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Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
‘Out of the box' pill could eliminate life-threatening allergic reactions for millions of people
Plus, everything you need to know about anaphylaxis below GAME-CHANGER 'Out of the box' pill could eliminate life-threatening allergic reactions for millions of people Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) POTENTIALLY deadly food allergies could be prevented by an asthma drug. The breakthrough could lead to new protection for millions, say scientists. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Zileuton, which was used in the study, is available on prescription in the UK Credit: Getty Zileuton, an oral pill used to treat asthma, worked "shockingly well" in blocking allergic reactions to food in mice in new research. Researchers found the mice went from being 95 per cent susceptible to anaphylaxis to 95 per cent protected. Now a clinical trial has been launched to test the same approach in humans. Zileuton, recently approved in the United States and available on prescription in the UK, was found to "nearly eliminate" life-threatening allergic reactions to food allergens in mice. The discovery came after scientists identified, in mice, a previously unknown role for a gene called DPEP1, which they found is "essential" in regulating anaphylaxis - a rapid and potentially deadly allergic reaction. By using it to block the pathway involving this gene, the team at at Northwestern University in Illinois nearly eliminated allergic responses in mice that were previously highly susceptible to food-induced anaphylaxis. The mice were given peanut extract orally shortly after receiving Zileuton while the team monitored for symptoms. Study co-senior author Dr. Stephanie Eisenbarth, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said: "It was actually shocking how well Zileuton worked." The discovery of the new pathway came after a years-long forward genetic screen, a process where researchers breed generations of mice to narrow down the specific genes responsible for biological differences, such as susceptibility to food allergy. Once the team found the DPEP1 gene controlled leukotrienes in the gut - inflammatory molecules already targeted by asthma drugs - they tested Zileuton, which blocks their production. Allergist explains the difference between allergies and anaphylaxis Food allergies are on the rise, affecting around one in 10 people. But scientists say predicting an allergic person's risk of anaphylaxis and preventing severe reactions from accidental exposure remains a challenge. Currently, there are only two approved treatments for certain food allergies - and no cure. One is an oral immunotherapy for peanut allergy, which doesn't work for all patients and can itself trigger anaphylaxis. The other, omalizumab, is an expensive jab that also isn't effective for all allergy patients. But the research team say Zileuton is a simple pill that temporarily shields allergy patients by blocking the body's anaphylactic pathway before it activates. 2 Researchers are now looking to trial the drug in humans Credit: Getty Prof Williams said: "This is a totally different, out-of-the-box approach to treat food allergy, unlike anything we've tried before. "We've seen tragic, even fatal reactions from hidden ingredients like ground peanuts in a sauce. "For parents sending their child to a birthday party, or for anyone flying where they can't control what's being served, this could be a powerful protective drug." The Northwestern team launched a small clinical trial in July to test whether blocking the newly identified pathway with Zileuton in humans is as effective as it was in mice. Their findings, published in the journal Science, also shed light on the long-standing puzzle of why some people test positive for food allergens but experience no symptoms when they eat the food. Dr Eisenbarth said: "Let's say you're told you're allergic to peanuts based on a blood test, but you've eaten peanuts your whole life without any problems. "This pathway we discovered may be one explanation for why some of those people are protected." She says that group has been a "challenge" for doctors and a source of stress for patients because current diagnostic tests only estimate allergy risk, not tolerance. Dr Eisenbarth said: "Our findings open a whole new area for future research into how people develop food allergies in the first place, and why some react while others don't." She added: "If you'd asked me five or six years ago to guess the pathway that would lead to this discovery, I never would have picked this gene or the leukotriene molecules."
Scottish Sun
10 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Oral sex could increase your risk of SKIN cancer – the 3 ways to protect yourself
One of the most common STIs in the UK, spread through oral sex, has been linked to the disease - find out how you know you have it below STEALTH INFECTION Oral sex could increase your risk of SKIN cancer – the 3 ways to protect yourself Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SCIENTISTS have discovered a new cause of skin cancer - and it's linked to oral sex. Human papillomavirus (HPV), one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the UK, is primarily transmitted through skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity, including oral sex. 3 HPV is primarily transmitted through skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity Credit: Getty 3 It's previously been linked to increased risk of several cancers, including anal, head and neck, throat, penile cancer and cervical cancer. But now, US researchers say the virus could also cause a deadly form of skin cancer - squamous cell carcinoma. Scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) discovered the link after a 34-year-old woman was referred to the clinic. She presented with 43 spots of the skin cancer on her face, hands and legs. But while she had surgery to remove them, as well as immunotherapy, the cancer returned. Doctors first suspected sun damage and a weak immune system, but later found the beta-HPV virus had inserted into her skin cells' DNA and was producing viral proteins, taking control of the cells. Dr Andrea Lisco, a virologist who led the study, said: "This discovery could completely change how we think about the development, and consequently the treatment, of [skin cancer] in people who have a health condition that compromises immune function. "It suggests that there may be more people out there with aggressive forms of [skin cancer] who have underlying immune defect and could benefit from treatments targeting the immune system." The woman in the case report was found to have a genetic condition that weakened her T-cells (a type of immune cell), leaving her unable to fight off the virus. Doctors treated her with a stem cell transplant to restore her immune system. Urgent health alert as most sexually active will get cancer causing virus at some point in life Three years later, her skin cancer hadn't returned, and other HPV-related complications, such as growths on her tongue and skin, had disappeared. The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and are preliminary, only suggesting a potential link between HPV and skin cancer. Three ways to protect yourself from HPV The most effective way to protect yourself from HPV is to get the HPV vaccine. Additionally, practising safe sex, such as using condoms, and getting regular screenings can further reduce the risk of infection and potential health problems. HPV vaccination In the UK, the vaccine is routinely offered to children aged 12 to 13, but is also available for older individuals who may have missed it, especially those at higher risk. The vaccine is most effective when administered before the first sexual contact, but it can still provide protection even after sexual activity has begun. 3 The HPV vaccine is routinely offered to children aged 12 to 13 Credit: Getty How do you know if you have HPV? HPV doesn't usually cause any symptoms, which means most people who have it don't realise and don't have any problems. But sometimes the virus can cause painless growths or lumps around your vagina, penis or anus (known as genital warts). Genital warts appear on their own or in a group (groups of warts can look like a cauliflower. They may feel soft or firm, and be white, red, skin-coloured, or darker than the surrounding skin. Source: NHS Safe sex practices Using condoms consistently and correctly during sexual activity can significantly reduce the risk of HPV transmission, though they don't offer complete protection as HPV can affect areas not covered by the condom. Dental dams can also be used to reduce the risk of transmission during oral sex. And being in a mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who also has only had sex with you can also reduce the risk. Screening and testing Regular screenings, such as Pap tests and HPV tests, can help detect HPV and abnormal cell changes early, allowing for timely intervention and prevention of cervical cancer. Guidelines recommend starting Pap test screening at age 21 and continuing until age 65 for most women.
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
Beam me up, jellyfish: experts unveil spaceships to take us to the stars
Spaceships modelled on jellyfish, 3D-printed homes, polyamorous relationships and vegetarian diets are among the ways in which experts have envisaged making interstellar travel feasible. The ideas from scientists, engineers, architects and social theorists came in response to a global competition to develop plans for 'generation ships', self-sustaining crafts capable of supporting up to 1,500 people on a 250-year journey to a habitable planet. Entrants to the Project Hyperion design competition, launched last year, could only incorporate current technologies or those expected to emerge in the near future, such as nuclear fusion, into their proposals. An expert panel, including Nasa scientists, judged the viability of almost 100 submissions, assessing how their habitats, architecture and social structures would allow the crew to not only survive but flourish as a society across multiple generations of space flight. The winner was Chrysalis, a 58km cigar-shaped craft, designed around a series of concentric cylinders, each dedicated to a different function: 3D-printed living quarters; communal spaces, including parks, libraries and galleries; and farms and biomes of different Earth environments, such as tropical forests. As animals would be brought onboard only to maintain biodiversity, a vegetarian diet would be necessary. The design won praise for its detailed plans, particularly how the psychological resilience of the crew would be vetted by living in isolated Antarctic bases. The proposal also explained how family structures would change, with individuals' sense of belonging based more on being part of the starship community. Inhabitants would be allowed to have children but not necessarily with the same partners. The second place design was Hyperion, a spacecraft which resembles the space station from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The twin rings of this design are engineered to generate an Earth-like magnetic field, which would be essential for a successful pregnancy in deep space, without which the mission would be doomed. The proposal also includes designs for loose-fitting clothes with large sealable pockets to prevent items from falling out in low gravity. The mission would include three pairs of turtles, chosen for their longevity, relatively inactive, and resistance to disease. The third place design, Systema Stellare Proximum, is modelled after the shape of a jellyfish and uses a hollowed-out asteroid as a shield against impacts. It envisages a society guided by a non-human collective intelligence and human council, as well as the potential emergence of new religions, such as neopaganism that deifies 'nature and man, in all his forms'. Other notable entires included Endless Beyond the Stars, which includes floating light created from biogas, generated from the bodies of the dead. Dr Andreas Hein, the executive director of the Initiative for Interstellar Studies, which ran the competition, said it was 'part of a larger exercise to explore if humanity can travel to the stars' and how 'a civilisation might live, learn and evolve in a highly resource-constrained environment'. He added: 'We asked participants to integrate architecture, technology and social systems to conceptualise a functional society spanning centuries – and the outcome was beyond expectations.'
