Washington, Nov 12 : A new study by researchers from Sweden has revealed that in women, habitual snoring may be an independent cause of excessive daytime sleepiness and daytimefatigue, regardless of sleep apnea occurrences.

For the study, the researchers performed polysomnography on 400 randomly selected women, aged 20 to 70 years.

The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was calculated, and women who acknowledged snoring loudly and either disturbingly often or very often were considered habitual snorers.

Washington, Nov 12: The most popular cholesterol drugs may cause muscle problems in users, according to a leading researcher.

There is accumulating evidence that the effect statins, which form a class of hypolipidemic drugs used to lower cholesterol levels in people with or at risk of cardiovascular disease, can have on skeletal muscle – including muscle weakness, fatigue and deterioration – is underestimated, said Jill Slade, assistant professor of radiology and osteopathic manipulative medicine at MSU.

“Statins work by preventing cholesterol from forming,” said Slade.

Washington, November 12 : Mayo Clinic researchers say that the challenge of controlling heart disease among people may be greater than is commonly thought.

Cardiologist Francisco Lopez-Jimenez says that a study has revealed that the positive U. S. health trend documented over the past 30 years of reduction in risk for heart disease is not as strong as is widely perceived. According to him, the trend has instead flattened.

London, Nov 12 : A new research has dispelled fears that In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) may elevate women’s risk of developing breast cancer.

The nationwide study in the Netherlands found that the fertility treatment has no effect on the disease.

Although no firm link between IVF and breast cancer has been established, some boffins are worried about the potential effects of fertility drugs used to stimulate the ovaries so that eggs can be collected and fertilised, reports Times Online.

London, Nov 12: An antioxidant

Washington, Nov 12: Cambridge scientists have made a major breakthrough in rheumatoid arthritis. They have genetically engineered a drug-inducible form of Foxp3 gene, which when activated can prevent the autoimmune reaction characterised by the disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful, inflammatory type of arthritis that occurs when the body''s immune system attacks itself.

And the new strategy developed by scientists at the Medical Research Council''s Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, may open the door for therapy development for rheumatoid arthritis.

Generally, immune cells develop to recognise foreign material – antigens; including bacteria - so that they can activate a response against them.