• Dogs may not be' man’s best friend' during hay fever season
  Ragweed allergy season can be even more miserable for those with dog, cat or dust mite allergies, according to new research. These year-round allergies appear to "pre-prime" the immune system so symptoms hit harder, according to a new study.
• Vitamin D may treat or prevent allergy to common mold
  Vitamin D may be an effective therapeutic agent to treat or prevent allergy to a common mold that can complicate asthma and frequently affects patients with cystic fibrosis.
• Acetaminophen use in adolescents linked to doubled risk of asthma
  New evidence linking the use of acetaminophen to development of asthma and eczema suggests that even monthly use of the drug in adolescents may more than double risk of asthma in adolescents compared to those who used none at all; yearly use was associated with a 50 percent increase in the risk of asthma.
• Probiotics use in mothers limits eczema in their babies, study finds
  Women who drank milk with a probiotic supplement during and after their pregnancy cut the incidence of eczema in their children by almost half compared to mothers who drank a placebo, researchers have shown.
• Asthma and eczema sufferers have a lower risk of developing a cancer, study finds
  Men who had a history of asthma or eczema generally had a lower risk of developing cancer, according to a new study.
• What protects farm children from hay fever? Protective substance may slumber in cowshed dust
  Researchers in Germany have isolated the substance in cowshed dust that possibly protects farm children from developing allergies and allergic asthma -- namely the plant sugar molecule arabinogalactan. If high concentrations are inhaled during the first year of life, it inhibits the immune system from excessive defense reactions. There are large quantities of this molecule in forage crops such as the Meadow Foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis). Researchers have now demonstrated experimentally that the molecule affects immune system cells.
• Subtle mutations in immune gene may increase risk for asthma
  A gene that encodes a protein responsible for determining whether certain immune cells live or die shows subtle differences in some people with asthma, researchers report.
• Moldy homes a serious risk for severe asthma attacks in some
  Exposure to high levels of fungus may increase the risk of severe asthma attacks among people with certain chitinase gene variants, according to a new study.
• Burger diet boosts kids' asthma and wheeze risk, study finds
  Eating three or more burgers a week may boost a child's risk of asthma and wheeze -- at least in developed nations -- reveals a large international study.
• Better animal-free test for chemicals that can cause contact dermatitis
  Scientists are reporting development of a fast, simple, inexpensive method for determining whether chemicals in consumer products and workplaces may cause skin allergies in people -- a method that does not involve use of animals.
• Those with allergic asthma face double trouble during flu season, findings suggest
  New research suggests that allergic reactions to pet dander, dust mites and mold may prevent people with allergic asthma from generating a healthy immune response to respiratory viruses such as influenza.
• Model demonstrates infectious cause of asthma
  Scientists have developed an animal model that shows how an early childhood lung infection can cause asthma later in life.
• New blood test for newborns to detect allergy risk
  A simple blood test can now predict whether newborn babies are at high risk of developing allergies as they grow older.
• Better way to detect food allergies
  A chemical engineer believes he has a better way to diagnose such allergies. His new technology can analyze individual immune cells taken from patients, allowing for precise measurement of the cells' response to allergens such as milk and peanuts.
• Heavy exercise may produce asthma-like symptoms even in healthy children, study finds
  Children who undergo brief periods of intense exercise may exhibit lung dysfunction or other symptoms similar to those experienced by asthma patients, even when no history of asthma exists, according to a new study.
• Rate of childhood peanut allergies more than tripled from 1997 to 2008
  Results of a nationwide telephone survey have shown that the rate of peanut allergies in children more than tripled from 1997 to 2008.
• No clear criteria for diagnosing food allergies, researchers find
  A new study shows that confusion over how to identify and treat food allergies is creating the potential for misdiagnosis of this condition.
• Eliminating the source of asthma-causing immune molecules
  Asthma and other allergic diseases are caused by inappropriate immune responses. Soluble IgE molecules, produced by immune cells known as B cells, are key immune mediators of these diseases. A team of researchers has now developed a way to specifically eliminate IgE-producing B cells, providing a potential new long-lasting therapeutic approach to treat asthma and other allergic diseases.
• Brain tumor growth linked to lowered expression of hundreds of immune function genes
  A new study links progression of a lethal type of brain tumor with reduced expression of more than 600 immune system genes, suggesting how complex the immune response is to the cancer and the resulting difficulty in targeting specific immune system proteins for treatment. 
• Promoting recovery from effects of severe allergic reaction
  One of the life-threatening consequences of anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that affects the function of multiple organ systems, is the widening of blood vessels that leads to a dramatic drop in blood pressure. New research in mice, has determined that drugs that trigger the protein S1PR2 might counteract the widening of blood vessels associated with anaphylaxis, thereby promoting recovery.
• Low vitamin D levels associated with more asthma symptoms and medication use
  Low levels of vitamin D are associated with lower lung function and greater medication use in children with asthma, according to researchers. They also reported that vitamin D enhances the activity of corticosteroids, the most effective controller medication for asthma.
• Bacteria in household dust may help or hinder childhood asthma
  Bacterial populations found in household dust may determine whether or not a child living in that home develops asthma, according to new research.
• Is cleanliness to blame for increasing allergies?
  Allergies have become a widespread in developed countries: hay fever, eczema, hives and asthma are all increasingly prevalent. The reason? Excessive cleanliness is to blame, according to one expert.
• Children with food allergies should carry two doses of emergency medicine, experts urge
  In a large six-year review of emergency department data, researchers found that many children with severe food-related allergic reactions need a second dose of epinephrine, suggesting that patients carrying EpiPens should carry two doses instead of one.
• Breathe Easy: A natural fruit compound may help asthma
  A preliminary study shows that natural chemicals from blackcurrants may help breathing in some types of asthma. Researchers found a compound from a New Zealand blackcurrant may reduce lung inflammation with a multi-action assault in allergy-induced asthma. The compound was found in laboratory experiments to enhance the natural defense mechanisms in lung tissue by both suppressing inflammation-causing reactions and minimizing inflammation.
• Immune cells that fight parasites may promote allergies and asthma
  Millions of people in both the developing and developed world may benefit from new immune-system research findings that identify a cell population that fights off parasitic infections but also causes allergies and asthma.
• Food allergy-related disorder linked to master allergy gene
  Scientists have identified a region of a human chromosome that is associated with eosinophilic esophagitis, a recently recognized allergic disease. People with EoE frequently have difficulty eating or may be allergic to one or more foods. This study further suggests that a suspected so-called master allergy gene may play a role in the development of this rare but debilitating disorder.
• 'Stepping up' asthma treatment in children leads to improvement
  Children with asthma who continue to have symptoms while using low-dose inhaled corticosteroids could benefit from increasing the dosage or adding one of two asthma drugs, a new study finds.
• Protecting consumers with food allergies should improve with new international guidelines
  New international guidelines should better protect consumers from allergens in food by promoting the harmonized, accurate and reliable testing of potentially lethal food allergens by analytical laboratories worldwide.
• 'Milk drops' under the tongue appear to treat milk allergies
  Placing small amounts of milk protein under the tongues of children who are allergic to milk can help them overcome their allergies, according to the findings of a small study.
• Easing egg allergies with eggs: Oral immunotherapy study shows it works
  Children with egg allergies who consume increasingly higher doses of egg protein -- the very nutrient they react to -- appear to gradually overcome their allergies, tolerating eggs better over time and with milder symptoms, according to new research.
• Pets in airplane cabins: An unnecessary allergic hazard?
  The preferences of pet owners should not replace the well-being of their fellow passengers, say experts in a new editorial.
• Hypnosis can relieve symptoms in children with respiratory diseases
  Hypnosis has potential therapeutic value in children with respiratory disorders for alleviating symptoms such as habit cough or unexplained sensations of difficulty breathing and for lessening a child's discomfort during medical procedures.
• Eczema in early childhood may influence mental health later
  Eczema in early childhood may influence behavior and mental health later in life.
• Dangers of older allergy drugs often underestimated and overlooked
  Experts warn that older antihistamines in over-the-counter allergy medications -- the most common form of self-medication in allergic rhinitis -- may be hazardous to our health. A position paper reviews new data on the treatment of allergies with older antihistamines compared with newer, second-generation H1-antihistamines.
• Estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy may increase risk of asthma after menopause
  Estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy may increase the risk of developing asthma after the menopause, suggests a large scale study.
• Mother's exposure to bisphenol A may increase children's chances of asthma
  Mouse experiments have produced evidence that a mother's exposure to bisphenol A may increase the odds that her children will develop asthma.
• New insights into allergy-related disorders in children
  Allergies and asthma are a continuing health problem in most developed countries, but just how do these ailments develop over the course of a childhood? In a population-based study designed to help answer this question, researchers in Norway found that 40 per cent -- or two of five -- of nearly 5,000 two-year-olds had at least one reported allergy-related disorder.
• Switch turns on allergic disease in people
  A new study in human cells has singled out a molecule that specifically directs immune cells to develop the capability to produce an allergic response. The signaling molecule, called thymic stromal lymphopoietin, is key to the development of allergic diseases such as asthma, atopic dermatitis (eczema) and food allergy.
• Effectiveness of asthma relief inhalers: Discovery opens new avenues for treatment of poorly controlled asthma
  A new study is probing why asthma relief inhalers might actually make asthma worse -- and what can be done about it.
• Osteopontin contributes to allergic contact dermatitis
  Researchers in Germany have discovered that osteopontin (OPN) contributes to allergic contact dermatitis.
• Imaging tests identify role of allergies in chronic sinus disease
  Exposing patients with chronic sinus disease to allergens and then obtaining repeated images by X-ray or ultrasound reveals that nasal allergies may be involved in some cases of chronic sinus disease, according to a new study.
• Microbes help mothers protect kids from allergies
  A pregnant woman's exposure to microbes may protect her child from developing allergies later in life. Researchers in Germany find that exposure to environmental bacteria triggers a mild inflammatory response in pregnant mice that renders their offspring resistant to allergies.
• Physicians knowledge of childhood food allergies needs room for improvement, study shows
  A new study shows that pediatricians and family physicians are not confident in diagnosing or treating food allergies.
• Immune cells that prevent development of asthma identified
  Asthma is inhibited by regulatory macrophages, a cell population never previously described.
• Exposure to both traffic, indoor pollutants puts some kids at higher risk for asthma later
  New research presents strong evidence that the "synergistic" effect of early-life exposure to both outdoor traffic-related pollution and indoor endotoxin causes more harm to developing lungs than one or the other exposure alone.
• Researchers track down protein responsible for chronic rhinosinusitis with polyps
  A protein known to stimulate blood vessel growth has now been found to be responsible for the cell overgrowth in the development of polyps that characterize one of the most severe forms of sinusitis, researchers suggests. The finding gives scientists a new target for developing novel therapies to treat this form of the disease, which typically resists all current treatments.
• Sugar-coated polymer is new weapon against allergies and asthma
  Scientists have developed sugar-coated polymer strands that selectively kill off cells involved in triggering aggressive allergy and asthma attacks. Their advance is a significant step toward crafting pharmaceuticals to fight these often life-endangering conditions in a new way.

Go Pets America recommends seeking the advice of your local veterinarian for the most appropriate vaccination program and for the diagnosis and treatment of your pet's health problems. For vaccination requirements please contact your state and local licensing authorities.

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