Washington, April 5 : Obese people are at higher risk of developing periodontal disease than normal-weight individuals, according to a new study.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Puerto Rico, evaluated the link between different measures of obesity and risk of periodontal disease.

They analyzed data from 36,903 men from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study who were free of reported periodontal disease at the start of follow-up, and we followed them for up to 16 years (1986-2002).

London, Apr 5 : The seat of human wisdom has been identified by researchers at University of California in San Diego.

Using sophisticated brain scanning techniques, scientists were able to pinpoint parts of the brain that guide people when they face difficult moral dilemmas.

Boffins have found that humans respond by activating areas associated with the primitive emotions of sex, fear and anger as well as their capability for abstract thought, reports The Telegraph.

The findings are to be published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Washington, Apr 5 : Celiac disease patients, who are asked to stay away from gluten, can supplement the protein in their diet by opting for a new gluten-free bread, which resembles French bread in terms of texture and colour, according to a new study.

Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food.

Over two million people who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley.

Washington, Apr 5 : A researcher from Missouri University has devised a method of detecting cancer with the help of urine samples.

Dr. Yinfa Ma has developed a method for pre-cancer screening and hopes to be able to predict types of cancer as well as severity.

"Cancer is the second-highest cause of death among all diseases," said Ma, a Curators' Teaching Professor of chemistry at Missouri University of Science and Technology.

"Early diagnosis of cancer is crucial, but not many people want to go to the hospital to undergo costly, invasive cancer screening," he added.

Singapore  - A Singapore woman fell into a coma and at least 28 others were hospitalized while more than 100 other people sought hospital treatment after eating a popular local savory, the New Paper said on Sunday.

The Health Ministry said it was investigating a food stall named Rojak Geylang Serai, which makes and sells an Indian-style deep-fried mixture of meat and vegetable in the eastern district of Geylang.

Melbourne, Apr 4 : A bacteria present in the fluid near the ovaries may reduce a woman's chances of becoming pregnant via in vitro fertilisation (IVF), according to an Aussie researcher.

Dr. Christine Knox, a microbiologist at Queensland University of Technology, says that this finding contrasts the traditional view that fluid surrounding the ovum, known as follicular fluid, is sterile.

In her opinion, the study can help increase the success rates of assisted reproductive technologies (ART).