Glucose could potentially power our gadgets, carsSeptember 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Glucose - the human body's preferred energy source - can potentially power our gadgets, cars or homes. Researchers at Brigham Young University (BYU) have developed a fuel cell - basically a battery with a gas tank - that harvests electricity from glucose and other sugars known as carbohydrates.
Donald Fisher, co-founder of Gap Inc. dies at age 81 after lengthy battle with cancerSeptember 30th, 2009 Gap Inc. co-founder Donald Fisher diesPORTLAND, Ore. — Donald G.
Oversight leads to distribution of Cold War-era meat in PolandSeptember 24th, 2009 WARSAW - Some 200 tonnes of Cold War-era meat -- some as old as 26 years -- has been delivered to Polish pre-schools, nursing homes and grocery stores after controllers overlooked the expiry dates, local media reported Thursday. The Swedish canned products were made in the early 1980s for Sweden's army.
Researchers: People susceptible to colon cancer can cut their risk in half by taking aspirinSeptember 21st, 2009 Researchers: Aspirin cuts colon cancer riskLONDON — People with a genetic susceptibility to colon cancer could cut their chances of developing the disease in half by taking a daily dose of aspirin, researchers said Monday. The finding might lead to other treatments by helping researchers understand how aspirin combats colon cancer, one of the top three cancers in rich countries.
Cheap "eye movement" exam 'best bet' for diagnosing stroke in patients with dizzinessSeptember 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers at Johns Hopkins and the University of Illinois have found that a simple, one-minute eye movement exam performed at the bedside worked better than an MRI to distinguish new strokes from other less serious disorders in patients complaining of dizziness, nausea and spinning sensations. The small "proof of principle" study included 101 patients, who were already at higher than normal risk of stroke because of factors including high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
Indian pharma to be involved in $150 mn global vaccine ventureSeptember 18th, 2009 LONDON - Indian generic drug companies will be the first to be called to collaborate with a $150 million joint venture between the US pharmaceutical giant Merck and British medical charity Wellcome Trust to develop and produce new vaccines in India. The new company, MSD Wellcome Trust Hilleman Laboratories, will have 60 staff who will develop cheap vaccines for neglected diseases that are common in developing countries, CEO Altaf A.
US to share 10 percent of H1N1 vaccine with other nationsSeptember 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US will share 10 percent of its H1N1 vaccine supply with other countries to combat the global spread of the pandemic, President Barack Obama said Thursday. The US vaccines would be made available to countries through the World Health Organization (WHO), recognising that "diseases know no borders, and the health of the American people is inseparable from the health of people around the world," the White House said.
Global vaccine company to be set up in IndiaSeptember 17th, 2009 LONDON - In what was described as a global first, American pharmaceutical giant Merck and Britain's largest charity, Wellcome Trust Thursday announced the formation of an India-based nonprofit company that will produce cheap vaccines for the developing world. Hilleman Laboratories will be headed by Indian-origin medical scientist Altaf A.
Top Brit doc backs call to ban alcohol adsSeptember 11th, 2009 LONDON - A leading British doctor is in full support of the BMA's call to ban alcohol advertising, as he feels that such publicity campaigns do have damaging effects on young people. "(It is) a logical recommendation to attempt to reverse the all embracing pro-alcohol culture that has grown up in a period of deregulation and liberalisation over the last quarter of a century," says to Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians and Chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance.
Scientists use waste to recover uranium from polluted watersSeptember 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers at Birmingham University, UK, using bacteria and inositol phosphate, a chemical analogue of a cheap waste material from plants, have recovered uranium from the polluted waters from uranium mines. Bacteria, in this case, E.
Researchers use waste material to extract uraniumSeptember 7th, 2009 LONDON - Using bacteria and inositol phosphate, a chemical residue of cheap waste material from plants, researchers have recovered uranium from effluents discharged by uranium mines. "By using a cheap feedstock easily obtained from plant wastes we have shown that an economic, scalable process for uranium recovery is possible," says Lynne Macaskie, microbiology professor at Birmingham University (B-U), who led the research.
CDC chief says swine flu vaccine will be safe, his kids to get it when it becomes availableSeptember 6th, 2009 CDC chief says swine vaccine for my kids, tooWASHINGTON — The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says his kids are going to get the swine flu vaccine when it's available. Dr. Thomas Frieden says health officials have "very high confidence" in the safety of the vaccine.
India says no to AIDS drug patents, reaffirms role as 'pharmacy' of poor countriesSeptember 4th, 2009 LONDON - India has rejected applications from two US companies for patents on two key AIDS drugs in a move that could mean more people in poor countries will have access to life-saving medicines. According to a report in Nature News, the decisions are the latest in a string of legal victories for Cipla, India's largest generic drug maker.
Research shows statin use reduces heart attacks, deaths after surgery on blood vesselsSeptember 2nd, 2009 Statin cuts heart problems after artery surgeryNEW YORK — Score another victory for the cheap, cholesterol-lowering wonder drugs known as statins. People getting an artery unclogged or repaired were much less likely to die or have a heart attack afterward if they took preventive doses of the pills before and after their operations, a Dutch study showed.
Breathalyser screening may help spot lung cancer earlyAugust 31st, 2009 LONDON - Israeli scientists have come up with a device that can help spot lung cancer molecules on the breath of patients. Dr. Hossam Haick and colleagues at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa think that the technology may lead to pocket-friendly, portable breath-test devices with the potential to save large numbers of lives by detecting cancer early.
