Focus Articles | Back to Asthma

2003

Lung Imaging Method Allows Visualization of Airways - May 2, 2003.
A new dynamic imaging technique promises to open new venues in research on lung diseases by creating clear MRI images of lung airways during breathing.

Cotton Mill Dust May Be Carrier as Well as Culprit - March 21, 2003.
A recent report on cotton mill workers in China summarizes several studies on respiratory illness in exposed workers.

Software Rings Early Alarm on Bioterrorism - March 7, 2003.
New software may help detect asthma and other disease outbreaks earlier.

Teachers Institute Aims to Improve Diversity, Increase Science Literacy - February 7, 2003.
The Teachers Institute has become important in helping Boston science teachers up-to-date in fast-moving sciences like ashthma.

Asthma Program Seeks Balanced Partnership with Community - January 10, 2003.
Investigators in the Center for Reducing Asthma Disparities will lead efforts to study the role of social factors on rates of asthma onset.

2002

Drug Abuse and Bioterrorism Among Issues Raised by Minority Fellows - June 7, 2002.
Fellows presentations at health conference include the design of a pediatric asthma registry for Massachusetts.

Public Housing Gets Asthma Treatment - May 17, 2002.
In an effort to contain household environmental hazards, including those that provoke asthma attacks and other respiratory illnesses, The Boston Housing Authority has partnered with resident groups to enact a five-year Healthy Public Housing initiative.

Pollen Production--and Allergies--May Rise Over Next 50 Years - March 22, 2002.
Rising carbon dioxide levels associated with global warming could lead to an increase in the incidence of allergies to ragweed and other plants by mid-century.

T Helper Cell Surface Protein Discovered, Role in Autoimmunity, Allergy - February 22, 2002.
Researchers have discovered a protein they call Tim-3 which may have therapeutic implications for autoimmune diseases, asthma, and allergies.

Mouse Model Devised that Develops Asthma - January 25, 2002.
Research shows that mice engineered to lack T-bet have a skewed immune response and spontaneously develop symptoms of asthma.

2001

A Glass of Their Own - November 9, 2001.
Researchers interest in asthma pathways sparks interest in living cell function.

Fine Particulates Guilty in Personal Exposure Studies. - November 9, 2001.
When pollution levels and asthma attacks both go up in urban areas, epidemiologists often have trouble pinpointing the culpable air pollutant.

Breathing New Life into Asthma Therapy - June 8, 2001.
Figuring out what causes post-attack airways to be remodeled, and how to stop it, is one of the most active quests in asthma research.

Study Quantifies Toll of Power Plant Pollution, Benefits from Control - January 26, 2001.
Hundreds of premature deaths and thousands of respiratory illnesses, could be prevented with existing emissions control technology, say researchers.

Molecular Agent Prepares Immune Forces - January 12, 2001.
Researchers work on T cells has implications for asthma treatment.

2000

Putting the Squeeze On Asthma Innately - September 15, 2000.
Discovery of instigating agent could lead to drug target.

China Journey Finds Integration of Eastern, Western Medical Practice and Education - September 15, 2000.
Medical student on rotation abroad mentions the Chinese approach to asthma.

New Center Wields Genome Data to Battle Bugs - September 15, 2000.
Researcher focuses on bacterium harmful to cystic fibrosis patients.

Crystal Structure Shows Finer Points of a Sneeze - August 11, 2000.
With asthma and other diseases linked to environmental antigens on the rise, the precise structure of the IgE‚Fc bond to its receptor is a matter of considerable interest.

Study Quantifies Health Cost of Coal-Fired Power - May 19, 2000.
Power plant emissions cause high incidents of respiratory distress, asthma attacks and 159 premature deaths annually.

Gene May Control Cell-mediated Immunity - April 7, 2000.
By identifying factors that control T cell differentiation, which can trigger asthma attack, researchers hope to tip the balance in favor of one kind of cell.

Study Traces Deadly Effects of Air Pollution - March 24, 2000.
Air pollution remains "a huge public health problem," says researcher, killing 70,000 Americans each year.