Take care of your eyes if you smoke
Smoking kills, as public awareness campaigns have made clear. But it might blind you first. Cigarette smoke irritates the eyes. Few smokers know that it ages the retina by its involvement in cellular microcirculation. It induces age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which affects the centre of the retina. Some 1 million people suffer from it in France. Smokers are 5 times as likely to suffer from AMD than non-smokers.
(Rétina France communiqué - July 2007)
The sun against multiple sclerosis
According to a study published in Neurology, the sun can help prevent multiple sclerosis. Exposure to sunlight during childhood apparently reduces the risk of multiple sclerosis in adults by 25 to 57 percent. The authors write that they "have discovered that MS sufferers had spent less time in the sun than their brothers and sisters".
(Neurology, 24 July 2007)
Genes to keep AIDS in check
A team of American scientists has published an article in Science claiming that three genes that play a significant role in the reaction to the disease particularly in the early stages may help keep AIDS in check at its outset. They hope this discovery may help in the development of an AIDS vaccine.
(Science July 2007)
Careful with black henna
Once again AFSSAPS is warning holiday makers against black henna tattoos found on beaches and marketplaces. Contrary to the brown/orange henna, black henna contains paraphenylenediamine (PPD) which causes skin allergies and eczema with days or weeks of the tatoo. Such allergies are definitive and can be caused by other ordinary items containing PPD such as rubber, hear dyes or black clothes.
(French Health Products Safety Agency (AFSSAPS) - 6 July 2007)
