Malaria may change how you smell
Malaria may alter the way people smell to make them more alluring to mosquitoes, according to a new finding that can help detect the deadly disease non-invasively through body odour. An infection with malaria pathogens changes the scent of infected mice, making those infected more attractive to mosquitoes, researchers have found. Malaria is and remains a
formidable disease that is transmitted to humans by the anopheles mosquito. The pathogen is a protozoan of the genus plasmodium. If left untreated, malaria can be deadly. In order to complete its life cycle, the plasmodium parasite must eventually be acquired by another mosquito, which occurs when the insect bites an infected person.
Marijuana may affect sperm quality
For couples struggling with infertility, there are a few lifestyle changes men can make to improve the size and shape of their sperm, suggests a new study. Sperm shape and size — known as morphology — were worse in semen samples collected during summer months and from men who smoked marijuana. Morphology was better among samples collected after a man abstained from sexual activity for a few days. But alcohol and cigarette were not associated with misshapen sperm, researchers found. Neither was a man’s weight. “It’s always my recommendation to patients to improve their health as much as possible,” said Dr James Smith, who is a male reproductive health specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. “A study like this doesn’t discourage me from saying those things to my patients.”
Eat almonds, reduce heart diseases
Eating a handful of almonds every day can reduce the risk of heart disease by keeping blood vessels healthy, a new study has claimed. Researchers from Aston University in the UK found that almonds significantly increase the amount of antioxidants in the blood stream, reduce blood pressure and improve blood flow. These findings add weight to the theory that Mediterranean diets with lots of nuts have big health benefits, researchers said. The study was led by Professor Helen Griffiths, professor in biomedical sciences and executive dean of the School of life and Health Sciences at Aston University. Researchers tested the effects of a short-term almond-enriched diet on healthy young and middle-aged men as well as on a group of young men with cardiovascular risk factors.