The increasing prevalence of asthma in industrialized societies may be a consequence of improved hygiene levels and a reduction in the incidence in infections such as tuberculosis and hepatitis A. But, the molecular mechanisms that would help to explain these theories remain elusive. In November 28 Nature Immunology Jennifer McIntire and colleagues from Stanford University, Stanford, US show that Tim1 gene on chromosome 5q may explain the inverse relationship between hepatitis A virus (HAV) infe

Drugs such as statins can reduce high plasma levels of the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol that is a significant risk factor for atherosclerosis. In December Nature Medicine Thierry Grand-Perret and colleagues from GlaxoSmithKline, France showed that compounds that bind directly to the sterol regulating protein SCAP, could lower cholesterol levels via a mechanism other than that employed by the statins.Grand-Perret et al. administered SCAP ligands to hyperlipidemic hamsters and found t

Tumors often do not respond to chemotherapy because they contain large poorly vascularized areas that limit the efficacy of radiation and chemotherapeutic drugs. In November 27 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences early edition, Long Dang and colleagues from The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine show that administration of anaerobic bacteria in addition to chemotherapy can efficiently destroy large tumors.Dang et al. created a strain of anaerobic bacteria (Clostridium novyi-NT) lacking

Genes influence not only susceptibility to multiple sclerosis, but also the processes underlying its progression.

There are currently 17 different antiretroviral drugs available for the treatment of HIV, but the efficacy of a specific drug for a particular individual is very difficult to predict. In November 24 Lancet Michael Polis and colleagues from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, US, show that changes in HIV-1 concentration at day 6 after the start of antiretroviral treatment is a good early measure of individual long-term responses.Polis et al. analysed the kinetics

, a frequent opportunistic infection of immunocompromised hosts.

Although arsenic is effective in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia it also has carcinogenic side effects, but the exact carcinogenic mechanisms remain unclear. In November Journal of Clinical Investigation Wen-Chien Chou and colleagues from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, US show that at clinically relevant doses arsenic inhibits the transcription of the reverse transcriptase subunit of the human telomerase gene (hTERT).Chou et al. found that exposing NB4 leuk

Cathelicidin and dermicin are antimicrobial proteins that enhances skin defense against invasive bacteria.

DNA microarray studies of crudely dissected lung tumors can detect tumor subtypes that correlate with biological and clinical phenotypes.

Levels of cAMP and cAMP response-element binding protein (CREB) control the balance between rest and wakefulness.

The use of a safe, efficient, highly specific carrier capable of delivering radioactivity precisely with in a tumor is a long sought after goal in the treatment of cancer. In November 16 Science Michael McDevitt and colleagues from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York describe a new efficient method to target molecular-sized generators of alpha-emitting isotopes to the inside of cancer cells.McDevitt et al. constructed a nanogenerator of alpha-emitting particles from a single atom of

Antimicrobial peptides exist in the epithelial tissues and blood cells of many vertebrates, but no antibiotic has been isolated from the mast cells of any animal. In November 15 Nature Umaporn Silphaduang and Edward Noga from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, US identified a family of peptide antibiotics that reside in the mast cells of fish. These 'piscidins' suggests that mast cells may participate in direct killing of microbial invaders.Silphaduang & Noga used tissues derived from