- Protein injection grows blood vessels in heart
Scientitsts have made human hearts grow tiny new blood vessels by injecting proteins, raising hopes that the procedure may one day be used to treat people with clogged heart arteries. The study was published in Tuesday's issue of 'Circulation,' a journal of the American Heart Association. Growing new vessels, or …
- Diabetics to try chemical pancreas
British scientists are developing an artificial pancreas that could save diabetics from the pain of daily injections. The device. which researchers hope could be implanted in the Patient's abdomen, releases a steady flow of insulin when the body needs it . This would put an end to the dangerous cycle …
- Spare the rabbit bleed the crab
Indian rabbits could, at last heave a sigh of relief if the Bangalore-based pharmaceutical equipment distributor's grand plans to domestically produce a reagent for testing fever-causing pyrogens fructifies. The Rs. 3-crore Salesworth India Pvt Ltd. respobsible for pharmaceutical equipment sales of $100-million in India, plans to produce limulus asmebocyte lysate …
- 'Radiation for safe blood transfusion'
Blood transfusions can be hazardous, even after matching the blood group and tests for various viral infections are performed, according to Prof Mammen Chandy of the CMC hopsital in Vellore. Speaking at the international conference on the application of radioisotopes and radiation in industrial development held recently here. Prof Chandy …
Tobacconists approved
In New Zealand tobacconists can breathe easy. The "T" world that has caused such angst is to be allowed to remain in the Yellow Pages. The Ministry of Health sought legal advice on whether the listing for tobacconists breached smokefree legislation and has decided it is OK.
-Action plan on traditional medicines sought
Experts from various disciplines of Indian system of medicines (ISM) have emphasised the need for an action plan for the development and maintenance of the traditional system of treatments of the coutry.Inaugurating the meeting of experts from different disciplines of medicine, Dr. P.S. Gopi, District Medical Officer (Ayurveda), said that …
International cancer prize for Indian specialist
The cancer specialist, Dr. Prafulla B. Desai, of the Tata Memorial Centre(TMC), Mumbai, has won the $150,000 Mucio Athayde Cancer prize for 1998 awarded by the International Union Against Cancer. Dr. Desai will receive the award at the 17th International Cancer Congress to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, …
- Stress must be on non-legislative methods
There was need for countries to develop non-legislative methods of controlling access to its biodiversity complementing its legislations, according to Ms. Kerry Kate, Biodiversity Convention Officer at the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens of the UK.He quoted this while speaking at the South and South-East Asian workshop on access and benefit-sharing …
- Rich nations flayed over toxic waste
The environmental group Greenpeace on Tuesday flayed rich countries for trying to continue dumping toxic waste on poor nations despite an international ban on the practice. Greenpeace said in a statement at the fourth conference of the Basle Convention, which backs a global ban on dumping toxic waste, that rich …
- China produces cow "gallstones" in factory
A Chinese bio-chemical pharmaceutical factory in Wuhan City of Central China's Hubei Province has begun the cultivation of bow-bezoar or cow-gallstone, a very precious medicinal material for traditional Chinese medicine.
- FDA clears Merck's new asthma drug
MERCK & Co said it won US Food and Drug Administration approval of its new asthma drug, Singulair.Singulair is a once-a-day pill for the treatment and prevention of asthma.
- Japanese assistance for health project
The Embassy of Japan has agreed to provide a financial assistance of US $21,325 to Ghartichhap Village Development Committee, Ghartichhap for the execution of the construction project of a sub health post and a hostel in FY 1997 under the grant assistance for grassroots project scheme of the Government of …
- 'Bird flu' fears are revived
Doctors in Hong Kong have found antibodies to the "bird flu" virus in health workers, renewing fears that the virus that killed six persons in Hong Kong could be spread by human contact.
- Brussels may toughen rules on BSE
European Union scientists appeared to back a UK ban on the sale of T-bone steak in a move which could herald a toughening of Brussels rules to prevent the spread of BSE, or mad cow disease. After a two day meeting they named dorsal root ganglia-nerve tissue connected to the …
NGO's review ABB's hydropower strategy
Hydropower has become a high risk-low return industry. This is the conclusion of an independent review of ABB's hydropower strategy which two NGOs, the Berne Declaration and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, published on Februrary 25. The report recommends that ABB reconsider its involvement in hydropower, and shift its …
- Stray dogs to be sterilised
As part of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme, stray dogs in T.Nagar area will be sterilised, given anti-rabies vaccine and tagged with Corporation licence during a three-month project slated to begin on March 1. Under the project to be launched by the 'Association for Stray dogs' Sterilisation, Adoption and …
Africa needs to focus on water control system, says FAO Director General
The Director of the United Nations Food And Agriculture Organisation(FAO) Dr. Jacques Diouf said that Africa has to understand that water control system, an indispensable factor of any policy that intends to secure self-sufficiency in grain production. During his talks with the Ethiopian President Negasso Gidada, the FAO director said …
- Germany tops blackmail league
Police in BadenWurttemberg are scouring supermarket shelves for baby food poisoned by a blackmailer demanding 800,000 marks (US $ 450,000) from Nestle, the food multinational.
- Team tests gene therapy for Parkinson's disease
A new gene therapy for Parkinson's disease has been developed by a research team from Nagoya City University, the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, and Fujita Health University. The team reports some success with animal experiments and aims to refine the technique to move on to human clinical tests.
- Chilika still a healthy wetland, say experts
Contrary to popular belief, Chilika, Asia's largest brackish water lake, continues to be a biologically healthy wet land. Ornithologist and wildlife experts say that the richness of species and avian diversification are the indexes of a biologically healthy wet land, which Chilika is, not the number of birds visiting per …
