Health News for November 30, 2007

A daily glass of Pomegranate juice is as potent as Viagra
Men who want to boost their performance in the bedroom should drink pomegranate juice, says a new research. ANI

Early, late sexual debut linked to sexual functioning problems
A new study has revealed that early and late sexual debut is linked to problems in sexual functioning. ANI

Innovative pre-school programme helps disadvantaged kids do better in school
A research has suggested that an innovative curriculum for preschoolers may improve academic performance, reduce diagnoses of attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and close the achievement gap between children from poor families and those from wealthier homes. ANI

Club drugs inflict damage similar to traumatic brain injury
A study has revealed that using club drugs like Ecstasy is equivalent in impact to a traumatic brain injury. ANI

Better surveillance could have delayed a deadly TB outbreak: Study
HIV and tuberculosis (TB) will cause the deaths of so many people not only in Africa but also in India and China, that it will change the shape of these societies. Now, researchers have found that better tuberculosis surveillance programmes could have delayed the emergence of extensively drug-resistant strains of TB called Mycobacterium tuberculosis (XDR-TB). ANI

New test could detect Chlamydia in 30 minutes
Researchers at the University of Cambridgeave developed a new chlamydia test that can tell people within 30 minutes if they have the sexually transmitted infection (STI). ANI

Sex main cause of HIV prevalence in China today
Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu has revealed that the rates of new HIV/AIDS infections in the country are declining, and that the disease is now being transmitted mainly through sex. ANI

New drug may harbour hope for age-related macular degeneration cure
Researchers have found that the experimental drug, endostatin, may be the cure for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). ANI

Smokers quit rates double with counseling, free nicotine patches
Two new studies have come out with the revelation that increasing the level of Quitline smoking cessation services and offering free nicotine patches are a successful and cost-effective way to reduce smoking rates. ANI

Soon, a robot teddy to help sick kids
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US are designing a robot teddy that can interact with its owner, and alert medical staff to changes in a sick childs condition. ANI

Contaminated ground water in Punjab causing DNA mutations in people
Ground water in Punjab, India, has been contaminated to such an extent that it is now causing DNA to mutate in people who drink it, warns a research commissioned by the Punjab Water Pollution Control Board. ANI

Nuclear reactor workers at dramatically higher risk of cancer
A report has suggested that cancer risk for people exposed to radioactive tritium, commonly discharged in large amounts by civil and military nuclear plants around the world, may be more dangerous than previously thought. ANI

Scientists produce short-term reversal of skin aging in mice
A research conducted at the Stanford University School of Medicine has revealed that the effects of aging on the skin can be reversed for a short period by blocking the action of a single critical protein. ANI

Enzyme that plays pivotal role in breast cancer onset identified
Researchers from McGill University have revealed that an enzyme called the focal adhesion kinase (FAK) plays a pivotal role in the onset of breast cancer and may eventually lead to the development of new drug treatments. ANI