Feature Channels: Allergies

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More than 30 million people in the United States wrongly believe they are allergic to penicillin.

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About 41.1 million children in the United States trick-or-treat on Halloween night. Bruce Ruck, managing director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School’s Department of Emergency Medicine, offers advice to avoid the risks of poisoning and allergic reactions.

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In a finding that could help lead to new therapies for immune diseases like multiple sclerosis and IBD, scientists report in the Journal of Experimental Medicine identifying a gene and family of proteins critical to the formation of mature and fully functioning T cells in the immune system.

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A dual-acting osteoporosis drug. Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery. New treatment for peanut allergies. These are some of the innovations that will enhance healing and change healthcare in the coming year, according to a distinguished panel of doctors and researchers.

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A study in humans and mice demonstrated that a fetus has its own microbiome, or communities of bacteria living in the gut, which are known to play important roles in the immune system and metabolism. Researchers also confirmed that the fetal microbiome is transmitted from the mother. These findings open the door to potential interventions during pregnancy to stimulate the fetal microbiome when a premature birth is expected, to help the baby grow faster and be better equipped to tolerate early life infection risk. The study was published in the journal JCI Insight.

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Research shows reintroducing soy into a child’s diet first was a promising treatment strategy for children who have both celiac disease and an associated allergic inflammatory disorder called eosinophilic esophagitis.

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In a study using non-invasive tape strips in young children with eczema (or atopic dermatitis), researchers found many molecular signs of immune dysfunction and skin changes that relate to disease activity. These signs (or biomarkers) were present even before eczema was visible and can be used to track disease activity over time. With more research, these biomarkers also may help predict response to medicine and development of conditions associated with eczema, such as asthma, other allergies, infections and even attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Findings were published in JAMA Dermatology.

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New research shows that the more a baby weighs at birth relative to its gestational age the higher the risk they will suffer from childhood food allergy or eczema, although not hay fever.

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Peanuts in candy bars aren’t the only hidden allergens kids with allergies and asthma need to watch for to stay alert to Halloween frights.

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Perhaps you think of allergies as being most bothersome—and most likely to occur—during the spring and summer months, when pollens and molds are seemingly everywhere.

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Allergies and other environmental factors can make asthma harder to manage when the season changes to fall.

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Heather Pua, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, has received a 2019 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s New Innovator Award. The award, part of the High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program, is designed to support “unusually innovative research from early career investigators,” according to the NIH.

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As the fall months approach, the potential for seasonal allergies, runny noses and sinus infections increases.

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A look at ideas that are addressing major food-related problems: A potential breakthrough on peanut allergies.

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A new article in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology shows an association between African American parents/guardians who have experienced the chronic stress associated with exposure to racism and poor asthma control in their young children.

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Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) trial participants tolerated substantially more peanut protein than is common through accidental exposure. UNC School of Medicine researchers say SLIT (a tiny bit of liquid under the tongue) provides a good cushion of protection and a strong safety signal.

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While symptoms for each allergy season may be similar, the treatment can look very different, particularly if immunotherapy is an option.

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Food allergies represent an increasingly significant health issue around the world. Over 160 foods are known to cause allergic reactions in humans.

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A study by UAlbany’s School of Public Health and international colleagues found that home renovations, particularly with vinyl flooring, cause impaired lung function during childhood

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Scientists have known that bacteria in the gut, along with environmental and genetic factors, contribute to the debilitating intestinal ailment of Crohn’s disease (CD). But in 2016, Mahmoud A Ghannoum, PhD, FAAM, FIDSA, professor and director of the Center for Medical Mycology at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, was the first to identify a specific fungus in humans that interacted with bacteria in the development of the disease. Now, to learn precisely how that fungus interacts with bacteria to trigger CD, Ghannoum has received a five-year, $3M grant from the National Institutes of Health. His investigation will involve innovative molecular and cellular technologies, to delete specific genes in the fungus and note the effects on the inflammation that is a marker for CD using powerful microscopic analysis.

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When school starts in the fall, classrooms are often filled with allergic triggers kids don’t face at home, causing parents to see a return of allergy and asthma symptoms they haven’t seen since school let out for the summer.

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Despite the shortage of EpiPens over the last year, other autoinjectors are available in pharmacies and should be considered by anyone who has a severe allergy that might result in anaphylaxis.

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Spending time outdoors may seem as sweet as honey, but a UAB pediatrician says sting allergies can bee a real buzzkill if you are not careful.

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Mount Sinai researchers’ review of asthma classification efforts highlights the importance of multidimensional data for stratifying a complex disease

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New research from UAB provides evidence, for the first time, to continue using the criteria set by major respiratory societies for the diagnosis of airflow obstruction and COPD.

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If red, white and blue equals hives, tissues and shortness of breath due to asthma, your Fourth of July celebration isn’t headed in the right direction.

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A new study from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia finds that a skin patch may be useful in treating children with a painful, chronic condition called eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), triggered by milk.

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The re-introduction of measles, mumps and other previously eradicated diseases to the United States is nothing short of a public health crisis

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Spring cleaning is a great way to give your home a fresh start and give yourself a sense of accomplishment. But it can be hazardous to your health if you don’t take the proper precautions, especially if you have asthma or other chronic lung conditions.

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Feeling as though there are too many things to think about as you plan your transition from high school senior to college freshman?

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Many kids with asthma don’t know how to properly use their inhaler. A new study finds that both kids and parents have misplaced confidence in their inhaler technique.

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Studies have linked psoriasis and higher weight, but the causal relationship between the two has been unclear. What triggers what?

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Scientists have uncovered fresh insights into how vitamin D affects the immune system and might influence susceptibility to diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

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In the first study to evaluate inhaler technique in children hospitalized for asthma – the group at highest risk for complications and death from asthma – researchers found that nearly half of participants demonstrated improper inhaler use, which means they routinely were not taking in the full dose of medication. Adolescents most commonly displayed critical errors in inhaler technique. They also often skipped using a spacer, which is a device that is recommended for use with an inhaler to help the right amount of asthma medication reach the lungs. Findings were published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.

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May is Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month – the perfect time to bust some asthma myths that have been around for many years.

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As part of the Upstate Kids study, University at Albany professor Erin Bell and her team have found a link between cesarean delivery and the likelihood that the child will develop asthma and food allergies.

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Treatment with a choline kinase inhibitor prompts immune cells to clear away damaged mitochondria, thus reducing NLRP3 inflammasome activation and preventing inflammation.

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New study uses single-cell RNA sequencing technology to find a target for treating EoE. Findings also raise questions about the dietary supplement butyrate.

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Researchers at the University of Notre Dame have effectively prevented the binding of peanut allergens with IgE to suppress the allergic reaction to peanuts using a first-in-class design of allergen-specific inhibitors.

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Five facts about allergies to vaccines, pulled together by two McMaster University physicians.

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A new study shows most American allergists now prescribe under-the-tongue allergy tablets for patients to treat certain allergies.

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Dietary intake of two fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6, may have opposite effects on the severity of asthma in children and may also play opposite roles in modifying their response to indoor air pollution, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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A single allergic reaction during pregnancy prompts sexual-development changes in the brains of offspring that last a lifetime, new research suggests. Female rats born to mothers exposed to an allergen during pregnancy acted more characteristically “male” – mounting other female rodents, for instance – and had brains and nervous systems that looked more like those seen in typical male animals.

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After one year of wearing a peanut patch as immunotherapy for their peanut allergy, 35 percent of participating children (aged 4 to 11 years) were able to tolerate a significantly higher dose of peanuts before experiencing an allergic reaction, according to results from an international Phase 3 randomized clinical trial published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

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A new study shows urban children with poorly controlled asthma, particularly those who are ethnic minorities, suffer academically. Kids who are kept home due to asthma symptoms often aren’t able to do as well in the classroom.

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Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and colleagues have identified a gene that increases the risk for a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction to the commonly prescribed antibiotic vancomycin. Routine testing for this gene could improve patient safety and reduce unnecessary avoidance of other antibiotics, they reported in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.