Using a combination of nicotine patch and nicotine nasal spray is more effective then using the patch alone, according to Icelandic researchers. This dual attack on nicotine cravings provides smokers with a background level of nicotine throughout the day and the nasal spray (available on prescription) allows smokers to top up when they feel the need to smoke. (British Medical Journal)
Rodents can make human sperm, say scientists at Tottori University in Japan. The team claims to have implanted the human cells responsible for producing sperm, spermatogonia, in rat and mice testes. Five months later, human sperm was detected in the animals. They also claim the spermatogonia was taken from infertile men. The researchers now wish to continue their experiments to see if the sperm can fertilise human eggs. (BBC)
New techniques for delaying menopause may be developed following successful tests to prolong the lifespan of ovaries in mice. The US research, reported in Nature Genetics, found elderly mice deficient in the gene, Bax, have a healthy supply of ovarian cells. However, these mice do not ovulate or conceive. With human menopause, the cut off in oestrogen production increases women's risk of osteoporosis and heart disease. No technology currently exists to apply this research to women.
Cirrhosis of the liver has been cured - in rats. US scientists cleared cirrhosis by injecting the muscles of rats with a human gene - the first time the disease (often caused by alcohol abuse and leading to liver failure) has been reversed. This offers hope that a human treatment, to prevent cirrhosis in high risk groups and to reverse progress in sufferers, may be on the way. (AP)
Vitamin supplements may not reduce the risk of heart disease, according to a study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Research, however, did find antioxidant-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, are associated with a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke. Vitamins tablets may even cause damage, according to a US study of smokers which found beta-carotene tablets (a form of vitamin A) appeared to increase the risk of lung cancer.
It is healthier for children to be shaped like a pear than an apple, say US scientists. Children and adolescents with greater upper-body fat ("apples") were found to have lower levels of the "good cholesterol" (known as high-density lipoprotein) than youngsters with more body fat around their hips and thighs ("pears"). Systolic blood pressure, the upper number of a blood pressure reading, was highest in children with the most fat overall and in those who were apple-shaped. In adults, however, studies indicate the reverse is true. (BBC)