Govt probe finds gutka harmful
Pan masala or chewing tobacco is injurious to health, a health ministry probe has finally concluded. The probe was conducted by the directorate-general of health services based on evidence gathered by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR).
Bill permits sale of patient data
Health care companies in US would have broad rights to disclose or sell patient information under a little-noticed provision in a major health bill that is about to reach the House floor. The legislation also would preempt manay state laws restricting such practices.
Cell study yields cancer clues
Melbourne scientists have grown a crystal that offers new hope for the treatment of diseases such as cancer and diabetes. The team has found out how animal cells receive and transmit a chemical that triggers growth, and, when out of control, can cause the growth of some cancer cells. 'If …
Burns treatment a killer
A standard treatment given to hospital patients suffering from burns, severe shock or blood loss might have caused thousands of deaths over 50 years, researchers have found. A human blood protein, called albumin, has been routinely administered intravenously to about 100,000 patients a year in the UK since it was …
'Post-surgery radiotherapy for lung cancer harmful'
The common practice of exposing lung cancer patients to radiation therapy after surgery may do more harm than good and should not be used routinely , a study published on Friday said. In the largest study of its kind, an international team of researchers combined information gathered over the past …
Enron takes to water with Wessex bid
US power compamy Enron Corp yesterday plunged into the global water business with an agreed 630 pence per share cash bid for Wessx Water Plc valuing the UK firm at 1.36 pound billion.Enron said it was forming a new company to pursue opportunities in the world's fragmented $300 billion water …
Uproar in Orissa Assembly over water tax hike
The hike in water tax by 2.5 times effected by the Orissa Government recently rocked the Assembly during Zero Hour with Opposition Janata Dal members demanding a discussion.Senior Congress member Nandini Satpathy also criticised the government decision and said the hike had hit farmers hard.
Study
Protection against Lyme diesase works : Lyme disease vaccines can prevent the tick-borne infection in most people who take it, say two new studies. But experts warn that even with an effective vaccine, it is not a good idea to go running barefoot through tick infested wilderness. Ticks, often referred …
Depression linked to pain in WHO study
More than one in five hospital patients report having persistent pain, with the condition causing depression and anxiety, a team of researchers have found.The study of 15 health centres in 14 countries found that an average of 22% of patients reported persistent pain lasting six months or longer. The proportion …
Infectious diseases claim over 500 lives in Nepal
More than 500 people living in remote rural areas in Nepal are reported to have died of infectious diseases since April. The government has come under sharp criticism for failing once again to provide basic medical facilities to villagers living in border regions, especially towards the north. About 20,000 people …
Indigenous tech lowers Hepatitis-B vaccine costs
Retail prices of the Hepatitis-B vaccine are set to crash following an offer by Shanta Biotech, the first Indian manufacturer, to supply the vaccine at Rs 75 a dose for public health programme. The health ministry is planning a mass immunisation programme against Hepatitis-B which is emerging as a killer …
Viagra deaths
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirms that 39 men have died while taking the anti-impotency drug Viagra. The FDA says 85 percent of the patients had one or more risk factors reported for coronary artery disease, and almost half the victims died within three hours of sexual activity. On …
Shortage of Vitamin B1 may force multivitamins off market
Consumers may soon have to do without their regular multivitamin dose, if the government fails to tackle the acute shortage of vitamin B1, the bulk active used in a range of multivitamins and vitamin B complex drugs. The entire problem has been aggravated by the stoppage of production of vitamin …
Where it's good to be old
About 16% of Japan's 126 million people are now over 65. By 2015, the figure could be one in four. The reason for this is improving health care, allowing people to live longer, coupled with a declining birth rate. The Japanese have the highest life expectancy in the world. At …
Stem cells breakthrough
For decades, researchers have imagined treating human diseases by replacing damaged cells with stem cells-embryonic cells from which all kinds of cells develop. Now scientists at the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (Ninds) have shown that neural stem cells can be multiplied and raised to maturity in …
Japan auto groups to set up CFC recovery system
The Japan Automobile Manufacturers' Association (JAMA) said it and six other auto industry groups would establish a nationwide plan to recover and destroy chloroflurocarbons (CFCs) in the air conditioners of discarded automobiles in Japan.
Beans for health
Nutritional scientists in the U.K. believe that soya beans may give babies a life-long defence against heart disease and cancer. They are conducting research into why Asian women who eat a soya-rich diet have a much lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases and cancers compared to those people who eat Western …
Dozens of mice cloned in Hawaii
An international team has cloned not one mouse, but dozens, from adult mice, US researchers said on Wednesday. Ryuzo Yanagimachi of the University of Hawaii and colleagues said they had cloned several generations of mice and hoped their method would prove to be a breakthrough for both animal breeding and …
Drive against polio needs a boost
Pakistan appears to remain far behind in attaining the goal of polio eradication by the year 2000 as some 101 acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases, including 45 confirmed polio cases, have been reported in Sindh during the last six months. The Minimum requirement for any country to be declared Polio- …
Gujarat starts getting Narmada project dues
The process of Gujarat getting the participating states'share for the Narmada project in accordance with the agreement reached with the governments of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra has already begun. Narmada development minister Jainarayan Vyas told this newspaper that a sum of Rs 29.3 crore has already been received from …
