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A protein that shuts down immune cells in the lungs could be key to a new treatment for asthma attacks, a new report says. The naturally occurring protein, called Piezo1, prevents a type of immune cell called type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) from becoming hyperactivated by allergens. An experimental drug called Yoda1 that switches on Piezo1 reduced the activity of these immune cells in mice, alleviating asthma symptoms, researchers report. "Given the importance of ILC2s in allergic asthma, there is an urgent need to develop novel mechanism-based approaches to target these critical drivers of inflammation in the lungs," researcher...

Neuroscientists from the University of Maryland have come a step closer to understanding how disorders such as autism and schizophrenia develop in children, opening the door for potential new treatments. Inflammation in the brain during early childhood has been previously linked to autism and schizophrenia. But the mechanisms behind this link have been unclear. Now Maryland researchers have identified how this inflammation can affect human brain cells and their development, offering a potential mechanism for this association. Their results were published on October 12 in the journal Science Translational Medicine. In their research, the team conducted a post-mortem analysis of...

New research reveals a marked increase in several common conditions in the years leading up to, and immediately prior to, type 2 diabetes diagnosis, suggesting considerably earlier diagnosis might be possible in some patients. "These novel insights suggest an early phase of inflammation-related disease activity long before any clinical diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is made," says Dr. Adrian Heald. To find out more, researchers analyzed 1,932 adults with and without type 2 diabetes. The trajectory analysis revealed that for individuals eventually diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a number of common conditions increased consistently in the years leading up to...

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Children who lived closer to natural gas wells in heavily drilled western Pennsylvania were more likely to develop a relatively rare form of cancer, and nearby residents of all ages had an increased chance of severe asthma reactions, researchers said in reports released Tuesday evening. The taxpayer-funded research by the University of Pittsburgh adds to a body of evidence suggesting links between the gas industry and certain health problems. In the reports, the researchers found what they called significant associations between gas industry activity and two ailments: asthma, and lymphoma in children, who are relatively rarely diagnosed...

Children who lived closer to natural gas wells in heavily drilled western Pennsylvania were more likely to develop a relatively rare form of cancer, and nearby residents of all ages had an increased chance of severe asthma reactions, researchers said in reports released Tuesday evening. The taxpayer-funded research by the University of Pittsburgh adds to a body of evidence suggesting links between the gas industry and certain health problems. In the reports, the researchers found what they called significant associations between gas industry activity and two ailments: asthma, and lymphoma in children, who are relatively rarely diagnosed with this type...

A rise in asthma cases has been observed in children from certain racial and ethnic minority groups in states where recreational use of marijuana has been legalized. A recent study conducted by the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and The City University of New York has revealed that there has been a rise in the prevalence of asthma among teenagers in states where recreational use of cannabis has been legalized, as well as among children from certain racial and ethnic minority groups in states with recreational legalization, in comparison to states where it remains fully illegal. The findings...

Bronchial asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that is reversible in certain cases, usually presents with cough, difficulty of breathing, and wheezing. Although most people can successfully control asthma using inhaled corticosteroids, approximately 10% of patients are resistant to treatment. Recent evidence has suggested a link between excessive intake of fatty acids and exacerbation of asthma, but the details of the relationship had remained elusive. A study focused on the function of an enzyme called ELOVL6, which is responsible for the biosynthesis of long-chain fatty acids in humans. Dysfunction of ELOVL6 has been linked to various immune-related conditions,...

The opinions expressed in guest op-eds are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.Humans have been using fire to cook with for thousands of years, but that could soon end for millions of Americans if the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has its way and bans gas stoves.Last October, CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. let the cat out of the bag when he said gas stoves are “a hidden hazard.” He added, “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”According to the CPSC, gas stoves are dangerous...

A federal agency says a ban on gas stoves is on the table amid rising concern about harmful indoor air pollutants emitted by the appliances. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission plans to take action to address the pollution, which can cause health and respiratory problems. “This is a hidden hazard,” Richard Trumka Jr., an agency commissioner, said in an interview. “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.” Natural gas stoves, which are used in about 40% of homes in the U.S., emit air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and...

Findings from the team at the Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado suggest that the roughly 35 per cent of American homes that use gas stoves should mitigate the spread of toxins like nitrogen dioxide and benzene by switching to an electric induction stove. Their research is the latest installment in a growing body that shows the danger of having a gas stove in the home, which can emit carcinogenic toxins that put people at risk of severe health effects.

Now a federally-funded study has found a possible link between vaccines containing aluminum and a higher risk of asthma in children. Results showed children who received all or most of their routine childhood shots had a 36 per cent higher risk of being diagnosed with persistent asthma by age five than kids who got fewer vaccines. Experts and health officials say the research has important shortcomings and is not a reason to change current vaccine programs that are proven to save lives. The study doesn't claim aluminum causes the breathing condition and instead suggests a casual association. More work is...

Asthma is a disease that can cause your airways narrow and swell as well as produce additional mucus. Rather than merely treating its symptoms, a new strategy targets one of asthma’s causes. Researchers from Aston University and Imperial College London have identified a potential method to address one of the fundamental causes of asthma. In experiments with mice, the researchers were able to virtually eliminate asthmatic symptoms and restore their airways to close to normal within two weeks. Jill Johnson Dr. Jill Johnson, Aston University’s School of Biosciences. Credit: Aston University In the UK, about 1,200 people die from asthma...

Azithromycin helps improve asthma control and reduce exacerbations in children with poorly controlled asthma, according to a study published in the June issue of Chest. Jagat Jeevan Ghimire, M.D., from All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, and colleagues randomly assigned 120 children (5 to 15 years of age) with poorly controlled asthma to receive azithromycin three times weekly for three months along with standard treatment or standard treatment alone. The researchers found that the numbers of children with well-controlled asthma according to Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines were 41 of 56 in the azithromycin group versus 10...

When asthmatics' respiratory tracts are exposed to dust mites, their immune response becomes less effective, which can lead to a weaker immune system. People who suffer from asthma associated with infection may therefore be more susceptible to secondary viral or bacterial infections. According to the researchers, the results suggest that asthmatics should avoid house dust mites and that patients who are also allergic to the mites should consider undergoing so-called hyposensitization. Clinical data has shown that asthma patients with allergies are more frequently prescribed antibiotics, compared to non-allergic asthmatics, according to Samuel Cerps, first author. "This suggests that allergy is...

Use of disinfectants by pregnant women may be a risk factor for asthma and eczema in their children, finds a population study. Exposure to disinfectants in the workplace has been linked to asthma and dermatitis previously in the workers exposed, but few studies have looked at pregnancy and the subsequent development of allergic disease in children. The odds of children having asthma or eczema were significantly higher if their mothers used disinfectant one to six times a week compared with the odds in children of mothers who never used disinfectants. There was an exposure-dependent relationship between prenatal exposure to disinfectants...

Inhalers, pills or injections help most people control their asthma, but some with severe disease opt for cutting-edge surgery that "remodels" their airways to improve their breathing. Bronchial thermoplasty shrinks smooth muscle in the lungs, which prevents them from tightening up and causing an attack. The U.S. FDA approved the treatment for adults with severe asthma in 2010. About 5% to 10% of people with asthma have illness that can't be controlled with medicine, inhalers or other therapies, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Now, a new clinical trial reports that their symptoms had significantly improved five years after their procedure....

Asthma sufferers generally find their condition gets worse at night. Now, a research group may understand why. Melatonin, a sleep hormone that is sometimes prescribed to treat insomnia, exasperates the constriction of the bronchus—the pathway that moves air to and from the lungs. Patients with asthma often experience a worsening of asthmatic symptoms at night in so-called "nocturnal asthma." According to reports, more than 50 percent of asthma deaths occur at night, exposing a link between nocturnal asthma symptoms and asthma deaths. Although some have proposed several triggers that explain the pathogenesis of nocturnal asthma, the precise mechanisms regulating this...

Social distancing and locking down millions of people around the world has been a real time case study in what staying at home would do to asthma rates, says a health professor.There were fears at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that people with asthma would fare much worse than those without it. Intuitively, a disease that attacks the lungs should put asthma sufferers at much greater risk. But this hasn’t been borne out. It’s turned out people with asthma are at slightly lower risk of acquiring COVID-19, being hospitalised with it or indeed dying from it compared to people...

American Airlines turned around a flight and kicked off a two-year-old asthmatic boy and his mother and grandmother, because the child could not wear a face mask properly when he had an asthma attack. Amanda Pendarvis, her two-year-old son Waylon, and her mother, were allegedly kicked off AA Flight 1284 on Monday, because Waylon, who has asthma, was having an attack and could not maintain the mask on his face properly as a result. Pendarvis described it on Instagram as the “most humiliating/traumatizing experience,” because of the actions of the flight attendant, who she named as Carl and described as...

The sister of a fit and healthy man who died from COVID-19 says her brother was "beating himself up" over his decision not to get vaccinated during his final days, as she issued a warning over jabs misinformation. John Eyers, 42, from Southport, Merseyside died last week - exactly a month after catching the virus. The "fit" and "adventurous" father-of-one had been climbing Welsh mountains and wild camping a month before he became seriously ill. His twin sister Jenny McCann, from London, told Sky News her brother "bought into" misinformation surrounding the safety of coronavirus vaccines and didn't believe he...