The Newcastle University team saw a fall in levels of proteins called cohesins, essential for chromosomes to divide properly for fertilisation.

Writing in Current Biology, they said understanding this process could help develop ways to prevent cohesin loss.

Abnormal eggs are linked to infertility, miscarriage and conditions including Down’s Syndrome.

It was already known that pregnancy problems in older women can be linked to eggs containing the wrong number of chromosomes, but not why this occurred.

The protein is a key factor in the ovulation process

Messy division

All the cells in the body, except for sperm and eggs, contain two copies of each chromosome.

Sperm and eggs must lose one copy in readiness for fertilisation, a complex process. Cohesins bind chromosomes together by entrapping them in a ring. This is essential for them to divide properly.

If there is too little cohesin, the structure can be too “floppy” for division to happen equally.

In eggs, the problem is compounded by the fact that the physical attachments which hold chromosomes together are established before birth and must be maintained by cohesins until the egg divides just before ovulation – which can be decades later.

The researchers looked at eggs from young and old mice – and found cohesin levels declined with age.

By tracking chromosomes during division in the egg, the Newcastle team found that the reduced cohesin in eggs from older females resulted in some chromosomes becoming trapped and unable to divide properly.

Lead researcher Dr Mary Herbert, of the Centre for Life at Newcastle University, said: “Reproductive fitness in women declines dramatically from the mid-thirties onwards. Our findings point to cohesin being a major culprit in this.

“The aged mice we used are equivalent to a woman in her early forties.

“Cohesin levels were very much reduced in eggs from older mice and the chromosomes underwent a very messy division resulting in the wrong number of chromosomes being retained in the egg.”

Mismatches

She said the next step was to look at human egg development, and work out why cohesin is lost with age.

“If we can understand this, we will be in a better position to know if there is any possibility of developing interventions to help reduce cohesin loss.”

But Dr Herbert added: “Undoubtedly, the best way for women to avoid this problem is to have their children earlier.”

Adam Balen, professor of reproductive medicine and surgery at the Leeds Centre for Reproductive Medicine, said the study was scientifically very interesting.

“This is a neat explanation as to why we see mismatches in chromosomes as women get older.”

But Professor Balen, who is also chair of the British Fertility Society’s practice and policy committee, added it was “far too early to say” if the finding would have any bearing on clinical care for older women with fertility problems.

By Caroline Parkinson Health reporter, BBC News

In tests with raw and cooked cloves, milk “significantly reduced” levels of the sulphur compounds that give garlic its flavour and pungent smell.

The authors told the Journal of Food Science it is the water and fat in milk that deodorises the breath.

For optimum effect, sip the milk as you eat the garlic, they say.

Sulphur compounds in garlic make it smelly

Mixing milk with garlic in the mouth before swallowing had a higher odour neutralising effect than drinking milk after eating the garlic in the trial.

And full-fat milk provided better results than skimmed milk or just water, according to breath samples taken from a volunteer.

One of the compounds milk counteracts is allyl methyl sulphide or AMS.

This cannot be broken down in the gut during digestion, and so it is released from the body in the breath and sweat.

Although garlic is good for you – containing several vitamins and minerals – once eaten, it can cause bad breath and body odour lasting hours or even days.

Plain water, and some foods, such as mushrooms and basil, may also help neutralise garlic smells, the study authors Sheryl Barringer and Areerat Hansanugrum say.

But it is the mixture of fat and water together that works best, the Ohio State University team say.

“The results suggest that drinking beverages or foods with higher water and/or fat content such as milk may help reduce the malodorous odour in breath after consumption of garlic and mask the garlic flavour during eating,” they say.

BBC Health News

People who do puzzles and crosswords may stave off dementia longer but experience a more rapid decline once the disease sets in, a study suggests.

While there has long been speculation that “exercising” your brain could protect against Alzheimer’s, there has been little evidence to back this up.

Now US researchers who followed more than 1,000 people suggest the more mentally active may delay the disease.

Could crosswords hold the key to delaying the onset of dementia?

But once symptoms appeared, decline was quicker, the research suggested.

The team from the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago recruited 1,157 people aged over 65 in the early 1990s.

They were given a maximum of five points based on how often they engaged in a variety of activities which involved processing information, including listening to the radio or watching TV, reading a book, carrying out a crossword puzzle or jigsaw, or going to a museum.

Slowing down, speeding up

They were then followed for an average of 12 years, with assessments every three years.

For each additional point those without a diagnosed cognitive impairment saw a 50% slower decline in their brain function, which was examined through a variety of tests.

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Women who have had a miscarriage do not need to wait before trying to get pregnant again, say doctors.

A study by the University of Aberdeen of 30,000 women found that conceiving within six months offered the best chance for a healthy pregnancy.

The findings, published in the British Medical Journal, counter international guidelines that women should wait at least six months before trying again.

Women conceiving within six months of miscarriagehad the best chance of healthy pregnancy

Women who conceived within six months were less likely to have another miscarriage, termination or ectopic pregnancy, the figures showed.

Also, among those who went on to give birth, conceiving within six months was associated with reduced risk of Caesarean birth, a premature delivery or a low birthweight baby compared with those women who had conceived between six months and a year.

Around one in five pregnancies ends in miscarriage before 24 weeks, a risk that increases with age.

Read more

Genetic sequencing of sea sponges from the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef showed the ancient marine animal shared many of its genes with humans, including a large number typically associated with disease and cancer.

Lead researcher Bernard Degnan, of the University of Queensland, said the findings “would shed light on a whole range of different things,” and could lay the foundation for breakthroughs in cancer and stem cell research.

“Sponges have what’s (considered) the ‘Holy Grail’ of stem cells,” Degnan told AFP.

Exploring the genetic function of sponge stem cells could provide “deep and important connections” to the genes that influenced human stem cell biology, he said.

“(It) might actually inform the way we think about our own stem cells and how we might be able to use them in future medical applications,” he said.

The study — published in the journal “Nature” this week — is the result of more than five years of research by an international team of scientists.

It required the extraction of “really pure DNA” from sponge embryos and a complex sequencing exercise, Degnan said.

Yahoo News

A study of 28 patients funded by Arthritis Research UK found those who pumped iron saw improvements in basic physical function, such as walking.

Researchers at Bangor and Gwynedd Hospital said such high intensity exercising could play a key role alongside drug treatment.

Rheumatoid arthritis affects people’s joints

Experts said the exercise regime would not be appropriate for all patients.

RA is mainly a disease affecting the joints, but a less well known symptom is that it also severely reduces muscle mass and strength and this occurs even among patients whose disease is well managed.

Those with the condition are often given mild home exercises to do to stop their joints stiffening and becoming painful.

Weight training

To test how effective the weight training was the researchers split the 28 participants into two groups, the Arthritis Care and Research journal reported.

One did regular weight training for 24 weeks, while the others did the less strenuous standard home exercise regimes.

Read more

By Nick Collins

An instinct tells women when they are most likely to conceive and they unknowingly set out to make themselves look as appealing as possible, but not for the benefit of potential partners.

Rather, the display is an attempt to outdo potential love rivals so that they look less desirable in direct comparison, researchers claim.

By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent

Very often, when we make the decision to lose weight, we start off with the best intentions and a focused, unflappable mindset that, this is it – this time will be different. However, many of us frequently find that only after a few days into the plan we begin to slip back to old habits and then eventually back to square one.

But have you ever thought that you are simply making the same mistakes over and over again? If this scenario sounds familiar, then look no further – realbuzz has narrowed down the top 10 dieting blunders that may be holding you back…

Missing meals – a major problem for many people who commonly believe that by missing a meal they are actually reducing their calorific intake. This is often counterproductive; as you may become so hungry that at your next meal you overindulge.

Skipping carbohydrates at meal times – as you think that bread and potatoes are fattening is a big mistake. Starchy foods such as bread, rice, pasta and potatoes are filling foods and should not be avoided – the portion size is what you have to watch.

The belief that you have to eat less when you want to lose weight – a full plate is not possible when you’re on a diet – right? Wrong! Many of us believe that we should be cutting back on food to lose weight whereas we really should be eating more. The most important foods that we should be filling up on are vegetables – so fill your plate with them!

Not increasing your exercise levels – upping your exercise levels will maximise your loss of fat and minimise your loss of lean muscle. It will also help you maintain your weight long-term and prevent weight re-gain. Try to do around 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity at least four times a week.

‘All or nothing’ – this approach is the downfall of many – don’t make the mistake of thinking you should never have a treat. A pizza is okay, there is nothing wrong with having a pizza – just make sure that you don’t follow it with a large helping of chocolate fudge cake and ice cream!

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Keeping your heart fit and strong can slow down the ageing of your brain, US researchers say.

A Boston University team found healthy people with sluggish hearts that pumped out less blood had “older” brains on scans than others.

Out of the 1,500 people studied, the team observed that the brain shrinks as it ages.

A poor cardiac output aged the brain by nearly two years on average, Circulation journal says.

Heart and brain health appear to go hand in hand

Lead researcher Dr Angela Jefferson said: “These participants are not sick people. A very small number have heart disease. The observation that nearly a third of the entire sample has low cardiac index and that lower cardiac index is related to smaller brain volume is concerning and requires further study.”

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