Allergies News and Research

Latest Allergies News and Research

FDA grants clearance for first contact lens with light-adaptive technology

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today cleared the first contact lens to incorporate an additive that automatically darkens the lens when exposed to bright light.

11 Apr 2018

Patient's mucus may help predict type of chronic sinusitis

By April, nearly one-third of the U.S. is already experiencing high pollen levels while the weather and temperatures continue to fluctuate, aggravating sinus symptoms. A patient's mucus may predict the type of his or her chronic sinusitis, which could help doctors determine whether surgery or medical treatments can produce the best outcomes, according to a recently published Vanderbilt study.

9 Apr 2018

Researchers develop new animal model to study Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is a viral disease spread by ticks in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and parts of Europe. Infection with CCHF virus is fatal in nearly one of every three cases.

9 Apr 2018

Using biomimicry for faster detection of disease outbreaks

Our immune systems are made up of billions of white blood cells searching for signs of infections and foreign invaders, ready to raise the alarm.

9 Apr 2018

New research could pave way for better influenza vaccines

Influenza vaccines that better target the influenza surface protein called neuraminidase (NA) could offer broad protection against various influenza virus strains and lessen the severity of illness, according to new research published in Cell.

6 Apr 2018

Atlas Award-winning study calls for more support to fight allergy epidemic in Africa

Allergies are on the rise in Africa, but with too few specialists to treat them, and a parallel increase in immune deficiency diseases, the situation is worse than we thought.

3 Apr 2018

BWH bioengineers develop flare-responsive hydrogel to treat arthritis

Arthritis flares - the unpredictable and often sudden worsening of arthritis symptoms -- can be debilitating. These episodes can make the management of inflammatory arthritis, which includes rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, challenging for patients and physicians.

3 Apr 2018

Acid-suppressing medicines and antibiotics in infancy linked to later allergic disease risk

The use of acid-suppressing medications or antibiotics in the first 6 months of infancy was associated with an increased risk for the subsequent development of allergic diseases in childhood.

2 Apr 2018

Phase I clinical trial of HIV vaccines to begin in the U.S.

A Phase I clinical trial testing the safety of vaccines that might have the potential to prevent HIV infection will begin this month at four sites in the United States, marking the latest step in a three-decade quest at UMass Medical School to harness the power of DNA vaccines in addressing a major global health threat.

28 Mar 2018

Novel vaccine technologies can help better prepare for future infectious disease threats

Novel vaccine technologies are critical to improving the public health response to infectious disease threats that continually emerge and re-emerge, according to scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

22 Mar 2018

High-fat, high-cholesterol diet depletes ranks of artery-protecting immune cells

New research from scientists at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology shows how a diet high in fat and cholesterol depletes the ranks of artery-protecting immune cells, turning them into promoters of inflammation, which exacerbate atherosclerotic plaque buildup that occurs in cardiovascular disease.

21 Mar 2018

Many parents still hesitate to try early peanut introduction, survey finds

In January 2017 guidelines were released urging parents to begin early introduction of peanut-containing foods to reduce the risk of peanut allergy. A new study shows those who are aware of the guidelines are still hesitant to put them into place and not everyone has heard of them.

20 Mar 2018

Quintupling inhaled steroid doses may not benefit children with asthma

Children with mild to moderate asthma do not benefit from a common practice of increasing their inhaled steroids at the first signs of an asthma exacerbation, according to clinical trial results published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

20 Mar 2018

Survey of school nurses underscores dire need to develop more feasible food allergy policies

Nearly all school nurses participating in a national survey (96 percent) reported that staff at their school received training on handling severe allergic reactions to food. Over 80 percent asserted that their school had an emergency epinephrine auto-injector on hand to stop a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.

14 Mar 2018