Why Doesn't The Immune System Attack The Small Intestine? New Study Provides Unexpected Answer:
Answering one of the oldest questions in human physiology, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have discovered why the body's immune system - perpetually on guard against foreign microbes like bacteria -- doesn't attack tissues in the small intestine that harbor millions of bacteria cells. In a study in the February issue of Nature Immunology, and which is currently available on the journal's Web site as an advanced online publication, investigators led by Shannon Turley, PhD, of Dana-Farber identify an unlikely group of peacemakers: lymph node cells that instruct key immune system cells to leave healthy tissue alone. The finding, which illuminates a previously unknown corner of the human immune system, may lead to new forms of treatment for autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis.
European Space Agency Launches New Project To Protect Biodiversity:
The world's biodiversity is vanishing at an unprecedented rate - around 100 species every day - due to factors such as land use change and pollution. Addressing this threat, world governments agreed through the UN Convention on Biological Diversity to reduce significantly the current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. To support this initiative, ESA has kicked off its new DIVERSITY project.
Researcher Placing Eye Implants In Cats To Help Humans See:
In "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Geordi La Forge is a blind character who can see through the assistance of special implants in his eyes. While the Star Trek character "lives" in the 24th century, people living in the 21st century may not have to wait that long for the illuminating technology. Kristina Narfstrom, a University of Missouri-Columbia veterinary ophthalmologist, has been working with a microchip implant to help blind animals "see." According to Narfstrom, the preliminary results are promising.
Children's Packed Lunches: Are They Even Worse Than Turkey Twizzlers?:
Packed lunches taken to school by 7-year olds are even less healthy than school meals used to be before English TV chef Jamie Oliver set out to reform them. The Children of the 90s study, based at the University of Bristol, has revealed that in the year 2000, school meals were every bit as bad as Jamie Oliver suggested - but that children given packed lunches instead were even worse off nutritionally.
Adding Activity To Video Games Fights Obesity, Study Shows:
If playing video games makes kids less active -- and contributes to obesity -- why not create more video games that require activity? That's the question prompted by a Mayo Clinic research study published in the current issue of the medical journal Pediatrics.
Benefits Of Testosterone Treatment Unknown, Research Shows:
Little research exists demonstrating that testosterone is both safe from the cardiovascular standpoint and effective to treat sexual dysfunction, reveal Mayo Clinic researchers in two new studies. In articles published in the January issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Mayo Clinic physicians call for large studies to help clinicians and patients make informed decisions about when testosterone should be prescribed.
Education Does Not Protect Against Age-related Memory Loss, Say Researchers:
Adults over 70 with higher levels of education forgot words at a greater rate than those with less education, according to a new study from the University of Southern California. The findings, published in the current issue of Research on Aging, suggest that after age 70, educated adults may begin to lose the ability to use their schooling to compensate for normal, age-related memory loss.
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