Now, it’s the man's turn

It is now believed that an MHC in the form of a daily pill could be available on the market within 5 to 7 years and implants could arrive even sooner but will men take it? Some say yes, some say only if their partners make them, and other say they would never even consider it.

Nelly Oudshoorn, professor of gender and technology in the Netherlands, in her book ‘The Male Pill: A Biography of Technology in the Making’ argues that cultural barriers, not technological barriers, have prevented the development of a male contraceptive pill.

A drug recently approved in Europe to treat the genetic disorder Gaucher disease may find its way into the bedroom as a hormone-free male contraceptive, suggest animal studies led by researchers at the University of Oxford , in England (Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002;99:17173-17178).

Good Fat, Bad Fat

Researchers have identified factors that regulate fat formation, information that might be used to develop therapies to fight obesity. Investigators led by a team at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston identified a key factor that promotes the development of brown fat. Brown fat is considered a "good" fat because it helps the body burn calories to generate heat. In contrast, "bad" white fat acts as an energy store.

In another study, a team led by scientists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston showed that these 2 types of fat develop from distinct cell types in the early embryo. A regulatory molecule appears to control the switch between muscle and fat—in its absence, cells become muscle, but in its presence, cells become brown fat. Strategies to apply these findings to the clinic might include designing drugs to convert white fat into brown fat.

Living a little dirty may not be bad- revisiting Hygiene Hypothesis

In the late 1990s, Dr. Erika Von Mutius, compared the rates of allergies and asthma in East and West Germany. She found an interesting finding that the children in the poorer and polluted areas of East Germany had lower allergic reactions and fewer cases of asthma than children in the West living cleaner and healthier life.

Increased hygiene and a lack of exposure to various micro-organisms may be affecting the immune systems of many populations - particularly in highly developed countries. Some studies indicated that having worms in childhood may protect you from having allergies, Hay fever and asthma.