A recent study shows that a gamechanger drug called Fevipiprant promises to lower patients’ risks; of suffering an asthma attack and admitted to a hospital. This is the first time a drug reducing airway smooth muscle mass a key clinical indicator of disease severity that increases the likelihood; of more frequent asthma attacks and even…
Adipose tissue is an endocrine organ that secretes numerous protein hormones, including leptin, adiponectin, and resistin. These hormones generally influence energy metabolism; which is of great interest to the understanding and treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. Therefore relative roles in modifying appetite; insulin resistance and atherosclerosis are the subjects of intense research; as…
Allergies, also known as allergic diseases; are a number of conditions caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic dermatitis, allergic asthma, and anaphylaxis. Symptoms may include red eyes, an itchy rash, sneezing, a runny nose, shortness of breath, or swelling. Food intolerances and food poisoning are separate conditions. When it’s finally time to store away your winter…
When a weakened artery wall balloons or bulges, it is an aneurysm. For people with emphysema; the risk of that aneurysm rupturing is much higher than for those without the lung condition, new research suggests. While family history may play a role, how and why aneurysms develop is not well understood. Found that emphysema may…
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, commonly referred to as COPD; is a group of progressive lung diseases. The most common are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Therefore, many people with COPD have both of these conditions. So emphysema slowly destroys air sacs in your lungs; which interferes with outward air flow. Bronchitis causes inflammation and narrowing of…
The prevalence of asthma in children has been increasing worldwide over the last decades. Evidence links ambient air pollution exposures during pregnancy and early life with lung function deficits in children as well as childhood asthma incidence (8-18). While most studies have focused on traffic-related air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter…
Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Therefore symptoms include episodes of wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. So These may occur a few times a day or a few times per week. Depending on the person, they…
Over the past four decades, policies and programs have promoted energy efficient design and retrofits of residential housing in the United States in an effort to reduce energy expenses and carbon dioxide emissions (e.g., Hens et al., 2001; Schweitzer, 2005; Tonn et al., 2018). So more than seven million existing homes have participated in energy…
The bronchial airways, a network of tubes that delivers air to the lungs; are enwrapped by strings of muscle the airway smooth muscle. Nobody knows what physiological function these muscles serve, but the general consensus is that they are vestigial leftovers from the evolutionary past. That’s why airway smooth muscle is sometimes referred to as…
Parents who use both traditional and e-cigarettes may vape around kids at home and in cars even when they don’t smoke around their kids, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers interviewed 761 parents at five pediatric practices in Indiana; North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Virginia who were users of either traditional cigarettes or e-cigarettes; or both,…
Living in an urban area can negatively affect asthma outcomes particularly for children. A new study in Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; shows that urban children with poorly controlled asthma; particularly those who are ethnic minorities, also suffer academically. “They found associations between poor asthma status, poorer asthma control, lower lung function, more asthma…
The research team has identified many factors that make children susceptible to health problems from air pollution throughout Baltimore’s inner city,” said Kimberly Gray, Ph.D., administrator for the Children’s Environmental Health Research Centers program at NIEHS. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 12 children in the U.S. has asthma, which totals 6.1…