New York, NY, United States (AHN) – And yet another reason for women not to light up.

Researchers say that women who smoke may hit menopause about a year earlier than non-smokers.

The study, published in the journal Menopause, reviewed data from several pervious studies that included roughly 6,000 women from the United States, Poland and Turkey and Iran.

On average, non-smokers hit menopause between the ages of 46-51. Smokers however, reached menoucpase overall at around 43-50.

Both early and late menopause have been linked with health problems. Women who hit menopause later in life are believed to be at a greater risk for breast cancer because one risk for the disease is exposure to estrogen.

Earlier menopause is linked to a host of medical conditions including osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease and others. Also, smoking may, overall, slightly increase of woman’s risk of death in years to follow.

In addition to smoking. alcohol use, weight gain or loss, and whether a woman has ever given birth may also effect a woman’s timing of menopause. The evidence for all the risk factors, except smoking, have been mixed.

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Tel Aviv, Israel (AHN) – A shot of cortisone may stop trauma victims from developing post traumatic stress disorder, according to a new study.

Researchers with Tel Aviv University said that if the shot is given within six hours of experiencing a traumatizing event, the patient may reduce his or her chances of developing PTSD by 60 percent.

Professor Joseph Zohar said the findings are important as more U.S. soldiers return home from combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Cortisone naturally secretes in the body when a person suffers from trauma, Zohar said. He tested his theory first on lab rats and then in a double-blind study on humans in an emergency room.

With the rats, two groups of the rodents were exposed to the smell of a cat. One group was treated with cortisone right after the event. Zohar said the treatment was effective on the rats.

The people in the ER were given either a shot of cortisone or a placebo. Follow-up exams taken two weeks, one month and three months after the traumatic event showed a significant decrease in PTSD development in the patients receiving the shot.

A full report on the study is published in the October issue of the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology.

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Melbourne, Australia (AHN) – Lack of physical exercise has long been associated with poor health, but new research suggests the act of sitting too much could be its own separate risk factor for disease.

The researchers said that health care professionals are already beginning to take action against too much sitting through educational campaigns and messages about not being sedentary at home and at the workplace.

The researchers suggested methods like height-adjustable desks at work, community entertainment venues and events considering non-sitting alternatives and community infrastructure changes to promote walking and biking instead of using motor transportation to reduce sitting time spent in cars.

A report on the study is published in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

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Moscow, Russian Federation (AHN) – Russian authorities say they will lift the ban on vegetable imports from the European Union that it instituted after an outbreak of E. coli.

However, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said his country must see certificates proving the food is safe before it allows trade to resume.

Under the deal, each nation exporting vegetables to Russia would have to supply a certificate stating where the food was from and also stating that the food was free of the deadly E. coli bacteria.

Russia accounts for $866.1 million in trade annually for EU vegetable farmers, with most of that coming from farms in France, Germany, Poland and Spain.

The recent E. coli outbreak killed 35 people and sickened another 3,000. The outbreak was initially blamed on cucumbers from Spain, but authorities later identified an organic sprouts farm in Germany as the source of the outbreak.

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Moscow, Russian Federation (AHN) – Russian authorities say they will lift the ban on vegetable imports from the European Union that it instituted after an outbreak of E. coli.

However, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said his country must see certificates proving the food is safe before it allows trade to resume.

Under the deal, each nation exporting vegetables to Russia would have to supply a certificate stating where the food was from and also stating that the food was free of the deadly E. coli bacteria.

Russia accounts for $866.1 million in trade annually for EU vegetable farmers, with most of that coming from farms in France, Germany, Poland and Spain.

The recent E. coli outbreak killed 35 people and sickened another 3,000. The outbreak was initially blamed on cucumbers from Spain, but authorities later identified an organic sprouts farm in Germany as the source of the outbreak.

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Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines (AHN) – Philippines authorities canceled classes and flights in Metro Manila because of bad weather that hit the region on Wednesday.

A low pressure area off the province of Oriental Mindoro brought rains over the national capital region and parts of Luzon and Visayas. The inclement weather caused the cancellation on Wednesday of 35 domestic flights.

The bulk of the canceled flights affected local budget carrier Cebu Pacific, particularly the company’s Manila to Caticlan flights. Also affected were trips to Virac, Pagadian City, Naga City and Cebu City and the air carrier’s incoming flight from Beijing. Flag carrier Philippine Airlines canceled four flights bound for Naga City and Caticlan, and Seair canceled several trips destined for Palawan and Tablas Island.

The non-stop rains continued through the next day, prompting the Department of Education to announce at 4 a.m. of Thursday the cancellation of all classes in the primary and secondary levels in Metro Manila. The DepEd issued the announcement based on recommendation of superintendents from the NCR.

The heavy downpour caused floods in many Metro Manila streets, making it hard for the students to reach their schools. The academic year 2011-12 started only this week. This is the first class suspension for the current school year. Filipino students are used to cancellation of school during the first few months of the new school year, which coincides with the rainy season in tropical Philippines.

The Commission of Higher Education, which has jurisdiction over universities, did not issue a class suspension order because most of the colleges in the country will start classes next week.

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Sanaa, Yemen (AHN) – Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh left his country on Saturday for Saudi Arabia to undergo treatment for shrapnel wounds suffered during an attack of the presidential compound the day before.

Protesters seeking Saleh’s ouster since January rejoiced over the news that he had fled though the spokesman of the ruling party, Tarik al- Shami, said the leader will return home after his treatment in Riyadh to complete his term until 2013.

Yemeni Vice-President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi is now temporarily in charge of the country and is acting as the commander of the armed forces and security services.

Witnesses saw Saleh stepped off a medical plane in Riyadh. He was accompanied by 35 members of his family, including his wife, the prime minister and the speaker of Yemen’s parliament.

Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters celebrated outside the Sanaa University Square upon learning Saleh’s departure.

Meanwhile, protesters attacked soldiers in the southern city of Taiz on Sunday killing four troops. One attacker was also killed.

In the southern port city of Aden, militants attacked an army checkpoint wounding two soldiers.

The protesters have been demanding the resignation of Saleh, who has ruled the country for 33 years. Clashes between protesters and troops trying to quell demonstrations have killed 160 people.

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MN, United States (AHN) – Students who struggle with mathematics may be suffering from a neurocognitive disorder similar to people struggling with dyslexia.

University of Minnesota researchers say the condition is called dyscalculia. The disorder, they say, inhibits the acquisition of basic numerical and arithmetic concepts.

Dyscalculia affects about the same amount of people as dyslexia, but hasn’t received the same amount of attention or research funding, according to the researchers.

The researchers detail in their paper, “Dyscalculia, From Brain to Education,” how scientists worldwide have used magnetic resonance imaging to map the neural network that supports arithmetic. In people with dyscalculia, they have found abnormalities in the network.

The researchers are working on evidence-based interventions for the disorder.

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Frankfurt, Germany (AHN) – Three people with symptoms of E coli bacterial infection have died in Germany since Saturday and 350 cases of infection were recorded as of Monday.

Health authorities revealed that the latest fatality was a 24-year-old woman, who died on Monday. The cause of death is still being investigated.

A 83-year-old woman from the Diepholz area in Lower Saxony died from bloody diarrhea on Saturday while another octogenarian woman died Sunday. Both had symptoms of E coli infection.

The outbreak is being blamed on contaminated raw foods in north Germany, where the number of cases rose from 90 on Monday to 200 on Tuesday. Two canteens of consultancy firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers were closed on Friday after 19 diners became infected.

Last year, a similar outbreak affected 1,000 people.

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Toronto, Ontario, Canada (AHN) – Newly resigned Canadian Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff has learned that his career path should be built on education, not politics. He learned his lesson the hard way through a humiliating defeat in the hands of the Tories and New Democratic Party on Monday.

Ignatieff announced Thursday he will go back to teaching. Prior to his political stint as MP for the Etobicoke-Lakeshore riding since 2006 and as Liberal Party leader since 2010, Ignatieff was a professor at prestigious universities in the U.S. and Britain such as Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge.

This time he will teach at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law, Department of Political Science, Munk School of Global Affairs and the School of Public Policy and Governance.

The teaching position was previously held by former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Liberal MP and former Ontario Premier Bob Rae and former Reform leader Preston Manning. It was offered to them by the school’s Massey College during a period of transition in their professional lives.

With his return to academia, Ignatieff said he ended his political career. He said he will use his political and personal experiences to teach students the lessons and mistakes he made in his career and life. Ignatieff said he loves teaching more than being a politician.

The 64-year old resigned Liberal leader, who lost his reelection bid, is returning to his alma mater. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto’s Trinity College and acquired a doctorate in history from Harvard.

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