Allergies News and Research

Latest Allergies News and Research

Prevalence of scalp fungus infection among children living in metropolitan areas

Approximately 7 percent of elementary school children across the bi-state, Kansas City metropolitan area are infected with the fungus Trichophyton tonsurans (T. tonsurans), the leading cause of ringworm in the U.S., according to a new study published today in Pediatrics. This is the largest study to date aimed at defining infection prevalence of the scalp fungus in children living in a metropolitan area and has implications for children nationwide.

20 Apr 2010

PRA International expands clinical research operations to New Zealand

PRA International, a leading Clinical Research Organization, announces it has established a legal entity and hired staff in New Zealand, which will complement the firm's extensive network of Asia-Pacific operations and partnerships.

19 Apr 2010

Protein Potential receives Phase II SBIR Grant to develop vaccine for prevention of P. vivax infections

Protein Potential LLC has received support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the NIH in the form of a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research Grant. The three-year award totaling approximately $3 million will support translational research to develop a vaccine for the prevention of malaria caused by the parasite Plasmodium vivax.

19 Apr 2010

7% of elementary school children infected with T. tonsurans: Pediatrics

Approximately 7 percent of elementary school children across the bi-state, Kansas City metropolitan area are infected with the fungus Trichophyton tonsurans, the leading cause of ringworm in the U.S., according to a new study published today in Pediatrics.

19 Apr 2010

MinuteClinic helps patients take control of allergies with treatment services seven days a week

As trees blossom and shed their pollen and grasses and weeds germinate in yards and fields across America, allergy sufferers are retreating indoors with seemingly no relief in sight. MinuteClinic, the walk-in medical clinic inside select CVS/pharmacy stores, can help patients breathe easier and take control of their allergies this spring with treatment services available seven days a week, including weekday evening hours.

16 Apr 2010

FAAN conference provides new insights about food allergies and anaphylaxis

The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (c) is bringing together parents, physicians, dietitians, caregivers, and others for its 17th Annual Food Allergy Conferences. The second of this year's four conferences will be held in Las Vegas and promises to give attendees new insights and strategies about food allergies and anaphylaxis.

16 Apr 2010

Low levels of vitamin D associated with lower lung function in children with asthma

Low levels of vitamin D are associated with lower lung function and greater medication use in children with asthma, according to researchers at National Jewish Health. In a paper published online this week in the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Daniel Searing, MD, and his colleagues also reported that vitamin D enhances the activity of corticosteroids, the most effective controller medication for asthma.

16 Apr 2010

Bariatric surgery reduces breathing problems, medication costs

Another benefit of rapid weight loss after bariatric surgery is a 50 percent reduction in use of prescription breathing medications, according to a study published this month in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

16 Apr 2010

Spring is busting out all over - and so are eye allergies

Ah, spring. The time of year when trees and flowers bloom sending pollen into the air and causing sneezing, runny noses and watery eyes. The Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America estimates that 1 in 5 individuals are affected by eye allergies.

15 Apr 2010

Study: Atorvastatin may slow down MS progression

A UCSF-led study examining the impact of statins on the progression of multiple sclerosis found a lower incidence of new brain lesions in patients taking the cholesterol-lowering drug in the early stages of the disease as compared to a placebo.

15 Apr 2010

Mylan announces quarterly dividend to preferred stock holders

Mylan Inc. today announced that in accordance with its 2.139 million preferred stock issuance, the company has declared its quarterly dividend of $16.25 per share (based on the annual dividend rate of 6.5% and a liquidation preference of $1,000.00 per share) payable on May 17, 2010, to holders of preferred stock of record as of May 1, 2010.

15 Apr 2010

FDA: Seven MDIs for treating asthma and COPD to be phased out

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced, in accordance with longstanding U.S. obligations under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, seven metered-dose inhalers (MDI) used to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will be gradually removed from the U.S. marketplace. These inhalers contain ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are propellants that move medication out of the inhaler and into the lungs of patients.

15 Apr 2010

Excessive cleanliness can cause allergies

Allergies have become a widespread in developed countries: hay fever, eczema, hives and asthma are all increasingly prevalent. The reason? Excessive cleanliness is to blame according to Dr. Guy Delespesse, a professor at the Universit- de Montr-al Faculty of Medicine.

15 Apr 2010

Drug boosting production of immune system protein worsens TB

An experimental drug that boosts production of the immune system protein interferon worsens tuberculosis (TB) in mice, according to scientists from the National Institutes of Health. The drug acts indirectly by drawing certain immune cells, in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) bacteria thrive, to the lungs. The findings may have potential implications for the care of people infected with TB, the authors note. The research is reported in the May 3 issue of Journal of Clinical Investigation, now available online.

13 Apr 2010

NIAID funds second study of Aeolus Pharmaceuticals' AEOL 10150 as potential countermeasure to GI-ARS

Aeolus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that a second study of its lead drug, AEOL 10150, has been initiated by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Radiation/Nuclear Medical Countermeasures development program as a countermeasure for radiation exposure to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

13 Apr 2010

Spring storms present a worse scenario for asthma and allergy patients

While spring storms get comprehensive coverage during weather casts, a close look at local allergy indexes make the thunder and lightning seem downright puny.

13 Apr 2010

Tips to tide over the spring allergy season

Record snow, heavy early spring rains, followed by a rapid warm up have created the perfect storm for allergy season. But allergists from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology can offer ways to help people find relief.

12 Apr 2010

Persisting red, itchy, watery eyes in children may be signs of serious conditions

When a child develops red, watery eyes, it could be just allergies - or it may be the sign of a more serious eye condition, according to a leading pediatric ophthalmologist.

12 Apr 2010

Asthma-like symptoms in infants and toddlers is often RAD

Your child is wheezing. Your child must have asthma, right? Not always, says Julie Koehler, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice in Butler University's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and clinical pharmacy specialist in family medicine at Clarian Health.

12 Apr 2010

Nationwide Asthma Screening Program to find people at risk

The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology will help adults and children to find out if they are at risk for asthma through its Nationwide Asthma Screening Program. More than 200 screenings will take place across the country this year. Locate one near you on the calendar of screenings available at AllergyAndAsthmaRelief.org.

12 Apr 2010