A new study recently published showed that glycyrrhizin, a compound that comes from licorice root, Glycyrrhiza glabra, helped burned skin fight off infections. Glycyrrhizin works by helping the skin create proteins called antimicrobial peptides which attack the covering of the bacteria and poke holes in it.

Asthma is a serious medical condition that can make the struggle of being an teenager even harder. Siblings of patients with asthma sometimes don’t know what to do or say and have feelings that can make supporting a brother or sister with asthma seem like a struggle. The Starlight Children’s Foundation created Starbright World®, an online social network exclusively for sick teens and their siblings.

At the site, tens and their siblings can connect other asthma patients that are going through similar experiences. They can discuss issues related to their asthma and everyday life that might not get to normally get to discuss or feel like their regular friends will not understand because they do not have asthma. Teen’s also get to express themselves through their personal profiles and share their favorite movies, music, and videoes like other social networking sites. Additionally, their are also games members can play and compete with others such as Battleship, Connect Four, Mankala and single-player games such as Sandwich Shop and Gem Swap. Finally, you can share videos on the site just like you would on You Tube.

Have you or your child used this site? Please check it out and leave a comment here or in the forum and let us know what you think.

=======================

A group of researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have identified a gene associated with moderate-to-severe, childhood-onset asthma according to an article published online in the New England Journal of Medicine

The research team examined North American, European, and African American children with persistent asthma and compared them to children without asthma. Changes in the DENND1B gene were associated with more poorly controlled asthma.

The DENND1B gene plays a roles in the release of cytokines. Lead author and director of the Center for Applied Genomics Hakon Hakonarson, M.D., Ph.D., stated in a press release “many of these particles are well-known triggers of asthma. In asthma, patients have an inappropriate immune response in which they develop airway inflammation and overreaction of the airway muscle cells, referred to as airway hyperresponsiveness. The gene mutations in DENND1B appear to lead to overproduction of cytokines that subsequently drive this oversensitive response in asthma patients.”

This finding may potentially lead to new asthma treatments if researchers are able to develop treatments that target the DENND1B gene.

Learn More About Asthma Research

• Do Asthma Specialists Improve Quality Care in Asthma?
• Asthma Inhaler- Can One Asthma Inhaler Treat My Asthma?
• What Is the Relationship Between Asthma and GERD?
• Find An Asthma Clinical Trial

=======================

If you’ve suffered from allergies for many years, and aren’t getting the relief you want from over-the-counter allergy medicines, or aren’t satisfied with the care you’ve received from your primary care doctor, then you may be ready to see an allergist. There are a number of good reasons to see an allergist, including the desire for immunotherapy. Once you’ve decided that you need to see an allergist, how do you find a good one?

More on Allergists:

• Why You Should See an Allergist
• Questions to Ask Your New Allergist
• Questions Your New Allergist Will Ask You

While 7 in 10 physicians report obtaining lung function tests on their patients in the last year, less than 2 in 10 patients admit that they have had the test. Spirometry is an important asthma test for both diagnosis and monitoring. Have you had your spirometry? Do you plan on getting your spirometry this year? Why do you think there is such a large discrepancy?

=======================

There has been a lot of information here and on the site and on the blog about asthma and the flu. Here are a number of the useful articles for you if flu makes a comeback in your community:

• Do I Need a Flu Shot?
• Swine Flu & Asthma
• Swine Flu & Back to School
• Protect Yourself From the Flu
• How Do Vaccines Prevent Illness?
• Why Do People With Asthma Need a Flu Shot?
• Are Asthmatics More Likely to Suffer Flu Vaccine Side Effects?
• What Can I Do To Prevent Flu From Affecting Me?

=======================

You commonly read about new and innovative asthma treatments, but sometimes we just need basics like:

• What Is Asthma?
• Asthma Symptoms
• Asthma Diagnosis
• Asthma Treatment
• Handling An Asthma Attack

Take time to learn more about your asthma. Is there other information you are interested in learning about? Post a question to be answered in our asthma blog

=======================