Folic acid, or vitamin B9, essential for red blood cell health and long known to reduce the risk of spinal birth defects, may also suppress allergic reactions and lessen the severity of allergy and asthma symptoms, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

Low-income and minority neighborhoods are disproportionately affected by harmful and possible carcinogenic air pollutants, according to a study released on Tuesday by researchers from the University of Massachusetts and the University of Southern California, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Tiny mites living on the surface of Madagascar hissing cockroaches help decrease the presence of a variety of molds on the cockroaches’ bodies, potentially reducing allergic responses among humans who handle the popular insects, according to new research. Scientists cultured and identified fungi on the cockroaches’ body surfaces with and without mites and discovered that the presence of these mites reduced the molds by at least 50 percent.

Very few athletic trainers associated with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) programs said that they were following best practice standards for managing asthma among their athletes, according to a new study. For athletes with asthma, the dangers of the condition can be as mild as impacting athletic performance or so severe to be incapacitating, or deadly.

The Mexican Football (soccer) Federation has offered Conmebol (South American Football Confederation) three options so that the Mexican team can play in the eighth finals of the Copa Libertadores, without raising the swine flu contagion risk which has so far left over 150 likely deaths in Mexico. “The first option is to play them in Mexico as usual. The second would be to play behind closed doors (no fans).

Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is set to pilot an innovative penicillin allergy skin test to improve patient safety and help ensure that further reductions in healthcare associated infections are achieved. Patients with suspected penicillin allergy are typically treated with alternative antibiotics. However, research shows that penicillin allergies are over-reported by patients, often because certain experiences are easily mistaken for true allergy.

Exercise is one of the most common triggers of bronchospasm in patients with chronic asthma, with exercise-induced asthma occurring in approximately 80 percent to 90 percent of individuals with known asthma. Ten percent of the general population has an unrecognized history of chronic asthma and only experiences symptoms of asthma during exercise.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is taking decisive action to stop the unintentional spread of the invasive emerald ash borer (EAB). New regulations prohibit the movement of ash tree materials and firewood of all species from specific areas of Ontario and Quebec, as this is a key way the beetle is spread. The movement of potentially infested material is restricted in four new areas that are regulated under Ministerial Orders.

Sepracor Inc. (Nasdaq: SEPR) announced the results of a large-scale, 707-patient Phase III study of OMNARIS® (ciclesonide) HFA, an aerosol nasal formulation of ciclesonide, for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) in adult and adolescent patients.

With spring in full force in California, watery eyes, runny noses, sneezing, aching head, and other symptoms that accompany allergies, or allergic rhinitis (more commonly known as hay fever), are a reality for many Californians. Substances capable of provoking allergic reactions are called allergens or triggers. Allergies to airborne allergens, such as house dust mites, mold, pollen and animal dander affect over 50 million in America today.