London, February 23: A new study conducted by researchers of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, has shown that childhood abuse victims can carry chemical changes to their DNA into adulthood.

Study leader Michael Meaney, a neurobiologist at the university, says that the research team observed that suicide victims with childhood abuse history were more likely to carry such chemical changes in their DNA as could affect their ability to respond to stress as adults.

He revealed that people without childhood abuse history did not show the same pattern of DNA modification, and had normal expression of NR3C1, a gene linked to stress responses.

London, Feb 23: Jogging triggers cravings for fruits, while swimming prompts a desire for biscuits, says a new study, which found how our bodies react to different types of exercise.

The study has shown that intensive activity need not increase the appetite but certain workouts result in hankerings for particular foods.

Hamburg, Germany - Acupuncture is more effective than painkillers for chronic back pain and migraines, according to a new study by German researchers who admit that no one knows how or why the needles work.

The study also showed that needles, which were deliberately inserted at the wrong acupuncture points, were just as effective as needles inserted at the points specified by Chinese medicine tradition.

Traditional Chinese medical texts claim that acupuncture taps into "meridians" or channels which are pathways through which Qi (the vital energy) and "Blood" flow to all parts of the body.

Berlin/Marburg - A little prick of a needle provides a lot of protection. Vaccines have greatly reduced outbreaks of dangerous diseases worldwide, but experts warn that an increasing number of children today are inadequately immunized.

The Standing Commission on Vaccination (STIKO) at the Berlin-based Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the German federal institution responsible for disease control and prevention, recommends that children be inoculated against 12 diseases - including tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and polio during the first 24 months of their lives.

On February 15, 2000, the Federal Court of Justice, Germany's highest court in civil and criminal cases, ruled the 12 vaccinations to be the country's medical standard.

Stuttgart - Many joggers dream of running a marathon some day. Although a full marathon is 42 kilometres in length, that does not prevent even the most inexperienced athlete from at least considering taking part in one.

All budding marathon runners should train aplenty in spring as even experienced joggers will find a marathon challenging.

People over the age of 35 or anyone who smokes should let their GP check them out before beginning training, advises Professor Hans-Hermann Dickhut, director of the Sport Medicine Institute at the University of Freiburg.

Hamburg - The progress of Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines, exacerbates dramatically in smokers, according to a professor at Goethe University in Frankfurt.

Smokers, who contract Crohn's disease, must undergo surgery and suffer the dangerous advanced stages of the disease more commonly than non-smokers, said Professor Axel Dignass at a recent congress of Europe's Crohn disease and colitis organization in Hamburg. In most people with Crohn's disease the last section of the small intestine is affected.