Minneapolis: Being overweight or obese may be tied to an increased risk of a type of brain tumor called meningioma, according to a new meta-analysis published recently in the online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Meningiomas occur at a rate of about five to eight cases per 100,000 people per year. The five-year survival rate for meningioma is 63 percent.

Washington: Scientists have evidence that Popeye was right: Spinach makes you stronger. But it’s the high nitrate content in the leafy greens — not the iron — that creates the effect.

Savannah: Overweight and obese adults are advised to exercise to improve their health, but more than 50 percent do not do so. New research suggests that taking vitamin C supplements daily can have similar cardiovascular benefits as regular exercise in these adults.

Washington: Gum disease is a common condition among adults that occurs when bacteria form biofilms or plaques on teeth, and consequently the gums become inflamed. Some severe cases, called periodontitis, call for antibiotics. But now scientists have discovered that wild blueberry extract could help prevent dental plaque formation. Their report in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry could lead to a new therapy for periodontitis and a reduced need for antibiotics.

Washington: What's the "safe" amount of fat to remove in patients undergoing liposuction? Rather than a hard-and-fast rule, the answer depends on the patient's body mass index (BMI), according to a report in the recent issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Mumbai: A study on reproductive health amongst Indian adolescents found an alarming 4.9 per cent rise in sexually transmitted infections, just in the last four years. 

Chicago: Same-sex couples encounter more obstacles to treatment for infertility than opposite-sex couples, suggests a new study that will be presented at the 110th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association.

Bethesda: Exercise promotes heart health. However, many lifestyle factors cause heart disease, and regular activity may not be enough to prevent heart attacks. A new study in the American Journal of Physiology–Heart and Circulatory Physiology expands on the heart benefits of exercise, investigating whether regular exercise still helps the heart even after a heart attack occurs.

New York: “Poverty and the many stresses that come with social disadvantage have long been linked to cardiovascular disease, but how we live, work, and play has a great impact on heart health for people from a broad range of economic and cultural backgrounds,” explains David Siscovick, Senior Vice President for Research at The New York Academy of Medicine and Chair of the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Council on Epidemiology and Prevention.

St. Louis: A new study shows that quitting smoking after a heart attack has immediate benefits, including less chest pain, better quality of daily life and improved mental health. Many of these improvements became apparent as little as one month after quitting and are more pronounced after one year, according to the research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.