Earwax type and armpit odour are genetically determined by a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located in the ABCC11 gene. East Asians usually have a genotype that produces dry earwax and no axillary odour, while Europeans and Africans are more likely to have wet earwax and axillary osmidrosis.
Researchers at the University of Bristol found that deodorant use is influenced by genotype, however there were many people who used deodorant despite not producing armpit odour (77.8%) and some who did not despite being genetically predisposed to be odoriferous (4.7%).
People can be sensitive to deodorant chemicals which may trigger conditions such as asthma and eczema, so it is important that people do not expose themselves and their families to deodorants that are not necessary.
Scientists at Edinburgh’s Centre for Regenerative Medicine have found that the leprosy bacterium reprograms adult nerve cells to help spread the infection throughout the body.
The bacteria downregulate differentiation-associated genes in adult Schwann cells and upregulate genes of mesoderm development. The reprogrammed cells resemble stem cells and can transfer bacteria around the body, both by becoming new muscle cells and by causing the release of bacteria-laden macrophages.
As The Guardian reports, this research is of greater interest than simply understanding the disease because it may provide a way to create pluripotent stem cells without using a virus that can cause mutations.
Britain’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has approved the WatchBP Home A for use.
The machine is designed to be used regularly by patients at home to take their blood pressure and pulse, for example to diagnose or monitor treatment of high blood pressure. However, unlike normal blood pressure machines, it also includes an atrial fibrillation detection system.
The new recommendations highlight the benefits of being able to detect atrial fibrillation by chance when looking for high blood pressure. AFA estimates that around a third of people with AF have not been diagnosed.
Phase 3 of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood looked at how food affects the risk of developing allergic diseases such as asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema.
The researchers found that children who ate fruit more than 3 times a week were less likely to suffer from severe asthma, while those who ate fast food more than 3 times a week had an increased risk of severe asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema.
The research did not address whether the food was a cause of the increased risk or merely an interesting correlation.
Scientists at the University of Vermont found that they were able to identify lung infections by testing exhaled air.
Using secondary electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (SESI-MS) to identify volatile organic compounds in the breath of mice, the scientists were not only able to tell which mice were infected but also which strain of bacteria was involved.
Breath analysis is still at an early stage of development but offers the potential for much quicker diagnoses than culturing samples. Extensive work is required to build up a database of VOC fingerprints for different infections and to show that SESI-MS can reliably identify infections in humans.
British researchers found they could improve children’s asthma control by using drugs suited to their specific genome.
Long-acting β2 agonists are used as an alternative to increasing the dose of inhaled corticosteroids if a standard dose provides inadequate asthma control. However, LABAs are less effective in people with the Arg16 β2 receptor genotype, approximately 15% of the population.
The research found that children with the different gene who were given a LTRA instead of a LABA showed improved asthma control and missed fewer days of school.