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Stress: A Factor in AIDS?November 29, 1997 | Volume 152 | Number 22 Cover: Some researchers now think that a stress hormone may play a role in the development of AIDS and other diseases. |
Features:
TimeLine
Food for Thought
Gene Creates Malaria Drug Resistance
Alterations in a gene called cg2 underlie malaria-causing parasites' resistance to the drug chloroquine.
Sulfur: Cool, compact, and conductive
Sulfur, compressed at 1.6 million times atmospheric pressure, becomes a superconductor when cooled to 17 kelvins.
A single high-fat meal depresses healthy dilation of blood vessels and boosts clotting proteins in the blood.
Continents growing wetter as globe warms
Meteorological records since 1900 show precipitation increasing globally but decreasing in the tropics.
Electromagnetic fields of an intensity that can be found in some homes blocked the ability of a breast cancer drug to halt cell proliferation.
Cave finds make point about early humans
A new report describes South African bone tools that may reflect complex technological advances more than 40,000 years ago.
Pests find new ways around natural toxins
Diamondback moth caterpillars deploy a variety of strategies to defuse the natural pesticide Bt, which is used in integrated pest management.
Hubble eyes springtime on Uranus
Using the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have for the first time viewed the northern hemisphere of Uranus with modern detectors.
Wretched excess yields double trouble
Magnetic fields can diminish drug action
Research Notes:
Biomedicine
Breast milk: A leading source of PCBs
Breast milk provides large amounts of potentially neurotoxic chemicals to infants.
Penile birth defect on the rise
The incidence of a common male birth defect is climbing throughout the United States, and hormone exposures are suspected of playing some role.
NIH panel gives acupuncture the nod
A panel convened by the National Institutes of Health has endorsed acupuncture as a treatment for certain conditions.
Two HIV tests prove better than one
A combination of blood and urine tests detects more HIV infections than either test alone.
Teen chlamydia infections widespread
A survey of teenagers shows 8.6 percent of girls and 5.4 percent of boys in Seattle have chlamydia. Ecology
Patchy forests and greenhouse gases
Loss of biomass in small remnants of forest left behind after logging may contribute to increases of atmospheric greenhouse gases.
Island plants let down their defenses
Plants on Santa Cruz Island off California have significantly fewer defenses against animal grazers than do their mainland counterparts. Earth Science
Tree rings date Pacific Northwest quake
A large earthquake struck the northwestern coastline during the winter of 1700.
Delaying cuts in greenhouse emissions
Countries can stabilize atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases even if they don't set emissions limits until 2010. Food Science
Teasing out tea's heart benefits
An explanation for tea drinkers' protection from heart attacks turns out to be complicated.
The heart-healthy side of lycopene
The pigment that makes tomatoes red also appears to help tomato-rich diets protect against heart attacks.
Articles:
A New Look at Black Holes
Dim monsters in the spotlight Even puny, quiescent galaxies may hide a gravitational monster, according to a new theory of black hole dynamics.
Does a stress hormone play a role in AIDS? Controversial theories trace immune system debilitation to excess cortisol and an HIV protein's mimicry of similar hormones.
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