http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. State and local health departments face significant barriers and usually do not get involved when confronted with public health concerns resulting from food animal production sites, according to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-health-departments-hindered-animal-production.html Health Mon, 04 Feb 2013 09:56:35 EST news279194178 The workplace may be responsible for around one in six cases of adult asthma among the British baby boomer generation - those born in the late 1950s - reveals research published online in the respiratory journal Thorax. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-workplace-link-cases-adult-asthma.html Health Mon, 21 Jan 2013 18:30:02 EST news278007604 In an effort to protect the environment and save on energy costs, we are in the midst of a "green" home boom in this country. Between remodeling older houses and building new ones, it's estimated that millions of American homes will get a lot greener in the next decade.  While that may bode well from an energy-efficiency standpoint, the trend certainly doesn't have everyone breathing easier. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-energy-efficient-homes-air-pollution-indoors.html Health Wed, 16 Jan 2013 09:31:02 EST news277550991 (Medical Xpress)—The holidays can be a stressful time for parents of the six million children in the United States with food allergies.  With so many parties and gifts involving food, parents may worry that their children will come into contact with the very allergens they are so vigilant about avoiding year round.   http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-kids-food-allergies.html Immunology Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:00:02 EST news275845857 Avoiding sweet treats like pumpkin bread and cookies this holiday season might not be necessary for children with egg allergies. New studies presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting found 56 percent of allergic children can tolerate baked hen's egg, while 55 percent outgrow their egg allergy entirely. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-egg-day-allergies.html Immunology Fri, 09 Nov 2012 03:40:02 EST news271654101 The Blackberry vs. iPhone battle has been ongoing since Apple's 2007 phone debut, with no end in sight. That is until today. According to a study being presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), there is a clear winner when it comes to your health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-blackberry-iphonethere-winner-health.html Health Fri, 09 Nov 2012 03:27:51 EST news271654040 Nearly 24 million people in this country suffer from asthma. For most of them, avoiding allergens and taking medications help keep their asthma under control. But for a small group with severe persistent asthma, frequent hospital visits tend to be the norm and taking medications and lifestyle changes don't do the trick. Northwestern Memorial Hospital is now using a new procedure called bronchial thermoplasty (BT), the first non-drug therapy approved by the Federal Drug Administration, for patients with severe asthma. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-procedure-patients-severe-asthma-easier.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:40:02 EST news270824514 New treatments are offering the prospect of eating without fear for the 15 million people in the United States with food allergies, according to the cover story in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News. C&EN is the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-treatments-allergic-people-safely-eggs.html Health Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:24:15 EST news270303709 A bacterial protein in common house dust may worsen allergic responses to indoor allergens, according to research conducted by the National Institutes of Health and Duke University. The finding is the first to document the presence of the protein flagellin in house dust, bolstering the link between allergic asthma and the environment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-bacterial-protein-house-spurs-asthma.html Inflammatory disorders Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:11:47 EST news269525500 It's the time of year seasonal allergy sufferers anticipate relief with the first frost, ridding them of the ragweed currently plaguing their nostrils. Allergy season is almost over. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-medical-minute-fall-winter-allergy.html Immunology Thu, 11 Oct 2012 06:56:24 EST news269157373 (HealthDay)—Actress Julie Bowen, awarded her second Emmy Sunday for her role in the hit TV comedy "Modern Family," starts a more serious role today: raising awareness about life-threatening childhood allergies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-son-real-life-drama-comedy-queen.html Immunology Wed, 26 Sep 2012 14:10:01 EST news267886570 (Medical Xpress) -- New research adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that there's a link between allergies and reduced risk of a serious type of cancer that starts in the brain. This study suggests the reduced risk is stronger among women than men, although men with certain allergy profiles also have a lower tumor risk. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-people-allergies-brain-tumors.html Cancer Fri, 03 Aug 2012 11:11:41 EST news263211092 (HealthDay) -- Concentrations of several fragrance allergens applied to test chambers well in advance of patient testing may be reduced by 20 percent or more within hours when stored at room temperature, according to a study published online July 14 in the British Journal of Dermatology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-stability-fragrance-patch.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 26 Jul 2012 18:40:01 EST news262543161 Prenatal exposure to a ubiquitous household chemical called butylbenzyl phthalate (BBzP) can increase a child's risk for developing eczema, according to research conducted at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health at the Mailman School of Public Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-prenatal-exposure-common-household-chemical.html Health Tue, 26 Jun 2012 02:40:01 EST news259894876 Sunflowers may hold the solution to a problem which gets under the skin of millions of Australians every year. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-power-itchy-problem.html Medical research Mon, 25 Jun 2012 05:36:25 EST news259821373 A six-food elimination diet significantly improves symptoms in adult patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. In EoE, eosinophils and other inflammatory cells cause inflammation of the esophagus in response to an allergic stimulus. Previously thought to be a rare disease, EoE has become one of the most common causes for dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), heartburn and the sensation of "food stuck in the throat" in adults. Similar to children, this study has now shown that food allergens have a causative role in the majority of adults with EoE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-food-diet-difficulty-swallowing-throat.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 20 Jun 2012 11:40:47 EST news259411242 New research presented at the ATS 2012 International Conference in San Francisco suggests that a significant proportion of children with asthma failing Step 4 or greater therapy may have severe asthma with fungal sensitization (SAFS). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-children-asthma-therapy-severe-fungal.html Immunology Tue, 22 May 2012 09:59:04 EST news256899540 (HealthDay) -- It can be difficult during the spring months for parents to determine whether their children have a cold or seasonal allergies, but an expert outlines how to tell the difference. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-child-seasonal-allergies-cold.html Health Tue, 15 May 2012 05:20:01 EST news256276048 For around one in 100 Australians who have food allergy, simply ingesting a small amount of pasta containing shellfish can be life-threatening. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-solution-life-threatening-allergy.html Immunology Fri, 11 May 2012 07:35:05 EST news255940499 Adults and children in a recent study could correctly identify, on average, fewer than half of an assortment of the peanuts and tree nuts that are among the most common food allergens in the United States. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-peanut-tree-nut-allergies-arent.html Immunology Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:56:08 EST news251027754 A study conducted by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) has found that diesel exhaust particulates (DEP) and house dust extract (HDE) causes pulmonary inflammation that aggravates asthma. The study led by principle investigator Jiyoun Kim, PhD, professor of pathology, was published in the December issue of The American Journal of Pathology and was selected by the editorial board as the only article for an in-depth discussion in the journal's commentary section. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-link-pulmonary-inflammation-diesel-exhaust.html Health Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:33:19 EST news243084794 A simple device that filters out airborne asthma triggers during sleep can ease persistent symptoms of the condition during the day and improve quality of life, suggests research published online in Thorax. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-simple-night-airflow-device-eases.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 24 Nov 2011 04:10:44 EST news241330170 Children who started eating fish before nine months of age are less likely to suffer from pre-school wheeze, but face a higher risk if they were treated with broad spectrum antibiotics in the first week of life or their mother took paracetamol during pregnancy. Those are the key findings from a large-scale Swedish study published in the December issue of Acta Paediatrica. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-babies-fish-months-pre-school-wheeze.html Health Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:55:11 EST news241181703 A study published online Oct. 18 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute provides some new but qualified support for the idea that the immune system's response to allergies may reduce the risk of developing deadly brain tumors. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-evidence-allergies-brain-tumors.html Cancer Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:22:04 EST news238173654 The largest worldwide study on the association between breastfeeding, time of weaning and eczema in children has concluded that there is no clear evidence that exclusive breastfeeding for four months or longer protects against childhood eczema. The study, led by scientists at King's College London, and published online in the British Journal of Dermatology (BJD), concludes that children who were exclusively breastfed for four months or longer were as likely to develop eczema as children who were weaned earlier. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-prolonged-breastfeeding-eczema-global.html Health Wed, 24 Aug 2011 03:52:12 EST news233376712 New research led by scientists from Imperial College London explains why around half of people with asthma experience a 'late phase' of symptoms several hours after exposure to allergens. The findings, published in the journal Thorax, could lead to better treatments for the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-late-phase-asthma.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Sat, 13 Aug 2011 05:00:30 EST news232430269 Contact allergies (reactions caused by direct contact with substances like common metals and chemicals) may help prime the immune system to ward off certain types of cancer, suggests research published today in the online only title BMJ Open. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-contact-allergies-trigger-immune-defences.html Cancer Tue, 12 Jul 2011 02:51:25 EST news229657873 The signs of atopy may be present long before symptoms begin, even in month-old babies, according to a new research study from Denmark. The study found that the level of urinary eosinophil protein-X (u-EPX), a marker of inflammatory cells, in newborn babies was linked to higher risk of allergic sensitization, nasal eosinophilia and eczema at six years. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-early-biomarker-future-atopy-asymptomatic.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:53:46 EST news229168400 In New York City, the prevalence of asthma among children entering school varies by neighborhood anywhere from 3% to 19%, and children growing up within walking distance of each other can have 2-3 fold differences in risk for having asthma. In the first comprehensive effort to understand what drives these localized differences, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health compared the household presence of cockroach, mouse, cat, dust mite and other allergens in neighborhoods with a high prevalence of asthma to that in low-prevalence neighborhoods. They found that cockroach, mouse and cat allergens were significantly higher in homes located in neighborhoods where asthma is more common and that children in these higher-exposure homes were more likely to be sensitized to cockroach antigens. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-cockroach-allergens-homes-prevalence-childhood.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 17 May 2011 15:06:40 EST news224863584