Brains of addicts are inherently abnormal: study

Drug addicts have inherited abnormalities in some parts of the brain which interfere with impulse control, said a British study published in the United States on Thursday.   Previous research has pointed to these differences, but it was unclear if they resulted from the ravages of addiction or if they were there beforehand to predispose a person to drug abuse.Scientists at the University of Cambridge compared the brains of addicts to their non-addicted siblings as well as to healthy, unrelated v

Feb. 3, 2012

Valentine's Day may be worst day to kiss

Valentine's Day falls smack dab in the middle of flu and cold season, so kissing may not be such a good idea, a U.S. infectious disease expert suggests.Dr. Jorge Parada, medical director, infectious disease at Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Ill., said changing weather or temperatures ar

Feb. 3, 2012

Blood test detects depressed patients

A blood test analyzing levels of nine biomarkers accurately distinguished patients diagnosed with depression from others, U.S. researchers said.MCTLead author Dr. George Papakostas of the Massachusetts General Hospital said previous efforts to develop tests based on a single blood or urinary biomark

Feb. 3, 2012

More veggies, whole grains at school

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (AP) ― The first major nutritional overhaul of school meals in more than 15 years means most offerings ― including the always popular pizza ― will come with less sodium, more whole grains and a wider selection of fruits and vegetables on the side.First lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the new guidelines during a visit Wednesday with elementary students. Mrs. Obama, also joined by celebrity chef Rachael Ray, said youngsters will learn better

Feb. 2, 2012

Kangbuk Samsung Hospital to open international clinic

Kangbuk Samsung Hospital said Thursday that it will open an international clinic on Feb.16 at the Samsung office building in Taepyeongno, central Seoul.Located 500 meters from Seoul City Hall, the clinic expects to cater mostly to expats and foreign tourists. It will share facilities and infrastructure with the Samsung hospital.The hospital conducts joint studies with Johns Hopkins University and has been praised as one of the leading medical institutions in preventative medicine. All its system

Feb. 2, 2012

Black spots on the face

Also termed “flowers in the land of the dead,” black spots on the face are generally referred to as seborrheic keratosis or senile lentigo, and are gradually formed as the skin ages. There are many people who think that black spots on the face occur only in old age. But they can also occur in younger people who frequently perform outdoor activities and are exposed to ultraviolet rays.The signs of skin aging such as black spots or wrinkles progress because of the natural aging process or the effe

Feb. 2, 2012

Fat doctors slow to diagnose obesity

Study suggests that obese doctors are more generous to patients in need of weight lossEncouraging a healthy weight has become essential in Korea. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, about 26.5 percent of women and 35.6 percent of men are considered to be either overweight or obese by WHO standards. Health authorities have estimated that the domestic weight loss industry will reach around 2 trillion won ($1.8 billion).The World Health Organization regards those with a body mass index

Feb. 2, 2012

[Status update: Facebook to go public, raise $5B]

NEW YORK (AP) _ Facebook made a much-anticipated status update Wednesday: The Internet social network is going public eight years after its computer-hacking CEO Mark Zuckerberg started the service at Harvard University.That means anyone with the right amount of cash will be able to own part of a Sil

Feb. 2, 2012

[Good times back for Korean chip firms?]

Analysts give promising outlooks for Samsung Electronics, Hynix SemiconductorThe global business environment for Korea’s top two chip makers is showing signs of improving, causing analysts to paint a rosy prospect for their business. The year of 2012 is projected to become a more exciting one than the last for the semiconductor industry, especially for Samsung Electronics and Hynix Semiconductor, since the prices of dynamic random access memory chips for PCs and mobiles are set to be stabilized

Feb. 1, 2012

Patterns of connections reveal brain functions

For more than a decade, neuroscientists have known that many of the cells in a brain region called the fusiform gyrus specialize in recognizing faces. However, those cells don’t act alone: They need to communicate with several other parts of the brain. By tracing those connections, MIT neuroscientis

Feb. 1, 2012

EU probes Samsung over wireless patents

(Yonhap News)BRUSSELS (AP) -- Samsung took a hit in its battle against arch-rival Apple on Tuesday, when the European Union announced it will investigate whether it is illegally trying to hinder competitors and Germany blocked sales of some of its tablets.Samsung Electronics and Apple Inc. are engag

Jan. 31, 2012

Samsung fails to overturn Apple's German Galaxy Tab ban

Samsung Electronics Co. lost a bid to overturn a German sales ban on its Galaxy 10.1 tablet computers obtained by Apple Inc. in an intellectual property dispute.The Higher Regional Court in Dusseldorf backed the ban in a ruling today. While Apple can't rely on a European Union design it used to win

Jan. 31, 2012

Ultrasound zaps could be used as male contraceptives: study

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Zapping testicles with ultrasound can reduce sperm counts and might be used in the future as an inexpensive, reliable and reversible male contraceptive, according to US researchers.Scientists from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, who conducted experiments on ma

Jan. 31, 2012

Earth's missing energy not lost after all; study

(NASA)A new NASA study underscores the fact that greenhouse gases generated by human activity -- not changes in solar activity -- are the primary force driving global warming.The study offers an updated calculation of Earth's energy imbalance, the difference between the amount of solar energy absorb

Jan. 31, 2012