LungBlog

NIH scientists have recently reported on vitamin overdoses. While their general findings are interesting, one stands out: apparently smokers increase their risk of lung cancer by taking beta carotene supplements. It turns out that beta carotene’s antioxidant effects are “used up” rather quickly in smokers’ lungs and the beta carotene suddenly turns “pro-oxident,” essentially creating free radicals and markedly increasing mortality rates. The clinical study that determined this noticed the problem to such an alarming degree that they actually stopped the study. More information can be found over at Berkeley Wellness.

A new antibiotic derived from soil samples found in South Africa has been discovered by Merck scientists and has proven particularly effective at killing the “superbug” MRSA. MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, pronounced “MER-sa”) is a type of staph bacterium that has proven highly resistant to most penicillin-derived antibiotics. MRSA is often found in hospitals and often complicates treatment for any disease being treated therein. This drug, if proven safe in humans, could work wonders for those facing hospital stays, allowing doctors to focus on curing the disease at hand without worrying about secondary infections.

New research from our friends over at the the American Cancer Society turns conventional wisdom on its head and suggests that among nonsmokers that men are more likely than women to get lung cancer.

Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have discovered that white blood cells from cancer-resistant mice will eradicate cancer when transferred to other, cancerous mice. The cells are effective at killing particularly malignant cancers, as well. The cancer-resistant mice are all descended from a single mouse found in 1999. Further testing will provide insight into similar mechanisms for human beings, and the implications for all cancers are staggering.