Low vitamin D does not raise risk of asthma or dermatitis, study shows

Previous research has suggested that a low level of vitamin D may raise the risk of asthma, dermatitis, and certain allergies. A new study looks at the genetic data available to see if genetic variations support the conclusions of previous research.
Some previous studies have associated low circulating levels of vitamin D with an increased risk of asthma, atopic dermatitis, and higher levels of total immunoglobulin E (IgE).
A team of researchers - led by Dr. Brent Richards, of the McGill University and the Lady Davis Institute at the Jewish General Hospital, both in Montreal, Canada - set out to determine whether or not there is a genetic background to these alleged correlations.....

Read more here: medicalnewstoday.com

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Why Women Are More Likely To Get Asthma Than Men

Last year, Melbourne, Australia, experienced an unprecedented “thunderstorm asthma” event. Some 10,000 people were rushed to the hospital, struggling to breathe, with at least nine deaths. No breakdown has been published, but if this resembled most other such events, two-thirds of those affected were women. Adult women are roughly twice as likely to suffer asthma as men, even though boys get it more frequently than girls. Now, a research institution based in the heart of Melbourne has laid the blame for this difference with testosterone.....

Read more here: iflscience.com

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AstraZeneca’s PhIII bid on asthma drug tralokinumab flops, and that’s no surprise

Maybe the best way to look at AstraZeneca R&D now is by dividing the research group into two big buckets: cancer and everything else. That “everything else” group was just hit with a widely expected Phase III failure that the drug giant can ill afford as it struggles to make a convincing case for a desperately needed turnaround.....

Read more here: endpts.com