Oral insulin set for human trials Taiwanese scientists have successfully tested an oral form of insulin on rats and now plan to begin human trials. Insulin-dependent diabetics typically have to have multiple daily injections. The difficulty in making an oral form is that protein drugs such as insulin are broken down in the stomach, preventing them reaching the bloodstream, WebMD reports. The National Tsing Hua University researchers bundled insulin with chitosan (a chemical from the shells of shrimp, crabs and lobsters) into tiny nanoparticles, which they then made into an oral solution. Second Alzheimer's gene found American researchers have identified a second gene responsible for the most common form of Alzheimer's - which may help in developing a better screening test and, eventually, a cure. The team from Columbia University, Boston University and the University of Toronto found that variants of the gene SORL1 were more common in people with late-onset Alzheimer's and that they had less than half the levels of SORL1 proteins in their blood than healthy people, AFP reports. This is connected with the production of abnormal sticky proteins that gum up the brains of Alzheimer's sufferers. The first genetic marker, ApoE4, was identified in 1993. Foot-dragging points to insecurity People who procrastinate typically lack confidence, rather than being perfectionists, as is often thought, according to a University of Calgary mathematical analysis of previous studies. 'Perfectionism is not the culprit,' says researcher Piers Steel. 'In fact, perfectionists procrastinate less - but they worry about it more.' The analysis found that people are more likely to procrastinate if the task isn't urgent, isn't appealing or is daunting. People who are rebellious or depressed also tend to procrastinate, WebMD reports. Steel says more study is needed - preferably sooner, rather than later. Mainland teens in the bedroom Most Beijing high-school students think there's nothing wrong with one-night stands, fewer than one out of every 200 girls would definitely refuse sex if their boyfriends asked, and the average age students lose their virginity is 15, according to a Capital Normal University survey of 2,300 students. 'The new generation is open-minded about sex,' researcher Zhang Meimei told China Daily. 'We can only conclude that it's a result of a fast-changing society.' Most of the 1,300 high-school girls from Xuanwu, in Beijing, said they would have sex with their boyfriends 'as long as he loves me'. Underage girls account for about a quarter of the 1.5 million abortions on the mainland every year, Reuters reports. A recent study in the Lancet reports that syphilis is on the rise on the mainland, with 6.5 cases per 100,000 people in 1999 from fewer than 0.2 cases per 100,000 in 1993. Females more resilient to cancer Women are more likely to survive lung cancer - the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide - according to a seven-year University of Alabama study of more than 1,000 people. There were no significant differences between the sexes in terms of race, other diseases, smoking history, lung function or treatment received. But after five years, 60 per cent of women were still alive compared with 50 per cent of men, and their survival rates were consistently higher for all stages of disease, Reuters reports. The researchers say this may relate to their being more responsive to chemotherapy. Jason Sankey is a tennis professional
