Health roundup: Treatment for MS shows promise in mice

Your Monday morning health roundup:

MS hope: An experimental approach that might retrain the immune system is showing unusual promise in mouse studies and might someday become a treatment for multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases. It might even work for food allergies, scientists say. The method involves injections of tiny bits, or nanoparticles, of the same stuff used in dissolving stitches. Scientists attach proteins the body has been attacking to the nanoparticles. The combo goes to the spleen, where it can meet up with key immune cells that might learn to recognize the proteins and stop the attacks. Much additional study will be needed to see if the approach is effective and safe for people. (NBC News)

Miss America and mastectomy: Allyn Rose, who will compete as Miss District of Columbia in January's Miss America pageant, has unusual plans after the contest: She's going to have both breasts removed. Rose, 24, whose mother died of breast cancer, has a rare genetic condition that puts her at high risk too. She plans surgery after completing her pageant duties, either as Miss D.C. or Miss America. (ABC News)

Caffeine and sports: College students and office drones aren't the only ones who rely on caffeine for a performance boost: elite endurance athletes do it, too, often with caffeine supplements, NPR reports. While some exercise scientists say the approach has merits, it also has risks, including agitation and insomnia. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration is looking into reported deaths among some users of caffeine-laced energy drinks.

Today's talker: For people who spend their lives in chronic pain, the absence of pain might seem like an unimaginable blessing. But any extreme can be a curse -- as illustrated by the story of Ashlyn Blocker, a 13-year-old girl from Patterson, Ga., who is incapable of physical pain. As the New York Times reports, Ashlyn has been injured and scarred innumerable times, by everything from boiling water to tight headbands. Doctors are studying her case, both to help others like her and to find clues that might help people who feel too much pain.