Online test to gauge asthma risk

A new online test is being launched that will help people with asthma gauge to what extent they are at risk from a serious attack. The website will also advise people what they can do to minimise that risk and how to stay well. At the same time a national review of all asthma deaths over the next year is also getting under way. It aims to reduce the number of deaths through asthma attacks, which claim the lives of three people in the UK a day.

Skin transformed into brain cells

Skin cells have been converted directly into cells which develop into the main components of the brain, by researchers studying mice in California. The experiment, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, skipped the middle "stem cell" stage in the process.

Eternally happy

Confronted with some of life's upsetting experiences - marriage breakdown, unemployment, bereavement, failure of any kind - many people become depressed. But others don't. Why is this? A person who goes through experiences like that and does not get depressed has a measure of what in the psychiatric trade is known as "resilience". According to Manchester University psychologist Dr Rebecca Elliott, we are all situated somewhere on a slidling scale.

Bacterial disguise evades vaccine

Some bacteria can evade efforts to vaccinate against them by wearing a new disguise, researchers say. A study, published in Nature Genetics, tracked how pneumococcus bacteria responded to the introduction of a vaccine in the US in 2000. Doctors said the evasion would make some vaccines less successful in the long term. An updated pneumococcus vaccine is already in use.

Blood pressure in both arms

Measuring blood pressure in both arms should be routine because the difference between left and right arm could indicate underlying health problems, says a study review. The Lancet research found that a large difference could mean an increased risk of vascular disease and death. Although existing guidelines state that blood pressure should be measured in both arms, it is not often done.

Microplastic threat to shores

Microscopic plastic debris from washing clothes is accumulating in the marine environment and could be entering the food chain, a study has warned. Researchers traced the "microplastic" back to synthetic clothes, which released up to 1,900 tiny fibres per garment every time they were washed. Earlier research showed plastic smaller than 1mm were being eaten by animals and getting into the food chain. The findings appeared in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

Detecting  autism earlier

It may be possible to detect autism at a much earlier age than previously thought, according to an international team of researchers. A study published in Current Biology identified differences in infants' brainwaves from as early as six months. Behavioural symptoms of autism typically develop between a child's first and second birthdays. Autism charities said identifying the disorder at an earlier stage could help with treatment.

Breast implant maker arrested

The owner of a French breast implant maker at the centre of a safety scare has been arrested in the south of France, police sources have said. Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) founder Jean-Claude Mas, 72, was held at his home in Six-Fours-les-Plages, according to the AFP news agency. France banned PIP implants made with industrial silicone in 2010, and 30,000 women were advised to remove them. There were fears the implants could rupture and leak silicon into the body.

sunflower oil for fried food

Eating fried food may not be bad for the heart, as long as you use olive or sunflower oil to make it, experts say. They found no heightened risk of heart disease or premature death linked to food that had been cooked in this way. But the investigators stress that their findings, from studying the typical Spanish diet in which these "healthy" oils are found in abundance, do not apply to lard or other cooking oils. So traditional fry ups should not be the order of the day, bmj.com reports.

A vaccine against Meningitis

A vaccine against one of the most common forms of childhood meningitis could reduce the number of deaths in the UK even further. The current vaccination programme protects against only some of the bacterial types involved. A Chilean study, reported in The Lancet medical journal, found more evidence the new vaccine works against the B form of the disease. This causes about 2,000 cases in the UK each year, mostly in the under-fives.

The pill does ease period pain

Oral contraceptives may alleviate painful periods for some women, suggests a 30-year study. Estimates suggest more than half of women have suffered from the condition, called dysmenorrhoea, at some point. The Scandinavian study, reported in the journal Human Reproduction, found women on the pill reported slightly less severe period pains.

leap second is contoversial

The future of the world's time is being debated at a meeting in Switzerland. Experts at the International Telecommunication Union are deciding whether to abolish the leap second. This is an extra second that is added every few years to keep time measured by atomic clocks in sync with the time based on the Earth's rotation. Countries such as the Unites States, France and Germany want to lose the leap second, but the UK, along with China and Canada, wants it to stay.

Rise in young knee replacements

Data suggests there has been a big rise in knee replacement operation rates, particularly for younger patients. Figures for the UK, US and Finland show an emerging trend of requests for arthritic 'baby boomers' in their 50s. UK experts believe the nation's growing obesity problem is partly to blame for the rise, putting strain on the knees. A report in Arthritis & Rheumatism says work is urgently needed to check that replacements in this age group is wise given the product's unknown shelf life.

Fake malaria drugs

Fake and poor quality anti-malarial drugs are threatening efforts to control the disease in Africa and could put millions of lives at risk, scientists say. The counterfeit medicines could harm patients and promote drug resistance among malaria parasites, warns the study, funded by the Wellcome Trust. Malaria is believed to kill about 800,000 people a year. Some of the fake tablets are said to have originated in China.

London 2012 disease spread risk

Mass gatherings, such as the London 2012 Olympics, can be a hotbed of diseases from across the world, public health experts have warned. They say it can have consequences for the host nation and for people when they return to their own countries. There are also important issues to consider in handling large numbers of people, they say. A series of reports, in The Lancet Infectious Disease journal, has been highlighting the risks.

Bacon and pancreatic cancer

A link between eating processed meat, such as bacon or sausages, and pancreatic cancer has been suggested by researchers in Sweden. They said eating an extra 50g of processed meat, approximately one sausage, every day would increase a person's risk by 19%. But the chance of developing the rare cancer remains low. The World Cancer Research Fund suggested the link may be down to obesity.

Mid-career surgeons are safest

If you are due to have an operation, it might be worth checking the age of your surgeon beforehand, say researchers who claim age influences acumen. Although inexperience is an obvious disadvantage, having been in the profession for decades is not desirable either, they say.

Breastfed babies cry more

New mums should be advised that it is normal for their baby to cry more if they are breastfed, say experts. The Medical Research Council team says this irritability is natural, and although formula-fed babies may appear more content and be easier to pacify, breast is still best. If parents have more realistic expectations more may stick with breastfeeding, they hope. Most UK mums try to breastfeed. Within months the rate drops to a third.

Grief raises heart attack risk

The newly bereaved are at greatly increased risk of heart attack after the death of a close loved one, US researchers say. Heart attack risk is 21 times higher within the first day and six times higher than normal within the first week, a study in the Circulation journal of nearly 2,000 people shows. Symptoms to watch for include chest pain and shortness of breath.

Routine aspirin may cause harm

Healthy people who take aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke could be doing more harm than good, warn researchers. An analysis of more than 100,000 patients, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, concluded the risk of internal bleeding was too high. The UK-led study said only people with a history of heart problems or stroke should take the tablets.