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Drinking Water Before Meals Helps Dieting, says study.

Drinking water before meals can help people to lose weight, says a US study.

Scientists from Virginia found that slimmers can lose an average of 5lb extra if they drink two glasses of water three times a day before meals.

They tested the theory on 48 older adults, split into two groups, over 12 weeks.

While drinking water can make you feel full on zero calories, say researchers, too much water can also lead to serious health problems.

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A year and a half after President Obama loosened restrictions on government funding of human-embryonic-stem-cell research, a federal judge on Monday, Aug. 23, declared all such studies temporarily off-limits for taxpayer dollars, on the grounds that they violate a 1996 law. The decision could be a devastating step backward for a promising new science that has the potential to generate new treatments and possibly even cures for diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson's.

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TB TEST Seen in Future

International researchers say they have made a "significant step" towards a predictive blood test for tuberculosis. A DNA fingerprint in the blood shows promise in identifying which carriers of TB will go on to get symptoms and spread the infection. Such a test would allow earlier diagnosis and treatment of the lung disease, potentially saving many lives.

Tuberculosis, or TB, is an infectious bacterial disease of the lungs, causing symptoms such as coughing, chest pains and weight loss. Someone in the world is newly infected with TB every second, with nearly two million deaths each year.

Almost one in 10 people infected with TB go on to develop the active form of disease.

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Green Leafy Vegetable May Cut Diabetes Risk

A diet rich in green leafy vegetables may reduce the risk of developing diabetes, UK research says. In an analysis of six studies into fruit and vegetable intake, only food including spinach and cabbage was found to have a significant positive effect.

A portion and a half a day was found to cut type 2 diabetes risk by 14%, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) reports.

Researchers found that eating more fruit and vegetables in general was not strongly linked with a smaller chance of developing type 2 diabetes but "there was a general trend in that direction".

Yet when it came to green leafy vegetables, which the researchers said also includes broccoli and cauliflower, the risk reduction was significant.

It is not clear why green leafy vegetables may have a protective effect but one reason may be they are high in antioxidants, such as vitamin C and another theory is that they contain high levels of magnesium.

Did Popeye ever get diabetes? I rest my case. Henry

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Women Beer Drinkers Increase Psoriasis Risk

Women who drink beer regularly are more likely to develop the skin disease psoriasis, a US study suggests. The study found that women who drank five beers a week doubled their risk of developing the condition compared with women who did not drink.

The Boston study, in Archives of Dermatology, looked at more than 82,000 female nurses aged 27 to 44 and their drinking habits from 1991 until 2005.

Non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits were not found to increase the risk.

In the study, researchers said that woman who drank more than two alcoholic drinks a week increased their risk of psoriasis by two-thirds compared with non-drinkers.

For women who drank five glasses of beer per week their risk of developing psoriasis was 1.8 times higher again.

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Cancer Survival Numbers Looking Better

Cancer survival figures have double since the 1970s. In breast cancer, 10-year survival has jumped from less than 40% to a predicted 77% currently. Half of the people diagnosed with bowel cancer are now expected to survive at least 10 years compared with 23% in the 1970s.

For ovarian cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, survival has increased from 18 to 35% and from 22 to 51% respectively.

Ten-year survival figures for patients diagnosed in 2007 are of course predictions, but they are derived from the latest national data on cancer patient survival - and for most cancers, the true 10-year survival for these patients will turn out to be higher than reported.

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India Rejects UK Scientists Superbug Claim

India has rejected a claim by British scientists that a new superbug, resistant to even the most powerful antibiotics, has entered UK from India. The health ministry said it was unfair to link the bug to India and officials described it as "malicious propaganda".

Scientists say patients who went to India and Pakistan for treatments such as cosmetic surgery have come back with bacteria that make NDM-1 enzyme.

Health experts say NDM-1 can exist inside different bacteria, like E.coli, and it makes them resistant to most antibiotics.

About 50 cases have been identified in the UK so far, but scientists said it could spread globally, medical publication Lancet Infectious Diseases said.


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Spinal Cord Regeneration Success

US researchers have for the first time encouraged substantial regrowth in nerves controlling voluntary movement after spinal cord injury. By manipulating an enzyme involved in cell growth, researchers were able to regenerate spinal cord nerves in mice, Nature Neuroscience reports.

It follows similar work on repairing the optic nerve to restore sight. The ability to grow new nerve cells is present at birth but then diminishes with age.

It means that after injury or illness to the spine such cells, known as axons, cannot regenerate. In the latest study the researchers attempted to switch back on the signaling pathway that encourages this new growth in young mammals.

They did it by knocking out a gene called PTEN in mice which in normal circumstances puts a halt on new nerve growth. The team, from Harvard Medical School and the University of California, Irvine, reported substantial regrowth in severed spinal cords in the animals. They are now working on tests to see if the technique can actually restore spinal cord function.

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Arthritis Patients May Benefit From Weight Training

A regular weight training regime may help treat rheumatoid arthritis, research suggests. A study of 28 patients found those who pumped iron saw improvements in basic physical function, such as walking.

Experts said the exercise regime would not be appropriate for all patients.

RA is mainly a disease affecting the joints, but a less well known symptom is that it also severely reduces muscle mass and strength and this occurs even among patients whose disease is well managed.

Those with the condition are often given mild home exercises to do to stop their joints stiffening and becoming painful.

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Fit heart can slow brain aging, keeping your heart fit and strong can slow down the aging of your brain, US researchers say.

A Boston University team found healthy people with sluggish hearts that pumped out less blood had "older" brains on scans than others.

Out of the 1,500 people studied, the team observed that the brain shrinks as it ages.

A poor cardiac output aged the brain by nearly two years on average, Circulation journal says.

Lead researchers say "These participants are not sick people. A very small number have heart disease. The observation that nearly a third of the entire sample has low cardiac index and that lower cardiac index is related to smaller brain volume is concerning and requires further study."

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Is Your Child Becoming a Screen Addict?

Years ago Barbie dolls, Action men and My Little Ponies were the must-have toys - today its the latest in computer gaming. Even little children are pestering for them.

It used to be that playing computer games was a fun and harmless pastime - but not any more.

Although not officially classified as an addiction, parents and professionals are becoming increasingly alarmed at the rising number of young people shunning normal 'fun' activities and family life in favor of playing computer games in isolation.

It is not uncommon for children to spend upwards of six to eight hours daily on their computers playing games.

And now increasing numbers of children and teenagers are experiencing the negative effects of gaming.

Signs for parents to watch out for include: tendinitis in wrists and neck pain, depression, mood swings, angry outbursts if interrupted or restricted, avoiding normal socializing and being active with other friends, preferring to be in their rooms to being with the family (even for meals), and deterioration in quality of school work and poor attention during classes.

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Herpes Virus Used to Treat Cancer

The herpes virus that causes cold sores may have a future fighting certain cancers.

Doctors say they have used a genetically engineered herpes virus to successfully treat patients with head and neck cancer.

A London hospital's trial of 17 patients found that use of the virus alongside chemotherapy and radiotherapy helped kill the tumors in most patients.

It works by getting into cancer cells, killing them from the inside, and also boosting the patient's immune system.

Further trials are planned for later in the year.

Head and neck cancer, which includes cancer of the mouth, tongue and throat, affects thousands of people every year in the US and UK.

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Breast cancer cells. Colored scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of freeze-fractured cancerous breast tissue showing breast cancer cells (across upper frame). Their irregular and ragged appearance is typical of cancer cells, which divide rapidly and chaotically. They can then clump to form malignant tumors. The tumors often invade and destroy surrounding tissues. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. Treatment involves surgical removal of the tumor, often combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

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