Children's hay fever relieved by cellulose power without adverse effects
2011-06-28
(Press-News.org) A cellulose powder has been used increasingly for many years against allergic rhinitis. Still, there has been a shortage of scientific evidence for its efficacy in seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever), particularly in children. Now, however, scientists from the Sahlgrenska Academy and the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of Gothenburg have proven that the cellulose powder reduces symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis in children, without any adverse effects.
The powder is produced from pine trees and forms a barrier on the mucous membrane when puffed into the nose. This means that allergy causing substances are filtered out.
"The cellulose powder has no adverse effects, and this fact makes it a particularly attractive treatment for children. It is used increasingly in many countries, but there is until now no scientific study proving the efficacy of the cellulose powder in children during the pollen season", is the comment from Nils Åberg, associate professor at the Department of Pediatrics and consultant at the Queen Silvia Children's Hospital.
Therefore, a study was carried out at the Queen Silvia Children's Hospital in Gothenburg during the birch pollen season in spring 2009. The cellulose powder was compared with a placebo (a substance without any medical effect). Fifty-three children and adolescents aged 8-18 years with allergic reaction to pollen participated in the study, lasting for 4 weeks when they puffed the powder in the nose3 times daily. Every day they also were on an antihistamine tablet (the most common treatment of hay fever). Reminders and reporting of symptom scores were performed using SMS messaging on mobile phones.
Pollen occurrence was measured every day on the roof of the hospital, and the pollen counts subsequently were analysed in relation to the symptoms reported by the children. Further data for the study came from previously unpublished statistics of pollen levels collected for 31 years at the same location in Gothenburg, from 1979 to 2009.
"We showed that the nasal symptoms of the children were significantly reduced in those who used the cellulose powder. The best effect was obtained at low to moderate concentrations of pollen, corresponding to the predominating levels in the area during the 31-year period. Furthermore, no adverse effects of the cellulose powder were seen", Nils Åberg remarks. He concludes:
"The complete absence of adverse effects makes this treatment admirably suited to self-care, and particularly for the treatment of children. Controlled scientific studies such as the present also provide the healthcare system a basis for testing this product as a supplement to other treatments. It is often necessary to combine different agents, at least for parts of the pollen season."
HAY FEVER
Hay fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis) is caused by pollen allergy. It is the most common allergic condition, and approximately one third of Swedish young people is afflicted. Inhalation of the allergenic substances gives rise to symptoms of running nose, itching, sneezing and nasal congestion, often with symptoms also in the eyes and airways. Antihistamine tablets are the most common treatment, but cortisone nasal spray is also often used.
INFORMATION:
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2011-06-28
Use of vitamin D supplements during pregnancy has long been a matter of concern but now researchers writing in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research report that even a high supplementation amount in healthy pregnant women was safe and effective in raising circulating vitamin D to a level thought by some to be optimal. The study also found no adverse effects of vitamin D supplementation, even at the highest amount, in women or their newborns.
The research team, led by Dr. Bruce Hollis from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, used a randomized controlled ...
2011-06-28
Many reading tasks require individuals to not only read a document, but also to understand, learn from and retain the information in it. For this type of reading, experts recommend a process called active reading, which involves highlighting, outlining and taking notes on the text.
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed software that facilitates an innovative approach to active reading. Taking advantage of touch-screen tablet computers, the LiquidText software enables active readers to interact with documents using finger motions. LiquidText ...
2011-06-28
Beginning July 1, teenagers who are convicted of having consensual sex with a teen younger than 16 will no longer have their name added to Michigan's sex registry, provided they weren't more than four years older than their partner at the time of the offense.
Of equal importance, the new legislation also affords people who have already been convicted of this sex crime - under the aforementioned circumstances - to petition the court for their removal from the state sex registry. "This presents a rare opportunity for many people to clear their name - people who would ...
2011-06-28
Children and adolescents who eat candy tend to weigh less than their non-consuming counterparts, according to a new study published in Food & Nutrition Research, a peer-reviewed journal.
This is potentially important news given the current state of the childhood obesity epidemic. But lead researcher Carol O'Neil, PhD, MPH, LDN, RD, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, wants to ensure the study is put into perspective.
"The study illustrates that children and adolescents who consume candy are less likely to be overweight or obese," O'Neil said. "However, ...
2011-06-28
ESA's XMM-Newton space observatory has watched a faint star flare up at X-ray wavelengths to almost 10 000 times its normal brightness. Astronomers believe the outburst was caused by the star trying to eat a giant clump of matter.
The flare took place on a neutron star, the collapsed heart of a once much larger star. Now about 10 km in diameter, the neutron star is so dense that it generates a strong gravitational field.
The clump of matter was much larger than the neutron star and came from its enormous blue supergiant companion star.
"This was a huge bullet of gas ...
2011-06-28
The Hampton Inn & Suites Atlanta Airport Hotel (North, I-85) offers convenient lodging to attendees of the National Black Arts Festival, a celebration of the art, music, and culture of people of African descent. The summer festival takes place July 7-17, with a few visual arts exhibitions running longer. The main weekend of the festival is July 15-17, with events taking place at Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta. There are scheduled musical and dance performances as well as an International Marketplace and children's activities. Exhibitions of visual arts, ...
2011-06-28
British researchers have identified specific resistance mutations for two classes of p7 inhibitor, which may explain their lack of effectiveness in clinical trials combined with current standard of care. Study results support the role of p7 inhibitor combinations as potential components of future HCV-specific therapies and are available in the July issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
More than 3% of the world population is infected with HCV, which causes severe liver disease. ...
2011-06-28
This release is available in French.
Montreal, June 28, 2011 —Canadians aren't the only people concerned with weather, eh? A new study from McGill and Concordia universities observed pedestrians in nine cities around the world and found people are less likely to walk when temperatures dip below zero, when there's too much rain or too much snow. Published in the journal Environment and Behavior, the study was conducted over 170 days from late fall to early summer.
"A 5 degree Celsius increase in temperature was associated with a 14 per cent increase in pedestrians," ...
2011-06-28
The Eatery on Beach Street has a new look on the inside and new menu items like Burger Diane and weekly specials like Friday's steak gone wild. The restaurant even has a new logo featuring a wine glass and new tagline.
The new logo and the new look are part of the restaurant's effort to attract a clientele that likes made-from-scratch American food with fresh ingredients and a creative twist.
"Chef Don likes to surprise patrons with a dish that mixes unexpected flavors or recreates a favorite recipe in a new form," said co-owner Cindy Gifford. She mentioned ...
2011-06-28
New research confirms that a variant on the patatin-like phospholipase-3 (PNPLA3) gene increases risk of steatosis and fibrosis progression in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). The PNPLA3 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs 738409 may represent an important genetic predictor and potential therapeutic target in chronic HCV liver damage. Study details are published in the July issue of Hepatology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) roughly 170,000 ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Children's hay fever relieved by cellulose power without adverse effects
