Washington, Oct 1 : Young children who spend two or more hours a day in front of the idiot box are at an increased risk of developing behavioural problems and poor social skill, warn researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The finding is based on an analysis of data for 2,707 children between 2.5 to 5.5 years of age collected from the Healthy Steps for Young Children national evaluation by the researchers.

London, Oct 1 : Researchers have discovered a regulatory protein, called CTLA-4, which they believe is a second molecular “switch” responsible for turning off the immune system’s response against HIV.

The study in which the protein was discovered was conducted by researchers at the Partners AIDS Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital (PARC-MGH) led by Dr Bruce Walker.

Last year members of the same team identified a molecule called PD-1 that suppresses the activity of HIV-specific CD8 T cells that should destroy virus-infected cells.

Washington, October 1 : Researchers in Bristol have found that hearts may develop innate protection against further damage after coronary disease.

However, the same study has also shown that western-style high fat diets can significantly weaken this internal defence of the organ.

Washington, Oct 1 : A new research from the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) has identified weight-loss plans that reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Particularly, they researchers found that the Ornish, Weight Watchers High Carbohydrate and New Glucose Revolution plans scored highest when measured by the Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), that is proven to be a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease.

The AHEI is a measure that isolates dietary components that are most strongly linked to cardiovascular disease risk reduction.

Health functionaries have stated that West Nile virus has been found in a fowl in Spanish Fort in Baldwin County, which is the fifth case of the mosquito-borne infection in 2007.

Charlotte Plumb, environmental supervisor for the Baldwin County Health Department said that the disease was detected in a sentry chicken, one of the chicks placed in cages at different locations in the region of Baldwin and examined regularly for the existence of diseases channeled by mosquitoes.