Wall Street Journal

Forget Lab Rats: Testing Asthma Drugs on a Microchip
Wall Street Journal
Company scientists want to see whether these "lungs on a chip" can help them better understand the biology behind asthma and identify promising candidates for medicines, says Don Nicholson, who oversees Merck's respiratory drug research. If efforts …

and more »

View full post on asthma – Google News

The post Forget Lab Rats: Testing Asthma Drugs on a Microchip – Wall Street Journal appeared first on World Asthma Foundation.

Early-life air pollution linked with childhood asthma in minorities, in study
EurekAlert (press release)
A research team led by UCSF scientists has found that exposure in infancy to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a component of motor vehicle air pollution, is strongly linked with later development of childhood asthma among African Americans and Latinos.

View full post on asthma – Google News

The post Early-life air pollution linked with childhood asthma in minorities, in study – EurekAlert (press release) appeared first on World Asthma Foundation.

Toxic Water: Asthma And Other Health Dangers Of Swimming In Chlorinated Pools
Medical Daily
The odds of children developing asthma increases with exposure to chlorine, presumably mediated by nitrogen trichloride (NCI) (3) — a byproduct of chemical reactions between ammonia and chlorine that can damage the respiratory thin tissue in children …

View full post on asthma – Google News

The post Toxic Water: Asthma And Other Health Dangers Of Swimming In Chlorinated Pools – Medical Daily appeared first on World Asthma Foundation.

Early-life air pollution linked with childhood asthma in minorities, in study
Science Codex
A research team led by UCSF scientists has found that exposure in infancy to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a component of motor vehicle air pollution, is strongly linked with later development of childhood asthma among African Americans and Latinos.

View full post on asthma – Google News

The post Early-life air pollution linked with childhood asthma in minorities, in study – Science Codex appeared first on World Asthma Foundation.

Science Codex

Study links air pollution to childhood asthma in minorities
Los Angeles Times
Researchers are also studying whether the pollutants actually cause childhood asthma. "This work adds to the growing body of evidence that traffic-related pollutants may be causally related to childhood asthma," said Esteban G. Burchard, a UCSF …
Early-Life Air Pollution Linked With Childhood Asthma in MinoritiesScience Daily (press release)

all 2 news articles »

View full post on asthma – Google News

The post Study links air pollution to childhood asthma in minorities – Los Angeles Times appeared first on World Asthma Foundation.

Phytochemical study guided by the myorelaxant activity of the crude extract, fractions and constituent from stem bark of Hymenaea courbaril L.

J Ethnopharmacol. 2013 Jun 10;

Authors: Bezerra GD, Góis RW, Brito TS, Lima FJ, Bandeira MA, Rodrigues Romero N, Magalhães PJ, Santiago GM

Abstract

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Hymenaea courbaril L. (Caesalpinoideae) is used in Brazilian folk medicine to treat anemia, kidney problems, sore throat and other dysfunctions of the respiratory system, such as bronchitis and asthma, although such properties are yet to be scientifically validated. AIM OF THE STUDY: In order to give a scientific basis to support the traditional use of Hymenaea courbaril, this study was designed to evaluate antioxidant, myorelaxant and anti-inflammatory properties of the ethanol extract from stem bark and its fractions. The myorelaxant effect of astilbin, a flavonoid isolated from the bioactive ethyl acetate fraction (EAF), has also been evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the present study ethanol extract from stem bark (EEHC) and fractions were analyzed using bioassay-guided fractionation. The following activities were investigated: antioxidant by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, myorelaxant on rat tracheal smooth muscle, and anti-inflammatory using ovalbumin-induced leukocytosis and airway hyperresponsiveness in rats. RESULTS: The results of the present investigation show that the whole extract of H. courbaril and some of its fractions strongly scavenged DPPH radical. The extract showed myorelaxant activity on rat trachea, being EAF its highest efficient fraction. Bio-guided study allowed the isolation of astilbin, a well-known flavonoid. The activity induced by this compound indicates that it may be partly responsible for the myorelaxant effect of EAF. EAF reduced contractions that depended on divalent cation inflow through voltage-operated Ca(2+) channels (VOCCs) or receptor-operated Ca(2+) channels (ROCCs), but it was more potent to inhibit VOCC- than ROCC-dependent contraction induced by Ca(2+) addition in ACh-enriched Ca(2+-)free medium. Oral pretreatment of antigen-challenged animals with EAF prevented airway hyperresponsiveness on KCl-induced contraction and reduced the number of total white cells, particularly eosinophils and neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided scientific basis that H. courbaril presents potential antioxidant, myorelaxant and anti-inflammatory actions, which support its use in folk medicine to treat inflammatory airway diseases.

PMID: 23764737 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

View full post on pubmed: asthma

The post Phytochemical study guided by the myorelaxant activity of the crude extract, fractions and constituent from stem bark of Hymenaea courbaril L. appeared first on World Asthma Foundation.

Experts say link between allergies and asthma still being uncovered
WATE-TV
"I feel really weird and I can't really breathe," Jackson said of his condition. Jackson takes a breathing test. Luckily, the results were not serious. "It's very frustrating because we're using the latest, greatest medicines we have available and they …

View full post on asthma – Google News

The post Experts say link between allergies and asthma still being uncovered – WATE-TV appeared first on World Asthma Foundation.

Early-Life Air Pollution Linked With Childhood Asthma in Minorities
Science Daily (press release)
June 18, 2013 — A research team led by UCSF scientists has found that exposure in infancy to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a component of motor vehicle air pollution, is strongly linked with later development of childhood asthma among African Americans and …

and more »

View full post on asthma – Google News

The post Early-Life Air Pollution Linked With Childhood Asthma in Minorities – Science Daily (press release) appeared first on World Asthma Foundation.

Vitamin D deficiency can increase asthma and allergy risk in obese children …
News-Medical.net
One reason why obese children and teenagers are more likely to have hard-to-control asthma and allergies may be vitamin D deficiency, a new study finds. Results of the study will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in …

View full post on asthma – Google News

The post Vitamin D deficiency can increase asthma and allergy risk in obese children … – News-Medical.net appeared first on World Asthma Foundation.

Asthma and allergies may worsen in summer
WBTV
31 people are in trouble with the law after a three day prostitution sting in Richmond. Police told NBC12 they targeted specific areas where residents and business owners complained about the illegal activity.More >> …

and more »

View full post on asthma – Google News

The post Asthma and allergies may worsen in summer – WBTV appeared first on World Asthma Foundation.