BELOW ZERO

Zero to 20

Drinking, sex linked among teens and young adults

People who drink heavily are more likely than non-heavy drinkers to have multiple sex partners, says a new report in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis found those who were judged not to have a drinking problem reported seven partners, on average, while problem drinkers reported 11 and the alcohol-dependent 12. Those reporting a diagnosed conduct disorder had an even higher number of partners — on an average, 16. Those with both alcohol dependence and conduct disorder had the highest average number of partners.

20 TO 60

Preterm babies at risk of hospitalisation as adults

People who were born early or just had an unusually low birth weight are more likely to be hospitalised in adolescence and young adulthood, report researchers from Sweden’s Linkoping University. Being small for gestational age (SGA) – significantly smaller than most babies born after the same number of weeks of pregnancy — is a greater risk factor. SGA men and women are 16 per cent more likely to be hospitalised, while having been born preterm increased risk by 6 per cent. People who had been both SGA and preterm were 42 per cent more likely to be hospitalised. Hospitalisations for mental disorders, drug use, injuries and poisoning, as well as “symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions,” poorly defined intestinal infections and genitourinary diseases, were more frequent for SGA individuals. Those born preterm are more likely to be hospitalised for endocrinal, nutritional and metabolic diseases, mental disorders and nervous system diseases, birth defects and “symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions”, reprted the article in Epidemiology.

60 AND ABOVE

Possible trigger for Parkinson’s disease identified

A glitch in the way cells clear damaged proteins could be the trigger for the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. A US team focused on a process called autophagy in which cells digest and recycle damaged molecules, including proteins, that develop as cells grow older. This system essentially renews cells to keep them functioning properly. This mechanism is also important for nerve cells in the brain where defective proteins can kill cells and cause the debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s, such as tremors. Problems in this process have also been linked with other neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease, according to the article in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. The finding could potentially lead to drugs to treat the symptoms but not cure the disease.