Researchers find patterns in cancer mystery at oil cos
Medical researchers looking into a puzzling outbreak of brain tumors at an Amoco Corp Research Centre say they have made an important step towards finding the cause of the problem. Since 1989, 17 cases of head tumors have turned up among research and development workers at Amoco's Naperville Research Center …
Rapid population growth not a thing of the past
With birth rates around the world falling, one can expect fewer people through the next century. That scenario, U.S. think tanks say, is cause for concern. "Mounting evidence from rich nations and poor, strongly suggests that the population explosion is fizzling," says Ben Wattenberg, a senior fellow at the Washington …
A breast cancer risk
False alarms : Nearly one third of all American women who undergo annual breast cancer checkups for a decade can expect to get at least one false alarm, wrongly suggesting the presence of a tumor, according to new research that focuses on the hidden financial and emotional costs of breast …
China moves to reform medical coverage in cities
China has drawn up reforms for its backward medical care system that aim to provide coverage for all urban workers and could generate more business for Western insurance companies. Under the plan, which is scheduled to be announced at a high level meeting, China will set up a unified medical …
MP asks Centre for fresh tribunal on Narmada row
In a significant move, the Madhya Pradesh Government is learnt to have urged the Government of India to constitute a fresh tribunal for adjudication over the use, distribution and control of the waters of the Narmada rivers as Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan have failed to implement the award of the …
Wafers on the brain
Brain tumors are one of the most frighening forms of cancer as they damage the soft sponge, packed inside the skull, that controls our lives. But there is glimmer of hope from a radical new treatment which doubles survival time and may increase the survival rate. In the new procedure, …
Private channels for self-regulation on liquor, tobacco ads
Representatives of private satellite TV channels in India told the government that they favoured self-regulation regarding the airing of liquor and tobacco advertisements. At a meeting which I&B; minister Sushma Swaraj could not attend - the new secretary P G Mankad conducted the meeting - the private TV channels said …
Database to check HIV treatment
A confidential database of people being treated for HIV andtheir medical regimes will be set up later this year to address concerns that thousands of HIV patients are not on medication. The database, one of the first in the world, will record how manypatients are on the latest drugs, what …
Humans may follow sheep in cloning, say scientist
Breakthroughs flowing from the cloning of Dolly the sheep may eventually cure paraplegia and serious diseases like malaria and Parkinson's disease, scientists said yesterday. Cloning technologies could also help save the lives of thousands of people awaiting organ transplantation, Professor Ian Wilmut Dolly's creator, said in Melbourne yesterday. Professor Wilmut, …
702 areas affected
A total of 702 areas will be affected in the water rationing exercise involving more than 1.8 million people in the Klang Valley from Monday. The 352 new areas which come under the exercise receive supply from the Sungai Semenyih water treatment plant.
Law
Malaysia set to lead in tropical biodiversity : The National Biodiversity Policy will transform Malaysia into a world centre of excellence in conservation, research and utilisation of tropical biodiversity by the year 2000. It will serve as a guideline for government agencies to ensure that rapid development in the country …
31 test HIV positive in Aligarh
The AIDS scare has hit the Aligarh city as 31 patients has tested HIV positive at the AIDS Surveillance Centre, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College at Aligarh Muslim University. Among these, 27 belong to Aligarh district, two were from Mumbai and one each from Etah and Badaun, a spokesperson from the …
Wafers on the brain
Brain tumors are one of the most frighening forms of cancer as they damage the soft sponge, packed inside the skull, that controls our lives. But there is glimmer of hope from a radical new treatment which doubles survival time and may increase the survival rate. In the new procedure, …
Torture rehabilitation to be part of medical syllabus
A new subject - rehabilitation of torture victims - might be introduced in the medical curriculum in all medical colleges in the country. It was learnt that the Indian Medical Association has approached the Medical Council of India and a decision to this effect would be taken within a month.
Process makes power from old lumber
A group of German researchers has developed a process for converting unwanted wood into gas, which can be used to generate electricity and heat. The process uses "fluidised bed gassification" to convert the wood into gas, which is then cooled and used as fuel for an engine.
Igniting a conflict of interest groups
The gloves are finally off in Washington and the real fight over tobacco legislation has begun. After months of talking about compromises and consensus the issue has now come down to a head to head fight.
A blow for cold sufferers
New approaches to preventing colds could be opened up by the discovery of the structure of part of the receptor that allows cold viruses to enter the body. US researchers found that a common cold virus - rhinovirus 16 - contains 60 sites capable of connecting to a receptor, called …
- 'Leprosy becoming drug resistant'
At a time when the Maharashtra government and the WHO boast of how close they are to eradicating leprosy by the year 2000, a recent house-to-house survey conducted by the state has shown a sharp upswing in the number of new case. The survey conducted in January and February this …
- Delayed World Bank funded TB project to take off in July
Prime Minister Vajpayee's concern expressed in Parliament over the alarming rise of tuberculosis in India has translated into action. The central government's tuberculosis project based on the Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course (DOTS), funded by the World Bank last year is expected to be implemented by the first week of …
- Mini blood purifier
A miniature device to remove impurities from the human body has been developed by Russian scientists. The device, called biological fluids corrector, has been developed at Moscow's Sklifosovsky Ambulance Institute by MiKhail Kutushow.
