Chicago airports offering H1N1 vaccines

Vaccine on the fly

In case you missed it over Thanksgiving, Chicago airports are now offering protection against the H1N1 flu virus.

O'Hare International and Midway supply swine flu vaccines to ticketed passengers and employees who fit the priority groups: people age six months to 24 years, pregnant women and caregivers of infants under six months; medical workers, and those age 25 to 64 with ailments that risk flu complications.

The University of Illinois at Chicago offers the nasal spray vaccines at the airports for $25. Seasonal flu vaccines are also available for $35. For information, see flychicago.com.

Autism intervention

Researchers say early intervention for toddlers with autism is highly effective.

Billed as the first controlled study of intensive early intervention for autistic children less than 2½ years old, the study showed the children improved in IQ and language skills.

The program is known as the Early Start Denver Model, which entails 20 hours a week of one-on-one intervention with trained paraprofessionals. Language, social behavior, motor skills, play and other skills are taught in the sessions and reinforced by parents.

The five-year study at the University of Washington was published in the journal "Pediatrics." Previous studies have found early intervention is also helpful for preschoolers.

Cracking cancer

Local researchers have found a way to kill a cancer cell by ripping open its surface.

Scientists from Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago developed a microscopic disc that attaches to antibodies, which in turn latch onto brain cancer cells in a test tube.

By zapping the microdisc with an mild magnetic field for 10 minutes, it tips back and forth, which ruptures the cell membrane. It also prompts the cell's DNA to then self-destruct.

It's still a long way from potential use in humans, but the early research is encouraging.

A male pill?

Equality in birth control may be in the works.

Scientists have figured out how to make male mice infertile. That could pave the way for making a "Pill" for men that would prevent unwanted pregnancies.

The drawback is, the mice involved were missing a gene that codes for the androgen hormone receptor - but that may lead to further discovery of ways to control male hormones, and in turn control sperm production.

The research, in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal, also offers hope to those who can't have children because of low sperm counts.