Phone-sperm link Overuse of mobile phones may be linked to reduced sperm count and quality, according to preliminary US and Indian studies of more than 360 men. Researchers found that those who used mobiles for more than four hours a day (more than 30 per cent) had a 25 per cent lower count than those who never used mobiles, 50 per cent fewer properly formed sperm, and a 33 per cent reduction in their sperm's swimming ability (crucial for conception). 'Mobiles could be having a devastating effect on fertility,' team leader Ashok Agarwal, of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio said. told the Daily Mail. 'There was a significant decrease in the most important measures of sperm health with cell phone use.' Researchers say the possible link may be due to electromagnetic radiation or the heat generated by handsets. Male contraceptive tested Scientists have successfully tested a male contraceptive on rats that appears to have no side effects and wears off after 20 weeks. The drug, developed by the New York-based, non-profit Population Council, works by blocking the development of sperm cells, according to WebMD. Researcher Cheng Chuen-yan says the drug is still a long way from being approved for use by people. Easy does it And a South African inventor has developed a condom that takes less than three seconds to put on - without having to remove the wrapper. South Africa has one of the world's highest Aids rates, and some studies suggest that the difficulty of putting on condoms is a reason some people don't use them, AFP reports. Willem van Rensburg of Capetown says his Pronto condom is also more reliable and hygienic because it is applied directly from the wrapper, which snaps in the middle, and the two sides roll the condom over the penis, using tiny, soft plastic hooks. Sick and tired Chronic fatigue syndrome, once derisively known as yuppie flu, is a real disease that now affects more than a million people in the US, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Early diagnosis and treatment of the disease is crucial - but no one knows what the best treatment is or what causes it, and four out of five sufferers don't realise they have it, Reuters reports. Typical symptoms include exhaustion lasting more than six months, sleeping difficulty, problems with concentration, and flu-like aches and pains. Reducing stress, diet changes and gentle stretching have been shown to help. Turn the heat down Lowering the core body temperature of mice by less than 0.5 degrees Celsius can prolong their lives by up to 20 per cent, according to a US study published in Science. Previous studies have shown that the lifespan of mammals can be extended by reducing their calorie intake - which, in turn, lowers the body temperature by slowing the metabolism, AFP reports. The latest study, by scientists at Scripps Research in California, was to test whether the temperature or calorie intake was the more significant factor. Leg stretching banned China has banned leg-lengthening cosmetic surgery, after a series of botched operations. The procedure, which was developed in Russia and has been widely offered by the largely unregulated beauty industry on the mainland, entails breaking the patient's legs and stretching them on a rack. The ban was reported by the Xinhua news agency, citing the Health Ministry. New lease on lice A one-off, 30-minute blast from a specially modified hairdryer kills head lice more effectively than chemicals or combing, by drying the bugs and - most significantly - their eggs to death, according to US researchers. Test of various hairdryers on the heads of infested children by the University of Utah found that most killed about 90 per cent of eggs. But one device that is marketed as a louse-buster killed 98 per cent of eggs and 80 per cent of the live lice, leaving the rest apparently unable to breed, healthday.com reports. 'When you go back a week later, there's nothing there,' says researcher Dale Clayton. The device produces hotter air than normal and seems to dry out the lice and eggs. Jason Sankey is a tennis professional
