Tampilkan postingan dengan label genes. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label genes. Tampilkan semua postingan

Sabtu, 29 Januari 2011

Reduced Lung Fuction Due to Vitamin D Deficency in Dark Skinned People

No wonder West Indians had a rough time when they moved to the UK in the mid-twentieth century: with the polluted atmosphere common at that time many suffered from a vitamin D deficiency. Their children born in the UK had more problems than their parents because growing up in a sun depleted climatic environment with a dark skin led to long term lung problems.

Australian research shows the lack of vitamin D leads to altered lung structure, with the lungs partially shutting down. In adult life people of West Indian heritage have decreased lung function.

Mice were tested with some being made deficient in vitamin D while others had an adequate level. Tests with a plethysmograph showed lung obstruction was markedly greater in mice lacking vitamin D. Overall, lung volume was reduced. Lungs were also smaller than average.

It was unclear as to whether the problem was basically due to heritage, or mothers being deficient during pregnancy, because test mice had to be bred to have low sun-to-vitamin D conversion.
~~~~~Health~~~~~
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rabu, 20 Oktober 2010

A New Discovery on Immunity by Australian Scientists

Acclaim is given to two Australian scientists, Walter and Eliza Hall, who have changed ideas about the memory of the immune system. B cells make antibodies to fight infection. These cells do not die after doing their job and this is not the normal run of things.

A pro-survival proteins is responsible for the cells' continuing existence. It has been proven that the Mcl-1 protein does this, not the Bcl-xL protein as was accepted in the past. Earlier this year tests blocked the activity of Bcl-xL which showed that Mcl-1 stopped apoptosis - death.

Cancer cells survive due to Mcl-1, so there are new possibilities for cancer research. It could also have repercussion for future treatment of the resistance response in organ transplant patients.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .