New research has revealed that dairy products such as low-fat milk may help to reduce risk of high blood pressure in older age.

It is estimated that one in three adults in the UK suffers from hypertension, yet only a third of individuals are aware of their condition.

High blood pressure is one of the most significant risk factors for stroke, heart attack, heart failure and kidney disease. The lack of immediately identifiable symptoms has led it to be known as 'the silent killer'.

The research published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition measured blood pressure in 2245 participants over the age of 55, across a six year period. Individuals were split into five categories depending on the type of dairy intake in their diet: "milk and milk products", "cheese", "low fat dairy", "high fat dairy" and fermented milk group.

The study showed people eating more low-fat dairy (561grams) and milk products daily (651grams) had a lower risk of hypertension than those consuming less low-fat dairy (21 grams) and milk products (127grams) and adding one extra serving of dairy a day lowered hypertension risk by 7%. Interestingly this study also found eating cheese and higher fat dairy products did not increase hypertension risk.

Dr Judith Bryans, Director of the Dairy Council says: "Dairy provides minerals such as calcium and potassium which are important for blood pressure regulation. This study is an extra building block to an increasing body of evidence which suggests that dairy proteins and minerals play an important role in maintaining a healthy blood pressure.

"Significantly, the study also shows that dairy products with higher fat contents, like hard cheese, are not associated with increased levels of blood pressure. Therefore, these foods may be part of a healthy balanced-diet; one which is rich in fruit and vegetables and a variety of foods.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) issued a warning to the public about the risks of buying online medicines for swine influenza, such as Tamiflu or Relenza.

David Pruce, RPSGB Director of Policy said:

"With the current fears about swine flu, we are concerned that unscrupulous people are exploiting the public's fears about swine flu by offering to sell the antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza over the internet.

"This is a golden opportunity for counterfeiters to offer fake supplies of these drugs. People can be at real risk if they buy medicines from unknown sources.

"In particular, the public should not be taken in by spam e-mails offering to supply Tamiflu or Relenza. Most of the drugs offered in this way turn out to be counterfeit and may contain anything from sugar to more dangerous substances that can seriously put health at risk.

"The public should also be reminded that it is never a good idea to obtain a prescription-only medicine without a valid prescription. The medicine may not be suitable for you or could result in unpleasant side-effects or serious health risks.

"If you have any concerns about swine flu, or think you may be infected, stay at home and seek advice from your GP or NHS Direct."

New data from several studies evaluating new techniques for early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer were presented at the first European Multidisciplinary Conference on Thoracic Oncology (EMCTO) in Lugano, Switzerland (1-3 May 2009).

"Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide and also in Europe. One of the reasons for this is that symptoms of lung cancer are very often lacking or occur only late in the course of the disease," said Prof Rudolf M. Huber from the University of Munich in Germany.

"The prognosis of lung cancer patients is very dependent on how advanced their disease is. In stage I for example, where the tumour has not yet spread, 5-year-survival rates are about 70%; whereas in stage IV, where it has metastasised to other parts of the body, survival is about 1%. Even for patients with locally advanced tumours, survival over 5 years is only about 10%. Therefore every effort should be undertaken to diagnose early in the course of the disease."

"Developing better tools for distinguishing between lung cancer and other lung diseases will help us offer greater hope for patients," added Prof Huber.

In one study presented at the conference, Italian researchers compare two computed tomography techniques for diagnosing indeterminate lung lesions, finding that a form of single-photon emission computed tomography could offer an alternative method in situations where positron emission tomography is not available.

In another abstract, UK scientists reported that a new approach to diagnosis that ensures a patient has had a chest CT scan before they attend a clinic has the potential to reduce the time between their first abnormal chest X-ray and final diagnosis.

Also during the conference, Greek investigators suggested that they may have found a new factor that will help indicate a patient's prognosis at the time of diagnosis. Their work indicates that the expression of specific cell surface molecules on tumour cells correlates with clinical parameters. The results "could comprise a promising prognostic factor in lung carcinomas, thus presenting exciting possibilities for the future."

If you're one of the millions who dread the spring allergy season, things are looking up. A research study appearing in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows how a team of American scientists have identified a previously unknown cellular switch that turns allergies and asthma both on and off. Equally important, this study also suggests that at least for some people with asthma and allergies, their problems might be caused by genes that prevent this switch from working properly. Taken together, this information is an important first step toward new medications that address the root causes of allergies, asthma and other similar diseases.

"This study uncovers some of the basic mechanisms that control whether or not people have asthma and allergies and the severity of the symptoms," said John Ryan, Ph.D., Professor of Biology at Virginia Commonwealth University, and a senior scientist involved in the research. "This understanding opens new avenues for treating these and other related diseases."

Ryan and colleagues made this discovery in mouse experiments that examined cells from bone marrow and umbilical cord blood that ultimately help create a type of immune cell (mast cells). Too many mast cells lead to an over-aggressive immune response, which causes allergies and asthma. The scientists found that when chemicals (cytokines IL-4 and IL-10) used to initiate an immune response (the "on switch") are added to developing mast cells, the developing cells die. Because bone marrow makes both mast cells and these cytokines, the researchers conclude that just as the cytokines serve as the "on switch" for the immune system, bone marrow cells also use them as the "off switch" to stop mast cells from getting out of hand. Further supporting their discovery was the finding that strains of mice prone to allergies and asthma had genes which affected the production of this chemical "off switch" in their bone marrow.

A brain protein involved in fear behavior and anxiety may represent a new target for depression therapies, according to a study by researchers at the University of Iowa and the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The results appear in the April 29 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

Depression affects at least 14 million American adults and can be severely disabling. However, the causes of depression are not well understood. In addition, up to half of people diagnosed with depression are not helped by current therapies because either the drug is not effective for them, or the side effects are intolerable.

The UI research team found that disrupting ASIC1a -- an ion channel protein found in the brain -- produced an antidepressant-like effect in mice. The effect was similar to that produced by currently available antidepressant drugs, but the team also showed that ASIC1a's effect arose through a new and different biological mechanism.

"The mechanism issue is important because if a patient doesn't respond to one drug, the chances of them responding to another drug that works through the same mechanism are low," said study investigator John Wemmie, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and neurosurgery at the UI Carver College of Medicine and a staff physician and researcher at the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center. "We need antidepressants with new mechanisms of action to help those people who don't respond to what is currently available."

Wemmie added that although there is no immediate therapy available based on the new findings, the results suggest that ASIC1a inhibition represents a new approach to antidepressant therapy. The channel can be blocked pharmacologically. In addition, manipulating brain pH (a measure of acidity) might be used to inhibit this ion channel, which is activated by acid (low pH).

The study also indicated that using antidepressant drugs and inhibiting ASIC1a at the same time produced an additive effect in mice, suggesting that ASIC1a inhibition used in conjunction with current medications might boost antidepressant effects in patients.

The researchers focused on ASIC1a because recent studies have pointed to a role for this ion channel in depression. In particular, previous animal studies from Wemmie's lab showed that ASIC1a plays an important role in fear responses (panic) and anxiety, conditions that often accompany depression. Other research has suggested a strong relationship between anxiety, depression and the brain's fear circuitry, including the amygdala, where ASIC1a is abundant.

In their latest study, Wemmie's team used experiments targeting the amygdala to show that this brain region is a key site of action for ASIC1a's antidepressant effect. The results support the idea that depression may be caused, at least in part, by abnormal amygdala activity.

"Because the ASIC1a protein is especially abundant in areas of the brain that regulate emotion, it is possible that interventions targeting ASIC1a could treat depression while having fewer effects on other brain areas and thus fewer side effects than available treatments. But much more work is needed to determine if this approach can be used therapeutically," said Matthew Coryell, Ph.D., lead study author and a recent graduate of the UI Neuroscience Program.

The researchers also found that ASIC1a function might underlie the connection between stress and depression. Stress can precipitate depression, and research from other labs has suggested this might be because stress lowers levels of protective brain hormones called neurotrophic factors. The UI team found that removing ASIC1a prevented stress from reducing levels of one neurotrophic factor called BDNF in mice. The findings might mean that inhibiting ASIC1a could increase the brain's ability to resist the negative effects of stress and perhaps reduce a person's likelihood of developing depression.