This Week in Health: Potential cure for asthma is in the works

Location of study: The U.K.

Results: A recent study out of King’s College London has revealed that a calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) appears to be what prompts asthma symptoms. These symptoms occur when triggers (like allergies, for example) cause the body to release chemicals that activate CaSR in airway tissue. The result? Difficulty breathing.

Significance: The finding is big as it could represent the root cause of asthma. What’s more is that a cure could be just a few short years away. Researchers are now looking into the safety and effectiveness of using drugs that deactivate CaSR to treat asthma.

Location of study: U.S.

Results: New research from the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that more and more children—especially infants and toddlers—are using mobile media on a daily basis. A recent survey found that one in seven 1-year-olds uses one of these devices for at least an hour a day. Some babies as young as 6 months old are even using mobile media devices for as long as 30 minutes at a time.

Significance: According to the AAP, devices like TVs, tablets and smartphones should not be introduced to children under the age of 2. At the end of the day, the long-term effects are simply unclear at this point. However, some experts wonder if there’s a link between mobile media use among children and impaired cognition.

Results: In a recent study out of Lund University in Sweden, coffee was found to slow tumor growth and reduce cancer recurrence in women who’d been diagnosed with breast cancer. These patients were specifically being treated with a drug called tamoxifen. Women who drank two cups of coffee a day were 50 percent less likely to experience cancer recurrence.

Significance: Caffeine appears to have a direct impact on breast cancer cells. More specifically, researchers say it helped reduce cell division while also increasing cell death. This happened even more when tamoxifen was part of the equation.