Recent Longevity News for the seven days ending 3/12/08.  You should consult your doctor if you are taking any medications.

I've added the "QualityCounts.com in Time" link to the left side bar of my website.  If your looking for an article that I removed because the link went dead, you can probably find it there.  Click on it and you'll see what I mean.

I signed up for the Vonage affiliate program.  Click here for my review of Vonage.  I don't see why anyone that has broadband would not get it and anyone that doesn't have broadband, it might make it worth it to make the switch.  I make very few long distance calls and it will save me $47 per month between my local phone and 800 number and I can't even tell the difference in service except I have a lot more features like SimulRing® where you can select it to ring your cell phone when your home phone rings.  Plus with their referral program, you only have to average one sign-up every two months to get your service for free.  That's worth about $50 per signup, the most generous referral program I've seen.  If you went with the $14.99 plan, you could get your phone service, a toll free number and a dedicated fax for less than $30 per month or less than $35 per month if you go with the unlimited plan and pay by the year.  I'm sticking with MyFax.com for my fax because I like how it is stored in the .pdf format, which makes it easy to store on the computer plus you don't need a dedicated fax for outbound if you have a fax machine vice a scanner.  See:

• Vonage Review - CNET - "Vonage deserves kudos for being only one of two VoIP services (the other being AT&T CallVantage) we've tested where the clarity of the audio equaled that of analog call quality. The audio volume was actually louder than we experienced with our analog phone ... By integrating the TA and the router together, the TA can give priority to the voice data packets, minimizing the loss of audio quality when the network bandwidth becomes saturated--this is commonly referred to as Quality of Service (QoS) ... Most small business and home broadband connections do not have enough upstream throughput to support both voice and data packets simultaneously. The unfortunate result of this fact is that most of the VoIP services we've seen suffer significant audio-quality degradation during calls that take place when the VoIP user is also generating significant upstream traffic from a PC, such as uploading photographs to an online photo-finishing service. Vonage did not suffer from these problems because the Linksys device is designed specifically to avoid them"

Probiotic hope for kidney stones - BBC News, 3/9/08 - "People naturally carrying the bacterium Oxalobacter formigenes were found to be 70% less likely to have problems"

The vitamin D miracle: Is it for real? - globeandmail.com, 3/8/08 - "... Researchers in Australia are testing this hypothesis by studying the brains of rats born to pregnant mothers deprived of vitamin D - with alarming results. The vitamin-D-deprived rodent brains had more cell proliferation, enlarged ventricles and less of a protein necessary for nerve growth ..." - See vitamin D at Amazon.com.

Typical North American Diet Is Deficient In Omega-3 Fatty Acids - Science Daily, 3/7/08 - "the typical North American diet of eating lots of meat and not much fish is deficient in omega-3 fatty acids and this may pose a risk to infant neurological development ... the women who ate lots of meat and little fish were deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, and their babies didn't do as well on eye tests as babies from mothers who weren't deficient. The results were noticeable as early as two months of age" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

L-Acetylcarnitine Curbs ADHD Associated With Fragile X Syndrome - Medscape, 3/12/08 - "L-acetylcarnitine (LAC) may be considered an alternative to stimulants for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children with fragile X syndrome, based on results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled study" - See acetyl l-carnitine products at Amazon.com.

Moderate Alcohol Consumption In Middle Age Can Lower Cardiac Risk, Study Shows - Science Daily, 3/7/08 - "After 4 years of follow-up, new moderate drinkers had a 38% lower chance of developing cardiovascular disease than did their non-drinking counterparts ... When comparing non-drinkers to wine-only drinkers, drinkers of other types of alcohol, and heavy drinkers, the wine-only drinkers had the most significant reduction in cardiovascular events"

How Frequency Of Meals May Affect Health - Science Daily, 3/7/08 - "the volunteers were "one-mealers," they had significant increases in total cholesterol, LDL "bad" cholesterol and in blood pressure, compared to when they were "three-mealers." ... Further analysis of the study group showed that when the volunteers were one-mealers, they had higher morning fasting blood sugar levels, higher and more sustained elevations in blood sugar concentrations, and a delayed response to the body's insulin, compared to when they were "three-mealers." Insulin is required to lower blood sugar levels"

Broccoli May Help Boost Aging Immune System - Science Daily, 3/6/08 - "As we age, the ability of the immune system to fight disease and infections and protect against cancer wears down as a result of the impact of oxygen radicals on the immune system ... our study shows that a chemical present in broccoli is capable of stimulating a wide range of antioxidant defense pathways and may be able to interfere with the age-related decline in immune function ... The UCLA team not only found that the direct administration of sulforaphane in broccoli reversed the decline in cellular immune function in old mice, but they witnessed similar results when they took individual immune cells from old mice, treated those cells with the chemical outside the body and then placed the treated cells back into a recipient animal"

Aspirin Could Reduce Breast Cancer And Help Existing Sufferers, Review of Studies Suggests - Science Daily, 3/6/08 - "Anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin may reduce breast cancer by up to 20 per cent"

PROactive: Pioglitazone reduced many different definitions of MACE - theheart.org, 3/5/08 - "The main results, reported in 2005, showed a nonsignificant 10% reduction vs placebo in the study's primary end point of all macrovascular events (all-cause mortality, nonfatal MI [including silent infarction], stroke, ACS, cardiac intervention [CABG or PCI], leg revascularization, or amputation above the ankle). The secondary composite end point of all-cause death, MI, and stroke was reduced by a significant 16%. But the authors have previously attracted criticism for focusing on this one secondary end point when the primary end point of the study was not significant ... The main results, reported in 2005, showed a nonsignificant 10% reduction vs placebo in the study's primary end point of all macrovascular events (all-cause mortality, nonfatal MI [including silent infarction], stroke, ACS, cardiac intervention [CABG or PCI], leg revascularization, or amputation above the ankle). The secondary composite end point of all-cause death, MI, and stroke was reduced by a significant 16%. But the authors have previously attracted criticism for focusing on this one secondary end point when the primary end point of the study was not significant ... "Because there was some controversy about our secondary end point, we decided to apply the PROactive data to other definitions of MACE often used in major clinical trials to see whether the results still held irrespective of which components of the MACE end point were included. We found a consistent reduction in events with all definitions with pioglitazone. This shows that we haven't been scrabbling around for one end point that was positive and that whichever MACE end point we used, we would have gotten a similar result.""

Elevated Liver Enzymes Associated With Higher Future Mortality - Science Daily, 3/4/08 - "Liver enzymes include aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and high concentrations in the blood tend to indicate liver disease ... elevated AST was associated with a significantly increased standardized mortality rate (SMR). Elevated ALT was also associated with a higher SMR. The SMRs ranged between 1.21 and 1.78 ... elevated serum AST and ALT may be markers of cardiovascular diseases (nearly 34 percent of the deaths in the study population were due to cardiovascular causes)" - See my liver disease page for ways to reduce ALT and AST.  For example:

• Green tea shows benefits against fatty liver - Nutra USA, 1/22/08 - "the obese mice fed the GTE-supplemented diets had 23 to 25 per cent less body than the obese mice fed the non-supplemented diet. Moreover, the lean mice fed the GTE-supplemented diets had 11 to 20 per cent less body than their lean counterpart on the non-supplemented diet ... Measurements of the blood enzymes alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase, used as markers of liver damage, showed that GTE-supplementation was associated with 30 to 41 per cent and 22 to 33 per cent lower activities, respectively" - [Abstract] - Note:  Alanine aminotransferase is the "ALT" you see on blood tests and aspartate aminotransferase is the "AST" you see on blood tests.  See green tea extract at Amazon.com.

Why Certain Diabetes Drugs Appear To Lower Blood Pressure - Science Daily, 3/4/08 - "Drugs called thiazolidinediones (TDZs), which are used to treat type II diabetes, target and activate PPAR gamma. In addition to controlling blood sugar, these drugs also appear to lower blood pressure ... It appears that when PPAR gamma is activated it initiates a cascade of events that protect the blood vessel ... When we interfere with the PPAR gamma pathway, those protective mechanisms are eliminated and the blood vessel becomes dysfunctional" - I've read all the negative of thiazolidinediones (TDZs) and I still feel the good outweigh the bad.  I take Actos (pioglitazone HCl) (OffshoreRx1.com) to help prevent diabetes among other thing like I feel they will eventually show that it helps prevent advanced glycation end products, a major cause of aging.  See:

• Face facts: Too much sugar causes wrinkles - MSNBC, 10/21/07 - "At blame is a natural process that's known as glycation, in which the sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins to form harmful new molecules called advanced glycation end products (or, appropriately, AGEs for short). The more sugar you eat, the more AGEs you develop. "As AGEs accumulate, they damage adjacent proteins in a domino-like fashion," ... Supplement your diet with at least 1 mg of vitamins B1 and B6 a day. These vitamins proved to be potent AGE inhibitors in a number of published studies"
• Advanced glycation endproducts: what is their relevance to diabetic complications? - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2007 May;9(3):233-45 - "AGEs may potentiate the development of diabetic complications by activation of cell responses by AGE-modified proteins interacting with specific cell surface receptors, activation of cell responses by AGE free adducts, impairment of protein-protein and enzyme-substrate interactions by AGE residue formation, and increasing resistance to proteolysis of extracellular matrix proteins. The formation of AGEs is suppressed by intensive glycaemic control, and may in future be suppressed by thiamine and pyridoxamine supplementation, and several other pharmacological agents"

High Blood Pressure Linked to Kidney Cancer Risk - Medscape, 3/4/08 - "Hypertension is an important risk factor of RCC, accounting for approximately 20%-30% of cases"

Abstracts from this week's Doctor's Guide Nutrition/Dietetics plus abstracts from my RSS feeds (Click here for the journals, the PubMed ones at the top):

Prescription omega-3 fatty acids and their lipid effects: physiologic mechanisms of action and clinical implications - Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2008 Mar;6(3):391-409 - "Hypertriglyceridemia is a risk factor for atherosclerotic coronary heart disease. Very high triglyceride (TG) levels (>/=500 mg/dl [5.65 mmol/l]) increase the risk of pancreatitis. One therapeutic option to lower TG levels is omega-3 fatty acids, which are derived from the oil of fish and other seafood. The American Heart Association has acknowledged that fish oils may decrease dysrhythmias, decrease sudden death, decrease the rate of atherosclerosis and slightly lower blood pressure, and has recommended fish consumption or fish oil supplementation as a therapeutic strategy to reduce cardiovascular disease. A prescription omega-3-acid ethyl esters (P-OM3) preparation has been available in many European nations for at least a decade, and was approved by the US FDA in 2004 to reduce very high TG levels (>/=500 mg/dl [5.65 mmol/l]). Mechanistically, most evidence suggests that omega-3 fatty acids reduce the synthesis and secretion of very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles, and increase TG removal from VLDL and chylomicron particles through the upregulation of enzymes, such as lipoprotein lipase. Omega-3 fatty acids differ mechanistically from other lipid-altering drugs, which helps to explain why therapies such as P-OM3 have complementary mechanisms of action and, thus, complementary lipid benefits when administered with statins" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

Treatment of hypertension in individuals with the cardiometabolic syndrome: role of an angiotensin II receptor blocker, telmisartan - Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2008 Mar;6(3):289-303 - "Concerning drug treatment of hypertension associated with other cardiometabolic risk factors, many results of head-to-head studies have demonstrated a reduction in new-onset Type 2 diabetes in hypertensive patients treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, when compared with conventional antihypertensive therapy. The explanations of the different actions of both these drugs include several mechanisms related to pancreatic insulin release and insulin sensitivity improvement. Another mechanism by which the inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system may improve insulin sensitivity is through the partial peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma agonism of telmisartan. For that reason, telmisartan has been considered by some experts to be an antihypertensive agent that is particularly useful in the treatment of hypertension associated with cardiometabolic risk factors" - Click here for my argument for telmisartan being the first line treatment for hypertension.

Effect of Dietary n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on the Inducibility of Ventricular Tachycardia in Patients With Ischemic Cardiomyopathy - Am J Cardiol. 2008 Mar 15;101(6):758-61 - "Increased consumption of fish and/or fish oil was associated with decreased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) ... dietary n-3 fatty acid supplementation decreased the inducibility of VT in patients at risk of SCD. These findings suggest that dietary fish oil can have an antiarrhythmic effect" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

Low Testosterone Levels are Common and Associated with Insulin Resistance in Men with Diabetes - J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Mar 4 - "Testosterone deficiency is common in men with diabetes, regardless of the type. Testosterone levels are partly influenced by insulin resistance, which may represent an important avenue for intervention"

Omega3 Fatty acids for cardioprotection - Mayo Clin Proc. 2008 Mar;83(3):324-32 - "The most compelling evidence for the cardiovascular benefit provided by omega-3 fatty acids comes from 3 large controlled trials of 32,000 participants randomized to receive omega-3 fatty acid supplements containing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or to act as controls. These trials showed reductions in cardiovascular events of 19% to 45%. These findings suggest that intake of omega-3 fatty acids, whether from dietary sources or fish oil supplements, should be increased, especially in those with or at risk for coronary artery disease. Patients should consume both DHA and EPA. The target DHA and EPA consumption levels are about 1 g/d for those with known coronary artery disease and at least 500 mg/d for those without disease. Patients with hypertriglyceridemia benefit from treatment with 3 to 4 g/d of DHA and EPA, a dosage that lowers triglyceride levels by 20% to 50%. Although 2 meals of oily fish per week can provide 400 to 500 mg/d of DHA and EPA, secondary prevention patients and those with hypertriglyceridemia must use fish oil supplements if they are to reach 1 g/d and 3 to 4 g/d of DHA and EPA, respectively" - See Mega Twin EPA at iHerb and Jarrow Max DHA at Amazon.com.  I take both because the percentage of omega-3 (EPA and DHA) is very low in other supplements.  I don't know what the rest of that oil is but your not saving anything by getting supplements with a low percentage.  Just do the math plus if the rest of the oil is an omega-6 you're not helping the omega-6/omega-3 ratio.

Beneficial effects of rosiglitazone on novel cardiovascular risk factors in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus - Diabet Med. 2008 Mar;25(3):333-40 - "Rosiglitazone treatment significantly increased VO2 peak (P < 0.0001), the duration of the exercise test (P < 0.0001), oxygen pulse (P = 0.010) and TIMP-2 levels (P = 0.008) in comparison with CG. Insulin resistance, hyperglycaemia, diastolic blood pressure and MMP-9 levels were also reduced ... Rosiglitazone treatment increases cardiorespiratory fitness and modulates favourably serum adiponectin, MMP-9 and TIMP-2 levels. Whether these effects produce cardiovascular benefits in the long term requires further investigation" - Like I said above, I've read all the negative of thiazolidinediones (TDZs) and I still feel the good outweigh the bad.  I take Actos (pioglitazone HCl) (OffshoreRx1.com) (rosiglitazone's competition) to help prevent diabetes among other thing like I feel they will eventually show that it helps prevent advanced glycation end products, a major cause of aging.

The Rationale for Inhibiting 5alpha-Reductase Isoenzymes in the Prevention and Treatment of Prostate Cancer - J Urol. 2008 Feb 14 - "The 2 5alpha-reductase inhibitors currently clinically available are finasteride, a type 2 5alpha-reductase inhibitor, and dutasteride, a dual 5alpha-reductase inhibitor. Dual inhibition by dutasteride has been shown to translate into a greater degree and consistency of dihydrotestosterone suppression compared with finasteride. The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial showed that finasteride significantly decreased the 7-year risk of prostate cancer in men with prostate specific antigen 3.0 ng/ml or less, while the ongoing Reduction by Dutasteride of Prostate Cancer Events study is assessing whether dutasteride decreases the risk of biopsy detectable prostate cancer in men with prostate specific antigen 2.5 to 10 ng/ml and a previous negative biopsy"

Reduced incidence of new-onset atrial fibrillation with angiotensin II receptor blockade: the VALUE trial - J Hypertens. 2008 Mar;26(3):403-411 - "These findings suggest that angiotensin II receptor blockers may result in greater benefits than calcium antagonists in hypertensive patients at risk of new-onset AF"

Effects of angiotensin II type 1-receptor blockade on retinal endothelial function - J Hypertens. 2008 Mar;26(3):516-22 - "AT1-receptor blockade with irbesartan improves endothelial function of the retinal vasculature, taken as a model of cerebral circulation"

Kidney damage after renal ablation is worsened in endothelial nitric oxide synthase (-/-) mice and improved by combined administration of L-arginine and antioxidants - Nephrology (Carlton). 2008 Jun;13(3):218-27 - "A combination of L-arginine and antioxidant treatment ameliorated renal damage"

Plasma Isoflavone Level and Subsequent Risk of Breast Cancer Among Japanese Women: A Nested Case-Control Study From the Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study Group - J Clin Oncol. 2008 Mar 3 - "We found a statistically significant inverse association between plasma genistein and risk of breast cancer, but no association for plasma daidzein. Adjusted odds ratios for the highest versus lowest quartile of plasma level were 0.34 for genistein (95% CI, 0.16 to 0.74; P for trend, .02) and 0.71 for daidzein (95% CI, 0.35 to 1.44; P for trend, .54). Median plasma genistein values in the control group were 31.9 ng/mL for the lowest and 353.9 ng/mL for the highest quartile groups" - See soy isoflavones at Amazon.com.

Low free testosterone concentration as a potentially treatable cause of depressive symptoms in older men - Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008 Mar;65(3):283-9 - "Participants with depression had significantly lower total and free testosterone concentrations than nondepressed men (P < .001 for both). However, they were also more likely to smoke and to have low educational attainment, a body mass index categorized as obese, a Mini-Mental State Examination score less than 24, a history of antidepressant drug treatment, and greater concurrent physical morbidity. After adjusting for these factors and for age, men with depression were 1.55 (95% CI, 0.91-2.63) and 2.71 (95% CI, 1.49-4.93) times more likely to have total and free testosterone concentrations, respectively, in the lowest quintile"

Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation reduces one-year risk of atrial fibrillation in patients hospitalized with myocardial infarction - Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2008 Feb 29 - "N-3 PUFA reduced the relative risk of the hospitalization for AF [hazard ratio (HR) 0.19, 95% CI 0.07-0.51] and was associated with a further and complementary reduction in all-cause mortality (HR 0.15, 95% CI 0.05-0.46)" - See Mega Twin EPA at Amazon.com.

Neat Gadgets:

Panasonic KX-TG6052B 5.8 GHz FHSS Expandable Digital Cordless Phone System with 2 Handsets.  It actually tells you who's calling with Talking Caller ID which is great for people like me who need reading glasses to see the caller ID.  It is expandable to 4 phones.  See Panasonic KX-TGA600B 5.8 GHz Expandable Digital Cordless Handset (Black).

Health Focus (Dust Mites):

Specific Recommendations for Dust Mites:

• Dust Mite Covers at Amazon.com
• Pristine Allergy Products at Amazon.com
• Natural Latex Pillow Products at Amazon.com
• Primaloft washable pillows at Lands' End

Dust Mite News & Research:

• Dust Mites: Where Are They Lurking? - ExtraTV.com, 8/23/00 - "The average pillow will get up to 1/10 of its weight from dust mites and dust mites waste material and its making people sick."
• Dust Mites and Asthma - Stephen A. Brunton and Richard L Saphir, Stamford Hospital, Stamford, Conn., and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, N.Y. - "approximately 10% of the weight of a two-year-old pillow may be due to the presence of dead mites and their droppings."
• Dust Mite Allergies - Intelihealth
• Dust mites, roaches can weaken your skin - Skin and beauty- msnbc.com - MSNBC, 2/28/08
• Vacuum Cleaning Is Ineffective At Removing Dust Mite Allergen, According To Study - Science Daily, 5/22/07
• Hotter Is Better For Removing Allergens In Laundry - Science Daily, 5/20/07 - "140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 ºC) or higher--kills all house dust mites, compared with just 6.5% of dust mites in laundry washed at 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 ºC), or warm water"
• Dust Mites Elude High-End Vacuums - WebMD, 2/17/06
• How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs - cbs2chicago.com, 2/7/06
• Pillows: A Hot Bed Of Fungal Spores - Science Daily, 10/14/05
• Your Pillows Are Full of Fungus - WebMD, 10/14/05 - "It is thought that human skin scales in bedding are used as a food source for fungi, and the fungi are eaten by mites. And the fungi might sit on the mite feces as well"
• Sublingual Immunotherapy Effective in Treating Mite-Induced Allergic Rhinitis, Asthma - Doctor's Guide, 3/21/05
• Impermeable Bed Cover Use Does Not Lead to Improved Symptoms for Patients with Asthma or Allergic Rhinitis - Doctor's Guide, 7/21/03
• Allergy-Proof Bedding Not Enough - WebMD, 7/16/03
• Dust Mite Allergies in Newborns Prevalent in Homes With Gas Stoves - WebMD, 3/11/03
• Bedroom House-Mite Dust Levels Unrelated To Later Bronchial Hyper-Responsiveness - Doctor's Guide, 2/4/03
• Intervention Lowers Mite Allergen Sensitisation in High-Risk Children - Doctor's Guide, 11/12/02
• Reducing House Dust Mite Allergen Load Ineffective in Atopic Dermatitis - Doctor's Guide, 9/23/02
• Feather Bedding Could Reduce House-Dust Mite Sensitisation in Children - Doctor's Guide, 8/12/02
• Spring Mattresses Rather Than Foam Reduce Exposure to House Dust Mite Allergens - Doctor's Guide, 5/31/02
• Shake Out the Dog, Vacuum the Cat: It's Time for Spring Cleaning - WebMD, 3/15/02
• Simple Steps Can Reduce Dust Mite Allergens in Homes - Doctor's Guide, 8/7/01
• Wash Those Mites Right Out of Your House - WebMD, 8/6/01
• You'll Never Guess What's Sleeping in Your Bed, Dust Mites -- and They're Known to Trigger Asthma, Allergies - WebMD, 5/22/01 - "some 86% of American homes have detectable levels of dust mite allergen, but more importantly, around 23% of homes have enough of the irritant to trigger respiratory problems"
• Experts Offer Tips for Controlling Dust Mites and Other Allergens - WebMD, 3/20/01
• Dust Mites, Cats Doubted as Cause of Childhood Asthma - WebMD, 10/20/00
• American Bedrooms Ripe With Asthma-Causing Dust Mites And Allergens - Doctor's Guide, 5/10/00
• Almost Six in 10 Canadian Asthmatics Do Not Have Disease Under Control - Doctor's Guide, 5/10/00 - "A significant portion of U.S. homes have beds with dust mite and cockroach allergen levels that exceed levels previously associated with triggering asthma symptoms ... Extrapolating the findings to the entire U.S. housing stock, the researchers estimated that 44 million homes (over 45 percent of occupied housing units) have beds with levels of dust mite previously associated with allergen sensitization, while 22 million homes (23 percent) are estimated to have beds with levels of dust mites believed to be associated with symptomatic asthma"
• Bed Survey Shows Dust Mites in Bedding Can Trigger Allergies in Many Homes - ABC News, 5/9/00
• New Ventilation/Cleaning System Effective In Reducing Dust Mites - Doctor's Guide, 12/13/99
• Synthetic Pillows May Not Be Best For Allergies - Doctor's Guide, 12/13/99 - "It seems that it is not so much what is inside the pillow that matters, than it is the fabric that covers the pillow"
• Allergies May Be Culprit In Disabling Inner Ear Disorder - Doctor's Guide, 9/30/99
• New Allergy and Asthma Findings - Doctor's Guide, 8/5/96 - "exposure to indoor allergens, particularly to dust mites, can play an important role in both primary sensitization and the later development of asthma ... Sixty percent of the asthmatics had a positive skin test to mite allergen ... the researchers found dust mite allergen concentrations to be the highest in beds ... Our results suggest that in mite-sensitive patients, the level of exposure to mite allergens has a major influence on severity and clinical activity of asthma"