Suggests that  oversanitization might suppress the natural development of the immune system Source The Telegraph Children who have a peanut allergy tend to come from wealthier families, researchers have suggested. Scientists say that this backs up the hygiene hypothesis that cleaner homes tend to increase the risk of childhood allergies. They found that high income [...]

Source Discover Online Intestinal parasites might turn most people’s stomachs, but for some people suffering from ulcerative colitis, the creepy crawlies might actually reverse intestinal discomfort and symptoms. A new study found that infestation with whipworms, aka Trichuris trichiura, can ease the symptoms of an inflammatory bowel disorder, possibly by stimulating mucus production in the [...]

ScienceDaily (2009-05-20) — The inactivated flu vaccine does not appear to be effective in preventing influenza-related hospitalizations in children, especially the ones with asthma. In fact, children who get the flu vaccine are more at risk for hospitalization than their peers who do not get the vaccine, according to new research. While these findings do raise questions about the efficacy of the vaccine, they do not in fact implicate it as a cause of hospitalizations, according to researchers.

Interesting and timely post on Wired Science yesterday. Virii have been found to remain virulent for centuries, and could potentially for millenium, in the frozen lakes of Siberia. This is likely due to the configuration or “anatomy” of a virus particle. You can read more of the report about a presentation made at the American [...]

The journal ‘Immunity‘ yesterday released a study showing strong evidence, and confirming a previous controversial study, that between initial and subsequent infection 80% of CD4 memory T-lymphocytes are located within bone marrow and not the circulatory system as has been widely believed by heath researchers. The abstract can be read here; ScienceDirect Website Share this [...]