Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Allergy for December 2009. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Certain Medications May Alter Quad Screen Results
MONDAY, Dec. 28 (HealthDay News) -- A pregnant woman's use of certain prescription drugs may skew results of the standard Quad screening and increase the rate of screen-positives for neural tube defects, according to a study in the December issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Novel Gene Linked to Early-Onset Asthma in Children
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have identified a novel gene linked to early-onset asthma, with different alleles causing the predisposition in children of European and African descent, according to a study published online Dec. 23 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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H1N1 Flu Waning, but Many Vaccine Doses Unused
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Although the number of cases of people infected with H1N1 influenza continues to decline and the vaccine supply is now plentiful, not enough people have been inoculated, a top U.S. health official said during a Dec. 22 press briefing held by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Chronic Maxillary Sinus Disease Linked to Allergy
TUESDAY, Dec. 22 (HealthDay News) -- Chronic disease of the maxillary sinuses (CDMS) is often associated with nasal allergy and may be monitored by radiography and ultrasound, according to a study in the December issue of Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery.
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Airways Compared in Smoking, Nonsmoking Asthma Patients
FRIDAY, Dec. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Smokers with asthma have significantly greater epithelial changes in their airways than asthma patients who have quit smoking or have never smoked, according to a study in the Dec. 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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CDC: 15 Percent of Americans Have Had H1N1 Flu
FRIDAY, Dec. 11 (HealthDay News) -- H1N1 has sickened nearly 50 million Americans -- which is one in six people -- and killed almost 10,000, mostly children and young adults, a federal health official said in a Dec. 10 press briefing.
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Patients Often Lack Knowledge of Their Own Medications
THURSDAY, Dec. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Patients routinely under-report, or even over-report, their outpatient and inpatient medications, and should be included in hospital medication management to improve safety, according to a study published online Dec. 10 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
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Most Early Cases of H1N1 Across China Were Mild
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Most cases of H1N1 influenza seen in China during the early summer were mild, and initiating oseltamivir within 48 hours of symptom onset could reduce the duration of viral shedding, according to research published online Dec. 9 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Prenatal Microbe Exposure Protects Against Asthma
TUESDAY, Dec. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Prenatal exposure to environmental microbes protects the offspring from developing asthma, supporting the "hygiene hypothesis," or the idea that the increasing prevalence of allergies and asthma is due to decreasing exposure to environmental microbes, according to a study published online Dec. 7 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
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Physicians Found to Have Fair Knowledge of Food Allergies
MONDAY, Dec. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians have fair knowledge of food allergies, but there is room for improvement, according to a study published online Dec. 7 in Pediatrics, while another study in the same issue found that late introduction of solid food may increase the risk of developing allergies.
Abstract - Gupta
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Abstract - Nwaru
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H1N1 Influenza Rates Drop in Many States
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 2 (HealthDay News) -- H1N1 influenza rates are declining across the United States, but many experts say there will probably be another surge this winter, a federal health official announced Dec. 2.
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Women Researchers Lag Behind Men in Grant Awards
TUESDAY, Dec. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Female physicians with a proven interest in research are less likely to receive prestigious research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) than are male physicians, according to a study in the Dec. 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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