WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Infant abductions are increasingly rare in the United States, with the average kidnapper likely to be every overweight woman who has feigned pregnancy, according to a report released on Wednesday. (Read the full post about ‘Infant abductions rare in U.S., study finds (Reuters)’…)

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists have discovered the crucial ovulation-triggering role played by a small protein atom in the brain, a finding that could hold the key to new therapies for infertility.

Dubbed kisspeptin, the protein is known to play a vital role in kick-starting puberty.

Now, a arrange from the University of Otago led by Professor Allan Herbison, in collaboration with Cambridge University researchers, has published the first evidence that kisspeptin signaling in the brain is also essential for ovulation to occur in adults.

Studying female mice, the researchers found that signaling between kisspeptin and its cell receptor GPR54 was essential to activate gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons, the nerve cells known to initiate ovulation.

The research appears in the latest issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

"This is an exciting finding, as people have been trying to find out precisely how the brain controls ovulation for more than 30 years.

(Read the full post about ‘Brain protein holds key to fertility (Reuters)’…)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The risk of developing asthma is doubled in children who have suffered physical or sexual abuse, new research in Puerto Rico shows.

"Our findings highlight the importance of screening for asthma among victims of childhood abuse, and to be aware of the possibility of physical or sexual abuse among children through asthma," write Dr. Juan C.

(Read the full post about ‘Asthma rates high among abused children (Reuters)’…)

MONDAY, Sept. 1 (HealthDay News) — Children love playing video games, and playing active versions of these games may help stop children from becoming obese, University of Hong Kong researchers report.

In fact, children playing active video games have higher heart rates and consume four times as many calories a minute than children playing long-suffering video games, according to this new study.

"Technological change in our homes, schools and workplaces has meant the amount of walking we do has declined significantly, and in its place, disproportionately greater amounts of time are spent seated," said lead researcher Alison M.

(Read the full post about ‘Active Video Games Help Kids Exercise (HealthDay)’…)

THURSDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) — When elderly patients complain they have a lack of energy, doctors shouldn't dismiss it as a normal part of aging, say researchers who found that lack of energy (anergia) is associated with several health problems and higher rates of hospitalization and death.

The study of more than 2,100 New York City residents, ages 65 to 104, found that almost one in five reported with equal reason little energy, they exhausted most of the twenty-four hours sitting on the sofa.

"When somewhat advanced in life people complain they're tired, most doctors say, 'Yeah, well, you're old.' They tell their patients that feeling listless is an expected part of aging, but there are reasons people are tired, and they privation to be investigated.

(Read the full post about ‘Lack of Energy in Old Age May Foretell Illness (HealthDay)’…)

TUESDAY, Aug. 12 (HealthDay News) — PET scans may contribute doctors with a non-invasive method of detecting Alzheimer's disease-related brain plaques, Finnish researchers say.

Currently, the only reliable way to assess the presence of similar plaques is through analysis of brain tissue samples obtained when a patient is alive or after death.

(Read the full post about ‘PET Scans May Help Detect Alzheimer’s Brain Plaques (HealthDay)’…)

FRIDAY, Aug. 15 (HealthDay News) — Older patients and surgeons don't communicate effectively while discussing surgical treatment options, even though the conclusion to have surgery can be particularly difficult and confusing for seniors, says an Indiana University School of Medicine study.

The researchers recorded patient-surgeon consultations and later interviewed the patients about their concerns and whether they discussed those worries with the surgeon.

(Read the full post about ‘Older Adults Reluctant to Question Surgical Treatment (HealthDay)’…)

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) — Physical frailty among the elderly may be linked to early Alzheimer's disease, regardless of whether or not patients develop dementia, new scrutiny reveals.

The finding, based without interruption brain autopsies of deceased elderly patients, raises the conception that motor impairment in the elderly is an early symptom of Alzheimer's — unit that appears before mental decline.

It could besides turn out to be that frailty and Alzheimer's are not directly linked but stem from a common origin, researchers say.

"What we know is that if you see a very frail person next to somebody not so frail, the very frail person is more suitable to have Alzheimer's pathology in their brain when they die," said study lead author Dr.

(Read the full post about ‘Physical Frailty Could Predict Alzheimer’s Disease (HealthDay)’…)

THURSDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) — The average monthly premium for Medicare's prescription drug plan will augment to an estimated $28 in 2009, three dollars more than this year's monthly premium, Medicare officials announced Thursday.

That 2009 figure is 37 percent lower than originally projected when Medicare's so-called Part D drug coverage was introduced in 2003, the officials added.

(Read the full post about ‘Medicare Prescription Drug Premiums to Rise in ‘09 (HealthDay)’…)