http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. A novel approach to obstructing the runaway inflammatory response implicated in some types of asthma has shown promise in a Phase IIa clinical trial, according to U. S. researchers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-monoclonal-antibody-effective-safe-asthma.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 21 May 2013 09:24:57 EST news288347089 (Medical Xpress)—Scientists at King's College London have discovered that Vitamin D has the potential to significantly reduce the symptoms of asthma. The study, led by Professor Catherine Hawrylowicz from the MRC & Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma at King's, was published today in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and highlights Vitamin D as a possible new treatment for the condition. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-vitamin-d-effective-treatments-asthma.html Immunology Mon, 20 May 2013 07:40:01 EST news288253463 Chidren with asthma in India are being prevented from receiving effective treatment by a range of widely-held myths and misconceptions, says a University of Sydney study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-asthma-children-stigmatised-india.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 14 May 2013 06:47:35 EST news287732844 Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who also have allergic disease have higher levels of respiratory symptoms and are at higher risk for COPD exacerbations, according to a new study from researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-allergic-disease-worsens-respiratory-symptoms.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 10 May 2013 00:00:02 EST news287338973 The American Thoracic Society has released new official clinical practice guidelines on the diagnosis and management of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), the acute airway narrowing that occurs as a result of exercise. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-ats-publishes-clinical-guidelines-exercise-induced.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:05 EST news286563889 (Medical Xpress)—Simply sending children with asthma a text message each day asking about their symptoms and providing knowledge about their condition can lead to improved health outcomes. In a study by the Georgia Institute of Technology, pediatric patients who were asked questions about their symptoms and provided information about asthma via SMS text messages showed improved pulmonary function and a better understanding of their condition within four months, compared to other groups. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-text-message-day-asthma.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:27:05 EST news286550816 For medicines intended for chronic use, the number of patients studied before regulatory approval is insufficient to properly evaluate safety and long-term efficacy, requiring the need for new legislation, according to a study by European researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-drugs-insufficient-patients-safety.html Medications Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:00:05 EST news282927624 (HealthDay)—Maintenance and reliever therapy with a single inhaled corticosteroid plus a rapid-onset, long-acting, β2 agonist (formoterol) seems beneficial for patients with asthma, according to two studies published in the March issue of The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-combo-inhaler-standard-rx-asthma.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:34:25 EST news281727258 Hundreds of tiny fungal particles found in the lungs of asthma sufferers could offer new clues in the development of new treatments, according to a team of Cardiff University scientists. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-fungi-clues-asthma.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:20:01 EST news280498031 (HealthDay)—Chronic heartburn is a major cause of asthma in adults, a new study suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-chronic-heartburn-spur-asthma-patients.html Surgery Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:57:24 EST news278355427 The troubled history of asthma drugs known as long-acting beta-agonists goes back to the 1990s when a large clinical trial in Great Britain of the GlaxoSmithKline drug Serevent produced disturbing results. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-1990s-trial-gave-early-danger.html Medications Sun, 25 Nov 2012 19:00:02 EST news273086605 With today's modern medicine, misdiagnoses may be unexpected and surprising. But when symptoms of an unknown and uncommon illness mimic a number of other conditions, it can be difficult for medical professionals to properly diagnose and treat patients. That's why four leading allergy/immunology organizations have announced the release of a report to help set a new standard for a commonly misdiagnosed, under-recognized and under treated condition known as angioedema, the rapid swelling of deep layers of skin and tissue. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-aims-medical-misdiagnoses-treatment.html Immunology Fri, 09 Nov 2012 03:40:01 EST news271654300 Children exposed to diethyl phthalate (DEP) and butylbenzyl phthalate (BBzP)—phthalate chemicals commonly found in personal care and plastic products—have elevated risk of asthma-related airway inflammation, according to researchers at Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at the Mailman School of Public Health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-children-exposed-phthalates-elevated-asthma-related.html Immunology Wed, 05 Sep 2012 12:40:38 EST news266067630 New research has shown that despite electronic cigarettes being marketed as a potentially safer alternative to normal cigarettes, they are still causing harm to the lungs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-experts-e-cigarettes-lungs.html Health Sun, 02 Sep 2012 13:52:35 EST news265812749 Asthma patients could be at a higher risk of worsening symptoms due to problems with their balance, according to new research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-asthma-symptoms-aggravated-imbalance-problems.html Immunology Sun, 02 Sep 2012 04:19:01 EST news265778324 Details of a treatment that could help asthmatics fight infections that trigger 80% of asthma attacks, developed by University of Southampton spin-out company Synairgen, will be presented to European respiratory experts on Sunday 2 September. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-breathable-treatment-asthma.html Immunology Fri, 31 Aug 2012 11:07:05 EST news265630016 (HealthDay)—It's OK for some patients with asthma to stick with a combination of medications instead of abandoning one because of concerns about complications, a new analysis of existing research suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-controversial-asthma-drugs-downside.html Immunology Mon, 27 Aug 2012 18:10:01 EST news265304000 The largest study of patients with severe asthma to date, published in the Lancet special issue on respiratory medicine, shows that those treated with the monoclonal antibody mepolizumab experienced an almost 50 percent reduction in severe exacerbations, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations compared with patients given placebo. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-mepolizumab-halves-exacerbations-patients-severe.html Immunology Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:30:01 EST news264345938 Inhalers count puffs. Peak-flow meters are read digitally. Nebulizers have shrunk to half their old size. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-technology-asthma.html Immunology Fri, 03 Aug 2012 13:30:02 EST news263218051 (Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have identified a subset of severe asthma that improves with drug regimens that suppress the immune system. In the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, they dubbed the condition “asthmatic granulomatosis” after the characteristic small areas of focal inflammation that can be found in the lungs of those who have it. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-team-severe-asthma-drugs-suppress.html Immunology Thu, 19 Jul 2012 08:59:12 EST news261907144 (HealthDay) -- Compared with lean patients, obese patients with asthma have higher neutrophil counts and a reduced response to corticosteroid treatment, according to a study published online June 12 in Allergy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-obese-asthma-patients-treatment-response.html Overweight and Obesity Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:10:01 EST news259853979 May is asthma awareness month, and with summer right around the corner, a study shows that doctors may be closer to understanding why patients with mild asthma have such difficulty breathing during hot, humid weather. The study, appearing in the June print issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, found that patients who inhaled an asthma drug before breathing in hot, humid air were able to prevent airway constriction that volunteers without asthma did not experience in the same environment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-hot-humid-air-triggers-symptoms.html Immunology Wed, 06 Jun 2012 15:42:06 EST news258216012 Use of inhaled anticholinergics (IACs) has been associated with an increased risk of potentially dangerous heart arrhythmias among young asthma patients, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The medications are commonly used to help control asthma flare-ups, and recent studies have shown that they may be an effective treatment option for routine asthma management. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-asthma-medication-linked-arrhythmias-children.html Immunology Tue, 22 May 2012 14:00:04 EST news256904640 Common respiratory measurements are not effective in determining which asthma patients are able to significantly decrease their use of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) medications without risk of flare-ups or exacerbations, according to a new study conducted by researchers in the United Kingdom. The study also showed that nearly three-quarters of asthma patients can safely decrease, or step-down, their use of ICS medications once their symptoms are under control. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-asthma-patients-tolerate-doses-steroids.html Immunology Tue, 22 May 2012 10:40:01 EST news256899993 (Medical Xpress) -- Researchers from King’s College London have uncovered a new mechanism of action for a group of asthma drugs already on the market, which could enable more effective treatment for patients with a particular type of allergic asthma – between 30 to 50 per cent of sufferers.    http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-asthma-drug-discovery.html Immunology Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:06 EST news256895160 Higher mortality rates among older adult asthma patients compared to their younger counterparts may be due, at least in part, to an increase in airway inflammation, according to a study conducted by researchers in Canada, who note that their results imply that elderly patients are either less likely to follow asthma medication dosing instructions, or that the underlying airway inflammation in elderly patients is relatively resistant to current anti-inflammatory therapies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-inflammation-higher-mortality-older-asthma.html Immunology Mon, 21 May 2012 14:00:04 EST news256823562 A number of specific risk factors are associated with an exacerbation-prone phenotype of severe asthma, according to a new study from researchers in Sweden. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-factors-exacerbation-prone-asthma-phenotype.html Immunology Sun, 20 May 2012 15:29:59 EST news256746581 A review of 30 years of life-threatening asthma cases in a San Antonio intensive care unit found that annual ICU admissions for the condition have dropped 74 percent. The study, by UT Medicine San Antonio physicians who reviewed cases at University Hospital between 1980 and 2010, also showed intubation in the emergency department to help patients breathe did not result in longer hospital stays. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-icu-worst-asthma-percent.html Inflammatory disorders Thu, 10 May 2012 13:26:31 EST news255875184 Text message prompts can help patients living with long term conditions stick to their treatment programmes - at least in the short term - indicates a review of the available evidence, published online in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-text-messages-patients-term-conditions.html Health Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:49:29 EST news254663355 Scientists from the University of Southampton and Synairgen, a respiratory drug development company spun out from the University, can announce positive data from its Phase II clinical trial, into the effectiveness of the drug SNG001 (inhaled interferon beta) for asthma patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-positive-results-trial-asthma-treatment.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:40:01 EST news254049792