Copyright 2008 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 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113401.php Recent scientific findings explain why patients with a rare immunodeficiency disorder are unusually susceptible to certain common infections. By revealing the exact molecular mechanisms involved, they also give us clues as to why some 'healthy' people are more prone to these infections than others, and suggest potential treatments. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113327.php Greer, a leading developer and provider of allergy immunotherapy products and services, has completed enrollment for its pivotal Phase III clinical trial designed to study the efficacy of sublingual-oral immunotherapy (SLIT) as a treatment for adults with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis caused by short ragweed pollen. It is estimated that 30 million Americans are allergic to short ragweed pollen, making it one of the most common allergens. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113282.php Scientists in Sydney have identified a process, a synergistic encounter between two molecules, that may account for the extreme allergic reactions some people experience. By silencing at least one of these molecules, it may be possible to treat allergies. The molecules, IL-4 and IL-21, are cytokines or 'chemical messengers' produced by immune cells known as T cells. T cells use cytokines to communicate with B cells, which then make antibodies. Wed, 25 Jun 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112618.php Morria Biopharmaceuticals Plc, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel anti-inflammatory drugs, today announced that it has initiated a Phase II equivalent study of MRX-4, in a nasal aerosol formulation, in 105 patients suffering from allergic rhinitis (AR). The two-arm, randomized, multi-dose, double-blind, placebo-controlled study includes Rhinocort(R) as the steroid comparator arm. The study is expected to be completed by the end of Q3 2008. Mon, 23 Jun 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112377.php New research findings suggest that some food-allergic children may not be equipped with enough potentially life-saving medication to reverse a severe allergic reaction. According to research to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, a second dose of epinephrine - the drug of choice for treating severe allergic reactions - was needed in nearly 1-of-5 cases of food-induced anaphylaxis in children. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111965.php invivodata inc., the industry leader in electronic patient reported outcomes (ePRO) solutions and services for global clinical research, today announced that its DiaryPRO® field-based ePRO system was used to capture primary efficacy endpoint data in the recently unblinded Phase III study of Pollinex® Quattro, a vaccine being developed by Allergy Therapeutics® plc (AIM:AGY) to treat the symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (SAR). Thu, 19 Jun 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111916.php Moving house or the separation of parents can significantly increase the risk of children developing allergies later on. These are the results from a long-term study correlating life-style, immune system development and allergies, led by the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research in Leipzig (UFZ), the Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen and the "Institut für Umweltmedizinische Forschung" (IUF) in Duesseldorf. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111857.php Hospitals are finding that increasing numbers of adults who are admitted to the hospital for other conditions also have asthma, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Asthma is a chronic disease that causes wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing. Causes of the disease are unclear, but the number of Americans diagnosed with asthma is rising. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111764.php As homeowners across the Midwest begin to recover from recent flooding, a new threat may be looming. Wet walls, damp carpet and other porous materials can serve as breeding grounds for mold, putting many at increased risk for asthma attacks, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). Exposure to mold spores can trigger asthma in sensitive people, resulting in wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111683.php The World Allergy Organization (WAO) will publish its first Report on the extent of allergy and chronic respiratory diseases worldwide on the 18 June 2008 and has called for immediate collaboration to tackle the current escalation in allergy cases. In the last 20-30 years, the prevalence of allergic diseases has increased significantly - a trend that shows no signs of abating. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111654.php Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH announced an agreement to acquire Actimis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately owned biotech company based in San Diego. The acquisition will occur through a structured buyout in which Boehringer Ingelheim will acquire shares of Actimis depending on the achievement of several successive milestones with Actimis' leading asthma compound AP768. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111377.php New evidence blames traffic-related pollution for increasing the risk of allergy and atopic diseases among children by more than fifty percent. What's more, the closer children live to roads, the higher their risk. "[Children] living very close to a major road are likely to be exposed not only to a higher amount of traffic-derived particles and gases but also to a more freshly emitted aerosols which may be more toxic," wrote lead author of the research, Joachim Heinrich, Ph.D. Sat, 14 Jun 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111278.php The arrival of summer brings with it an alarming increase of honey bees, wasps, yellow jackets and hornets, especially dreadful for those who experience severe allergic reactions to insect venom. Many who have reactions like hives, breathing difficulty, coughing or a drop in blood pressure are unaware that Epipens, self-injected epinephrine, are no longer the only way to treat insect venom allergies. Sat, 14 Jun 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111277.php Warm weather is here and so are the bugs. If you forget to apply insect repellant and get an itchy welt, Ken Haller, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, has a simple solution to end your suffering: Dab a bit of roll-on antiperspirant directly on the bug bite. "The aluminum salts in the antiperspirant help the body to reabsorb the fluid in the bug bite," Haller says. "The swelling goes down and the itching stops. Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/111189.php Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have discovered how evolution may have lumbered humans with allergy problems. The team from the Randall Division of Cell & Molecular Biophysics, King's College London are working on a molecule vital to a chicken's immune system which represents the evolutionary ancestor of the human antibodies that cause allergic reactions. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110894.php Morria Biopharmaceuticals Plc, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel anti-inflammatory drugs, announced that it has obtained regulatory approval from the South African Medicines Control Council (MCC) to initiate a Phase II study of MRX-4 in 105 patients suffering from allergic rhinitis (AR). The two-arm, randomized, multi-dose, double-blind, placebo-controlled study includes a steroid comparator arm. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110888.php The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care has assessed recent evidence on allergies. It found that the once controversial immune therapy against allergy symptoms can definitely help many people with allergies. When it is green and the flowers have returned, the allergy season has hit its peak. And the number of people affected is still rising. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110872.php Americans spent $11 billion on doctors' bills, prescription drugs, and other medical care to relieve allergy symptoms such as itchy or watery eyes, stuffy noses, wheezing, coughing, and headaches in 2005, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The cost is nearly double the $6 billion spent in 2000. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110760.php New data presented at the XXVII Congress of the European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) in Barcelona, Spain, demonstrate AERIUS® (desloratadine) significantly reduces allergy symptoms, including nasal congestion, sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal pruritus and ocular pruritus, in patients with intermittent allergic rhinitis (IAR) who experience symptoms lasting less than four days per week or less than four weeks per year. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/110513.php Mike Wallace, Member of Parliament for Burlington, has announced, on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health, a joint investment of $12 million over six years for a research project that will investigate the genetic and environmental factors that influence the development of asthma and allergies in children. This project, known as the CHILD study, is co-funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and AllerGen NCE Inc. Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109911.php Responding to numerous user requests, Pollen.com, one of the most visited allergy web sites, announced the addition of two new features, Pollen History and Two-City Comparison, to its popular site for people who suffer from seasonal allergies. Wed, 04 Jun 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109829.php With the peak grass pollen season approaching, scientists can reveal that a daily dose of probiotic can change the immune status of people with hay fever. In the first human study of its kind, scientists at the Institute of Food Research found that probiotic bacteria in a daily drink can modify the immune system's response to grass pollen, a common cause of seasonal hay fever. But they are not recommending that sufferers rush to the supermarket shelves just yet. Tue, 03 Jun 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109654.php Most people would rather not know what goes into the corndog they consume at the summer carnival. But for the 12 million Americans with food allergies, awareness of ingredients is a must for safely eating their way through summer events, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). "People with food allergies must be extra vigilant when eating at summer fairs and festivals," said Amal H. Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109630.php A food allergy occurs when the immune system reacts to a certain food, believing it to be harmful. Allergic symptoms can affect the respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, skin or cardiovascular system. Frail, older people can be at increased consequential risk. The Royal Institute of Public Health (RIPH) has asked us to advise details of its one day Food Allergies course - to be held in central London on Monday, September 29th this year. Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/109569.php Three-quarters of primary care nurses have admitted to lacking even basic training in treating allergies, and more than half say they feel "uncomfortable" seeing patients with allergy-related conditions. This is despite the fact that in the UK the incidence of common allergic diseases has trebled in the last 20 years, to become one of the highest in the world - one in three of the UK population will be affected by allergic disease at some time in their life.