President's stress on water conservation
The President, Mr.K.R. Narayanan, emphasised the need for promotion of a national water harvesting, saving and sharing movement with active involvement at the local levels for its success. He was inaugurating the JRD Tata Ecotechnology Centre of the M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation and laying the foundation stone for a biotechnlogy park …
Kidney stone breakthrough
Researchers at the University of Chicago have discovered that an anti-inflammatory protein called carlgranulin, previously detected only in white blood cells, may play an important role in the prevention of kidney stones.
Alarming rise in incidence of cerebral malaria
Cerebral malaria cases in the country have shown an increase this year. Over two lakh cases of the more lethal form of malaria have been reported so far. Last year, the number of cases reported up to this time of the year was about 40,000 less. There has been an …
UP drafts plan to reform public healthcare system
The Uttar Pradesh Government has shaped a plan to reform the delivery system in the State's health sector, by dedicating itself to the three-'S' motto - Samay, Swachhata and Sadvyavahar. Under the scheme, it would be obligatory for all medical and non-medical staff of the health department to be punctual, …
Project to forecast earthquakes launched
The Ministry of science and technology has launched an ambitious project to provide advance information on earthquakes. The project will also help in mapping petroleum sources. The National Geophysical Research Institute's (NGRI's) project has reached its trial stage. It is using a Param super computer to crunch data from sensors …
New Cauvery plan favours Karnataka
The BJP-led coalition has modified the draft of the Cauvery water-sharing scheme, dropping a provision in the original which would have given powers to a river authority to "take over" reservoirs in upper riparian states, chiefly Karnataka, if they failed to comply with orders to release water.
Zydus to make Hepatitis B vaccine
The Zydus group, the holding company of Cadila Healthcare Ltd, has signed a joint venture agreement with the $256-million Korea Green cross Corporation (KGCC) to manufacture and market recombinant Hepatitis B vaccine in India under the brand name 'HB Vac.'
EU to help manufacturers of drugs for rare diseases
Makers of drugs for the treatment of rare diseases-so-called "orphan drugs"-will be awarded exclusive distribution rights for 10 years throughout the European Union, allowing them to recover the costs associated with low-volume production.
Epidemic of AIDS babies brings new prescription on breast-feeding
Countering decades of promoting "breast is best" for infant nutrition, the United Nations is issuing recommendations intended to dicourage women infected with the AIDS virus from breast-feeding. The much-debated step aims at preventing transmission of the virus from mothers to babies in what UN officials say is "a runaway epidemic" …
Calls to ban diabetes drug
US consumer groups are urging that a popular diabetes drug, which they claim damages the liver and has caused 26 deaths, should be banned by the US government. The drug regulatory body, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is planning to upgrade its warnings to doctors over the drug, …
Skirts give way to salwars because of dengue, says minister
The new order by the education department of the Delhi Government has stated that school uniform for girls should be changed from skirts and blouse to salwar-kameez. The order, says the minister, is a precaution against the bite of the dengue mosquito bites.
Getting to the bottom of back pain
A new study by Jeffrey Lotz, director of the Orthopedic Bioengineerig Laboratory, and colleagues at the University of Calgary suggests the culprit to back pain is often gradual, long-term damage. By studying mice tails, which contain disks similar to those in human backs, Lotz's team discovered that forces equivalent to …
Implanted cells spell end for daily injections
Scientists believe diabetics will one day replace daily injections with an implanted container of cells that produce insulin naturally writes Sean Hargrave. Animal tests on the new technique have recently been set up by BetaGene, a Texan biomedical company. If successful, the company will begin human clinical trials, although it …
Moderate coffee consumption wards off ailments
Contrary to popular perceptions that coffee drinking is unsafe, scientific investigations have revealed that moderate coffee consumption might help in warding off many ailments instead of causing health hazards, two experts have said.
Niigata admits to deadly TB outbreak
An outbreak of tuberculosis in a nursing home in Niigata Prefecture of Japan that killed 12 people between April 1995 and May 1997 has only now come to light after prefectural officials failed to alert the Ministry of Health and Welfare at the first sign of trouble. The officials finally …
Feet bear the burden of lifelong activity
According to the American Medical Paediatric Association, after the age of 50, the incidence of problems like hammer toes, bunions, arthritis in the foot and ankle and toenail abnormalities increases by 70 to 100 percent. The Association estimates that by the age of 50, the average American has logged 75,000 …
Drugs that help asthma sufferers who exercise
People whose asthma kicks up when they exercise often have trouble finding the right type of treatment. But two new studies conducted by US scientists could help doctors more effectively control this common respiratory problem. Among the researcher's findings was that a common long term inhalant may lose its effectiveness …
Cancer is really an industrial epidemic
A new book by Sandra Steingraber 'Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment' says 90-95% of cancer is an epidemic of the industrial era due to environmental contamination and is therefore not an inherited disease. One half of all the world's cancer's occur among people living in …
Endoscope increases safety of heart surgery on infants
The National Cardiovascular Center in Japan said it has developed the world's first endoscope small and flexible enough to be inserted into the heart of an infant, providing a three-dimensional view of the inside of the tiny organ.
