A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
NEW HEART PUMP: Experts say they have developed a new heart pump that does not require invasive surgery.
The pump, developed by researchers at Brunel University's Institute for Bioengineering and London's Royal Brompton Hospital, is fitted in the heart via an incision in an area such as the groin.
This differs from traditional pumps, which are fitted during major open-heart surgery.
It is a similar technique to that used for fitting stents in blocked arteries. The technique involves mounting the pump, which regulates blood flow, into a stent and delivering it to the heart on a deflated balloon.
Once in place, the balloon is inflated to put the stent and pump in place and the balloon is then withdrawn.
ALCOHOL'S MIXED BENEFITS: Having an alcoholic drink a day cuts the risk of heart disease for men but not for women, according to new research.
A study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), found that men who drink alcohol every day had a lower risk of heart disease than men who drank less frequently.
However, the research, based on more than 50,000 Danish men and women aged between 50 and 65, painted a different picture for women.
Women who drank alcohol at least one day a week had a lower risk of heart disease compared with those who drank none.
But, the researchers found, it made little difference how often women drank. In contrast, those men who drank every day had a 41 per cent reduced risk compared with those who drank on only one day a week who had a 7 per cent reduced risk.
NOTE-TAKING FOR IMPAIRED: A new company providing an electronic note-taking service for students and adults with disabilities in third-level education in the Munster region was warmly welcomed by Munster MEP Brian Crowley when he launched the company recently.
NoteTaking Solutions is the brainchild of Rose Quilter and Liz O'Sullivan and is aimed at assisting people with dyslexia, dyspraxia, visual impairment, mobility problems, long-term medical conditions and the deaf and hearing impaired.
According to Ms Quilter, electronic note taking is "a fast, efficient and comprehensive means of recording, processing and transmitting information in lectures, tutorials, workshops, seminars and meetings".
The service is already available to students at University College Cork, Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa, Cork College of Commerce, St John's Central College and Cork Institute of Technology and it's planned to extend it throughout Munster over the next year.
Further details can be found at www.notetakingsolutions.ie
q SUPERMARKET DIETICIAN: Independent supermarket group SuperValu has appointed a consultant dietician to provide nutritional advice for consumers as well as reviewing product range, ingredients and labelling.
The aim is to provide the nutritional information that consumers are increasingly seeking.
The consultant, Sarah Keogh, will work with SuperValu on a range of in-store leaflets and signage aimed at those seeking to maintain a healthy weight, as well as specific nutrition advice for different life stages, including schoolchildren, pregnant women and new mothers.
Ms Keogh, who has a degree in human nutrition and dietetics, has worked on healthy eating campaigns and product development for leading Irish food companies and brands including Kelloggs, Tayto, Benecol and Galtee.
She also advises Bord Iascaigh Mhara on nutritional issues and food legislation.
CIGARETTE PICTURE WARNINGS: People in Britain are being asked for their views on what kind of picture warnings should be put on cigarette packets.
The images, which will be put on packets from autumn next year, include photographs of people with rotting teeth and badly damaged lungs. The British government wants to know what the public thinks of them and to rate those they regard as the most powerful.
Canada was the first country to put such pictures on cigarettes and they are also used in Singapore and Brazil.
The 42 images, which feature at www.packwarnings.nhs.uk, include people wearing oxygen masks in hospital with the words "Smoking causes fatal lung cancer" and pictures of a foetus with the words "Smoking harms your baby".
HEALTH TIPS: Boots is introducing a range of practical health-related booklets in its Irish stores.
The booklets, entitled Check It Out, offer a series of tips on women's health, children's health, weight loss, stopping smoking, healthy hearts, vitamins and pain relief.
The booklets are available free from all 40 Boots stores in Ireland.