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Sperm using an appaling sense crashes into walls in race to egg

In recent study British researchers have finally solved the standing puzzle of how human fertilization actually takes place. They revealed that sperms have an appealing sense of direction, smashing into the walls and each other in the race to reach the egg. Male semen contains three hundred to five hundred millions of sperm, but only one sperm isneeded for conception. Sperm swim through the cervix, into the uterus and by the side of the fallopian tubes.  When sperm travel through the cervix, different chemical changes mature the sperm to make them capable of fertilizing an egg. Only one sperm becomes able to enter the egg and after that cell membrane hardens and the remaining sperm die. In a joint study by researchers from the University of Warwick and University of Birmingham has found that sperm avoids the middle lane of the female reproductive tract and instead crawl along the channel walls. The sperms also struggle to turn sharp corners and crash into the walls and each ot

Ginseng can reduce cancer-related tiredness

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Ginseng may help long-standing cancer patients to ward off the tiredness caused by the condition, found researchers from the Mayo Clinic Cancer Centre in US. The regular intake of high doses of the ginseng over two months significantly reduced cancer-related tiredness in patients in comparison to any other medication. Ginseng has long been used as a natural energy booster in traditional Chinese medicine. Fatigue in cancer patients has been associated with the rise in inflammatory cytokines in the immune system plus inadequate regulation levels of the stress-hormone cortical.   Until this study, the beneficial effects of ginseng had not been tested extensively against the debilitating fatigue that occurs in more than ninety percent of cancer patients.  For their study researchers examined three hundred and forty cancer patients who had completed their treatment at one of forty community medical centers in US. The study participants were given two thousand milligram o

Snoring twice the risk of rheumatoid arthritis

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People who snore heavily face twice the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, revealed a research. Experts found that people who are diagnosed with the snoring-related condition sleep apnoea are likely to suffer the joint-damaging disease by twice. R heumatoid arthritis thought to trigger when something went wrong with the immune system. In addition to inflamed and swollen joints, arthritis patients also experience flu-like symptoms. In more severe cases, they can end up crippled and unable to live to a fuller extent. Diagnosis of the condition may be difficult because it early signs can be inoffensive as a slight stiffness in hand joints often early in the morning. Researchers believe that chronic sleep apnoea can cause inflammation in blood vessels throughout the body, which may act as a catalyst for arthritis. In latest study, experts from the Taipei Medical University compared more than fourteen hundred sleep apnoea patients with seven hundred healthy adults, ov

Avocado diet may triple IVF success

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Avocado diet could triple the chance of success for couples undergoing IVF. Foods containing dressing salads with olive oil and which is consumed as part of the Mediterranean could help women who are trying to have a baby through IVF treatment. Monounsaturated fat, which is found in olive oil, sunflower oil, nuts and seeds, is considered better than any other kind of dietary fat for expecting mothers. Women who consumed the highest amount of monounsaturated fat were more than three and half times likely to have a baby after IVF compared to those who consumed the lowest amounts. Prof Jorge Chavarro and team from Harvard School of Public Health carried out a small study involving nearly one hundred and fifty women those having IVF treatment. Their consumption of different dietary fats was recorded and results of fertility treatment were compared between the highest and lowest third of consumption in each group. They found that women who consumed the highest levels

Yoga boosted memory and concentration than vigorous exercise

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The ancient yoga practice was found to be more effective at boosting brain power than vigorous exercise, found researchers from Wayne State University in Detroit. Researchers discovered that a single session of Hatha yoga significantly improved individual’s speed and accuracy when tested for working memory and concentration. Hatha yoga is an ancient form of yoga that was first described in fifteenth century in India.   Hatha yoga is also known as dual yoga because it includes a duality between two opposites: the sun (in Hindu, ‘ha’) and the moon (‘tha’). It uses physical positions to help control breathing, which in turn helps to calm the mind and prepare a person for meditation. Numerous contemporary forms of yoga use Hatha yoga positions as their base. To see the impact of a single session of Hatha yoga on memory and concentration, researchers conducted a study that involved thirty female students from Illinois University's Exercise Psychology Laboratory. During t

Breast milk may protect catching HIV

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Breast milk could protect children from virus of AIDS, suggests a new research by University of North Carolina in the US. The mother’s milk had strong anti-viral effect. The research team carried out a study on genetically modified humanised mice which can acquire HIV similarly as humans. When the genetically modified mice were given the virus in human breast milk, it was found that mice were not infected. Various tests showed that even though some of their offspring acquired HIV virus from breastfeeding, yet their mother’s milk had a strong anti-viral effect. The research provides significant insight into the amazing ability of breast milk to destroy HIV and prevent its transmission. No child should ever be infected with HIV because it is breastfed.  Breastfeeding provides critical nutrition and protection from other infections, especially where clean water for infant formula is scarce, explained study leader Dr Victor Garcia. Dr Garcia further stated that by underst

Garlic prevents a dicky tummy

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A key constituent in garlic is one hundred times more powerful than two popular antibiotics in an attempt to fight against the leading cause of food poisoning, revealed a new research. Campylobacter is the most frequent bacterial cause of food-borne illness all over the world.

Breastfeeding helps women stay slim

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Women who breastfed their babies even for few months after the birth were less prone to become obese when they get older, revealed a new study. Researchers from the Oxford University found that for every six months a mother gives breast milk to her baby, she loses around two lb that depending on her initial height and weight.