Children with allergic sensitizations in economically developed countries are much more likely to develop asthma than similarly sensitized children in poorer countries, according to a new article. Researchers tested allergic sensitization as well as asthma in 8-12 year old children. Altogether, children living in affluent countries with allergic sensitizations were 4 times as likely to have asthma than their non-sensitized counterparts; in non-affluent countries, children with allergic responses were only 2.2 times as likely to have asthma.

Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for the most severe forms of human malaria. Invasion of red blood cells is an essential step of the complex life cycle of this parasite. Scientists have discovered that the parasite has the ability to switch on and off the expression of some of the proteins it uses to enter its victim's red blood cells.