It’s a well-known fact that multiple sclerosis that occurs due to the fact that the immune system attacks the fatty substance known as myelin that protects the nerves has no cure.

However, recent developments in three studies that were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that two new drugs that can be taken orally (rather than injectable medications) namely fingolimod and cladribine, work to alter the immune system response.

Interestingly, these pills have reduced the relapse rate of people with the relapse-remitting type of multiple sclerosis, although there are still concerns with the side effects of medication (such as increased infections and even cancer) that is used to suppress the immune system.

Two of these new studies focused on the effects of fingolimod where participants were randomly selected to take a daily dose of 0.5 mg, 1.25 mg or a placebo. The second study, which had about 1153 participants, received a daily dose of 0.5 mg or 1.25 mg of fingolimod or a weekly dose of 30 micrograms of interferon beta-1a (Avonex) for the duration of a year. The third study which studied the effects of cladribine, where the patients received a dose of either 3.5 mg or 5.25 mg per kilogram of body weight or a placebo.

Results for all three studies indicated that the annual relapse rates were less than 1%, while also finding slower disease activity and progression. These studies also indicated that patients were responding well to both the drugs, and this bodes well for the 400,000 Americans (and their loved ones) who have to deal with the reality of multiple sclerosis from day to day.

For most people, self-indulgence and impulsive behavior go hand-in-hand but interestingly, it’s the opposite (deprivation) that really causes one to act on his or her impulses, only to look back and regret going forward.

No, this is not some monologue based on mysticism but these conclusions have been drawn based on a study that was recently published in the journal, Psychological Science. Researchers from the University of South Dakota provided a set of question to 65 students in which they had to decide whether they would choose a smaller sum of money ‘tomorrow’ or a larger sum in the future.

The only twist, however, is that half the students were requested to answer the question with an empty stomach while the other half were given a caffeine-free soda that contained sugar or the artificial sweetener, aspartame. As a part of the experiment, blood glucose levels were measured at the beginning of the experiment and after the volunteers drank the soda.

“Within 10 minutes of drinking a sugary soda, participants’ interest in a larger, future reward was higher,” said Xiao-Tian Wang, one of the psychological scientists who conducted the study. This experiment, he said, explored the link between glucose levels in the body and eating behavior but also decision-making.

The results of the experiment showed that people who consumed the soda were less likely to make a hasty choice as compared to those who had an empty stomach, or even more surprisingly, those who consumed a diet soda.

The obvious conclusion to which was that in giving the body a ‘diet soda’, the body feels that there is an ‘energy crisis’, and so it grabs everything that is available immediately, thus increasing the chances of being impulsive.

In medical circles, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been the subject of great concern with failed efforts to find a workable cure for this virus that causes one’s immune system to fail completely. The virus is spread by the transfer of blood, semen, vaginal fluid, pre-ejaculate, or breast milk, and has known to claim about 25 million lives over the past two decades.

However, latest developments suggest that this dreaded virus can be stopped, thanks to a ‘chemical condom’ called Truvada that has been successfully tested on mice that had ‘humanized’ immune systems.

The drug in question, is a combination of the medications tenofovir and emtricitabine, and has been used to treat people with AIDS as well as preventing infection after one has been exposed to the HIV virus.

Interestingly, the study exposed the mice to higher-than-normal levels of HIV than is found in humans both rectally and intravenously and found that out of the 17 mice that were given a dose of Truvada, only one was found to be infected. On the other hand, all mice that were not given a dose of Truvada were found to be infected.

Although, the results show promise in being able to block the infection of HIV through its major routes of transmission, there are a few caveats that must be kept in mind.

Firstly, the experiment was conducted on ‘humanized’ mice, and not humans. Not only that, it is expensive that might run up bills of hundreds of dollars if people continued to have sex with multiple partners, and could also impact the effectiveness of the pill as well. Side effects also continue to be a part of HIV infection treatment as well.

However, A. David Paltiel, a professor at the Yale School of Medicine thinks that, “It’s reasonable to think that this might one day prove to be a strategy you could use”.

Health studies, as remarkably scientific as they are in nature, sometimes provide researchers with data (which they use to form their conclusions) that completely deviates from the assumption/s made prior to the experiments conducted.

An obvious conclusion when it comes to good health is the direct correlation between obesity and the longevity of life, which according to the general rule indicates that overweight people tend to face a greater risk of being afflicted with illnesses, and therefore reduces the normal life span.

However, according to research that was conducted and published in The Journal of The American Geriatrics Society, the results have indicated that this rule does not necessarily apply to adults who are overweight and over the age of 70 years.

Conducted by Australian researchers, the study revealed that adults who were overweight (according to their body mass index) between the age of 70 to 75 were least likely to live for more than ten years as compared to people in the same age-group who were of normal weight or were underweight.

The conclusions drawn from the study were based on data that was collected from 4677 men and 4563 women from as far back as the year, 1996. Taking into consideration, factors like lifestyle, demographics and health, these participants were followed for ten years or until their death, whichever was sooner.

Ironically, the risk of death was 13 % lower between its overweight and normal weight participants, and surprisingly also pointed out to the obvious fact that the risks and benefits for older adults (who had a substantial amount of body fat) were very different as compared to younger adults.