London, Nov 1 : Scientists at the University of California, Irvine, have claimed that they have found a way to improve and even restore cognitive function in people suffering from fragile X, the most commonly inherited form of learning disability.

Fragile X is caused by mutation of a gene called FMRl on the X chromosome.

The mutation prevents the brain from developing properly, leading to a form of mental retardation that has long been considered untreatable.

However, researchers, led by Julie Lauterborn, have now devised a new way to improve and even restore cognitive function not only in people suffering from fragile X, but in people with other cognitive impairments as well.

London, Nov 1: The biggest dog in Britain has been put on a crash diet, after vets decided that the 20st giant was too heavy to undergo a life-saving operation to repair a ruptured cruciate ligament in his left hind leg.

Standing tall at 6ft 6in on his hind legs, Samson has ruptured a cruciate ligament in his left hind leg.

And now, his owners Ray and Julie Woods, from Wyberton, Lincolnshire, have forcefully postponed his 1,400 dollars surgery till the time the canine loses some weight.

According to vets, if Samson fails to reduce waist, he will not recover properly, and may never be able to walk again.

London, Nov 1: Forget the Atkins and the Cambridge diet – and give way for WI – the newest way to reduce waste and waistlines in the UK.

National ‘Love Food’ campaign by Women''s Institute campaign turned out to be such a success at weight-loss that its now been touted as the perfect diet for shedding extra pounds.

In the campaign, women are encouraged to plan meals, reuse leftovers and buy local produce, for reducing the amount of waste produced by households.

But apart from reducing waste, the scheme turned out to be an effective scheme in boosting health and saving money, and is thus being considered as the ultimate solution to the problem of childhood obesity and surviving the credit crunch.

London, Nov 1 : While analysing a liquid, which was being sold on the streets of Utrecht, Netherlands, as a "marijuana adulterant", researchers have discovered Viagra-like compounds in it.

The team led by Dries de Kaste from National Institute of Public Health and the Environment in Bilthoven has identified compounds called homosildenafil (HS) and thiohomosildenafil (THS) that belong to the in the same class of compounds called sildenafil, sold as Viagra.

These compounds obstruct the breakdown of an enzyme that dilates blood vessels in the penis, increasing blood flow, reports New Scientist.

London, November 1: ‘Take That’ has made a record sell-out with its 600,000 tour tickets vanishing in just four-and-a-half hours.

Becoming the fastest selling tour in UK history, the band’s 2009 stadium tour, ‘The Circus’, has managed to displace Michael Jackson’s record sales of ‘Bad tour’ tickets in 1987, reports the Daily Star.

The tour tickets, which were put on sale at 9 am, were all sold by 1.30 pm – despite the added announcement of two extra shows at Wembley and Manchester.

While many fans queued themselves in the cold to make sure they would see their favourite group perform, others crashed the Internet sites by flooding the cyberspace in want of the passes.

London, Nov 1: The commander of Britain’s Special Air Service (SAS) troops in Afghanistan has resigned in disgust, accusing the Government of “gross negligence” over the deaths of four of his soldiers.

Major Sebastian Morley claims that Whitehall officials and military commanders repeatedly ignored his warnings that people would be killed if they continued to allow troops to be transported in the vulnerable Snatch Land Rovers.

As a result, he says Cpl Sarah Bryant – the first female soldier to die in Afghanistan – and three male colleagues, Cpl Sean Reeve, L/Cpl Richard Larkin and Paul Stout were killed needlessly, The Telegraph reported.