Washington, Sept 26 : A Norwegian study has revealed that belly fat is linked to the development of asthma.

Previous studies have found a link between asthma and body mass index (BMI), which is a marker for overall obesity but the new study undertaken looked at the circumference of the waist, which is a marker for central obesity, to see whether this form of obesity could also contribute to the risk of asthma.

London, Sep 26 : Mothers exposed to certain substances and chemicals while in their jobs during pregnancy could give birth to children with higher chances of asthma.

This research included 42,696 children from the Danish National Birth Cohort which examined the link between their mother's occupation and prevalence of asthma among the seven-year-olds.

Washington, August 1 : Scientists have revealed a novel gene associated with the elevated risk for asthma in African-Americans.

By pooling data from nine independent research groups looking for genes associated with asthma, the newly-created EVE Consortium identified a novel gene association specific to populations of African descent.

In addition, the new study confirmed the significance of four gene associations with the disease.

London, August 1 : A new study has shed light on the genetic factors contributing to asthma susceptibility, paving way for better treatments of millions of sufferers around the world.

London, June 29: Researchers at the University of Aberdeen have identified a correlation between the size and growth of a baby in the womb and the likelihood of the child going on to develop childhood asthma.

They also found links between the rate an unborn baby grows and his/her chances of developing allergic conditions such as eczema and hay fever during childhood.

Hyderabad, June 9 : Thousands of asthma patients from different parts of the country, hoping to be cured, took 'fish prasadam' which has been distributed by a family here for more than 160 years.

Despite the controversies which hit the popularity of the 'miracle drug' in recent years, people continue to throng the venue in the hope of finding some relief to their nagging respiratory problems.

London, June 8: A new surgery for asthma patients that uses radio waves to open up their airways has been found to dramatically reduce the debilitating symptoms and help patients lead normal lives.

Repeated asthma attacks cause lung tissue to thicken but the new treatment ‘burns’ this away, opening up airways to make breathing easier, reports the Daily Mail.

Washington, May 30 : When asthmatic children are infected with flu, they often land in the hospital gasping for air.

Researchers from Children's Hospital in Boston have found a previously unknown biological pathway explaining why influenza induces asthma attacks.

Studies in a mouse model reveal that influenza activates a newly recognized group of immune cells called natural helper cells, reports the journal Nature Immunology.

London, May 30: A study has found a previously unknown biological pathway that helps explain why influenza induces asthma attacks in children with the disease.

Researchers at Children''s Hospital Boston studied a mouse model and found that influenza activates a newly recognized group of immune cells called natural helper cells, presenting a completely new set of drug targets for asthma.

London, May 19 : Vitamin D, which is abundantly provided by sunshine, plays a vital role in protecting kids from asthma.

Children in colder, wetter cities are at greater risk of suffering from this respiratory problem since there are fewer hours of sunlight in such places, says a Spanish study.

Washington, May 19: Smoking during pregnancy by mothers or grandmothers puts the child at an increased risk of developing asthma, but the root cause behind this was so far not well understood. Now, a new study has found that changes in a process called DNA methylation that occurs before birth, can be a valid reason.

Washington, May 18: Researchers have found that children suffering from asthma may be more exposed to cockroach allergens in their neighbourhoods.

A study conducted by Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health revealed that children living in New York City blocks where asthma is common have higher levels of exposure to cockroach allergens.

Additionally, these kids were more likely to be sensitised to the allergens.

Washington, May 17: A new study by the Shanghai Women''s Health Asthma and Allergy has suggested that an impaired ability to handle oxidative stress that arises from exposure to secondhand smoke and other environmental triggers may contribute to the development of asthma.

The results suggest regulating the body''s antioxidant defense system may play an important role in asthma prevention.

Washington, May 6 : It has been observed that when children or adolescents with asthma and their parents become overly anxious, it may weaken their ability to cope up with the disease effectively.

Researchers at the New York University School of Medicine and LaSalle University have developed a tool to assess asthma-related anxiety among pediatric patients and their parents.

London, May 5 : A once-a-day pill could revolutionise treatment for asthma, freeing patients from the tyranny of inhalers, which many find difficult to use.

Scientists have found that the pills, known as leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs), were just as good at treating symptoms as inhalers, and patients were far more likely to remember to take them.

Washington, May 5: A new study has found that a rarely prescribed asthma drug is just as effective as inhalers and easier to use.

Researchers of the new study led by the University of East Anglia (UEA), followed 650 patients with chronic asthma for two years.

Washington, April 16 : A new study has suggested that meditation and yoga can be `helpful' in improving asthma in urban adolescents.

A new study by researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) shows that urban adolescents with asthma may experience worse outcomes when not using spiritual coping and often use complementary and alternative medicine, or integrative medicine, like prayer or relaxation, to manage symptoms.

Washington, Mar 31: New research from the University of Cincinnati suggests that a lifetime history of daily smoking and nicotine dependence can increase the risk of asthma.

The study analyzed data from the National Comorbity Survey-Replication (NCS-R) – a large epidemiological survey of American adults.

Washington, March 26 : Researchers at Temple University''s School of Medicine have found that a drug used to treat asthma can reduce the formation of amyloid beta, a peptide in the brain that is implicated in the development of Alzheimer''s disease.

Washington, Feb 26: Asthma management programs, developed for parents of preschool children diagnosed with asthma, have huge benefits, shows a study.

London, Feb 24: A new study has confirmed that children living on farms are significantly less likely to develop asthma than others.

Washington, Feb 18: A new UCSF-led study has found that asthma may have a surprising relationship with the composition of the species of bacteria that inhabit bronchial airways.

This finding could suggest new treatment or even potential cures for the common inflammatory disease.

London, Feb 10: Researchers have developed a new device that can tell if an asthma sufferer is close to having an attack hours in advance.

The handheld sensor could give patients vital time to take anti-inflammatory medicines and prevent a serious episode that may otherwise land them in hospital.

The Siemens device is the size of a mobile phone and works by analysing a patient''s breath and measuring the amount of nitrogen monoxide (NO).

Washington, Dec 23: A new study has found that obese people are likelier to report exercise as the trigger for asthma.

"Compared with normal-weight participants, patients who were overweight or obese were more likely to report ETA (exercise-induced asthma),” said Simon Bacon, a professor at the Concordia Department of Exercise Science and a researcher at the Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal.

Washington, Dec 18: A new study has revealed that people with low incomes suffer more from the consequences of asthma as compared to those well off.