GOOD NEWS

Cancer vaccine

A therapeutic cancer vaccine being developed by an international team of cancer immunologists has successfully induced a comprehensive, tumour-specific immune response in patients with late-stage cancer. Results indicate the vaccine has had a favourable impact on disease progression in some patients of end stage metastasis, according to a paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, US.

Soy vs cholesterol

Soy protein helps lower total cholesterol, low-density lipid, “bad” cholesterol and triglycerides, and slightly raises high-density lipid “good” cholesterol, according to a Tulane University study published in The American Journal of Cardiology . The Tulane study gives strong support to the notion that soy protein should be part of a comprehensive dietary intervention for the prevention and treatment of high blood cholesterol levels. Replacing foods high in saturated fat, trans-saturated fat and cholesterol with soy foods, such as tofu or soy milk, should be beneficial to cardiovascular health.

BAD NEWS

Sad moms, light kids

Foetuses of mothers who show high rates of depression, anxiety and stress weigh less and are smaller than average at midterm, according to a recent study at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Psychobiologist Miguel A Diego and colleagues found that the stress hormone, cortisol seems to be one potential mechanism for transmitting a mother’s stress to her unborn baby. “Maternal distress is accompanied by biochemical changes, such as increased cortisol, that can both directly and indirectly affect the foetus,” Diego said. “Cortisol can directly cross through the placenta into the foetus, which could affect foetal development.”

Smoking and HIV

Smokers may be at greater risk of HIV infection than non-smokers, reveals an analysis of published research in Sexually Transmitted Infections. Cigarette smoking has already been linked to a higher-than-normal chance of contracting other infections generally, including those that have been sexually transmitted. Tobacco smoke may enhance vulnerability to infection by modifying the structure of the lungs and changing an array of immune system responses, including curbs on the production of antibodies and the activity of infection fighting white cells, say the authors.