Making Headlines on Health

the director of chemistry research at AgriDyne, the products have been accepted very well by growers, and the company continues to receive many requests for the products. Although the neem seems to have endless possibilities, there are some disadvantages that need to be overcome. According to the NRC study, "the truth is that despite all its properties and promise, some impediments must be overcome and many uncertainties clarified before neem's potential can be fully realized." For example, neem products sometimes degrade and lose their pest-control properties when exposed to sunlight. This has been mitigated in some U.S. products by the addition of sunscreen. Cuomo said that the AgriDyne products do not contain sunscreen because it is not necessary for them to be effective. On a positive note, he said because of the UV breakdown and the hydrolysis of the neem products, they decompose rapidly, preventing buildup in the environment. Although there appear to be few adverse human health effects of neem ingredients, further toxicity tests need to be conducted. Toxicity tests on fish and other wildlife also require investigation. Another disadvantage of the use of neem insecticides is that they kill insects by delayed action, so they work slower than synthetic pesticides. Consumers who have become accustomed to instant results may be impatient with the slower action of neem insecticides. Cuomo said that although AgriDyne's products are slow-acting, they are very effective if used for a full season. Perhaps one of the greatest advantges of the neem is the fact that its fruits may be harvested without destroying the tree, making the neem more profitable standing than felled. As stated in the NRC report, "the use of neem products has the merit of promoting a greening of the earth." Approximately 5,000 people, many of them children, will die of asthma this year. Scientists have long known that allergic reactions to environmental irritants such as dust, pollen and other allergens, air pollution, and cigarette smoke trigger asthma attacks. They have now identified a gene that may contribute to susceptibility to asthma attacks by telling the body to overproduce a receptor for immunoglobulin E (IgE), an antibody involved in allergies. presented the new research in the June issue of Nature Genetics. When IgE binds to a protein receptor in cells lining the airways of the nose and chest, it sets off a series of events leading to an allergy attack. The gene …