Workouts beat the blues
Regular exercise, particularly in a group, may be just as effective as drugs at improving symptoms of major depression, a Duke University study of more than 200 men and women aged 40 and over has found. A control group was given a placebo, Reuters reports. A second group was given an antidepressant, sertraline. A third exercised three times a week at home and the fourth exercised together. After 16 weeks, 47 per cent of those on medication no longer showed symptoms of major depression, compared with 45 per cent of those who did group exercise, 40 per cent of those who exercised alone, and 31 per cent who were given a placebo.
New remedy for the runs
Scientists have come up with a vaccine patch to stave off so-called Delhi belly, diarrhoea, typically caused by enterotoxigenic E. coli bacteria. It affects about 20 million travellers a year and is most common in Africa, Asia and Latin America, AFP reports. According to US-based vaccine maker Iomai Corp, tests by the University of Texas show the patch reduces outbreaks of diarrhoea by 75 per cent. It delivers a small, safe dose of a toxin caused by the bacteria, triggering an immune response.
Toilet training in trouble
One in three men don't wash their hands after using public toilets, according to a study by the American Society for Microbiology, involving more than 6,000 people in four US cities - up on one in four two years ago, AP reports. By comparison, only about one in 10 women involved in the latest survey didn't wash their hands, which is recognised as one of the most effective ways to stave off sickness from colds, flu and other germs.