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New research, which has been published in the May 17 issue of Nature magazine, could, potentially, be the most exciting development that has ever been made in the treatment of hair loss. Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered a way to make the hair follicles in mice regenerate by reactivating genes which are only normally active in developing embryos and have ceased to function by the time of birth. The implications of these findings are massive.

The medical uses of Viagra have, in the last few years, extended far beyond those for which the drug was originally developed. Although most commonly known as an anti-impotence treatment, Viagra has also been used to open the blood vessels in the hearts of premature babies and to increase the blood supply to the brains of Israeli fighter pilots to improve their flight performance.

Scientists at a Swedish University have just published a new study, which, on first reading, might be depressing for anyone trying to lose weight. The report from the Karolinska Institute says that the number of fat cells that a person holds in their body is determined during adolescence. They also suggest that no amount of dieting or exercise will reduce the number of these cells. The actual volume of the individual cells, however, can be altered.

Hair loss is completely normal. An average adult of either sex loses about one hundred hairs a day. In most people these are being constantly replaced and the loss of hair occurs evenly over the whole scalp. When a person’s hair loss goes beyond this level, however, the results can become a major problem, both in terms of physical appearance and psychologically too.

Exciting new research has been announced by the American College of Cardiology regarding the weight loss drug Taranabant. The study has shown that the new drug has a weight-loss result that is nearly as good as Acomplia (Rimonabant) but at one tenth of the dosage of its precursor in this new classification of drugs which target the endocannabinoid system. The study has also shown, however, that Taranabant has the same psychiatric side effects which stopped Acomplia from being licensed in the United States.

Most of us are aware of huge number of fake goods that are being produced in the Far East. Handbags, clothes, and electronic goods…the list goes on. Go to any street corner or market in a large city and you will be able to pick up the latest designer bag or sunglasses, which, to the untrained eye, are almost identical to the real thing.

Recently this trend for counterfeit goods has moved into far more dangerous territory- prescription drugs. Buying a fake handbag will, perhaps, cause a loss of profit to the manufacturers of the real things but buying fake drugs could cause real damage to your body.

Every day of the year hundreds of millions of spam emails arrive in the in-boxes of practically every computer around the world advertising unlicensed anti-impotence drugs. These emails contain links to the thousands web of sites selling untested and unlicensed products which are, at best, not as effective as the real thing and at worst contain ingredients which can be dangerous to your health

For many years there have been tales of how a mother’s eating habits could influence the sex of her unborn child. These claims have often been dismissed as old wives tales but now it seems that there could be an element of truth to be had in these stories.

New research claims that a high-calorie diet and regularly eating breakfast in the run up to conception increases the odds of having a boy. It also suggests that a high glucose diet at this time will increase the chance of having a son. It is not exactly clear why this dietary pattern might have an impact but it has been known for some time in IVF research that high glucose levels inhibit the development of a female embryo whist encouraging the development of the male embryo. Although these two observations are separate, there might be some connection in the influence that environmental factors have on the sex of a foetus.

Pfizer, the manufacturer of Viagra has been reprimanded by the US Food and Drugs Agency over an advert for the erectile dysfunction medication. The advert, which appeared on the interent, featured a group of men singing a song about Viagra in a recording studio.

According to the FDA the video did not set out the risks associated with taking Viagra so therefore breached the law relating to the advertising of prescription drugs in the US. Pfizer has apologised and has withdrawn the advert with immediate effect.

New research just published in the United States has revealed that women attempting to quit smoking may be more or less successful depending on where they are in their menstrual cycle. The research by American scientists was published in the journal Addiction and said that women’s levels of success correlate directly to the levels of the female sex hormone in their body at their time of quitting.

Women attempting to give up cigarettes before ovulation, they claimed, were more likely to smoke again than women who gave up at other times. It is not a huge revelation that there are links between a woman’s mood and where she is in her menstrual cycle. This research shows, however, that women actually smoke more at some points in the cycle.

A new study just published by the American Academy of Neurology has claimed that heavy drinking and smoking can lead to an early onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Heavy drinking, which for the purposes of the study was defined as more than two drinks a day, brought the onset forward by 4.8 years and heavy smoking, defined as more than twenty cigarettes a day, by 2.3 years. Someone who drank and smoked heavily, therefore, could be accelerating the onset of the disease by as much as 7 years.

On top of this there is a gene which predisposes certain people to Alzheimer’s. The gene which is known as APOE variant 4 brought forward the onset of the disease by three years.

Someone who fulfilled all these criteria that is to say was a heavy drinker, heavy smoker and was in possession of the APOE variant 4 gene could, on average, expect to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s eight and a half years earlier than someone who did not drink, smoke or have the APOE variant 4 gene.

What the survey did not deal with was whether or not lifestyle choices such as smoking, drinking, eating habits or lack of exercise were actual causes of the disease.

There have been other studies which have suggested that drinking a couple of alcoholic beverages a day can actually lower the risk of dementia. A Dutch study revealed that dementia was 42 percent lower in drinkers compared with non-drinkers.

Another study presented at the conference made claims that high cholesterol levels doubled a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s

Susanne Sorenson of the Alzheimer’s society said, “The best way to reduce your risk is to eat a balanced diet rich in antioxidants and vitamins and to exercise regularly. Not smoking, drinking only in moderation and getting your blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly throughout life are also important.”