Allergies News and Research

Latest Allergies News and Research

New target for control of early-stage asthma

A new target for control of early-stage asthma has been identified by McGill University professor Qutayba Hamid, working as part of a team whose landmark study appears in the latest issue of the journal Science.

14 Jun 2004

EU plan to reduce diseases caused by a polluted environment

The European Commission has launched an action plan to reduce diseases caused by a polluted environment. The plan would develop an EU system integrating information on the state of the environment, the ecosystem and human health.

11 Jun 2004

WHO welcomes G8 endorsement of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today welcomed the G8's endorsement of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, a virtual consortium proposed by an international group of scientists that is being established to accelerate HIV vaccine development.

11 Jun 2004

U.S.$2.8 to study a virus associated with respiratory infections

The Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases (CEID), based in the University of Iowa College of Public Health, has been awarded a five-year, $2.8 million grant by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study a virus associated with respiratory infections.

11 Jun 2004

Remicade shows improvement in both the arthritis and psoriasis associated with psoriatic arthritis

In this trial, REMICADE provided a 70 percent improvement (as measured by ACR 70) in symptoms of arthritis in nearly one-third of patients, compared with only 2 percent of patients on placebo at 24 weeks.

10 Jun 2004

Study shows 82 percent of U.S. homes have mouse allergens

NIEHS researchers analyzed dust samples, asked questions, and examined homes in the first National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing, a survey of 831 homes. Allergen levels were studied and related to demographic factors and household characteristics.

9 Jun 2004

Discovery may help those susceptible to deep-vein thrombosis, strokes and recurrent miscarriages

Australian researchers at University of New South Wales have identified a mechanism than can cause blood clots - a discovery with implications for those susceptible to deep-vein thrombosis, strokes and recurrent miscarriages.

7 Jun 2004

Summer advice for allergy and asthma sufferers

Summer's arrival means getting outside for some fun in the sun. Whether hiking, camping or gardening, allergy and asthma sufferers can manage symptoms by taking the proper precautions, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).

5 Jun 2004

Genes that allow nerve cells to communicate may have come from bacteria eons ago

Some of the genes that allow nerve cells and some other types of cells to send elaborate chemical messages to each other appear to have been transferred to animals or their immediate ancestors from bacteria eons ago.

2 Jun 2004

Microbes in your gut could be cause of allergies

Allergies making your life miserable? Tired of popping antihistamines like candy? Can't go anywhere without your inhaler? The real problem may not be your stuffed-up head. It could be the microbes in your gut.

1 Jun 2004

Double-punch approach to vaccine design more effective

A study revealing new information about how viral proteins move between cells and alert the immune system suggests that a double-punch approach to vaccine design would make them more effective.

1 Jun 2004

Where you live may increase risk factors for asthma

Along with the usual risk factors for asthma such as smoking and poverty, researchers have added another factor that may contribute: a neighborhood where people live in fear.

1 Jun 2004

Bird flu vaccine

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded two contracts to support the production and clinical testing of an investigational vaccine based on a strain of avian influenza, H5N1, which might have the potential to cause pandemic influenza.

27 May 2004

Blueprint for rational design of vaccines that induce desired T-cell responses

Investigators from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have conducted studies in mice to gain a new picture of how the immune system’s “killer” T cells are prompted to destroy infected cells. Their insights provide a blueprint for rational design of vaccines that induce desired T-cell responses.

27 May 2004

Antibiotics could be the cause of many allergies

27 May 2004

Research tests the efficacy of a smallpox vaccine candidate known as LC16m8

When used as an aerosolized weapon, smallpox could be controlled by a new vaccine under study at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, according to new data.

27 May 2004

$3.5 million grant to develop AIDS vaccinations

Researchers at the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute (VGTI) and the Oregon National Primate Research Center at Oregon Health & Science University have received a $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop new methods for vaccinating humans against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS.

25 May 2004

Toxoplasma gondii discovery may help fight against malaria

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scientists have discovered a protein in the cell wall of parasites that’s crucial to the molecular mechanism allowing them to move between cells, survive and cause disease.

25 May 2004

Food colourings and preservatives make kids hyperactive

Artificial food colourings and preservatives have a "significant" impact on hyperactivity levels in very young children, finds research in Archives of Disease in Childhood.

25 May 2004

Weekly cycles of once-daily anti-HIV drugs could reduce cost of HIV treatment

In a small study conducted at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers have shown that it may be feasible to treat HIV-infected patients with a simple, once-daily regimen of anti-HIV drugs given in pre-planned, 7-day-on, 7-day-off cycles.

24 May 2004