Other stories in brief.
New ice lolly could boost immunity
Ice cream brand Wall's is launching what it describes as its first probiotic ice lolly. The milk and strawberry flavour lolly is made with probiotic yoghurt, which contains bacteria that can help boost the body's natural immunity, the ice cream brand said. Wall's said the new lolly was being aimed at children.
Pet E. coli threat to humans
Picking up an E. coli bug from your pet might lead to a urinary tract infection, according to Minneapolis-based researchers. "Sharing of E. coli strains among humans and pets within a household, including strains that can cause urinary tract infections, is extremely common," Dr James R Johnson said.
Dr Johnson and his colleagues at the University of Minnesota investigated the extent to which E. coli strains were shared between humans and pets in 63 households. They identified 152 people, 48 dogs, 26 cats, and 2 other animals that had stool samples positive for E. coli. Five of the humans had an acute urinary tract infection.
Researchers reported that the same strain of E. coli was shared by several of the inhabitants within a household in 68 per cent of the homes.
Brain 'trigger' for cocaine addiction
Scientists have identified the part of the brain that may hold the key to why some cocaine users become addicts while others just take the drug socially, researchers have said.
Brain scans of cocaine users while they performed simple computer tasks showed changes in the part of the brain responsible for controlling behaviour and making appropriate decisions, they said.
This could explain why some people find it easier to quit than others and may shed light on long-term addiction, said Hugh Garavan, a cognitive neuroscientist at Trinity College Dublin who presented his research to a meeting of the Royal Society in London.
Eating disorder support extended
Bodywhys - the Eating Disorder Association of Ireland - has extended its support services because of what it said was a continuing increase in demand.
The association provides a network of support groups for people with eating disorders and also for friends and family members. In the coming months, this network will be extended to include a new group in Cork.
Bodywhys's LoCall Helpline service, staffed by a team of trained volunteers, will also be extended, and will now be available on Sunday evenings.
Ban on hospital visits remains
A full ban on visitors to Wexford General Hospital remains in place due to a suspected outbreak of the Noro Virus (commonly known as the Vomiting Bug).
Hospital management has asked the public to adhere to the visitor restrictions - which have been introduced because of a number of new cases of the vomiting bug in recent days. The hospital can be contacted at (053) 91 53 000 for further information.
One-leg hop better than two
Exercising one leg at a time can improve aerobic capacity more than two-legged exercise in patients who have stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a report in the medical journal Chest.
"We may have a new approach to enable patients with severe lung disease to improve their fitness," Dr Roger Goldstein said. "Hopefully this also increases their mobility, activities, and quality of life."
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There was a strong smell of urine and diarrhoea wafting throughout the ward and that made it hard to sleep. -Martin Golding (54), a patient forced to discharge himself from hospital because he could no longer cope with the "filthy" condition of his ward in the Bristol Royal Infirmary.