|
| HOUSEHOLD ACTIVITIES RELEASE A CLOUD OF DUST, INCREASING EXPOSURE TO PARTICULATE POLLUTION |
| Ordinary household activities, from dusting to dancing, can increase your exposure to particulate pollution, according to a new study. Whether you are cutting the rug or just vacuuming it, you may be inhaling tiny dust particles that could be harmful to your health. |
|
| EATING PLANT MAY PROTECT AGAINST ASTHMA |
| Eating genetically modified plants could one day be used to 'immunise' sufferers against asthma, according Australian scientists who have engineered a new type of lupin. |
|
| ECZEMA PATIENTS LACK NATURAL ANTIBIOTIC IN SKIN |
| Researchers at National Jewish Medical and Research Center report in the October 10 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine that patients with atopic dermatitis, also known as eczema, are susceptible to bacterial infections of their skin because they fail to produce effective amounts of two antimicrobial peptides. The findings demonstrate for the first time the clinical significance of these peptides in humans, and suggest that a medication containing or inducing the peptides may one day be used to fight the infections that plague millions of atopic dermatitis patients. The accompanying editorial in the journal called it a "seminal study." |
|
| GREEN TEA MAY FIGHT ALLERGIES |
| Allergy sufferers may want to add green tea to their sniffle-fighting arsenal. New evidence suggests that drinking the popular brew may provide some relief. |
|
| MULTIPLE PETS MAY DECREASE CHILDREN’S ALLERGY RISK |
| Children raised in a house with two or more dogs or cats during the first year of life may be less likely to develop allergic diseases as compared with children raised without pets, according to a study in the August 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). |
|
| MORE WARNINGS AGAINST 'EXCESSIVE CLEANLINESS' |
| An over-hygienic environment during childhood can increase a child's risk of developing asthma and eczema, say UK researchers. |
|
| IS THERE A LINK BETWEEN ALCOHOL AND ALLERGIES? |
| Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is a molecule involved in allergic diseases. Atopy - the genetic predisposition to develop IgE antibodies against some antigens in the environment - affects as much as 30 percent of the population, and is believed to be increasing in frequency. In addition to the influence of genetics and allergen exposure, serum IgE levels can also be increased by a number of factors that include parasitic and other infections, neoplasms (abnormal tissue growth) and exposure to certain environmental factors. A study in the January issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research investigates if alcohol may be one such environmental factor. |
|
| BEST TO BE BORN LAST |
| Hormonal changes in women over successive pregnancies could partly explain why firstborns are more likely to develop allergies than their younger brothers and sisters. |
|
