A recent study online that will be published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine reported that an increased risk of asthma attacks may occur among people with the chitinase gene variants when exposed to high levels of fungus. The researchers found that an ” interaction between environmental mold exposure and certain variants of chitinase genes were positively associated with severe asthma exacerbations requiring hospitalization.” Data from children enrolled in the Childhood Asthma Management program between the ages of 5 and 12 with mild to moderate persistent asthma were used. Mold was measured in the subjects homes at the beginning of the study and classified as having more or less than 25,000 mold colonies per gram of household dust. Blood samples were used to determine chitinase genes and a chitinase-like gene within the study population. Finally the researchers compared different variants of chitinase genes in the population with levels of mold exposure and number of hospital visits for severe asthma exacerbations. Findings showed that certain variants of the chitinase gene CHITI in conjunction with high mold exposure were associated with higher risks of severe asthma attacks. Further studies to replicate and expand these findings is planned.
Archive for July, 2010
Asthma Attacks and Mold in Your Home
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010Bacteria in the Gut and Colon Cancer
Friday, July 2nd, 2010Research published in the May/June issue of the journal Gut Microbes suggests that a shift in the balance of the good and bad bacteria in the gut could be associated with colon cancer. Using molecular methods that have evolved to the point where all bacteria in the gut can be identified and characterized the researchers studied biopsies from 45 patients undergoing colonoscopies. They found that there was a higher bacterial diversity and richness in individuals found to have adenomas than in those without these colorectal cancer precursors. A particular group called Proteobacteria was higher than in the controls but it is not clear whether these follow the development of the adenoma or were the cause of the adenoma. Further research is planned in animal models to see if these or other bacteria promote cancer growth. Additional samples from up to 600 patients will be analyzed. The researchers stated “What a great way to address colon cancer–you could know your risk and lower it by eating your yogurt every day.”






