New Atlas

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

Meta-study suggests peanut immunotherapy may actually increase allergic reactions

Rich Haridy April 28, 2019

A meta-analysis of a dozen trials into the efficacy of an oral immunotherapy treatment designed to reduce allergic reactions to peanuts has concluded the treatment may work in clinical environments but it also results in patients suffering from more real-world adverse allergic events.

Peanut desensitization therapy was found to be effective in clinical situations but caused more real-world allergic ...

Science

Strange link between food allergies and multiple sclerosis bolstered by new study

Rich Haridy February 20, 2019

An intriguing new study has described a clear association in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients between food allergies and disease activity. The correlation adds weight to the growing hypothesis suggesting the inflammatory activity behind MS is modulated, to a degree, by a mechanism in the gut.

Research has revealed only food allergies seemed to correlate with increased MS disease activity, and not ...

Biology Audio available

Immune system discovery could lead to preventative drugs for allergies

Michael Irving February 17, 2019

Sometimes the immune system gets it wrong, targeting harmless proteins from things like nuts and triggering allergic reactions. Now, researchers have identified a mechanism that helps keep the immune system in check, potentially leading to drugs that prevent allergic reactions before they start.

A newly-discovered mechanism in the immune system could pave the way for preventative drugs for allergic ...

Around The Home

Wynd's Halo and Home Purifier get serious about cleaning the air in your home

Rich Haridy December 9, 2018

Two new products from Wynd are suggested to be the ultimate in home air purification – Halo, an app-controlled sensor that can monitor specific pollutants in the air, and the Home Purifier, a massive air cleaner that can quickly clear contaminants from large spaces.

The Halo and Home Purifier can communicate with each other, via an app, and both monitor ...

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

Peanut allergy desensitization treatment shows success, but for how long?

Rich Haridy November 20, 2018

A new oral desensitization treatment for children with peanut allergies is on the cusp of FDA approval, however questions remain over both the long-term efficacy of the treatment and the ultimate cost for what is essentially not that different to peanut flour in a capsule.

A desensitization treatment that involves slowly introducing small doses of peanut protein to a child's diet ...

Medical

Promising peanut allergy vaccine misdirects the immune system

Michael Irving April 11, 2018

Rresearchers at the University of Michigan have found a way to retrain the immune system to ignore allergens by developing a nasal spray that vaccinates against peanut allergies, with promising results in mouse tests.

A new nasal spray could help vaccinate against peanut allergies

Medical

How parasitic worms could help us with everything from obesity to asthma

Rich Haridy March 25, 2018

A growing body of research is suggesting that parasitic worms could in fact have a positive effect on our immune system. A new study is bolstering that hypothesis finding in animal experiments that a certain type of helminth infection can help lower obesity rates, even when fed a high-fat diet.

This parasitic worm, Heligmosomoides polygyrus, has been found to reduce incidences of obesity in mouse experiments

Health & Wellbeing

Dietary supplements during pregnancy can reduce risk of childhood allergies & eczema

Rich Haridy February 28, 2018

A meta-analysis incorporating over 400 different studies has examined the effect of diet during pregnancy on a baby’s risk of developing allergies or eczema. The study concluded that a mother consuming fish oils or probiotics while pregnant can have positive effects on her baby’s well-being.

A large study has found that consuming fish oil and probiotics during pregnancy and breastfeeding can ...

Health & Wellbeing

Antibody breakthrough brings universal allergy treatment one step closer

Rich Haridy January 28, 2018

Researchers have revealed the mechanism behind an antibody that can potentially inactivate the body's allergic processes. The breakthrough brings researchers one step closer to developing a universal treatment that can prevent the fundamental immune response at the heart of all allergic reactions.

Edward Spillner from Aarhus University and a team of European researchers have discovered a new approach ...

Medical

Over 100 genetic risk factors for asthma, hay fever and eczema identified

Rich Haridy October 30, 2017

An international team, made up of scientists from several different universities, has successfully identified over 100 genetic risk factors that increase a person’s chances of developing three common allergic conditions: asthma, hay fever and eczema.

A full genome study has been completed identifying common genetic risk factors for asthma, hay fever ...