Washington, Nov 12: Cell phone text messaging could be used to reduce kids'' chances of becoming fat later in life, by helping them monitor and modify their own behaviors now, a new study has suggested.

The study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests that self-monitoring of calorie intake is important for the long-term success of weight loss and weight control.

"Self-monitoring of calorie intake and expenditure and of body weight is extremely important for the long-term success of weight loss and weight control," said Jennifer R. Shapiro, Ph. D., assistant professor of psychiatry in the UNC School of Medicine and principal investigator of the new study, which is published in the November/December

Washington, November 12 : An Indian-origin researcher has found that the neck arteries of obese children and teenagers look more like those of 45-year-olds.

Washington, Nov 12: Condom use among people in their 30s and 40s is low as compared to their younger counterparts, a shocking new study of heterosexual partnerships among Britons has revealed.

The study found that among people in their 30s and 40s, and in partnerships where there is an age difference of five or more years, condom use is particularly low.

In view of the rising rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), the authors of the study say that condom use needs to be promoted to all age groups, and not just to young people.

Washington, Nov 12: Listening to music that makes you happy really does give the heart a lift, suggests a new study.

For the first time, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore have shown that the emotions aroused by joyful music have a healthy effect on blood vessel function.

Music, selected by study participants because it made them feel good and brought them a sense of joy, caused tissue in the inner lining of blood vessels to dilate (or expand) in order to increase blood flow, the study found.

Washington, Nov 12 : Working out on a stationary bicycle or walking on a treadmill just 25 to 30 minutes daily can modestly reduce hospitalization or death risk in heart failure patients, say a new study.

The HF-ACTION trial (A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes Exercise TraiNing) led by Dr Christopher O''Connor, director of the Duke Heart Centre showed that exercising improved outcomes for patients who have suffered heart failure.

Medan, Indonesia  - Maftuh moans in pain as he writhes on the hot asphalt road and holds his injured leg. Latifah lies beside him, her face covered in blood.

The pair had an accident in chaotic Indonesian road traffic. Their becak, a bicycle with a sidecar for carrying passengers, was rammed by a bus.

But help is in sight: An ambulance appears within minutes. Paramedics emerge to treat the injured and transport them to hospital as bystanders applaud.