Health Matters

* Metal sensitivities can lead to failure of replacement joints, and patients should be carefully evaluated for a possible reaction after the surgery, according to a new review of past research. “We think patients and doctors should be aware of hypersensitivity or allergy reactions to implanted joints and to monitor for signs and symptoms,” said Dr Michelle L Pinson, one of the authors of the new paper.

* Women who become pregnant again within 18 months after having a baby are more likely to deliver early, according to a new study. Past reports have also linked having a short inter-pregnancy interval with a greater risk of premature birth.

* Walking while working, usually on a treadmill, has been gaining popularity in recent years, but the next office innovation should be standing while meeting, according to a new study. Researchers at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, report that groups working together on a project while standing are measurably more engaged and less territorial than while seated.

* The discovery of a schistosomiasis parasite egg in a 6,200-year-old grave in Syria may be the earliest evidence that agricultural irrigation systems in the Middle East contributed to a vast spread of disease, scientists said. Schistosomiasis - also known as bilharzia, snail fever, or Katayama fever - is caused by flatworm parasites that live in the blood vessels of the bladder and intestines. The infection can lead to anaemia, kidney failure and bladder cancer.

* Smokers using a text-messaging service for support while quitting were twice as likely to be smoke-free after six months, compared to those who just got reading material, according to new US research. “There are a number of proven strategies out there for quitting smoking, and now we have growing evidence that text messaging is another option for quitting,” said a behavioral scientist at George Washington University.