plus 4 more, “Health Experts Say Asthma Sufferers At High Risk For Future H1N1 ... - Pittsburgh Channel”

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• Health Experts Say Asthma Sufferers At High Risk For Future H1N1 ... - Pittsburgh Channel
• Hospital disinfectants raise nurses' asthma risk - Vancouver Sun
• i have allergic rhinitis and asthma - HealthCentral.com
• Severe H1N1 cases and asthma are linked - Boston Globe
• Kathleen MacNaughton - HealthCentral.com

Health Experts Say Asthma Sufferers At High Risk For Future H1N1 ... - Pittsburgh Channel Posted: 30 Dec 2009 05:53 PM PST All Asthma Patients Recommended For Vaccine POSTED: 8:56 pm EST December 30, 2009 UPDATED: 9:18 pm EST December 30, 2009 PITTSBURGH -- Health experts predicted another round of H1N1 flu virus cases could hit next year and that people who suffer from asthma are at especially high risk, Channel 4 Action News' Sally Wiggin reported Wednesday. This was demonstrated in a study last spring of H1N1 flu patients admitted to Massachusetts hospitals, Wiggin said. The study looked at people who also had other chronic medical conditions and almost a third of those people had asthma. Local allergy and asthma expert, Dr. Deborah Gentile, told Wiggin flu strains are a danger asthma sufferers face every year. "Unfortunately, patients with asthma are always at risk for side effects of complications when they get the flu, including H1N1," Gentile said. The H1N1 flu can trigger an asthma attack, breathing problems, pneumonia, and severe breathing difficulties that require a ventilator, Wiggin reported. Gentile said she saw dozens of patients like this during the most recent H1N1 epidemic. Many of whom, luckily, did not have to be admitted for hospital stays. "We actually give our patients treatment plans," Gentile said. "So if they start to get sick they know how to monitor their illness, exactly what steps to take to control their exacerbation, and when to contact us." Patients were advised to watch for H1N1 symptoms similar to other flues, like cough, fever, muscle aches, respiratory problems, and, in the case of the H1N1 flu, even nausea, Gentile told Wiggin. "We would consider treating them with Tamiflu and consider if they needed an increase in their asthma medications," Gentile said. It was reported that children with asthma are at even higher risk for complications due to H1N1 flu than adults, Wiggin said. Gentile also recommended that all asthma sufferers get the H1N1 vaccine, regardless of age. "Go get one right now. There is no shortage at this point," Gentile said. "Check with your pediatrician, your general practitioner, call the county health departments where you live. Find out where [the vaccines] are available. [The H1N1 flu] will come back." Asthma sufferers were also advised to get seasonal flu shots, Wiggin reported. Studies indicated seasonal flu can be just as dangerous for asthma patients as the H1N1 flu strain. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Hospital disinfectants raise nurses' asthma risk - Vancouver Sun Posted: 31 Dec 2009 03:40 AM PST NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Nursing professionals exposed to general hospital cleaning products and medical instrument disinfectants at work are at increased risk of developing asthma, results of a new study indicate. "I think it's time that hospitals start exploring substituting products containing chemicals known to be respiratory irritants/sensitizers with products that may pose less health risk, just like what they did with substituting powdered latex gloves with powder free/vinyl gloves," Dr. Ahmed A. Arif of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte told Reuters Health. "It is important to recognize," Arif added, "that ours is not the only study, although it is one of the larger studies, that has shown association between exposure to cleaning-related chemicals and asthma in nurses." Arif and colleagues surveyed a representative sample of 3650 health care professionals working in Texas, including 941 nurses. After adjusting for a number of factors that might influence the results, such as age, smoking, body weight, and seniority, nurses who reported regularly cleaning medical instruments were 67 percent more likely to report a diagnosis of asthma since starting their job, the investigators report in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Nurses who were regularly exposed to general cleaning chemicals and disinfectants were 72 percent more likely to say they had been newly-diagnosed with asthma and 57 percent more likely to report asthma-like symptoms. Somewhat surprisingly, according to the researchers, nurses working with solvents and glues used in patient care activities were also 51 percent more likely to say they had symptoms akin to asthma. This finding was "less expected," Arif admitted, "and we need more studies to further evaluate the significance of this finding." SOURCE: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, February 2009. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

i have allergic rhinitis and asthma - HealthCentral.com Posted: 31 Dec 2009 01:24 AM PST If medication is not working, it's probably time to take a look at your environment. I suspect you're coming into contact with your triggers regularly. Do you know what your allergy triggers are? Do you know how to avoid them?   There is lots of information here on the site to help with triggers. You can also find information at the MyAsthmaCentral website.   But your best bet is to discuss how you are feeling with your doctor, and if it makes sense, to consult with an allergy specialist. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Severe H1N1 cases and asthma are linked - Boston Globe Posted: 30 Dec 2009 11:43 PM PST In some patients, he said, the rattling cough and basso wheezing that herald an asthma attack are scarcely evident for much of the year. That changes with winter's arrival. "There are many kids who are perfectly fine,'' Kruskal said, "but then they get a cold or the flu, and they have a big asthma attack.'' Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Kathleen MacNaughton - HealthCentral.com Posted: 31 Dec 2009 12:48 AM PST Health Interests Asthma,  allergy,  health care education for consumers Drugs I am Taking Allegra About Me Kathleen MacNaughton, RN, is a licensed registered nurse and consumer health writer with more than 30 years of experience in caring for people with health problems and teaching them how to live healthier lives. Kathleen specializes in creating readable health education content. She also has worked as a registered nurse, in the hospital, in home health care, and in health care administration. Kathleen created hundreds of pages on the Web about asthma and allergies, as well as other chronic diseases. In addition, she has successfully dealt with asthma and allergies herself for her entire life. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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plus 3 more, “C-section may raise kids' asthma risk: Study - Vancouver Sun”

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• C-section may raise kids' asthma risk: Study - Vancouver Sun
• Study: Less Education, More Asthma Symptoms - Ivanhoe
• Severe H1N1 cases and asthma are linked - Boston Globe
• Air Pollution May Lessen Asthma Inhaler Benefits - ABC News

C-section may raise kids' asthma risk: Study - Vancouver Sun Posted: 29 Dec 2009 10:19 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children born by caesarean delivery are at increased risk for developing asthma, particularly if their parents have allergies, according to a report published this month. C-section has been thought to be a risk factor for asthma, although the relationship is controversial, Dr. H. A. Smit, from the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in Bilthoven, the Netherlands, and colleagues note in the report. Smit's team analyzed data from 2917 children to assess the association between caesarean delivery and asthma or allergies at 8 years of age. Overall, 362, or 12.4 percent, of the children developed asthma at age 8, the researchers report, and 8.5 percent had been delivered by c-section. Overall, children delivered by c-section were 79 percent more likely to develop asthma than children born vaginally, the investigators found. The association between c-section and asthma was even stronger for children born to one or two allergic parents than for children born to parents without allergies. "Our results emphasize the importance of gene-environment interactions on the development of asthma in children," Smit and colleagues conclude. "The increased rate of caesarean section is partly due to maternal demand without medical reason. In this situation, the mother should be informed of the risk of asthma for her child, especially when the parents have a history of allergy or asthma," they wrote. SOURCE: Thorax, February 2009. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Study: Less Education, More Asthma Symptoms - Ivanhoe Posted: 29 Dec 2009 08:38 PM PST (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Individuals with more education suffer less from asthma, and having fewer than 12 years of formal schooling is associated with worse asthma symptoms. Drs. Kim Lavoie and Simon Bacon from the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Canada, and colleagues studied asthma severity in a group of 871 adult patients. They were quoted as saying, "Lower educational achievement was associated with worse asthma control, greater emergency health service use, and worse asthma self-efficacy. Patients with less than 12 years of education were 55 percent more likely to report an asthma-related emergency health service visit in the last year." The researchers suggest that lower education is often a marker of lower socioeconomic status generally, and that this may explain their results. At the individual level, poorer people may have higher exposures to indoor allergens such as cockroaches, tobacco smoke and mold, and to outdoor urban pollution. "Although this link between socioeconomic status and asthma is well established in children," said Lavoie, "this is the first study to investigate it in an adult population in Canada. It is noteworthy that patients with less education were more likely to exhibit poor health behaviors that may exacerbate asthma, including smoking and being overweight." SOURCE: Respiratory Research, December 16, 2009 Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Severe H1N1 cases and asthma are linked - Boston Globe Posted: 30 Dec 2009 02:36 AM PST In some patients, he said, the rattling cough and basso wheezing that herald an asthma attack are scarcely evident for much of the year. That changes with winter's arrival. "There are many kids who are perfectly fine,'' Kruskal said, "but then they get a cold or the flu, and they have a big asthma attack.'' Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Air Pollution May Lessen Asthma Inhaler Benefits - ABC News Posted: 28 Dec 2009 11:50 AM PST NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Air pollution, which tends to inflame the airways in people with asthma, might also reduce the effectiveness of the rescue inhalers they count on for quick relief of their asthma symptoms, study findings hint. Dr. Fernando Holguin, at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and colleagues studied 85 asthmatic children, ages 7 to 12, to determine whether outdoor air pollution had any impact on how well their rescue inhalers worked. The children all lived in Mexico City, where traffic-related air pollution is usually very high. Fifty-three of the children had mild intermittent asthma, 20 had mild persistent asthma, and 12 had moderate persistent asthma. As they report in the journal Chest, Holguin and his team found that higher levels of certain air pollutants, specifically nitrogen dioxide and ozone, made the rescue inhalers less effective - not because the devices didn't function properly, but because the children did not seem to respond as well to the medication. For example, an increase of 10 parts-per-billion in nitrogen dioxide levels in the air seemed to decrease rescue inhaler efficacy by about 15 percent. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, current nitrogen dioxide levels in the U.S. average from 10 to 20 parts per billion. However, inhaled steroids provided some protection against the effects of pollution, Holguin told Reuters Health in an email message. Among the 25 children in the study who regularly used inhaled corticosteroids to help control persistent asthma, the rescue inhalers provided more effective quick relief. These findings are consistent with other studies and "may explain why asthmatics are more symptomatic in relation to air pollution," Holguin said. Nonetheless, his group notes the need for further, larger-scale investigations to confirm their findings. SOURCE: Chest, December 2009. Copyright 2009 Reuters News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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plus 3 more, “Health Tip: Protect Yourself From Air Pollution - YAHOO!”

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• Health Tip: Protect Yourself From Air Pollution - YAHOO!
• New year brings insurance boost for mental health care - Palm Beach Interactive
• David Beckham Suffers From Asthma - femalefirst.co.uk
• Health Experts Call For Heart Checkups For Kids - KQED

Health Tip: Protect Yourself From Air Pollution - YAHOO! Posted: 28 Dec 2009 05:59 AM PST Kathy buzzed up: `Becoming Jane Eyre' shows spirit's triumph (AP) 11 seconds ago 2009-12-28T06:50:03-08:00 Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

New year brings insurance boost for mental health care - Palm Beach Interactive Posted: 28 Dec 2009 06:28 AM PST [fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content] Imagine a health insurance policy that covers only 12 dialysis treatments a year, imposes higher co-pays for estrogen replacement drugs or charges higher deductibles for treating asthma. Outrageous? Insurance companies have routinely placed these ...

David Beckham Suffers From Asthma - femalefirst.co.uk Posted: 28 Dec 2009 03:15 AM PST 4 weeks ago 25th Nov 11:49 Sporting hero David Beckham has revealed his long term battle with asthma. The secret was exposed last night as the superstar was snapped using an inhaler during the Major League Soccer Cup final in Seattle and Beckham's agent has confirmed the superstar has had the condition 'since he was a young boy'. Like Beckham, asthmatics can learn how to control the condition to minimise its affects on their everyday lives. More than 5.2 million people in the UK are treated for asthma and Boots pharmacist Angela Chalmers, also an asthma suffer, says, 'A number of asthmatics I see don't have the right technique.' But when the correct medication and technique are used, sufferers don't need to shy away from sports. "Inhalation should be slow and steady with the patient holding the inhaled breath in for five seconds before breathing out. "In this way you create a wind tunnel through your airways and your lungs which are then relaxed and open up. You should always wait for 60 seconds before repeating the process.! 'Another reason people with asthma have difficulty controlling symptoms is because they under-use their preventers and over-use their relievers. Relievers should also be used around 15 minutes before coming into contact with known triggers, such as before exercise;' says Angela. 'Using a preventer helps children to get their asthma under control and helps them to participate in sport and lead a 'normal' life. Having to use an inhaler can make a child feel different, however if you are concerned you should always seek further advice from your healthcare professional. "The preventers protective effects take a week to kick in and build up over time. Its use can help stop the airways from being sensitive to asthma triggers. 'Older people who have problems with coordination, often find a breath-activated inhaler easier to manage or they can be given a spacer. "Children as young as three can also learn to use an inhaler with a spacer, and for babies and very young children a face mask can be attached. 'If you suffer from asthma, visit your pharmacist or GP. We can help you get the best results from your medication. With the correct treatment, support and advice most asthmatics can lead full and active lives, and like so many treatments it is all about compliance.' Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Health Experts Call For Heart Checkups For Kids - KQED Posted: 28 Dec 2009 06:06 AM PST by Patti Neighmond December 28, 2009 — 5:43 AM In growing numbers, health experts are recommending screening for heart disease in children, especially those who play sports. One in 100,000 people ages 12 to 24 are estimated to die suddenly and unexpectedly as a result of congenital undiagnosed heart malfunctions. And children who play sports are nearly three times more likely to suffer sudden cardiac death than their nonathletic counterparts. "Few of the kids actually experience sudden death while they're in class or at home," says Thomas Debauche, a Houston cardiologist. "It's pretty much while they're in training or while they're on the field performing, because that's when the adrenalin is flowing," and that's when they're calling on the heart for peak performance. These surprise attacks are due to inherited problems that children are born with. Cardiologist Douglas Zipes, past president of the American Academy of Cardiology, says the problems kids suffer are typically electrical, like abnormal heart rhythms, or structural, like a thickening of the heart muscle. Both of these problems are exacerbated during exertion when kids play sports. According to Zipes, "The adrenalin that is released when you're participating [in sports] can stimulate this abnormally thick heart muscle and cause a fatal heart rhythm problem, that is a very rapid heartbeat with no effective contraction, no blood being ejected to the brain and other organs." The result is sudden cardiac death. Typically, schools require kids to provide a family history and have a simple physical exam before participating in sports. But Zipes says more should be done. Cardiologist Debauche agrees. He recently screened more than 2,000 high school athletes in the Houston area, using electrocardiogram, or EKG, to measure the electrical activity of the heart. About 10 percent of the students had an abnormal EKG. One of them was Louis Anthony, who suffered from asthma. In severe cases, asthma can cause the heart to thicken and put kids at risk of cardiomyopathy and sudden death. Anthony's asthma diminished over time, and he says he can still play soccer, run fast and breathe "just fine." After the abnormal EKG result, however, Debauche told Anthony and his parents to closely monitor the asthma. They have. For other students who had abnormal EKG results, some received medication for blood pressure and others were treated for abnormal heart rhythms. About 1 percent were told it was too dangerous for them to continue in sports. Three students had serious heart problems, including one who suffered from a rare disease in which the heart muscle is spongy and contracts poorly. "He was literally running the stadium stairs at the time we found him," Debauche says. "He was preparing for track season by running up and down the stadium stairs." Debauche says the heart screening turned out to be life-saving for this student athlete. The student now has an implantable defibrillator and is awaiting a heart transplant. The severity of this and the other two problems that turned up as a result of the abnormal EKGs are reason enough, Debauche says, to screen all school athletes nationwide. Some health experts argue that would be too costly. There's no official policy from the American College of Cardiology, but officials say most members support screening student athletes. The American Heart Association suggests that athletes who are identified as at risk for heart problems as a result of a family history or physical exam be referred for further cardiovascular examination, which could include an electrocardiogram. Source: NPR Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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The “Study finds gene that could hold key to asthma relief - Times Colonist”

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Study finds gene that could hold key to asthma relief - Times Colonist Posted: 26 Dec 2009 09:08 AM PST A defective gene appears to contribute to most cases of childhood asthma, a finding that could lead to a better understanding of allergies, U.S. researchers reported. The gene may control some of the signalling in the immune system, the researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. The defective version causes that system to go awry, producing an overreaction. The discovery "is very likely to extend beyond asthma and really be a key player in all allergies. Because about 30 per cent of the population has allergies, there's a lot of potential here," said study leader Dr. Hakon Hakonarson of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "There are a number of genes that have been reported to play a role in asthma. They are either false alarms or their role in asthma is a lot weaker or smaller than we expected them to be, otherwise we would have seen them with this approach," he said. Hakonarson said allergies are involved in about 85 per cent of childhood asthma cases. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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plus 2 more, “A Novel Gene Found For Childhood-Onset Asthma - Redorbit.com”

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• A Novel Gene Found For Childhood-Onset Asthma - Redorbit.com
• Asthmatic kids breathe easier with smoke-free air - StarPhoenix
• U.S. Doctors Link Gene to Childhood Asthma - ABC News

A Novel Gene Found For Childhood-Onset Asthma - Redorbit.com Posted: 25 Dec 2009 07:46 PM PST Posted on: Friday, 25 December 2009, 21:47 CST Gene's role in immune system may suggest new treatments Pediatric researchers have identified a novel gene involved in childhood asthma, in one of the largest gene studies to date of the common respiratory disease. Because the gene, called DENND1B, affects cells and signaling molecules thought to be instrumental in the immune system overreaction that occurs in asthma, the discovery may have singled out an important target for new treatments. A research team led by Hakon Hakonarson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, implicated a location on chromosome 1 associated with moderate-to-severe, childhood-onset asthma. The study appeared today on the Online First website of the New England Journal of Medicine. It will be published in the journal's print issue on January 7, 2010. Asthma is a complex disease, in which a large number of genes, as yet mostly undiscovered, are thought to interact with each other and with environmental factors to produce asthma's characteristic wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. It also is highly heterogeneous, manifesting differently in different patients, and appears to operate differently in childhood-onset asthma compared to adult-onset asthma. Previously, researchers had identified only one other asthma-susceptibility gene using a genome-wide association study (GWAS), in which automated genotyping tools scan the entire human genome seeking gene variants that contribute to disease risk. That gene, ORMDL3, on chromosome 17, was discovered in 2007 by U.K. researcher William O.C. Cookson, M.D., who collaborated with Hakonarson in the current study. In this current study, Hakonarson's team performed GWAS on a sample of 793 white North American children with persistent asthma, compared to control group of 1,988 children. They replicated the study in a separate group of 2,400 European subjects and controls, then did further analyses on a third group of 3,700 African American children. "By analyzing a large cohort of children with moderate to severe asthma, all of whom require controller medications on a regular basis, we managed to enrich our study for genetic signals and achieve sufficient statistical power to uncover and replicate a novel asthma gene," said Hakonarson. In addition to observing the previous results for chromosome 17, his group found a novel location on chromosome 1q31, with eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associating robustly with asthma. A SNP (pronounced "snip") is a change to a single chemical base along the DNA helix. Unlike other studies, here the researchers found the same gene for asthma susceptibility in children of both European and African-American ancestries. Within this region on chromosome 1q31 the gene with an apparent role in asthma is DENND1B, already suspected as a player in the body's immune response. DENND1B expresses a protein of the same name, which is active in particular types of dendritic cells and specific T lymphocytes, including natural killer cells. Both of these immune cell subtypes form cross-talks between them (commonly referred to as the antigen presenting synapse) and regulate how the body responds to foreign material such as viruses, bacteria and allergens. "We now know that the DENND1B gene and its protein are involved in the release of cytokines, which are signaling molecules that in this case tell the body how it should respond to foreign particles," said Hakonarson, who is a pulmonologist. "Many of these particles are well-known triggers of asthma. In asthma, patients have an inappropriate immune response in which they develop airway inflammation and overreaction of the airway muscle cells, referred to as airway hyperresponsiveness. The gene mutations in DENND1B appear to lead to overproduction of cytokines that subsequently drive this oversensitive response in asthma patients. " By identifying an asthma susceptibility gene with a compelling link to the pathobiology of asthma, says Hakonarson, his team may also have pinpointed a tempting therapeutic target, if researchers can develop drugs to contain this signaling pathway. "Because this gene seems to regulate many different cytokines, intervening in this pathway has great potential for treating asthma," he added. "Other asthma-related genes remain to be discovered, but finding a way to target this common gene variant could benefit large numbers of children." --- On the Net: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia New England Journal of Medicine More News in this Category Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Asthmatic kids breathe easier with smoke-free air - StarPhoenix Posted: 25 Dec 2009 02:09 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For children with asthma, reducing exposure to environmental tobacco smoke greatly decreases their chances of an asthma flare-up, hospital admission or emergency room visit, a study shows. "We found this to be true when the child's exposure (to second-hand smoke) decreased, even if the decrease did not mean completely eliminating their exposure," Dr. Lynn B. Gerald, of University of Arizona in Tucson told Reuters Health. "Any reduction in environmental tobacco smoke exposure seems to greatly benefit these children." Gerald's team documented the association between changes in environmental tobacco smoke exposure and childhood asthma-related illness in 290 asthmatic children enrolled in a clinical trial of supervised asthma therapy. The average age of the children was 11 years and 80 percent had moderate persistent asthma. At the start of the study, 28 percent of caregivers reported that the child was exposed to second-hand smoke in the home and 19 percent reported exposure to smoke outside the home only. At a follow-up interview, 74 percent of caregivers reported no change in the child's exposure to second-hand smoke, 17 percent reported less exposure, and 9 percent reported increased exposure. According to a report in the medical journal Chest, children who had any decrease in exposure to second-hand smoke over the course of 1 year had fewer episodes of poor asthma control, made fewer respiratory-related trips to the emergency room and were less apt to be hospitalized than children who had the same or increased exposure to second-hand smoke. "We were not surprised by the findings but we were surprised by the magnitude of the benefit that decreasing smoke exposure appeared to have," Gerald told Reuters Health. She said doctors can use this information as another "teaching point" for caregivers and parents of children with asthma. Given that the majority of second-hand smoke exposure in the home is due to parents smoking, "the most effective environmental tobacco smoke reduction strategy may be to provide smoking cessation interventions to parents and possibly other household members," Gerald and her colleagues conclude. SOURCE: Chest, April 2009. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

U.S. Doctors Link Gene to Childhood Asthma - ABC News Posted: 24 Dec 2009 09:24 AM PST BOSTON (Reuters) - A defective gene appears to contribute to most cases of childhood asthma, a finding that could lead to a better understanding of allergies, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday. The gene may control some of the signaling in the immune system, the researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. The defective version causes that system to go awry, producing an overreaction. The discovery "is very likely to extend beyond asthma and really be a key player in all allergies. Because about 30 percent of the population has allergies, there's a lot of potential here," Dr. Hakon Hakonarson of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who led the study, said in a telephone interview. "There are a number of genes that have been reported to play a role in asthma. They are either false alarms or their role in asthma is a lot weaker or smaller than we expected them to be, otherwise we would have seen them with this approach," he said. About one in 15 Americans has asthma, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Hakonarson said allergies are involved in about 85 percent of childhood asthma cases, and 80 percent to 90 percent of those children have the defective gene. "The cells that express that gene decide what happens when allergens, viruses and foreign materials come into the body," said Hakonarson. The team found the gene by evaluating the DNA of 8,881 people from North America, Europe and Africa, some of whom had persistent childhood asthma. "Other asthma-related genes remain to be discovered, but finding a way to target this common gene variant could benefit large numbers of children," Hakonarson said in a statement. Copyright 2009 Reuters News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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plus 3 more, “Couch potatoes, fat people could be rewarded for changing their ways ... - Palm Beach Interactive”

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• Couch potatoes, fat people could be rewarded for changing their ways ... - Palm Beach Interactive
• U.S. Doctors Link Gene To Childhood Asthma - Post Chronicle
• Asthma plus traffic equals poor lung function - StarPhoenix
• Health conditions, equally dreadful as HIV/AIDS - Dr Quarshie - GhanaHomePage

Couch potatoes, fat people could be rewarded for changing their ways ... - Palm Beach Interactive Posted: 24 Dec 2009 10:46 PM PST [fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content] Some see it as a fat tax, an asthma penalty, or a high-cholesterol surcharge. Others prefer to think of it as a system of rewards for doing the right thing. A provision in the Senate health bill would allow employers to craft health insurance ...

U.S. Doctors Link Gene To Childhood Asthma - Post Chronicle Posted: 24 Dec 2009 12:23 PM PST A defective gene appears to contribute to most cases of childhood asthma, a finding that could lead to a better understanding of allergies, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday. The gene may control some of the signaling in the immune system, the researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. The defective version causes that system to go awry, producing an overreaction. The discovery "is very likely to extend beyond asthma and really be a key player in all allergies. Because about 30 percent of the population has allergies, there's a lot of potential here," Dr. Hakon Hakonarson of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who led the study, said in a telephone interview. "There are a number of genes that have been reported to play a role in asthma. They are either false alarms or their role in asthma is a lot weaker or smaller than we expected them to be, otherwise we would have seen them with this approach," he said. About one in 15 Americans has asthma, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Hakonarson said allergies are involved in about 85 percent of childhood asthma cases, and 80 percent to 90 percent of those children have the defective gene. "The cells that express that gene decide what happens when allergens, viruses and foreign materials come into the body," said Hakonarson. The team found the gene by evaluating the DNA of 8,881 people from North America, Europe and Africa, some of whom had persistent childhood asthma. "Other asthma-related genes remain to be discovered, but finding a way to target this common gene variant could benefit large numbers of children," Hakonarson said in a statement. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Asthma plus traffic equals poor lung function - StarPhoenix Posted: 18 Dec 2009 11:29 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The results of a new study appear to expand the link between traffic exposure and poor lung function among people with asthma. In a study of 176 adults with asthma or rhinitis, Dr. John R. Balmes, of the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues found "the closer adults with asthma live to roadways with heavy traffic...the lower their lung function." "Living close to any road was associated with lower lung function," Balmes told Reuters Health. Other studies have shown lung health effects from major roadways, Balmes and colleagues note in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. "Ours is the first to show evidence that living near any road can do so," said Balmes. He and colleagues therefore advise asthma patients minimize their traffic exposures. The researchers assessed lung function and quality of life measures among the 176 adults (71 percent female) who were about 43 years old, on average, and undergoing treatment for chronic asthma with rhinitis (145 individuals) or rhinitis alone (31 individuals). The groups had similar proportions of current and former smokers. Balmes' team found out how close each participant lived to the nearest roadway using road-location data provided by geographic information systems. They then compared lung function with the distance from a roadway of any type. Those living the closest to a roadway had the lowest lung function (forced expiratory volume of 81.5 percent) while those living the farthest from a roadway had the highest lung function (forced expiratory volume of 89.7 percent). Excluding individuals with rhinitis alone, factoring in the effects of lower socioeconomic status, smoking, and obesity, did not significantly alter the findings. However, the researchers found no association between traffic exposure and quality of life measures. The investigators highlight the need for further confirmation of these findings, as well as continued research into the mechanisms by which traffic emissions impact lung function. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Health conditions, equally dreadful as HIV/AIDS - Dr Quarshie - GhanaHomePage Posted: 24 Dec 2009 02:32 PM PST header() --> Health News of Thursday, 24 December 2009 Source: GNA Koforidua, Dec. 24, GNA - Dr Rex Quarshie of the Koforidua Regional Hospital, has observed that health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma and sickle cells are equally dreadful as HIV/AIDS. He explained that there was no known cure to HIV/AIDS and the conditions that could kill those suffering from them if not properly handled despite the existence of drugs to manage those conditions. Dr Quarshie advised Ghanaians to test for HIV/AIDS and the health conditions and seek appropriate medical attention. He was speaking at a Christmas party organized by the Hospital, Ghana National Association of Teachers, Merchant Bank, Ghana Commercial Bank and the National Health Insurance Authority for more than 250 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) on Wednesday in Koforidua. The Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr. Obeng Apori advised PLWH to report to the health facility for medical attention to enable them live longer. Dr Sampson Ofori, Regional Co-ordinator of the National AIDS Control Programme, asked people infected with HIV to go to the hospital for medical help. Ms Golder Asante, Eastern Regional AIDS Focal Person, advised PLWH to be weary of herbalists who claim that they had found cure for AIDS. footer() --> Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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plus 4 more, “Gene linked to childhood asthma identified - Daily News and Analysis”

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• Gene linked to childhood asthma identified - Daily News and Analysis
• Santa Harry’s Sleigh Full of New Health Taxes - Article.nationalreview.com
• Gene found that raises child asthma risk by half - Daily Telegraph
• H1N1 Vaccine Recall Affects Nearly Every Health Department - WTRF
• Kaweah Delta asthma project continues to be funded by federal ... - Visalia Times-Delta

Gene linked to childhood asthma identified - Daily News and Analysis Posted: 24 Dec 2009 02:15 AM PST London: Researchers have identified a gene linked to childhood asthma, a finding that may be instrumental in developing new treatments for common respiratory disease. The team led by Hakon Hakonarson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, found the gene, called DENND1B, which affects cells and signaling molecules thought to be instrumental in the immune system overreaction that occurs in asthma. Earlier U.K study had identified only one other asthma-susceptibility gene ORMDL3, on chromosome 17, using a genome-wide association study (GWAS), in which automated genotyping tools scan the entire human genome seeking gene variants that contribute to disease risk. Hakonarson's team also performed GWAS on a sample of 793 white North American children with persistent asthma, compared to control group of 1,988 children. They replicated the study in a separate group of 2,400 European subjects and controls, then did further analyses on a third group of 3,700 African American children. They found a novel location on chromosome 1q31, with eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associating robustly with asthma. A SNP is a change to a single chemical base along the DNA helix. Unlike other studies, here the researchers found the same gene for asthma susceptibility in children of both European and African-American ancestries. Within this region on chromosome 1q31 the gene with an apparent role in asthma is DENND1B, already suspected as a player in the body's immune response. DENND1B expresses a protein of the same name, which is active in particular types of dendritic cells and specific T lymphocytes, including natural killer cells. Both of these immune cell subtypes form cross-talks between them (commonly referred to as the antigen presenting synapse) and regulate how the body responds to foreign material such as viruses, bacteria and allergens. Hakonarson said: "By analyzing a large cohort of children with moderate to severe asthma, all of whom require controller medications on a regular basis, we managed to enrich our study for genetic signals and achieve sufficient statistical power to uncover and replicate a novel asthma gene." "By analyzing a large cohort of children with moderate to severe asthma, all of whom require controller medications on a regular basis, we managed to enrich our study for genetic signals and achieve sufficient statistical power to uncover and replicate a novel asthma gene. "We now know that the DENND1B gene and its protein are involved in the release of cytokines, which are signaling molecules that in this case tell the body how it should respond to foreign particles. "Many of these particles are well-known triggers of asthma. In asthma, patients have an inappropriate immune response in which they develop airway inflammation and overreaction of the airway muscle cells, referred to as airway hyperresponsiveness. The gene mutations in DENND1B appear to lead to overproduction of cytokines that subsequently drive this oversensitive response in asthma patients. " He concluded: "Because this gene seems to regulate many different cytokines, intervening in this pathway has great potential for treating asthmaOther asthma-related genes remain to be discovered, but finding a way to target this common gene variant could benefit large numbers of children." The study will be published on the New England Journal of Medicine in January 2010. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Santa Harry’s Sleigh Full of New Health Taxes - Article.nationalreview.com Posted: 24 Dec 2009 02:36 AM PST , or approximately $640 today. A $15.2 billion tax requires costs to reach 10 percent of AGI, up from 7.5 percent, before Americans may deduct itemized medical expenses. A $28 billion tax would hit employers who do not provide health coverage to their payrolls of at least 50 employees. If only one worker qualifies for a health-care tax credit, the employer must pay a fine of $750 on all 50 staffers, not just the one tax-credited employee. For 50 staffers, this penalty equals $37,500 annually. Small-business owners who file personal returns and earn below $250,000 will suffer this tax themselves. Sen. Mike Crapo (R., Idaho) tried to enforce Obama's pledge by deleting from Obamacare all taxes on families earning less than $250,000 and individuals making under $200,000. Every Republican supported Crapo's amendment. All but five Democrats ganged up and killed it. Beyond the $250,000 threshold, Santa Harry's sleigh overflows with other new taxes: A $149.1 billion, 40 percent excise tax awaits those with "Cadillac" health plans worth at least $8,500 per individual and $23,000 per family. These taxes, the Congressional Budget Office predicts, "would be largely passed through to consumers in the form of higher premiums for private coverage." Also — in an affront to equality before the law — longshoremen are exempt from this tax. Why not ship captains, or nurses, or test pilots? An additional $59.6 billion tax on health-insurance companies also will make costly coverage costlier. A $22.2 billion tax on drug companies would increase price pressures and slash funds available for pharmaceutical research and development. A $19.2 billion medical-device tax would boost prices of hearing aids, heart stents, artificial limbs, and similar implements and divert money to Washington that could refine such products and create new therapeutic, life-saving inventions. Despite this massive picking of citizens' empty pockets, Obamacare still would leave 24 million Americans uninsured. Among them, Reid claimed Monday, "On average, an American dies from lack of health insurance every ten minutes." If true, 210,384 Americans will drop dead waiting until 2014 for the start of Obamacare's benefits, such as they are. Why are profligate Democrats so desperate to do so little so slowly for so few? All this is possible thanks to the Senate's Kremlinesque procedural vote last Sunday night/Monday morning at 1:08 a.m. Liberal Democrats once chanted, "The whole world is watching." Santa Harry and his snow-covered Democratic elves built a sleigh full of tax hikes while the whole world was sleeping. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Gene found that raises child asthma risk by half - Daily Telegraph Posted: 23 Dec 2009 11:16 PM PST By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor Published: 7:15AM GMT 24 Dec 2009 The discovery could lead to new treatments for the conditions which affects one million children in Britain. Scientists in America found the gene called DEBNND1B sets off a chain reaction that causes the immune system to overreact to irritants, triggering symptoms such as difficulty breathing and wheezing. The findings are published online by the New England Journal of Medicine. Only on other gene has been found that increases the chances of developing asthma. Lead author Dr Hakon Hakonarson, director of the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, compared the genes of 793 children with persistent asthma to those to 1,988 children without to discover those with the disease had a variation in their genetic code. Dr Hakonarson said: "We now know that the DENND1B gene and its protein are involved in the release of cytokines, which are signalling molecules that in this case tell the body how it should respond to foreign particles. "Many of these particles are well-known triggers of asthma. In asthma, patients have an inappropriate immune response in which they develop airway inflammation and overreaction of the airway muscle cells, referred to as airway hyperresponsiveness. "The gene mutations in DENND1B appear to lead to overproduction of cytokines that subsequently drive this oversensitive response in asthma patients." He added: "Because this gene seems to regulate many different cytokines, intervening in this pathway has great potential for treating asthma. "Other asthma-related genes remain to be discovered, but finding a way to target this common gene variant could benefit large numbers of children if researchers can develop drugs to contain this signalling pathway. ." Leanne Metcalf, Director of Research at Asthma UK, said: "A person's likelihood of developing asthma is a combination of their genetic make-up and the kind of environment they are exposed to, especially in early life. "This large scale and well designed study has shed more light on the link between genetics and the overreaction of the immune system which is responsible for asthma symptoms, and opens up an exciting potential avenue for new treatments for the 1.1m children in the UK with asthma. "It is essential to remember, however, that genetics forms only one part of a much bigger picture, so further research is needed to understand exactly how genetic and environmental factors influence asthma." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

H1N1 Vaccine Recall Affects Nearly Every Health Department - WTRF Posted: 24 Dec 2009 03:48 AM PST WHEELING -- It's a massive recall of the H1N1 vaccine, and it affects every health department and doctor's office in the area, according to the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department. Administrator Howard Gamble said it is the nasal form of the vaccine, and was manufactured by MedImmune. MedImmune has issued a recall of five million doses of the vaccine, stating that the vaccine could lose its potency over time. Gamble emphasized that this is not a safety issue. Gamble said approximately 350 doses have been removed from the health department's shelves as a part of the recall. He said the likelihood of anyone who has already received the recalled vaccine needing revaccinated is slim to none. The nasal form of the vaccine was given to a specific group of individuals, ages two to 49 and those without underlying health conditions like asthma or bronchial issues. Children under the age of 10 are recommended to have two doses of the nasal vaccine for it to be effective. Gamble said those children who have had the first dose should get the second when scheduled. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Kaweah Delta asthma project continues to be funded by federal ... - Visalia Times-Delta Posted: 23 Dec 2009 11:49 AM PST Federal funding to continue a second year of Kaweah Delta Health Care District's Asthma Outreach Project has been approved to operate in Exeter, Farmersville, Ivanhoe, Lindsay and Visalia, according to a news release from the district. The project provides clinical case management services, home visits to provide environmental evaluation, education and remediation as well as community awareness and advocacy work. These are used to increase awareness about the onset of asthma attacks so they can be prevented. The San Joaquin Valley air has been deemed some of the worst in the country, which exacerbates asthma symptoms for those who suffer from it. In 2008, Kaweah Delta treated close to 1,400 patients for asthma in its emergency room, 435 of whom were children 12 years of age and younger. More than half those were 0-5 years old, the fastest growing age group of children diagnosed with asthma. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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