Washington, Mar 26 : Researchers at University of Southern California have found that a tiny variation within a single gene can determine not only how quickly and well lungs grow and function in children and adolescents, but how susceptible those children will be to exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke, even in utero.

"Many factors can affect lung function and growth, including genetic variation and environmental exposures such as tobacco smoke and air pollutants," said Carrie Breton, Sc. D., lead author of the study conducted at the University of Southern California.

Melbourne, Mar 26 : Almost half of the people in Australia have had mental health problems at some point during their lives, according to newly revealed figures.

The latest national snapshot from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) also found that about one in five Aussies has a mental condition in any given year.

The figures also suggested that non-psychotic psychiatric problems, such as mood and anxiety disorders, are even more common.

Washington, Mar 26 : Positive depiction of alcohol consumption in TV shows undermines its negative depictions, according to a new study.

Study leaders Dale W. Russell and Cristel A. Russell, at the Prevention Research Center, claim that television series often portray mixed messages about alcohol, but the positive and negative messages are shown differently.

They have revealed that their study was based on a content analysis of prime-time television series from the 2004-05 season.

Washington, Mar 26 : Catheter technique is less invasive and risky than traditional brain surgery that involves cutting a large opening in the skull, according to new generation of neuroscientists.

Neuroscientists these days are increasingly using catheter technique to repair aneurysms, open clogged arteries, extract blood clots, and repair blood vessel malformations in the brain.

The technique is also used to opens blocked carotid arteries in the neck.

Washington, Mar 26 : Insomnia has previously been linked to poor health, including weight gain. Now, a new study has revealed why.

Sarosh Motivala, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, and colleagues looked at two hormones that are primarily responsible for regulating the body''s energy balance, telling the body when it is hungry and when it is full.

They found that chronic insomnia disrupts one of these two hormones.

Washington, Mar 26 : Morbidly obese people are likely to remain sedentary for more than 99 percent of the day, leading to poor fitness and increased cardiovascular risk, according to a new study.

Morbidly obese individuals are those, whose body mass indexes are between 40.0 and 49.9.

On average, they walked less than 2,500 steps per day – far below healthy living guidelines of 10,000 steps per day.