Reader’s DigestCommon Cold
Virus Exposes
Cancer CellsCancer cells are
dangerous in part
because the immune
system cannot detect
them, so the body’s
natural defences don’t
kick in. But there are
viruses that can be used
as treatment to destroy
this invisibility shield.
When they enter tu-
mours, these viruses
replicate like crazy
until the tumour cells
burst, releasing sub-
stances that allow the
cancer to be ‘seen’
and destroyed by
immune cells. In one
small British study,
15 patients with non-
muscle invasive bladder
cancer received a dose
of a common cold virus
shortly before they
underwent surgery to
remove their tumours.
In all cases, the virus
successfully increased
cancer-cell death; in
one, it appeared to have
completely eradicated
the cancer. Moreover,
it did so without any
significant side effects.RHEUMATOID
ARTHRITIS MIGHT
LEAD TO COPDAn analysis of the
medical records of
50,000 people found
that those who had
rheumatoid arthri-
tis (RA) had a 47 per
cent greater risk of
being hospitalized for
chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease
(COPD) than those who
did not. The prolonged
inflammation of RA
may predispose some
people toCOPD. Gene-
tics also plays a part:
Another study identified
a DNA variation that was
associated with COPD,
RA and other auto-
immune diseases. RA
sufferers need to look
out for early symptoms
of COPD, such as
wheezing and coughing,
and avoid risk factors,
such as smoking.
—WITH INPUTS FROM
V. KUMARA SWAMYEVENING
EXERCISE MAY
NOT HURT SLEEPA workout late in the
day interferes with your
shut-eye—or does it?
That’s a common no-
tion, but it’s not the
conclusion of a Swiss
review of the highest-
quality studies on the
topic. The analysis
found that although
‘vigorous’ training
(activity that leaves
you too breathless to
speak) within an hour
of bedtime might be
bad for your sleep,
exercising slightly ear-
lier or more moderately
has a neutral to benefi-
cial effect. That’s good
news for people who
can’t fit a workout into
fr other parts of their day.
om
to
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dm
an
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hu
tim
a^ c
ha
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ha
iya
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ho
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)
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