By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, July 15 (HealthDay News) -- A stomach bacterium called Helicobacter pylori may reduce a child's risk of developing asthma by as much as 50 percent, a new study suggests.

H. pylori has been present in the human stomach probably since humans were humans. However, the germ began disappearing over the course of the 20th century with the introduction of antibiotics and cleaner water and homes, perhaps making children more susceptible to asthma, the study authors suggested.

Smoking marijuana while pregnant may harm the developing brain of a fetus, say researchers at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.

In tests on mice, the researchers found that marijuana can affect molecules essential to a signaling process that plays a role in normal brain development. The researchers also found that certain prescription drugs, including some used to treat obesity, can have a similar effect, BBC News reported.

By Steven Reinberg
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, May 30 (HealthDay News) -- Asthma inhalers that contain the drug albuterol to relax the airways also contain chemicals that harm the ozone layer. And these inhalers won't be available after this year, so U.S. health officials are urging patients to switch to alternative inhalers now.

By Amanda Gardner
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 28 (HealthDay News) -- Here's another reason why adults shouldn't smoke around kids:

In addition to developing asthma and respiratory infections, children in households where someone smokes are more likely to catch a whole range of severe infections, including meningococcal disease. Many even have to be hospitalized, a new study found.

Being around smoke during the first few months of life was most dangerous, especially if the newborn was born underweight or premature.

WEDNESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- At least some of the biological risk for childhood asthma and allergies traces back to the womb, new research suggests.

Both the order of birth and even the way a baby is delivered have a significant impact on the long-term strength of a child's allergic defenses, scientists say.

The findings were presented Wednesday during the American Thoracic Society's International Conference, in Toronto.

(HealthDay News) -- If an expectant mother is exposed to high levels of stress, her baby may be more likely to develop asthma or allergies later in life, new research suggests.

Babies born to mothers experiencing high levels of stress had more IgE in their blood at birth than did babies born to less-stressed moms. IgE is an antibody involved in allergic and asthmatic reactions.

The U.S. government-mandated switch to CFC-free inhalers is causing problems for millions of people with asthma and other lung diseases, according to The New York Times. CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), used as propellants in the inhalers, damage the Earth's ozone layer.

Tailoring asthma education programs to minorities can improve patients' quality of life, according to Australian researchers who reviewed three studies that included 396 asthma patients, ages 7 to 59, from ethnic minority groups.

All the studies compared the use of culture-specific asthma education programs to general education programs or usual care, United Press International reported.

THURSDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- A study of women with a wide range of body-mass indexes (BMIs) found that obesity may worsen the impact of asthma and also mask its severity in standard tests.

THURSDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- Have asthma or think you might? Then May is the month for you to get a handle on this common breathing disease.

Free asthma screenings are scheduled to be held at 250 locations across the United States as part of National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology sponsors the annual effort, and this year the emphasis is on helping those already diagnosed with asthma to get it under control as best they can.