Gene markers for prostate cancer

Personalising a common prostate cancer test by looking at genetic variations makes it diagnosis far more accurate. Prostate cancer is among the top five cancers in men in the world, including in India.

Personalising a common prostate cancer test by looking at genetic variations makes it diagnosis far more accurate. Prostate cancer is among the top five cancers in men in the world, including in India.

Screening using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood tests is controversial at the moment because it is difficult to define normal PSA levels, so cancer is missed in some men while others get false positive results.

Sex or love?

Sex addicts feel threatened by intimacy and are more insecure about romantic relationships than others, reports a New Zealand study. The survey of more than 600 people found those who indulged in compulsive sexual behaviour tried to avoid becoming too emotionally attached to others. Sex addiction, which made headlines this year with revelations about Tiger Woods life, is an umbrella term used to describe 29 terms in scientific literature, including sexual compulsivity, excessive sexual desire disorder and hypersexuality. The preferred contemporary term is out-of-control sexual behaviours.

Painkiller risk for the elderly

A commonly used painkiller carries more health risks for the elderly than previously believed, new study findings report. The authors found that people on opioids, a class of pain drugs that includes morphine and codeine, had a higher risk of fractures, heart problems such as heart attack or stroke, hospitalisations and death as compared to other types of painkillers, including over-the-counter medication.

Parents eat more junk

Busy parents are much more likely to wolf down junk food than childless couples. University of Reading researchers in the UK report that couples who only had to look after themselves ate 2 kg more fruits and vegetables over a fortnight than the ones with families.

Parents also bought less meat and stocked up on more milk and dairy produccts, cereals and potatoes.