Genetic variants in a region on chromosome 9q may influence asthma development in Mexican children, according to research published in the August 28 issue of the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.

Neighborhoods with restaurants, entertainment, cultural facilities and ethnic diversity have lower Childhood Asthma rates in the city of Chicago than neighborhoods where residents are less likely to move, and where there are more churches and not-for-profit facilities.

Asthma researchers have found that a gene variant known to raise the risk of childhood asthma in European children plays a similar role in white American children, but not in African American children.

A study released by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, shows that cat ownership may have a protective effect against the development of asthma symptoms in young children at age five.

A new 12-week study2examined safety and efficacy measures of the maintenance combination asthma therapy, SYMBICORT® (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dehydrate) Inhalation Aerosol,2 in treating mild to moderate persistent asthma in children ages 6 to 15 years old2 who were previously treated with an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS).2 Of note.

Women who are stressed during pregnancy may pass some of that frazzlement to their fetuses in the form of increased sensitivity to allergen exposure and possibly future asthma risk, according to researchers from Harvard Medical School who will present their findings at the American Thoracic Society’s 2008 International Conference in Toronto on Sunday, May 18.

Among four year-olds attending Head Start programs in New York City, those who had older siblings were more likely to experience respiratory symptoms including an episode of wheezing in the past year than those who were oldest or only children.

Two studies that offer new insights to help adolescents and younger children improve their asthma control will be presented by researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center at this year’s annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Society (PAS) in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Children who live in tree lined streets have lower rates of asthma, suggests research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

A new study reports that inner-city children with asthma may be particularly vulnerable to air pollution at levels below current air quality standards. The study, available online today, analyzes the short-term effects of outdoor pollution levels on asthma symptoms and lung function in children. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

According to a study in Respirology published by Wiley-Blackwell, the prevalence of asthma among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children is similar to that of mainland Australian children – who have one of the highest asthma rates in the world.

Researchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have developed a sensor system that continuously monitors the air around persons prone to asthma attacks. Worn in the pockets of a vest, the new system could help researchers understand the causes of asthma attacks.