bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Jerome Watson

Immune boost halts tumour growth
By supercharging immune cells, US researchers have been able to block the growth of  cancer tumours in a small number of patients and in one case eliminate the disease. The team from Houston's Baylor College of Medicine  re-engineered T-lymphocyte immune cells to boost their ability to fight neuroblastoma, a rare but deadly  cancer  that typically affects children. In five of the 11 patients, aged three to 10, the tumours regressed and in a sixth they were eradicated. The team now plans to use the technique to target other types of cancers, AFP reports.
Appetite-killer antibody discovered
US researchers have discovered an antibody that suppresses appetite and  boosts the body's metabolic rate even during fasting. Mice given the GHR-11E11 antibody showed no signs of hunger despite going for 24 hours without food. The antibody counteracts ghrelin, a gastric hormone the body releases to encourage eating if it's not getting enough calories, Healthday.com reports. 'These findings ... strongly suggest that [GHR-11E11] might help patients reach and maintain  weight-loss goals,' says team leader Kim Janda  of the Scripps Research Institute in California.
Coffee raises underweight birth risk
Pregnant women who drink  just one cup of coffee a day are at greater risk of having an underweight baby, warn British researchers, based on studies of more than 2,600 women. Those who drank one to two cups of coffee daily (100-199mg of caffeine) had a 20 per cent higher risk, rising to 50 per cent for those who had two to three cups. The team says caffeine from any source  increases the risk of 'foetal growth restriction'. US researchers warned in January that drinking two or more cups of coffee a day doubles the risk of having a miscarriage, Reuters reports.
A tipple may benefit babies
On the other hand, the odd  glass of wine while pregnant may   be good for babies, say University College London researchers,  based on studies of almost 12,500 three-year-olds and their mothers. The team not only found no link between light drinking during pregnancy and subsequent behavioural or cognitive problems in toddlers, but on some measures found that 'children born to light drinkers were less likely to have problems'. The researchers aren't sure why, but say it may be because light-drinking mothers tend to be more relaxed and 'socially advantaged', The Scotsman reports.
Female fertility calls men to bed
Changes in women's voices may subtly tip off men that they're fertile, say researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, who analysed recordings of 69 women over their menstrual cycles. The pitch of their voices rose significantly during the two days before ovulation, when they're most likely to conceive. The findings add to a growing number of studies showing that women exhibit subtle, often unconscious behaviour when they're most fertile - and that men pick up on the cues, WebMD reports. The researchers cite previous findings that women typically dress more attractively and that exotic  dancers make more tips when they're most fertile.
Scarlet women get more attention
Meanwhile, US researchers have found that red appears to make women more attractive to men. Simply changing the backdrop in photos of women from white to red typically made them more attractive to men - but not to women. Men also said they'd spend more money on the women in red. The University of Rochester researchers say they're not sure if the colour itself has any effect or if it's simply conditioning,  WebMD reports.



Medi watch