Immunity :: Newly found sensing system enables certain bacteria to resist human immune defenses

Researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health, have discovered a survival mechanism in a common type of bacteria that can cause illness. The mechanism lets the bacteria protect itself by warding off attacks from antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are defense molecules sent by the body to kill bacteria.

Allergy :: Book explores history, causes of allergy and asthma epidemic

Efforts to create a safe haven from allergens, for example, actually have contributed to the alarming rise of this irritating and even deadly malady, according to Gregg Mitman, William Coleman Professor of the History of Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Summer :: Experts on Sundry Summer Woes

Tulane general internist Jeffrey Wiese reminds us that summer heat can strike with little warning. Children, the elderly, overweight persons and people on certain medications need to take extra precautions because they are especially vulnerable to the effects of heat.

BMI :: Protein linked to elevated BMI in people

University of Minnesota researchers have discovered a variant of a common blood protein, apolipoprotein C1, in people of American Indian and Mexican ancestry that is linked to elevated body mass index (BMI), obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

Burn :: Burn Awareness – Forty-Three Percent of All Burns Happen at Home

It is estimated that more than one million burn injuries occur every year and of that, 50 percent could be avoided. Burn Awareness Week, observed the first full week in February each year, is an opportunity to remind parents and children about potential hazards that can lead to burns in the home.