Drug addicts and their non-addicted siblings share certain features in the brain, suggesting a susceptibility to addiction is inherited but is also a flaw that can be overcome, scientists said on Thursday. Researchers who scanned the brains of 50 pairs of brothers and sisters of whom one was a cocaine addict found that both siblings had brain abnormalities that make it more difficult for them to exercise self-control. The findings increase understanding … full story

A person's surrounding atmosphere and active daily life are important helpful factors to cure the disease of insomnia. Talking to PTV, Psychiatrist Aysha Mokim Qurashi said on Monday insomnia has many kinds such as primary and transitory insomnia. Sleeplessness in patches leads to chronic condition of insomnia in which the patient could never sleep properly in the normal sleeping hours. She said treatment of insomnia patients differ from person … full story

More than one in five people with heart disease aren't getting life-saving statin drugs despite guidelines saying they should, a new study shows. Researchers looked at nearly 39,000 people who had experienced a heart attack or undergone heart surgery, and found about 8,600 people weren't prescribed the cholesterol-lowering medications. Although there is still controversy over whether people should take statins to prevent heart attacks, research … full story

Being part of a stressful job can increase a person’s risk of developing asthma by 40 percent, reveals a new study. The research led by Heidelberg University in Germany tracked 5,000 men and women aged between 40 and 65 over eight years. They found that among those free of asthma at the start of the project, there was up to a 40 percent higher incidence of asthma eight years later if they suffered stress at work. The signs were long working hours, … full story

Like a spotlight that illuminates an otherwise dark scene, attention highlights specific details of our surroundings while shutting others out. A new study by Salk Institute for Biological Studies researchers shows that the superior colliculus, a brain structure known for its role in the control of eye and head movements, is crucial for moving the mind’s spotlight. Their findings add new insight to our understanding of how attention is controlled … full story

Seniors who take aspirin daily are twice as likely to have late stage macular degeneration, an age-related loss of vision, than people who never take the pain reliever, a new European study reports. The data do not show that aspirin causes vision loss. But the findings are of concern if aspirin somehow exacerbates the eye disorder, researchers say, given how many seniors take it daily for heart disease. (Reuters) full story

Landscape artist Jane Anderson struggled with seasonal affective disorder in the winter months. She tried meditation and noticed a change within a month. “My experience was a sense of calmness, of better ability to regulate my emotions,” she says. Her experience inspired a new study which found changes in brain activity after only five weeks of meditation training, the journal Psychological Science reports. But Anderson, who did this research … full story

The best way to improve your looks is to get some sound sleep, rather than spend a small fortune on lotions, potions or dresses. Those who manage eight hours a night look far more attractive than those who are sleep deprived, say scientists from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. A group of healthy young adults were photographed after a good night’s sleep, and again after much less, reports the British Medical Journal. Each picture … full story

For decades doctors and pregnant women have relied on amniocentesis – taking a sample of DNA from the amniotic fluid – to diagnose certain disorders in unborn babies, despite the risk of triggering a miscarriage. Now scientists in Hong Kong have made a groundbreaking discovery which will make it possible for doctors to detect a whole range of genetic abnormalities in foetuses by simply testing the mother’s blood. The team at the Chinese University … full story

Diabetes or diabetes mellitus is a disorder that is characterized by elevation of glucose levels in blood. The carbohydrates that we consume get converted in to glucose, and hormone insulin secreted by pancreas breaks down the glucose, makes it enter body cells and release energy for day to day activities. Faulty metabolism occurs when glucose imbalance occurs in blood. The glucose imbalance occurs either when inadequate insulin is produced by pancreas, … full story