When it comes to characteristics associated with muscle dysmorphia, there is no difference between bodybuilders who use steroids and those who do not, a University of Arkansas researcher found. Muscle dysmorphia is a disorder characterized by an individual’s excessive preoccupation with muscularity and body fat percentage, usually in bodybuilding. It is predominantly evident in males when there is a pathological preoccupation with a lack of muscular size and leanness.

Potential new drugs: 970 million and still counting Like astronomers counting stars in the familiar universe of outer space, chemists in Switzerland are reporting the latest results of a survey of chemical space - the so-called chemical universe where tomorrow’s miracle drugs may reside. The scientists conclude, based on this phase of the ongoing count, that there are 970 million chemicals suitable for study as new drugs.

Between the 1932 and 2008 Olympic Games, world record times of the men’s 100m sprint improved by 0.6 seconds due to improved training techniques and technological advances. Imagine if this improvement could be achieved by a simple change in diet. Scientists at the Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology in Austria have managed to achieve an equivalent feat in mice fed on a diet high in polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Researchers at St George’s, University of London have been awarded £4.3 million by the Wellcome Trust for the development of a unique new class of drugs to target the root cause of asthma and allergies. The new Allergen Delivery Inhibitors may be superior to existing medicines, which mainly relieve symptoms. The research team, led by Professor Clive Robinson, has identified novel, drug-like chemical compounds that combat asthma and allergic diseases of the nose, eyes and skin.

The odds of contracting mad cow disease from banned or adulterated bovine protein lurking in raw or processed food for humans or meat-bone meal for livestock have declined over the past decade. So have the risks of purchasing fishy imposters billed as red snapper, ground beef that isn’t all cow, or spoiled meat that doesn’t look or smell bad … yet.

The high-intensity training undertaken by triathletes has a significant impact on the quality of their sperm, the 25th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard 29 June. Professor Diana Vaamonde, from the University of Cordoba Medical School, Cordoba, Spain, said that the triathletes who did the most cycling training had the worst sperm morphology.

Exercise and electro-acupuncture treatments can reduce sympathetic nerve activity in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), according to a new study.

The American Lung Association calls on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to strengthen the national ambient air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide (NO2). EPA is expected to release its proposal to revise this public health standard that has remained unchanged since 1971. Changes to the national air quality standard for NO2 pollution will become the new official limit on this air pollutant that each county in the nation must meet.

While most fans are in awe of what their football heroes can do with a football, the source of their remarkable skill remains strangely mysterious. Although being in excellent physical condition undoubtedly helps, few people actually believe that intense physical training alone can turn an average bloke into a Ronaldo. Now, scientists from the University of Queensland have decided to study what this “something else” might be. Dr.

Five years from now, Lab scientists will be able to better determine how, when and why plutonium moves in soil and groundwater. The way to predict how plutonium is transported in groundwater away from a site is by looking at the dominant geochemical processes that control plutonium’s (Pu) behavior in the subsurface at environmental levels. But that isn’t always so easy.