steroids

Scientists discover new type of cell with a key role in treatment-resistant asthma
05/07/2012 - 12:30

U-M team shows cells’ role in inflaming airways in mice, and finds similar cells in the blood of humans with asthma, pointing to a possible target for treatment. For most people with asthma, a couple of puffs from an inhaler filled with steroids makes breathing easy. But if their lungs become resistant to the calming effect of that medicine, they live in fear of severe asthma attacks that could send them to the hospital – or worse.

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Children with Juvenile Arthritis Have Higher Rates of Bacterial Infection
04/30/2012 - 23:24

Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) have higher rates of hospitalized bacterial infection than children without JIA according to an observational study appearing in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). The findings show that the risk of infection among JIA patients was significantly increased with use of high-dose glucocorticoids (steroids). Methotrexate (MTX) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) inhibitors were not found to increase infection risk in this pediatric population.

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Network approach improves outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease despite lack of new treatments
03/14/2012 - 09:57

Many children with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis who received treatment through ImproveCareNow, a national quality improvement network, ceased to have symptoms and no longer needed to take steroids for disease management. These are the findings from a study appearing in Pediatrics that examined the network’s quality improvement efforts and their impact on outcomes. In this study, the proportion of children with Crohn’s disease in remission increased from 55 percent to 68 percent, with a similar improvement in ulcerative colitis patients.

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Nanoparticles Help Mayo Clinic Researcher Deliver Steroids to Retina
12/13/2011 - 22:52

Hitching a ride into the retina on nanoparticles called dendrimers offers a new way to treat age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. A study by investigators at Mayo Clinic, Wayne State University and Johns Hopkins Medicine shows that steroids attached to the dendrimers target the damage-causing cells associated with neuroinflammation, leaving the rest of the eye unaffected and preserving vision. The findings appear in the journal Biomaterials.

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Stronger corn? Take it off steroids, make it all female
11/30/2011 - 12:29

A Purdue University researcher has taken corn off steroids and found that the results might lead to improvements in that and other crops. Burkhard Schulz, an assistant professor of horticulture and landscape architecture, wanted to understand the relationship between natural brassinosteroids - a natural plant steroid hormone - and plant architecture, specifically plant height. Schulz said corn could benefit by becoming shorter and sturdier, but the mechanisms that control those traits are not completely understood.
 

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Daily wheezing treatment no different from intermittent in toddlers
11/26/2011 - 08:37

Pediatricians often treat young children who have frequent bouts of wheezing with a daily dose of an inhaled steroid to keep asthma symptoms at bay. But results of a recent study are likely to change that.

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