'Academic doping' could trigger routine urine tests for exam studentsOctober 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Owing to the increasing use of smart drugs, or "nootropics", to boost academic performance, exam students could face routine doping tests in future, suggested a study. Vince Cakic, of the Department of Psychology, University of Sydney, has said that despite raising many dilemmas about the legitimacy of chemically enhanced academic performance, these drugs will be near impossible to ban.
Over 3,500 Karnataka government doctors resignSeptember 29th, 2009 BANGALORE - Over 3,500 Karnataka government doctors Tuesday submitted their resignation protesting the "meagre" hike in salaries. The treatment of patients was, however, not affected as the doctors have given the government two weeks to either accept their demands or their resignations.
Over 4,000 Karnataka government doctors to quit TuesdaySeptember 28th, 2009 BANGALORE - Over 4,000 government doctors in Karnataka will resign Tuesday protesting a "meagre" hike in salaries but treatment of patients will not be affected as they have given two weeks' time to authorities to accept their demand. "We are resigning en masse Tuesday.
Cervical cancer eradication possible within next 50yrs, says expertSeptember 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A cervical cancer screening expert believes that this disease can be eradicated within the next 50 years by implementing across the world national screening programmes based on detection of the human papilloma virus (HPV), together with vaccination programmes against the virus. Addressing Europe's largest cancer congress ECCO 15 - ESMO 34 [1] in Burlin on Thursday, Professor Jack Cuzick said that while the current HPV vaccines protect against two cancer-causing strains of the HPV virus, soon there would be vaccines available that protect against nine types.
Life-saving legacy: Emmy-winning writer's dying plea for organ donors inspires IrelandSeptember 24th, 2009 Irish embrace writer's dying plea for organ donorsDUBLIN — Frank Deasy made his living as the Emmy-winning author of gritty television dramas like "Prime Suspect." But with his final acts and words, the Dubliner inspired a nation to become organ donors — and may have saved scores of lives even as he lost his own. More than 20,000 have registered to become donors after Deasy's hourlong appeal last week on Irish national radio, during which he described the "invisible death row" of thousands awaiting salvation through surgery in Ireland and neighboring Britain.
Review: Rubik's new TouchCube is a little too touchy to re-create the original funSeptember 23rd, 2009 Review: Rubik's TouchCube a little too touchyATLANTA — Thirty years ago Erno Rubik took a puzzle he had been tinkering with and turned it into the must-have brain twister toy, the Rubik's Cube. The original was hard enough with its confounding little "cubies," as the competitive Rubik's solvers call them.
Aussie scientists find HIV reservoir in the brainSeptember 23rd, 2009 MELBOURNE - Aussie scientists have discovered that the brain also acts as a key "reservoir" for HIV, a finding that may be a serious threat to the search for a way to eradicate the virus from the body. While scientists are using antiretroviral drugs to get rid of HIV altogether, they are finding it difficult to perfect techniques to kill off infected cells in the known reservoirs for HIV in the body.
Fighting diarrhoea to eradicate polioSeptember 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - It kills nearly 500,000 children every year. But one of the lesser known facts about diarrhoea is that it also makes anti-polio drops ineffective.
Your bathroom showers are hazardous to healthSeptember 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - That invigorating relief and good cleansing from daily bathroom showers may bring along a face full of potentially pathogenic bacteria, warn researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Using high-tech instruments and lab methods, the researchers analysed roughly 50 showerheads from nine cities in seven states that included New York City, Chicago and Denver.
India to have national patient safety policy: AzadSeptember 14th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India will soon have a National Patient Safety Policy to provide patients with a safer healthcare environment, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said here Monday. Noting that the country has many national programmes to control and eradicate various diseases but nothing on patient safety, he said: We are proposing to put in place a National Patient Safety Policy.
Deficits in brain's reward system may explain clinical symptoms of ADHDSeptember 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has revealed that patients suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have low levels of a certain chemical essential for experiencing reward and motivation. "These deficits in the brain's reward system may help explain clinical symptoms of ADHD, including inattention and reduced motivation, as well as the propensity for complications such as drug abuse and obesity among ADHD patients," said lead author Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and a long-time collaborator on neuroimaging research at Brookhaven Lab.
Haj pilgrims must be vaccinated against seasonal flu: Saudi ArabiaSeptember 7th, 2009 DUBAI - As a swine flu epidemic rages globally, Saudi Arabia has advised all pilgrims traveling for the Haj to vaccinate themselves against seasonal human influenza. The Ministry of Health advises all pilgrims, whether arriving from outside or inside the Kingdom, to obtain the seasonal human influenza vaccine prior to their departure to perform Haj or Omrah rituals, especially those who are more exposed to the disease, such as the elderly and people suffering from chronic respiratory disorders, diabetes, or kidney, liver, or heart failure, a posting on its website said.
