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Altruistic behaviour can be sexually attractive to others

Displays of altruism or selflessness towards others can be sexually attractive in a mate. This is one of the findings of a study carried out by biologists and a psychologist at The University of Nottingham.

14 Oct 2008

Link between dementia and hypotension - Alzheimer's sufferers might have lower blood pressure

A new study published in Bioscience Hypotheses, a recently launched Elsevier journal, proposes that some people suffering from Alzheimer's disease experience a reduction in their high blood pressure because of cognitive decline.

14 Oct 2008

High-dose vitamin B supplements do not slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer's

A clinical trial led by Paul S. Aisen, M.D., professor of neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, showed that high-dose vitamin B supplements did not slow the rate of cognitive decline in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease.

14 Oct 2008

Discovery of two novel gene locations that raise risk of type 1 diabetes

Genetics researchers have identified two novel gene locations that raise the risk of type 1 diabetes. As they continue to reveal pieces of the complicated genetic puzzle for this disease, the researchers expect to improve predictive tests and devise preventive strategies.

14 Oct 2008

The Internet stimulates and possibly improves brain function

UCLA scientists have found that for computer-savvy middle-aged and older adults, searching the Internet triggers key centers in the brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning. The findings demonstrate that Web search activity may help stimulate and possibly improve brain function.

14 Oct 2008

African-American seniors who have trouble falling asleep are at higher risk of having memory problems

A landmark study led by North Carolina State University researchers shows that African-American seniors who have trouble falling asleep are at higher risk of having memory problems - raising the possibility that identifying and treating sleep difficulties in the elderly may help preserve their cognitive functioning. The study is the first to examine the link between sleep and cognitive functioning in older African-Americans.

14 Oct 2008

Design of a compound that stabilizes the main natural suppressor of tumours

An interdisciplinary team of researchers, headed by Ernest Giralt at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and Javier de Mendoza at the "Institut Catala d'Investigaciió Quimica" (ICIQ, Tarragona), have discovered a substance with the capacity to maintain protein p53 stable even when it presents certain mutations that promote the appearance of cancer.

14 Oct 2008

Black patients with chronic pain less likely to have obesity measured

At the intersection of two U.S. health epidemics - obesity and chronic pain - researchers from the University of Michigan Health System found black patients with chronic pain were less likely to have their weight or body mass index (BMI) recorded, even though they are at higher risk for having obesity when compared with their white counterparts.

14 Oct 2008

Steroids aid recovery from pneumonia, UT Southwestern researchers say

Adding corticosteroids to traditional antimicrobial therapy might help people with pneumonia recover more quickly than with antibiotics alone, UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists have found.

14 Oct 2008

Why sufferers from Alzheimer's disease might have lower blood pressure

A new study published in Bioscience Hypotheses, a recently launched Elsevier journal, proposes that some people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease experience a reduction in their high blood pressure because of cognitive decline.

14 Oct 2008

Easier to quit smoking after a heart attack if there is a hospital-based stop smoking program

Researchers in the U.S. say they have found that hospital-based stop smoking programs initiated after a heart attack have more chance of success.

14 Oct 2008

Low levels of vitamin D linked to Parkinson's

Scientists in the U.S. have found that many people suffering from Parkinson's disease have inadequate levels of vitamin D compared to healthy people.

14 Oct 2008

Marked increase in the use of herbal medicines by Australians

Australian researchers have found that the most popular herbal medicines used by Australians are aloe vera, garlic and green tea.

13 Oct 2008

Probiotics unlikely to relieve eczema symptoms

Australian scientists say they have found no evidence that probiotics can relieve the irritating symptoms of eczema and what is more they suggest they may sometimes cause infections and gut problems.

13 Oct 2008

Prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in patients with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease

A majority of Parkinson's disease patients had insufficient levels of vitamin D in a new study from Emory University School of Medicine.

13 Oct 2008

People lacking vital antioxidants and exposed to sunlight more likely to develop eye disease later in life

People who lack essential antioxidants, and who have high levels of sunlight exposure, have a higher risk of developing advanced macular degeneration (AMD), according to a study published today in the journal Archives of Ophthalmology. AMD is the leading cause of poor vision in the UK.

13 Oct 2008

Study specifies chemical pathway for ions through the cell membrane

Life ultimately depends on the traffic of tiny charged particles through porous proteins studding the membrane surrounding every cell. In research published in Nature, scientists at The Rockefeller University have for the first time mapped a stepping-stone pathway of amino acids that these charged particles, or ions, follow across cell membranes.

13 Oct 2008