Are sick schools, poor results linked?

A letter-writer to The Boston Globe suggests unhealthy indoor air quality in public schools might contribute to lack-luster results.

Pest control in the distant future?

Scientists are researching ways to turn off "post-mating" behavior, like egg-laying in insects, according to Reuters.

Many female insects undergo profound changes in behavior after mating. Some
species start laying multiple eggs. Female mosquitoes, for example, seek out a
meal of blood -- often spreading malaria in the process.

Scientists have known for some time that such behavior is triggered by a so-called sex peptide molecule in the male's seminal fluid, but it has been unclear how it exerts its impact on the female.

Now Dickson and his colleagues have identified the receptor for the molecule in fruit flies and shown it is key to post-mating behavior. Females lacking the receptor continue to behave as virgins, even after mating, they reported in the journal Nature.

It's no fa-la-la-la-la: Tis the season for asthma

Some winter tips for asthma suffers, particularly children from InsideBayArea.com.

THE NUMBER of children with asthma continues to rise; it is now considered the
most common cause of childhood hospitalization and school absences — an
estimated 14 million lost school days. With the arrival of winter, the estimated
6 million children who suffer from asthma face numerous triggers of the disease.

Breathing in cold winter air can provoke asthma symptoms, as can the
increase in viruses and upper-respiratory infections this time of year. However,
what most people don't know is that there are a host of indoor irritants that
can bring on symptoms as well, such as dust, mold and mildew that accumulate on
holiday decorations during storage, fireplace fumes and scented candles or
potpourri.

"Zombie" Roaches Lose Free Will Due to Wasp Venom

The National Geographic has a story on how wasps can knock out cockroaches with their venom:

The parasitic jewel wasp uses a venom injected directly into a cockroach's brain
to inhibit its victim's free will, scientists have discovered.

And it gets creepier from there!

'Tis the Season For Allergy, Asthma

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology is offering holiday allergy tips:

The stress of the holiday season can sometimes trigger an asthma attack. Monitor your stress levels. If you do feel stressed, deep breathing and relaxation may
help.

If you're sleeping away from home, bring your own pillow with an allergen-proof cover. Ask for down-free pillows.

Avoid wood smoke, which can trigger an asthma attack.

Tackling air quality

The Arizona Daily Star examines indoor air quality:

The costs of indoor pollution are skyrocketing, several studies show.

It costs about $15.9 billion and perhaps up to $20 billion annually nationwide to
prevent and clean up indoor air pollution, says a 2005 EPA study.

In California alone, crummy indoor air costs the state's economy $45 billion
annually due to premature deaths, medical costs, lost worker productivity and
other impacts, says the state's Air Resources Board.

Nationwide, just taking care of childhood asthma caused by indoor pollution costs about $2.3 billion a year.

If society could come up with ways to improve indoor air quality, the
savings would reach $125 billion annually, said the federally financed Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory.

The newspaper also looks at "asthma-proofing the home" and offers advice:

Asthma accounts for more lost school days than any other illness. Its
incidence is far higher today than a generation ago, although asthma rates have
stabilized since 1995 after vaulting 75 percent nationally overall and 160
percent among children under 18 since 1980. The disease has struck about 20
million people in the United States, including about 6.2 million kids 18 and
under, says the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While the disease commonly stems from a genetic predisposition, research has linked individual attacks, and sometimes the onset of asthma, to a range of triggers:
cigarette smoke, dog and cat hairs and dander, cockroaches, dust mites, mold and
air pollution.

Bug bits: News from around the 'net

• The Oklahoman: Homeowners usually can control light infestations of pests in house
• ScientistLive.com: Protein serves as asthma biomarker
• The Hindu (India): ‘Cockroach is the cause in 25 per cent of asthma cases’
  

BANGALORE: Twenty-six per cent of children aged below 18 in Bangalore
suffer from asthma, the causes varying from air pollution to pets and
cockroaches, H. Paramesh, director of Lakeside Medical Centre and Hospital, has
said.

[...]

Interestingly, 25 per cent of the cause for asthma was
because of cockroaches while only 7.5 per cent of asthma cases could be
traced back to pollen and fungi in the city, Dr. Paramesh said.

Cockroaches Respond to Peer Pressure, Study Suggests

A surprising story from The New York Times:

Many a mother has said, with a sigh, “If your friends jumped off a cliff,
would you jump, too?”

The answer, for cockroaches at least, may well be yes. Researchers using robotic roaches were able to convince real cockroaches to do things that their instincts told them were not the best idea.

Interesting facts about cockroaches

I guess this is why you need Combat!

Young roaches have at least 14 "breaking points" on their bodies at which they
can part and still survive. Their waxy, bendable shell allows them to burrow
into cracks as thin as a quarter. They have ferocious jaws, and ultra-sensitive
antennae allow them to smell water.

The Cincinnati Post

Asthma and exercise

From the Nashau Telegraph:

The question: Youngsters with asthma sometimes shrink from exercising, out
of fear it will exacerbate their breathing problems. Are they correct?

Allergists Highlight New National Asthma Guidelines: Emphasis On Prevention, Avoiding "Attacks"

New guidelines regarding living with asthma were released today by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Here are a few of the findings:

• All patients with asthma should be monitored by a doctor every one to six months, regardless of how severe their condition is and whether they are experiencing symptoms.
• Every patient should have a written asthma action plan with instructions for daily treatment and what to do if symptoms become worse. The action plan should be developed by a doctor or nurse, with input from the patient, and shared with all those who interact with the patient such as family members, teachers and coaches.
• Education that takes into account cultural background and literacy should be part of asthma care, and patients should play an active role in managing their condition.

Link to press release.

Fixit: How safe are kids at college?

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reminds parents and college students to be aware of health and safety hazards like cockroach infestations in their dorms:

Look for cockroach droppings behind the stove or refrigerator, said Stephen
Kells, assistant professor of entomology at the University of Minnesota. You
might see sticky insect traps set out, say, under the sink.

What is asthma?

The New York Times has a fantastic backgrounder on asthma, complete with definitions and illustrations.

For Minority Kids, No Room to Breathe

This article in The New York Times is from August 2007, but it has excellent information on childhood asthma, especially as it pertains to minority kids. According to the article, as many as one in five Puerto Rican children have asthma in the United States, and 13% of African American children have asthma:

Several factors contribute to the disparity. Socioeconomic status is certainly central, particularly in terms of environment. Children in poor inner-city communities are disproportionately exposed to both indoor and outdoor allergens — cockroaches, mice, mold, dust, cigarette smoke, automobile exhaust, soot — that can trigger breathing problems.

Mom's Asthma Affects Breastfed Babies

A new study from the American Thoracic Society has found that children whose mothers have asthma and breastfeed are more likely to have breathing problems.

Study looks at asthma and absenteeism

A new study from the American College of Chest Physicians reports that people who actively work to manage their asthma are more likely to have better attendance at work and school.

Children with uncontrolled asthma missed more than six school days in a six-month period compared to just 2.6 missed school days for their healthier peers, the study found. Adults with poorly managed asthma missed almost five days of work versus an average of 1.5 days for their counterparts with well-managed asthma.

"I wasn't surprised to see there was a difference in absenteeism, but I was a little surprised at the magnitude of the difference," said the study's lead author, Dr. David Tinkelman, a professor of pediatrics and vice president for health initiatives at National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver.

Those Uninvited Guests

The New York Times rounds up methods on pest control for vacation homes:

But bugs like vacation homes as much as the owners and their guests do.

That vacation homes are often vacant and untended means that bugs — especially spiders, ants and silverfish — have a free run of the house much of the time.

Combat products are not listed in this article, but Combat does offer ant and cockroach baits and gels, which would be suitable for when you spend time away from your home and need an easy, affordable pest management solution.

Climate Change and Asthma

A new posting on About.com's asthma page suggests that global warming is exacerbating asthma for sufferers:

Research suggests that these changes might be contributing to an increased incidence and severity of asthma and asthma symptoms. Not a great combination, is it? For the first time, new asthma treatment guidelines released during the summer encourage health professionals to seek out environmental influences on asthma control.

"Cockroaches, Reconsidered"

The New York Times has an interesting essay on its blog about cockroaches and their dirty reputation:

Dr. Joseph G. Kunkel, a biology professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, notes that while cockroaches are magnets for bacteria and viruses, the roach is more likely to pick up germs from us than the other way around. Every time we cough or touch anything, we leave behind viruses and bacteria. If a roach crosses our path, it collects our germs.

Most Asthmatics Don't Have Illness Under Control

Interesting recent news article on the state of asthma in the United States. According to the research, the cockroach allergen has correlation to asthma, especially among inner-city youth.

Most Asthmatics Don't Have Illness Under Control

Two-thirds of the survey respondents said they have their asthma symptoms under control, but more than half reported experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and/or phlegm production at least once a week.