Baby infections linked to asthma
Throat infections in newborns triple the risk of asthma, say Danish researchers. For the study, aspirates from the hypopharyngeal area of 321 one-month-old babies were collected; 21 per cent of the infants were colonised with Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae or Moraxella catarrhalis. Follow-up at five years of age, showed that 33 per cent of those with colonisations had asthma compared with 10 per cent of those without colonisation (N Eng J Med 2007; 357: 1,487-95).
Fast TIA therapy slashes stroke risk
Quick assessment and treatment of TIAs cuts the risk of a stroke by 80 per cent, say UK researchers. The 90-day risk of stroke was just 2.1 per cent in those patients treated within a day, compared with 10.3 per cent in those who had to wait longer (Lancet Online 2007).
Fatty acids 'worsen COPD'
Eating high levels of n-6 fatty acids worsens lung function, claims a UK researcher. The findings come from an analysis of fatty acid consumption and lung function - measured as forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) - in over 13,000 Dutch adults. This showed that high intakes of some n-6 fatty acids resulted in a reduction in FEV1 of 54.5ml (Thorax Online 2007).
Baby boomers
Men with deep voices father more children than their higher-pitched counterparts, research has shown. A study of a tribe in Tanzania showed that men with low-pitched voices had more reproductive success and more children than those who were high pitched (Roy Soc Biol Sci Online 2007).
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