Berlin, June 6 - German authorities said bean sprouts might be the "most convincing" source for the E. coli outbreak that has led to the death of 22 people and infected over 2,000 in Europe, Xinhua reported.

Gert Lindemann, agriculture minister of the state of Lower Saxony, said restaurants and food outlets where cases of E. coli were reported all had received shipments of particular bean sprouts.

Hanover (Germany), Dec 23 : German scientists have discovered a substance known as a peptide that thwarts the AIDS virus and causes far fewer side-effects than existing anti-HIV drugs, they said Wednesday.

The breakthrough was reported in the science journal Science Translational Medicine after it had been tested on 18 AIDS patients.

Lueneburg (Germany), Dec 7 - An HIV-positive former German musician has been charged with abusing seven children and 23 youths in Thailand.

The 65-year-old former member of 1980s folk music group Godewind is accused of 403 cases of unprotected sex with child prostitutes, despite knowing he was HIV positive.

Due to his HIV status, which he allegedly did not reveal, the man is also accused of attempting to infect his victims.

Goettingen (Germany), Nov 6 - Scientists in Germany said they had developed a drug that halts the progress of Alzheimer's disease in mice and hope to begin tests on humans in two years' time.

The treatment, which they described as immunisation, employs a new antibody to stop brain degeneration.

Berlin, Oct 25 - Falling asleep behind the wheel of your car will be a thing of the past when built-in sensors sound an alarm the moment they detect your eyelids have closed, according to a team of German scientists.

Berlin, Aug 30 - A team of German scientists may have discovered a "needle-free" malaria vaccine by combining antibiotics with malaria-infected mosquitoes - effectively using mosquitoes themselves as "syringes".

German and Canadian researchers have found that as many as 70 percent of all mothers experience symptoms of postpartum depression but most recover quickly.

German researchers have said that people who live in cities where particulate air pollution is high may have an increased risk of high blood pressure.

A German researcher has said that older women with younger husbands have a shorter life expectancy while older men who marry younger women tend to live longer.

Sven Drefahl, a sociologist at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany, said that having a partner seven years younger increases a woman's chances of dying earlier by 20 percent.

Berlin, March 1- Overindulging in "energy shot" drinks can have consequences, warn consumer safety organisations. The shots are more concentrated per litre than standard energy drinks, warns the consumer centre of Saxony-Anhalt in Germany.

That increases the risks of consuming large portions of caffeine in a short time, which can damage the heart and circulatory system.

Combining large quantities of those drinks with alcohol and physical exertion, like sport or long stretches of dancing, could be even more dangerous.

Berlin, Dec 30 - Latin cultures have made physical proximity one of their trademarks: people regularly kiss each other hello and goodbye.

For a time in 2009, however, both kissing and handshakes became taboo. Disinfectant hand gel was everywhere. Some drug stores even ran out.

The World Health Organization (WHO) first reported the outbreak of an "influenza-like illness in the US and Mexico" April 24. It wasn't long before swine flu - what public health officials later called 2009 Influenza A(H1N1) - was dominating headlines around the globe.

Cologne, Germany  - Children's breath-holding spells are stressful but generally not dangerous, though in rare cases loss of consciousness results, according to the Cologne-based Professional Association of Children's and Young People's Physicians (BVKJ).

Some 2 to 5 per cent of children between the ages of six months and six years have such attacks, which normally cease spontaneously, leaving no damage, before they reach school age.

Dresden, Germany  - Far too few people recognize the first signs of a stroke, experts from Dresden University Hospital said on the occasion of World Stroke Day. Signs include sudden weakness, deafness or paralysis, vision or speech problems, a dazed feeling and dizziness.

The sooner victims receive treatment, the greater their chances of surviving a cerebrovascular accident without lasting brain damage, the experts said. A person experiencing stroke symptoms should seek immediate medical assistance.

Berlin - Many people hesitate before seeking help from others in times of need, especially during an emotional crisis.

Someone with strong feelings of anxiety or who is constantly depressed, usually will not consult a psychiatrist. Making an appointment with a psychologist first is easier, however, according to Professor Peter Falkai, a spokesman for the Berlin-based German Society of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Neurology (DGPPN).

Kassel, Germany - Even though humans sleep away about one-third of their lives, sleep science is relatively new. But the latest results show that sex trumps sport as a sleeping aid.

These are just some of the results presented at the annual convention of the German Sleep Society (DGSM) in Kassel, central Germany, where 1,500 scientists recently gathered to discuss factors contributing to good and healthy sleep.

Hamburg, Germany - A new enzyme-blocking method is being termed a breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, according to a team of German researchers.

Hamburg - Muscle training is in, but hardly anyone talks about the muscles of the pelvic floor even though its the most worked muscle group in the human body for both women and men.

If the pelvic muscle group is strained or damaged there can be serious results. The three layers of muscles on the pelvic floor span between the pubic bone, tail bone and the seat bone and lie over one another in a lattice. They support the organs of the lower torso and stabilize the pelvis and close it off at the bottom.

Berlin - The German Pharmacists' Association has issued a warning against taking medicines while lying down. Taking pills in a prone position can cause traces of medicine to stick to the food pipe's lining.

The association recommends taking pills or capsules in a sitting or standing position with at least 100 millilitres of water.

Insufficient fluid may cause painkillers, antibiotics or other drugs to damage the food pipe's mucous membrane.

Hamburg - Bursa in western Turkey, Monticelli outside the gates of Parma, Italy, and Digne-les-Bains in southern France have something in common.

They are the locations of sulphur springs, which promise vacationers a particularly healthy experience. Sulphur usually is employed today in the form of thermal baths. The beneficial, pain-killing and anti-inflammatory effects on the body are due to many factors.

Heidenheim, Germany - Asthmatic children should always have an emergency plan with them containing instructions on what to do if they have an asthma attack, according to the Heidenheim-based German Pneumologists Association (BdP).

Cologne, Germany - A treatment for head lice should always be repeated eight to 10 days after the initial attempt to get rid of the parasite, said Ulrich Fegeler of Germany's professional association of paediatricians in Cologne.

Hamburg - More and more older men are trying to become fathers and discovering that it's not as easily achieved as it is in youth.

Usually the man's entire lifestyle comes into question when fertility is impaired, said Hermann Behre of the university centre for reproductive medicine and andrology in Halle, Germany.

Smoking can have a negative effect on men advancing in age. Poor diet and lack of exercise also play a role. In addition, men who are overweight have a tendency toward diabetes and a reduction in the male hormone, said Behre.

Hamburg, Germany - St. John's Wort can be as good at lifting depression as pharmaceutical drugs such as Prozac, according to German researchers.

A review of research evidence concluded that the herbal extract was as effective as standard antidepressants, but had fewer side effects.

Bad Bertrich, Germany - Women in particular are bothered when red clusters of small veins appear near the surface of the skin on their thighs or in the hollow of their knees. Though the condition, known as spider veins, is not a medical problem, many people find it unsightly and visit a doctor.

Goerlitz, Germany - Germany moved Friday against an outbreak of bird flu close to the Polish border, slaughtering 1,400 ducks and geese on a farm at Markersdorf near the city of Goerlitz.

One of the ducks had caught H5N1, the avian influenza virus which can be fatal to human beings. Germany had been considered free of the disease since an outbreak in December last year west of Berlin. (dpa)