Of mice and mental health
The accidental discovery of a link between a mouse gene and behaviour similar to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) may lead to new ways to treat the condition, say Duke University researchers. When the SAPAP3 gene was turned off, mice engaged in compulsive grooming and exhibited anxious behaviour. When the gene was reactivated, or the mice were given drugs used to treat OCD in people, the compulsive behaviour diminished, AFP reports.
Close to the bone
Calcium supplements can reduce the risk of bone fractures among people over 50 by as much as 24 per cent, according to a University of Western Sydney study of 4,500 elderly people that included an analysis of 17 other studies covering more than 52,500 people. Even when patients failed to take the full dose, the risk fell by 12 per cent, AFP reports. Hip fractures are a serious problem among the elderly.
A river runs through it
Pollution along two of the mainland's major rivers threatens one-sixth of the population, despite a decade of clean-up attempts. Samples from the Huai River and its tributaries in central and eastern China registered grade-five pollution or worse, meaning the water is unfit for human contact and may not be fit even for irrigation, according to a report by Mao Rubai, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) environment protection committee. The study was reported by China Daily and on the NPC website, according to Reuters. Mao also said that industrial pollution of the Liao River in the northeast remained too high.