rallied for improved education and funding for food allergies during the third Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network's (FAAN) Kids' Congress on Capitol Hill last week. Allergy Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166370.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166370.php A comparison of symptoms in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and non-allergic rhinitis (NAR) revealed that those with the NAR experienced worse symptoms. The findings are according to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA. Ear, Nose and Throat Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166332.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166332.php Patients who suffer from both allergic rhinitis and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may experience escalated symptoms of stress and fatigue. In a paper presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in San Diego, researchers studied 34 people who were diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. Among them, 12 people were classified in the allergic rhinitis group and 22 people in the control group. Ear, Nose and Throat Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166030.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166030.php For men with type 2 diabetes, a cell type linked to allergic inflammation is closely linked to a key indicator of diabetic kidney disease (nephropathy), suggests a study in the November Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). "Allergy is a common disease that is increasing worldwide, so our findings may have important implications for diabetic nephropathy," comments Michiaki Fukui, MD (Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan). Diabetes Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165549.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165549.php Heparin, a commonly used anticoagulant, can cause skin lesions, reports a study http://www.cmaj.ca/press/cmaj081729.pdf in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Skin lesions caused by heparin may indicate the presence of a life-threatening decrease in the number of platelets, a condition called "heparin-induced thrombocytopenia" or, in most cases, a self-limiting, allergic skin reaction. Dermatology Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165472.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165472.php A study conducted in Vietnam has added further weight to the view that parasitic gut worms, such as hookworm, could help in the prevention and treatment of asthma and other allergies. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165403.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165403.php A recent commentary suggests that the U.S. should spend roughly $197 million more than it currently does to research the impact of climate change on public health. The analysis found that the U.S. spends about $3 million in federal funds on research related to the health impacts of climate change, says Marie S. O'Neill, one of the commentary co-authors. This isn't nearly enough to adequately address the public health issues related to global warming, the group concluded. Water - Air Quality / Agriculture Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165272.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165272.php Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmental organisms found in both water and soil that can cause severe pulmonary (lung) disease in humans. Pulmonary NTM is on the rise in the United States, according to a large study of people hospitalized with the condition. Respiratory / Asthma Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164770.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164770.php Asthma, nasal symptoms and eczema is a major public health problem in Sweden, not least among young people. Half of all teenagers are affected in Västra Götaland County in West Sweden. This is shown in a study conducted in 2008 by the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, on the request of the Public Health Committee, Region Västra Götaland. The study also shows that the prevalence of allergies among young people has increased by ten percentage points since the year 2000. Allergy Tue, 22 Sep 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164726.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/164726.php In July 2008, Health Canada published in Canada Gazette, Part I proposed regulatory amendments for the labelling of food allergens, gluten sources and added sulphites. The department has now reviewed the comments received and is publishing documents detailing some of the changes being made to the proposal as a result of the consultations. Allergy