A round-up of this week's other stories in brief
• SPRIGHTLY TONIC: A body-building tonic taken by athletes could make grandma more sprightly, new research suggests.
Scientists found that amino acid supplements increase muscle mass in the elderly and may alleviate old age weakness.
Small amounts of amino acids were given to about 30 healthy volunteers aged over 65. Some received as little as 3.75g of amino acids twice a day for three months, yet their muscle mass increased by an average of 2-4 per cent without additional exercise.
Prof Melinda Sheffield-Moore, from the University of Texas in Galveston, in the US, who led the research, said: "These findings are very promising. One of the great burdens of ageing is weakness and muscle wasting. If we can find a cheap and simple way to combat this, then it holds out the promise of offering a better quality of life as we get older."
She said the findings not only had implications for the elderly.
Amino acids are the building blocks of the 65,000 proteins making up the body's cells and enzymes. The complex organic chemicals are absorbed from food to make new protein.
• DEFIBRILLATION INITIATIVE: An initiative which could help save lives from Sudden Adult Death Syndrome has been launched in Waterford by eye healthcare company Bausch & Lomb.
Bausch & Lomb plans to provide Automatic External Defibrillation stations at sports clubs in the city and surrounding areas.
The move was prompted by the sudden death of one of its employees who was playing soccer.
Also, some years ago, Bausch & Lomb decided to install AED stations in five locations in the plant and to train as many people as possible in the use of the equipment as the workforce had grown to 1,700.
• MENTAL RESOLVE: Research by British scientists shows that smokers who decide to quit immediately, without making plans about how or when, are more likely to succeed.
"Contrary to what experts had previously believed, the idea that you have to plan your quit attempts ahead of time isn't necessarily true," said Robert West, a professor of psychology at University College London.
West and his colleague, Taj Sohal, questioned 1,900 current and ex-smokers in England about their efforts to kick the habit. They discovered that nearly half of all attempts to quit were spontaneous. Smokers who decided and stopped immediately were also 50-60 per cent more likely to succeed.
• CANCER RESEARCH APPOINTMENT: The Irish Cancer Society has appointed Prof Cliona O'Farrelly chairwoman of its research division, Cancer Research Ireland (CRI).
Prof O'Farrelly, who takes over the role from Dr Michael Moriarty, consultant radiation oncologist at St Luke's Hospital, is a research immunologist based at the Education & Research Centre in St Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, where she is director of the research laboratories and heads the liver immunology research group with Prof John Hegarty.
After completing her PhD at Trinity College Dublin, Prof O'Farrelly spent time at the university of Sussex and also at Harvard University, where she taught immunology. A recipient of the Irish Research Scientists Association Gold Medal, Prof O'Farrelly is president of the Irish Society of Immunology. She is also a core investigator with the Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research in UCD, a member of the Irish Council for Bioethics and the Human Research Ethics Committee in UCD.
Cancer Research Ireland is the research division of the Irish Cancer Society and is the largest voluntary funder of cancer research in Ireland.
• HEALTHIER SNACKS: Hula Hoops and Skips will have their saturated fat content halved in response to consumer demand for healthier food, United Biscuits has said. The snacks will be made with a sunflower oil blend and less sodium, according to the manufacturer. United Biscuits said the change of recipes was a response to a growing consumer awareness about the fat and salt content of food.
• LACK OF NURSES: An "alarming" lack of specialist nurses to care for people with heart disease in Britain has been highlighted by campaigners.
It is estimated there are around 2.6 million people living with heart and circulatory disease in Britain. But the British Heart Foundation (BHF) believes only 10 per cent of these patients have access to the specialist nursing care they need. This kind of care can help prevent unnecessary re-admissions to hospital, improve quality of live and cut deaths.
The BHF is launching its Valentine Appeal to raise £1 million to fund 30 new BHF heart nurses to help the growing numbers of patients with heart problems and their families.