Scientists say a molecule called interleukin-12 can protect against food allergies. A team at the Institute of Food Allergy Research in Norwich noted that interleukin-12 is absent during the body’s allergic response.
New Type of Milk May Help Lower Cholesterol
At a time when one out of every two American adults has borderline or high cholesterol, Kroger is advertising a new milk that can reduce your LDL.
Evolving View of Dangers of Atrial Fibrillation
Until the 1990s, atrial fibrillation was noted mostly for the number of false alarms it generated among patients who showed up at emergency rooms fearing they were having heart attacks.
Doctors viewed it as relatively benign because the most common symptoms — palpitations, dizziness and shortness of breath — were tolerable and often short-lived.
No matter how bad patients may have felt, enough blood still flowed into the ventricles to sustain adequate circulation, as long as the ventricles remained healthy.
But doctors now recognize that atrial fibrillation allows blood to pool in the atria and form clots, which in turn may explain why such patients are prone to strokes and heart attacks.
Arrest of Al Gore’s Son Highlights Growing Rx Drug Abuse Problem
Drug abuse experts say the arrest of Al Gore’s son underscores the growing problem of prescription drug abuse among America’s youth. College students use the stimulant Adderall, an attention deficit drug, to get a speedy high or pull all-nighters.
Doctors: TB traveler’s diagnosis more treatable than thought
Dr. Charles Daley, with the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, told reporters that multiple tests indicate Andrew Speaker suffers from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, which is still serious and resistant to most of the common drugs used to treat tuberculosis.
New Mad Cow Disease Test in the Works
Scientists are perfecting a test which they hope will confirm mad cow disease (vCJD) in humans.
Some Alternative Therapies May Hurt Pregnancy Chance
Alternative therapies such as reflexology and herbal supplements may reduce a woman’s chance of getting pregnant, experts say.
Yawning may keep us ‘on the ball’
It may appear the height of rudeness, but a study suggests yawning is the body’s way of keeping you awake.
Gene Linked to Childhood Asthma
A recent study reports that scientists have found a gene that is strongly associated with an increased risk of asthma in children.
The study, published in the journal Nature, encompassed more than 2,000 children, and found that a gene called ORMDL3 was found at higher levels in the blood cells of children with Asthma.
Though the study did not determine how the gene was specifically related to increased risk of asthma, it indicated that the genes are found in primitive organisms such as yeast. The scientists opined that ORMDL3 may be a component of ancient immune mechanisms.
Source: BBC (7/4/2007)
Second-Hand Prenatal Smoke Exposure Linked To Psychological Problems For Kids
Children whose mothers were exposed to second-hand smoke while they were pregnant have more symptoms of serious psychological problems compared to the offspring of women who had no prenatal exposure to smoke, according to a new University of Washington study.