Archive for August 16th, 2012
Walnuts “improve sperm health”
August 16th, 2012 | 
Author: 
Eating around two handfuls of walnuts a day improves sperm health in young men, a study in the journal Biology of Reproduction suggests.
Sperm shape, movement and vitality improved in men who added walnuts to their diet over 12 weeks.
Posted in 
“Better Than a Dog Anyhow”: Charles Darwin on the Pros & Cons of Marriage
"The day of days!," wrote 29-year-old Charles Darwin in his journal on November 11, 1838, after his cousin, Emma Wedgwood, accepted his marriage proposal. But the legendary naturalist wasn't always this single-minded about the union. Just a few months earlier, he had scribbled on the back of a letter from a friend a carefully considered list of pros ("constant companion," "charms of music & female chit-chat") and cons ("means limited," "no books," "terrible loss of time") regarding marriage and its potential impact on his work. The list … available online in the excellent Darwin Correspondence Project, was dated April 7, 1838, and bespeaks the timeless, and arguably artificial, cultural tension between family and career, love and work, heart and head.
More U.S. children consume artificially sweetened drinks, data show
Data from a federal health survey involving more than 42,000 Americans show a twofold increase during the past 10 years in the number of children drinking diet [soda] beverages. Long-term health effects of such consumption are still unknown. The study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, also found an increase in the percentage of adults who consume diet drinks.
FDA’s yearly food safety report reaches Congress
The FDA submitted its yearly report to Congress for an overview of what it has achieved over the past year. The agency has a vast food safety mandate that includes $49 billion worth of imported food and $417 billion worth of domestic food. The FDA and contracted states inspected 19,073 registered food facilities in the U.S. and 995 foreign facilities; fewer than half of the 22,325 U.S. facilities designated as high-risk were inspected.
Brain’s Drain: Neuroscientists Discover Cranial Cleansing System
The brain can be a messy place. Thankfully, it has good plumbing: Scientists have just discovered a cleansing river inside the brain, a fluid stream that might be enlisted to flush away the buildup of proteins associated with Alzheimer's, Huntington's and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Medit. diet, olive oil, may protect bones
A Mediterranean diet enriched with olive oil for two years was associated with improved bone health, U.S. researchers found.
Draft Guidance Suggests Updated Tool for Assessing Suicidal Thoughts, Behavior in Trials
Drugmakers should use an updated instrument for the prospective assessment of suicidal thoughts and behaviors during clinical trials and follow new FDA advice on which trials and patients need such assessments, according to a new draft guidance. The FDA recommends proactive assessments of suicidal thought and behavior for any drug being developed for a psychiatric condition, for antiepileptic drugs and for other neurologic drugs with central nervous system activity during both inpatient and outpatient trials, including multiple-dose Phase I studies.
Drug Industry Daily (reg$req)