News
DO YOU SUFFER FROM ASTHMA OR ALLERGIES?
Lectures in 2010
Hayfever: what is new? and Food allergy.
The Department of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine at Glenfield Hospital will be holding a public meeting on Wednesday 8 September 2010. Professor Andy Wardlaw will be talking about "Hayfever: what is new?" Dr David Luyt, Consultant Paediatrician will talk about “Food allergy.”
This event is open to everyone for further details call 0116 2479888.
Fundraising Events
Golf Day 4 June 2010
It was another good year for our Golf Day with 14 teams entering raising a total of £2746.
1st Oval Insurance score 83, prize golf at Hollinwell Golf Club
Nick Lunson, David Legan, Simon Rowley John Thorpe
2nd Medics score 83, prize wine and spirits
Ian Pavord, Doug Skehan, Alan Cole and James Parker
3rd Tissue Culture Club score 82, prize Wine
David Smith, Geoff Baxter, Robin Francis, Tim Haycock
The Girls won a meal voucher at Boboli's restaurant
Beth Kalus, Nita Fitzpatrick, Sandra Burns, Diana Pain
Nearest the pin prize was an MOT donated by Farmer and Carlisle and was won by Phil Thompson of Mawby & King
Sturgess Jaguar and Chris Whitmore Associates sponsored a hole.
Many thanks to everyone who donated wonderful Raffle and Tombola prizes.
MAARA announces big increase in Research Grants
In June 2008 MAARA announced further extensions to its funding programme in the East Midlands. In the last three years MAARA has awarded grants totalling around £250,000 to the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust to support a number of research projects in the field of asthma and allergy. Now MAARA has committed a further £175,000 over the next two years to the Aerobiology Unit.
Edward Stanger, Chairman of MAARA said: "I am delighted to announce this further support. We are excited about the research being undertaken which we believe it will help cement the reputation of the unit as a Centre of Excellence."
Professor Andrew Wardlaw of the University of Leicester said: "On behalf of the aerobiology unit at the University of Leicester, I would like to thank MAARA and to say how delighted we are to receive an extension to our current funding. The money we have received will enable us to provide the pollen and fungal spore counts for a further two years, and further the research we have been doing. In the two years since we formed we have made significant progress in a number of projects including understanding the fungal spore component of air in the indoor environment, and the application of modern molecular techniques to identifying fungal spores in the outdoor air samples. The extra money will enable us to take these projects further as well as a number of other studies relating to fungal identification and detection.
Fungal allergy affects a significant proportion of hayfever and asthma sufferers, but our understanding of which fungi are involved and how they cause problems is still mostly unknown. With the support of MAARA we are actively learning more about the fungi in the air we breathe indoors and out. A better understanding will hopefully allow us to advise people with allergies about living conditions and how to manage their allergies. In the long term there is the hope of treatments that will prevent the fungal allergies themselves rather than just treating the symptoms."
RECENT MAARA GRANTS AWARDED
Two new Derby University research projects
1) What do children and adults understand about food allergy and how well do they reason about its causes
Principal Investigators: Dr Rebecca Knibb and Dr Steve Croker
This study aims to investigate understanding of food allergy in both children and adults in order to inform the development of better, age-appropriate educational material with the intention inform and enhance the way in which verbal and written information is provided by health care practitioners.
2) The characterisation of airborne inorganic particulate matter in western Derby: A Pilot Study.
Principal Investigators: Prof Hugh Rollinson, Dr Jacob Adetunji, Dr Mike Greenwood, Dr Harry Morrow-Brown.
The epidemiological link between inhalable particulate matter and negative health effects is well known. What is less well known is the detailed mineralogical and lithological content of these materials and thus their specific health impacts. Study aim is to conduct a pilot study in the west Derby area with an intention to guide future work in this area. This study would provide a complement to the investigation of pollens and other biological allergenics as triggers for allergic reactions, and will focus on those components of inorganic particulates in the natural environment which may also have a similar effect, but have not been well characterised.
Follow up details of existing studies can be found in the current newsletter.
Methodology to quantify eosinophilic material in airway macrophages
Dr Neeta Kulkarni and Professor Christopher Brightling of the Institute for Lung Health, Glenfield Hospital are developing a methodology to quantify the amount of toxic product of eosinophil in macrophage. This study is now complete, please see Research page for further details.
Living with Nut Allergy
Dr Emma Pitchforth, Dr David Luyt and Dr Eilia Wawrzkowicz, Consultant Paediatricans of the University’s Department of Health Sciences are carrying out a qualitative study involving interviews with children and their parents.
Aerobiology at Leicester University
Dr Cat Pashley & Abbie Fairs are Investigating indoor fungal spore exposure in relation to symptoms of allergy and Identification of Aspergillus fumigatus in clinical samples
Full details of these studies can be found in the Spring 08 Newsletter
*New Page July 2010* Older news articles that may still be of interest have been moved to a new page Older News Articles.