The ability of a mother to identify a weight problem in her child appears to be dependent on her own weight, with overweight mothers tending to underestimate their child's weight, Reuters reports. On the other hand, a mother's ability to correctly determine the weight status of a child who is unrelated to her appears to depend on her socioeconomic level, research in paediatrics shows. The findings present a challenge for physicians working with overweight children and their parents, say Petra Warschburger and Katja Kroller, of the University of Potsdam in Germany. 'The first step for parents is to recognise and accept that their child is overweight and to recognise [obesity] in this particular age group as a significant and severe health risk,' the authors say.

Protein not linked to heart disease

C-reactive protein (CRP), a naturally occurring chemical in the blood, may not play as large a part in heart disease than earlier thought, according to a research paper published last week in The Journal of the American Medical Association, reports The New York Times. Researchers, who analysed genetic data from more than 100,000 people, conclude that their study 'argues against' the notion the protein causes heart disease. David Altshuler, a professor of genetics and medicine at Harvard Medical School, says the distinction was important. If CRP were merely associated with heart disease and not the direct cause, lowering it would not have a marked effect on health. The findings could put an end to some research and development work to produce CRP-lowering drugs.

Daily sex improves sperm quality

Having sex every day improves the quality of men's sperm and is recommended for couples trying to conceive, according to research. Until now doctors have debated whether men should refrain from sex for a few days before attempting to conceive with their partners to improve the chance of pregnancy. But a study by David Greening of Sydney IVF, an Australian centre for infertility and in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, suggests abstinence is not the right approach. He studied 118 men with above-average sperm DNA damage and found the quality of their sperm increased significantly after they were told to ejaculate daily for seven days. On average, their DNA fragmentation index - a measure of sperm damage - fell to 26 per cent from 34 per cent, Greening told the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Amsterdam recently, Reuters reports. Greening says it was likely frequent ejaculation improved the quality of sperm by reducing the length of time they were exposed to potentially damaging molecules called reactive oxygen species in the testicular ducts.

Drug may ease arthritis symptoms

An experimental drug called masitinib may ease rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in people who aren't helped by other drugs, according to a study published online in Arthritis Research & Therapy. The study involved 40 adults in France who had rheumatoid arthritis that didn't respond to other drugs for the disorder. The patients took masitinib tablets twice daily at various doses for 12 weeks. Masitinib, which is also being studied as a cancer drug, targets immune system cells called mast cells. The goal is to interrupt a chain reaction of inflammatory chemicals that may contribute to rheumatoid arthritis. About half of the patients had their symptoms ease during the study. However, 95 per cent of the patients reported adverse reactions, most of which were mild to moderate and temporary, such as rashes, swelling, nausea, and diarrhoea, WebMD reports.

Socialise your way to health

An analysis from the Rush Memory and Ageing Project finds that people who report less frequent participation in social activities have a more rapid rate of motor decline in old age. The findings suggest that not only physical activity but cognitive activity and now social activity are all part of an overall approach to maintaining good health into older age, says Aron Buchman of the department of neurological sciences at Rush University Medical Centre, in Chicago. 'It gives impetus to a multidisciplinary approach from a public health point of view because it's certainly a lot cheaper to facilitate social activity than it is to be handing out medication.' The results were published in the June 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, reports Medscape.

Cancer drug trial discontinued

Pfizer says a late stage trial testing of its cancer drug Sutent in advanced colon cancer was stopped after it was found to be no more effective than standard chemotherapy. An independent committee found adding Sutent to a chemotherapy regimen for colon cancer that has spread did not show a significant improvement in progression-free survival compared with chemo alone, reports Reuters.