Regular aerobic exercise can not only stave off the decline in brain function that often comes with age, it can also help turn back the clock on brain aging, two experts in the field report, based on a critical review of published studies. Age-related deterioration in the brain's all-important white and gray matter makes it harder to carry out a number of high-level "executive function" tasks, like planning, scheduling and multi-tasking, say Arthur F. Kramer and Kirk I. Erickson in the latest issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Whooping cough for adults

It may be known as a childhood disease but adults should realize they can contract whooping cough too, says a German study. Known medically as pertussis, whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory infection that causes uncontrollable attacks of coughing and breathlessness. Before a vaccine became available, whooping cough was often a fatal childhood disease but cases of whooping cough in adults have increased dramatically in recent years.

Risk factor for Alzheimer's

Low levels of cystatin C, a blood protein commonly used as a measure of kidney function, may be a risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease in elderly men, Swedish researchers say. During the past decade, studies have suggested that cystatin C activity in the brain may protect against the development of Alzheimer's by inhibiting a protein in the body that forms a key feature of Alzheimer's disease. A Swedish study of 82 patients confirmed an association between lower cystatin C levels and a higher risk of Alzheimer's.

Prone to cause problems

The German Pharmacists' Association has issued a warning against taking medicines while lying down. Taking pills in a prone position can cause traces of medicine to stick to the food pipe's lining.

The association recommends taking pills or capsules in a sitting or standing position with at least 100 milliliters of water.

Insufficient fluid may cause painkillers, antibiotics or other drugs to damage the food pipe's mucous membrane.

Patients who have trouble swallowing, or who cannot sit up, should ask their doctor if they can take their medicine in crushed form.

Cutting down complications

Men who want to have a vasectomy reversed may soon be able to opt for a "mini-incision, no-scalpel" operation, according to a group of surgeons who have performed a number of successful vasectomy reversals using this approach. In vasectomy, the tube that carries sperm from the testes to the penis - the vas deferens - is severed. The operation can now be performed through a tiny incision in the scrotum, resulting in fewer complications than the more invasive approach requiring a larger incision.

Even light exercise is good

Physical activity, even at light or moderate intensities, lowers the risk of cancer of the lining of the uterus (endometrial cancer) in overweight or obese women, according to a study by the American Cancer Society. Researchers studied thousands of "postmenopausal" women and concluded that all kinds of physical activity and "avoidance of sedentary behavior" were strongly associated with a reduced risk of endometrial cancer among the overweight, even when this only amounted to two hours of moderate activity per week.

Aspirin setback for diabetics

Doctors should not routinely give aspirin to people with diabetes to help guard against a heart attack or stroke, according to a new study. While it is effective for those who have already developed heart disease or suffered a stroke, regular aspirin offers no benefit for patients with diabetes and a common circulatory problem, researchers say.

(Agencies via China Daily October 22, 2008)