New research looks at the behavior of the avian influenza virus in lungs and how that behavior might translate into the spread of the disease from one organism to another. Although over a hundred people have been infected with the H5N1 virus commonly known as bird flu, all those cases seem to have been ones in which a human contracted the disease from an infected animal rather than from another person. The new research says that the virus does not appear to multiply well in the upper respiratory tract of humans, and is mostly found deep in the lungs. A change to the virus that allows it to live higher in the lungs could make it much more of a public health threat, researchers believe. We'll talk about the work, and efforts to control the spread of bird flu.

Plus, a new study finds that while many patients seeking relief from depression were not helped by the first drug they were prescribed, persistence can sometimes pay off -- with many patients eventually finding relief of their symptoms after trying additional medications. We'll talk about the massive study of depression treatments, and whether people with depression should find hope in the results. We'll also hear about another study that finds that successfully treating mothers with depression can lead to healthier kids

We'll also look at new research in the battle against diabetes, and efforts to cure Type 1 diabetes by regrowing islet cells. Several years ago, Science Friday listeners heard about work in which it appeared that a stem cell treatment was regrowing the islet cells found in the pancreas in mice with Type 1 diabetes. Now, researchers have come up with a different explanation for the finding, saying that an immune response was the cause of the improvement. We'll talk about the work, as well as what it takes to get a diabetes treatment that seems to work in mice to clinical trials. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (2-3 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:

Nicholas Wade
Science Reporter
New York Times
New York, New York

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Denise Faustman, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Director, Immunobiology Laboratory
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts

David Nathan, MD
Professor, Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Director, General Clinical Research Center
Director, Diabetes Center
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts

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John Rush, Jr., MD
Betty Jo Hay Distinguished Chair in Mental Health
Rosewood Corporation Chair in Biomedical Science
Professor, Psychiatry
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas

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This segment produced by Karin Vergoth