Bird flu breakthrough Japanese
scientists have developed a prototype multi-virus flu vaccine they say is effective against the deadly H5N1 bird flu and will work even if viruses mutate. The researchers, from Hokkaido and Saitama medical universities and NOF Corp, have successfully tested the drug on mice implanted with human genes, but a commercial version is several years away, AFP reports. Unlike other flu vaccines, the prototype attacks stable proteins inside the viruses, rather than those outside, which typically mutate.
Stem cells help combat MS
US researchers have reversed multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms using chemotherapy and bone-marrow stem cells to destroy and then rebuild patients' immune systems. The technique, devised by a team from Chicago's Northwestern University, was used on 21 people with early-stage MS who hadn't responded to standard drug treatment. After three years, 17 had improved by at least some degree and all had stabilised, Reuters reports.
Food for thought
Cutting back on calories may significantly boost older people's memories, say German researchers, based on a three-month study of 50 normal and overweight people aged about 60. Diets low in calories but rich in unsaturated fatty acids have been shown to improve the memories of ageing rats, and the University of Muenster team wanted to see if that occurred in humans, Reuters reports. Those whose calorie intake was cut by almost one-third showed a 20 per cent average increase in so-called verbal memory scores and lower insulin levels.
Acupuncture for the armed forces