A Finnish-Canadian study provided evidence supporting the long-held suspicion that a protein in cow’s milk may trigger the onset of insulin­ dependent diabetes mellitus in genetically susceptible individuals. Of 142 children with recently diagnosed IDDM, all had highly elevated serum concentrations of anti­ bodies against bovine serum albumin, the collaborators reported in The New... »

Canadian researchers waned that exposure to adenovirus during childhood may increase the risk of developing lung disease from smoking. Polymers chain reaction testing of lung-tissue samples from 40 smokers showed that nearly all the subjects had been exposed to the virus, which commonly affects people in childhood, according to the study in the American... »

The Centers for Disease Control reported that the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome is declining in the United States, particularly among African-American babies. Between 1980 and 1988, SIDS rates dropped by about 19% among African-American infants and by 3.5% among white babies. The CDC re­ searchers said that they did not know the... »

A Memphis, Tenn., researcher who claims to have developed the first effective treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy received a U.S. patent for his technique, while the Food and Drug Administration began an investigation into whether he is following proper medical standards in his research. The investigator, who is chairman of the Cell Therapy Research... »

Michigan researchers reported that chest guards and softer-core baseballs do not sufficiently protect children from serious injuries when they are hit in the chest with a ball. The scientists fired eight types of baseballs at crash dummies and sedated swine and measured the impact with and without chest protectors. In the tests, three types... »

A three-year study of 45 pairs of identical twins suggested that young children who consume more than the recommended dietary allowance of calcium may be protected from bone fractures later in life. The Indiana University researchers studied identical twins aged 6 to 14. All children followed a normal diet that supplied about 900 mg... »