Supplying healthcare professionals working in emergency departments with pediatric acute asthma management guideline reminder cards significantly improves the care of children who present with asthma attacks, research shows. (Source: MedWire News - Pediatrics)MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

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(MedPage Today) -- At least half of children with severe, apparently treatment-resistant asthma can be successfully managed with conventional treatments using a thorough, multidisciplinary approach, researchers suggested. (Source: MedPage Today Allergy)

Special AT-rich binding protein 1 (SATB1) is a global chromatin organizer and a transcription factor regulated by interleukin-4 (IL-4) during the early T helper 2 (Th2) cell differentiation. Here we show that SATB1 controls multiple IL-4 target genes involved in human Th cell polarization or function. Among the genes regulated by SATB1 is that encoding the cytokine IL-5, which is predominantly produced by Th2 cells and plays a key role in the development of eosinophilia in asthma. We demonstrate that, during the early Th2 cell differentiation, IL-5 expression is repressed through direct binding of SATB1 to the IL-5 promoter. Furthermore, SATB1 knockdown-induced up-regulation of IL-5 is partly counteracted by down-regulating GATA3 expression using RNAi in polarizing Th2 cells. Our results s...

The American Lung Association is offering a free-of-charge, online caregiving coordination service called "My Fighting for Air Community" to support individuals affected by acute and chronic lung diseases. As an organization dedicated to public health, the American Lung Association will offer this online service through Lotsa Helping Hands to support the more than 37 million people in the US who suffer from chronic lung disease every day. This includes more than 24 million adults and children with asthma, 13... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

The objective of this study was to examine the correlates of access to care among asthmatic children age 0—17 in the United States. This is a retrospective study and secondary data analysis of the 2000 National Health Interview Survey. Parametric testing using univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were performed to examine health care utilization among children with asthma in the United States. It was found that Black children were highly associated with not visiting a general doctor in the past 12 months (OR 0.47; 95% CI 0.30, 0.75). Uninsured asthmatic children were associated with the risk of not seeing a general doctor in the past 12 months (OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.23, 0.69). Our study findings indicate disparities among Black children with asthma and their ability to access...MedWorm Message: Register for MedMatcha, MedWorm's medical advertising network, and receive $5 free advertising.

A study in the US has found a protein that could be a driver of severe asthma. Dr Elaine Vickers, Research Relations Manager at Asthma UK comments: 'Although this research is in its early stages and focuses solely on mouse models, this discovery provides vital new information on the immune system's role in severe asthma, that could one day lead to the creation of new treatments. This is particularly crucial as around a quarter of a million people in the UK have severe asthma and experience debilitating asthma symptoms despite taking high levels of asthma medicines on a daily basis... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Although the adverse health effects of nanoparticles/materials have been proposed and are being clarified, their facilitating effects on preexisting pathological conditions have not been fully examined. In this paper, we provide insights into the immunotoxicity of nanoparticles/materials as an aggravating factor in hypersusceptible subjects, especially those with immune-related respiratory disorders using our in vivo experimental model. We first exhibit the effects of nanoparticles/materials on lung inflammation induced by bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide: LPS) in vivo as a disease model in innate immunity, and demonstrated that nanoparticles instilled through both an intratracheal tube and an inhalation system can exacerbate the lung inflammation. Secondly, we introduce the effects...

Stromedix, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on innovative therapies for fibrosis and fibrotic organ failure, announced that its lead clinical candidate STX-100 has been granted orphan drug status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a debilitating and almost uniformly fatal disease in which patients experience progressive difficulty breathing due to fibrosis (scarring) of the lung. There are currently no FDA approved treatments for IPF. Stromedix is planning to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial in IPF patients in 2011... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Patients with asthma who are exposed to violence in their community are at an increased risk for an asthma-related hospitalization and emergency room visits for asthma or any cause, according to new research. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

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(Source: Allergy and Asthma Proceedings)

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(Source: Allergy and Asthma Proceedings)

(Source: Allergy and Asthma Proceedings)

(Source: Allergy and Asthma Proceedings)

(Source: Allergy and Asthma Proceedings)