Stray pigs banned from GurgaonNovember 10th, 2009 GURGAON/CHANDIGARH - Authorities in Gurgaon have invoked Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code to banish pigs from the municipal limits of the commercial hub adjoining the national capital. Issuing the order, District Magistrate Rajinder Kataria has asked the civic joint commissioner to "get the pigs captured and to ensure that the stray pigs are not found wandering" within the civic area.
Public sneezing in times of flu pandemic triggers fear of unrelated hazardsNovember 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new American study suggests that sneezing in public in times of a flu pandemic creates a huge fear of health threats, including risks that cannot possibly be linked to germs. The research conducted by Spike Lee and Norbert Schwarz, psychologists at the University of Michigan will appear in the latest issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Low doses of radiation can cause heart disease, strokeOctober 23rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new British study suggests that low doses of radiation can trigger heart disease and stroke. A team led by Dr.
CT scans more effective than X-rays when detecting abnormalities in H1N1 patientsOctober 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has found that computed tomography (CT) scans can be more useful than standard radiography (X-rays) in detecting the severity of disease in patients with the H1N1 virus. Reports of seven patients with the H1N1 virus who underwent both tests were assessed to reach the conclusion that CT scans were more effective.
Patients with severe H1N1 at higher risk of life threatening complicationOctober 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Patients with severe H1N1 infection are at an increased risk of developing life-threatening condition called pulmonary emboli, where one or more arteries in the lungs become blocked, finds a new study led by Indian origin scientist. "The high incidence of pulmonary embolism is important.
Largest genetic study of humpback whale populations conducted in Southern HemisphereOctober 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society, the American Museum of Natural History, and an international coalition of organizations have unveiled the largest genetic study of humpback whale populations ever conducted in the Southern Hemisphere. By analyzing DNA samples from more than 1,500 whales, researchers can now peer into the population dynamics and relatedness of Southern Hemisphere humpback whales as never before, and help inform management decisions in the sometimes politically charged realm of whale conservation.
2 Americans, 1 Israeli win Nobel for studies of the protein-making factories within cellsOctober 7th, 2009 2 Americans, 1 Israeli win Nobel chemistry prizeNEW YORK — Two Americans and an Israeli won a Nobel Prize in chemistry Wednesday for creating detailed blueprints of the protein-making machinery within cells, research that's being used to develop new antibiotics. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Thomas Steitz and Israeli Ada Yonath will split the $1.4 million award for their atom-by-atom description of ribosomes.
Top Mumbai hopitals get Canadian equipmentSeptember 30th, 2009 TORONTO - Canada's Imaging Dynamics Company (IDC), which has just sold its high-end digital radiography (DR) systems to three hospitals in Mumbai, said Tuesday it was making a big push into the expanding Indian medical market. The digital radiography (DR) systems replace the age-old film-based X-rays systems that are still used in most Indian hospitals.
Working mums' children 'less likely to lead healthy lives'September 29th, 2009 LONDON - Kids of working mothers are less healthy than those who stay at home, according to a new study. The study, which was conducted by Institute of Child Health on more than 12,500 five-year-olds, has been published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Child Health.
Lifestyle choices do affect cancer incidence and treatmentSeptember 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Lifestyle choices do affect the incidence and treatment of cancer, according to a study. Published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine (AJLM), the study looked at recent research on the five most common forms of cancer-lung, colorectal, breast, prostate and skin-and how some risk factors for these cancers can be lifestyle based and, therefore, controllable through alterations in human behaviour.
Consensus on optimal vitamin D dose lacking despite many health benefitsSeptember 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - While vitamin D is known to offer many benefits, there is no consensus on what level of the nutrient is optimal for good health, according to the Mayo Clinic Health Letter. The report points out that recent findings suggest that vitamin D offers many benefits, especially for older adults, such as improved balance, reduction in the risk of bone fractures, and better thinking skills such as planning, organizing and abstract thinking.
Vitamin C can help protect DNA damage of skin cellsSeptember 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers at the University of Leicester and Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology in Portugal have found that vitamin C can help protect DNA damage of skin cells and lead to better skin regeneration. Previous research has shown that DNA repair is upregulated in people consuming vitamin C supplements.
Scared of sun, this man hasn't stepped out for 25 yearsSeptember 8th, 2009 DHAMTARI - He hasn't stepped out of his house for 25 years. No, he isn't physically challenged.
Facebook may boost your brain's working memorySeptember 7th, 2009 LONDON - Some social networking sites, like Facebook, could help improve a person's working memory, according to an expert. Dr. Tracy Alloway, a psychologist at Stirling University, says that working memory - the ability to recall things over a short period of time - could be the key to success.
Life under threat as more ultraviolet radiation to hit earthSeptember 6th, 2009 TORONTO - Rapid climate changes are set to redistribute the already shrinking ozone layer, exposing earth's southern parts up to 20 percent more ultraviolet radiation, warns a Canadian study. Concentrated in the stratosphere from 10 km to 50 km above the earth, the ozone layer protects life on the planet by absorbing more than 90 percent of deadly ultraviolet rays coming from the sun.
