In a new study, researchers have shown that the benefits of infant male circumcision exceed the risks by over 100 to 1.

Brian Morris, Professor Emeritus in the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Sydney and his colleagues in Florida and Minnesota found that over their lifetime half of uncircumcised males will contract an adverse medical condition caused by their foreskin.

The findings add considerable weight to the latest American Academy of Pediatrics policy that supports education and access for infant male circumcision.

Whereas circumcision rates have risen in white men to 91 percent, in black men to 76 percent, and in Hispanic men to 44 percent, the study authors found an alarming decrease in infants. To get the true figures they had to correct hospital discharge data for underreporting. This showed that circumcision had declined from a high of 83 percent in the 1960s to 77 percent today.

There seemed to be two major reasons for the fall - one is a result of demographic changes, with the rise in the Hispanic population. Hispanic families tend to be less familiar with the custom, making them less likely to circumcise their baby boys, while the other is the current absence of Medicaid coverage for the poor in 18 US states. In those states circumcision is 24 percent lower.

"The new findings now show that infant circumcision should be regarded as equivalent to childhood vaccination and that as such it would be unethical not to routinely offer parents circumcision for their baby boy. Delay puts the child's health at risk and will usually mean it will never happen," Professor Morris said.

In infancy the strongest immediate benefit is protection against urinary tract infections (UTIs) that can damage the kidney in half of babies who get a UTI. Morris and co-investigator Tom Wiswell, MD, Center for Neonatal Care, Orlando, showed last year that over the lifetime UTIs affect 1 in 3 uncircumcised males.

In a landmark systematic review, Morris, with John Krieger, MD, Department of Urology, University of Washington, Seattle, showed that there is no adverse effect of circumcision on sexual function, sensitivity, or pleasure. This helped dispel one myth perpetuated by opponents of the procedure.

The study has been published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

A researcher has found that a simple blood test can predict a person's risk for sudden cardiac death.

Samuel C. Dudley , M.D., Ph.D, chief of cardiology at the CVI, said that the primary prevention model for at-risk patients in the U.S. is to implant an ICD before a cardiac event happens. While it's better to be safe, this has led to widespread overuse of ICDs throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Samuel C. Dudley , M.D., Ph.D, chief of cardiology at the CVI, said that the primary prevention model for at-risk patients in the U.S. is to implant an ICD before a cardiac event happens. While it's better to be safe, this has led to widespread overuse of ICDs throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Dudley asserted that with this blood test, they can refine the need for such a device, and instead implant the cardiac defibrillators only in the most severe cases of sudden cardiac death risk.

The new blood test is in a pilot phase and will be validated in a large, multi-site trial led by Dudley and other researchers at Lifespan's CVI anticipated to start this fall.

The study has been published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Here's a good news for Earl Grey tea lovers! Scientists say drinking Earl Grey tea daily could keep heart disease at bay.

According to researchers, Earl Grey or black tea contains an extract of a Mediterranean citrus fruit called bergamot, which was found to lower cholesterol as well as guard against a disease that causes more than a quarter of all deaths in the UK.

Bergamot also gives Earl Grey the distinct taste and smell that has traditionally made this tea quite popular.

The study, published in the Journal of Functional Foods, revealed that the fragrant bergamot extract contains enzymes known as HMGF (hydroxy methyl glutaryl flavonones), which can attack proteins in the body known to contribute to cardiovascular disease.

The scientists added that a dietary supplement of HMGF could be just as effective as statins in combating low-density proteins (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol.

While statins are wonder drugs used to control cholesterol, it may have side effects on patients.

Married people have something to smile about! According to a research, it has been claimed that married people, regardless of age, sex, or even cardiovascular risk factors, had significantly less chances of having any kind of cardiovascular disease than those who were single, divorced or widowed.

Married people carry a 5 percent lower risk of having any cardiovascular disease than being single.

But the study holds some bad news for the widowed and divorced people because they aremore likely to suffer from any kind of cardiovascular disease, including peripheral artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and coronary artery disease.

The research also found that younger married people, those under age 50, had a 12 percent lower odd of disease than younger single people.

Older couples, between the ages of 51 and 60, had 7 percent reduced risk, while those above 60 had approximately 4 percent lower odds of disease

For risk factors of cardiovascular disease, smoking was highest among divorced people (at 31 percent) and lowest in widowed people (at 22 percent); and obesity was most common in single and divorced people (at 31 percent and 30 percent, respectively). Hypertension, diabetes and being sedentary were most common in widowed people (at 77 percent, 13 percent, and 41 percent respectively.)

Indians have another reason to smile as the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday officially declared India as a polio-free nation.

For the record, India has not reported any new case of polio for three consecutive years now.

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said, "This (southeast Asia) is the fourth region to be certified polio-free. The distant dream of polio eradication in the region is now a reality."

Azad said that resources were never allowed to be a problem for the campaign against polio. "It was an unbelievable operation. It is a significant step towards global eradication of polio."

Apart from India, the other countries which were given polio-free certificates were Bangladesh, Bhutan, North Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, the Maldives and Myanmar.