Morning-after pill doesn’t promote sex

Allowing ‘morning-after’ contraceptive pills to be sold over the counter does not increase their use, suggesting that easy availability does not lead to an upsurge in unprotected sex, British investigators report. Beginning in January 2001, emergency contraception has been available without prescription in the UK, says a report in the British Medical Journal. Opponents of this policy are concerned that it encourages unprotected sex and increases promiscuity. The survey on women, aged between 16 and 49, done by doctors at the Imperial College in London for three years revealed that the overall use of emergency contraception remained the same. The only apparent change over time was in the places where women procured the pills. Also, easier access may have prevented more pregnancies, the researchers told Reuters.

Moms’ overweight problem

Pregnant women who are obese during the first trimester are more likely than normal-weight women to have an infant with a cleft lip or cleft palate, according to a Swedish study, reports Reuters. Researchers analysed health registries that listed maternal height and weight in early pregnancy and the presence of birth defects in offspring. The study compared 1,422 women who had infants with orofacial clefts with all women ? nearly a million ? who delivered between 1992 and 2001. It was found that being obese was associated with a 30 per cent increased risk of having an infant with an orofacial cleft, compared with being normal weight.

Robot hand to check breasts

Telemedicine gets smarter with the invention of a robotic breast examiner by a surgeon based at the Michigan State University in the US. According to a report in the New Scientist, the new technique involves a mechanical hand (called haptic glove) that combines ultrasound with an artificial sense of touch. The remote-controlled grasper has fingers which are connected to a computer that desptaches tactile information to a surgeon thousands of miles away. “Just because you’re in Michigan or even Botswana, it doesn’t mean you can’t have sophisticated diagnostic procedure,” said Carol Slomski, the surgeon who helped design the system.

Lavender draws big bucks

What happens if the odour of lavender is released into a restaurant? In the case of a small French joint, it led to customers staying longer and spending more. Researchers from the University of South Brittany claim that certain aromas ? excluding those coming from the kitchen ? strongly influence customer behaviour. With lavender, they found people in an absolutely relaxed mood.