Argemone on detection kit developed
With sale of mustard oil now banned in both Delhi and West Bengal, focus has shifted to an instrument developed at Lucknow, which could help housewives detect 'argemone'adulteration in the oil. The instrument, christened Fluorescence Detection Device (FDD) by Dr S K Khanna, deputy director and head of Food Technology …
Cholera positive cases on the decline
The Municipal Committee of Delhi today claimed that cholera positive cases had shown a major downward trend in the past three weeks. There were only 68 cases this week, 74 cases in the last week and 98 in the week before that. The highest weekly number for the year was …
5 more states ban sale of mustard oil
As more persons succumbed to dropsy in the Capital after comsuming adulterated mustard oil, five more states--UP, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa and Assam--on Friday banned the sale of mustard oil.
Even massage by oil may cause dropsy
Experts have warned that toxic argemone oil, used for adulterating mustard oil, can find a passage into the body not just through food, but even by a friendly massage.
Gene sheds new light on old question
Makoto Kuroo and his group from the Institute of Neuroscience has discovered that mice suffer from human like symptoms of aging when a single specific gene is disrupted. Mice born without a functional clotho gene have gone through all stages of life within three weeks of birth.
Technique primes, then hits target cells
A group at Nippon Medical School report success with a two stage method of gene insertion, in which two vectors are used in succession to get the gene into the target cell with higher precision. The first vector paves the way, introducing a gene that makes the target cell more …
Indian viagra by March
An Indian variant of viagra would hit the market in March next with the claim that it would not hit the customer's pocket much. Penigra, being manufactured by pharmaceutical gaint Cadla Healthcare Limited, would cost nearly Rs 80 a piece compared to the Pfizer's brand that is five times costlier, …
Better water supply for Taj zone
A comprehensive plan with an investment of Rs 121 crore has been drawn up for water supply, sewage and drainage in the Taj Trapezium Zone by the Uttar Pradesh Jal Sansthan.
Ayurvedic drug to treat diabetes
An ayurvedic drug to treat diabetes without any side effects has been identified by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) scientists. "Vijaysar", a bark extract of a plant Pterocarpus marsupium, was found to be effective to treating about 67 per cent of patients suffering from Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) …
Population growth rate edges downward
The rate of population growth has edged downward from 2.5 per cent to around 2.2 per cent while the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) has risen from 8 per cent to 45 per cent during the last 18 years, said a World Bank report. The draft report "Bangladesh, country assistance review" …
Government to form policies promoting use of 'green' vehicles
In an effort to make good on a promise to improve air quality, the Ministry of Transport in Japan, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and the Environment Agency will jointly design policies to promote vehicles that emit fewer greenhouse gases and other harmful particles. These governmental departments plan …
Animal cloning prompts drug guidelines
The Ministry of Health and Welfare in Japan is working on safety guidelines for pharmaceuticals produced from cloned animals. The move is in response to growing worldwide activities aimed at producing pharmaceuticals by combining animal cloning and gene-recombination technologies.
Mumbai is in the grip of Schizophrenia
On any given day, 20,000 persons-- or ten trainloads of people --equivalent to 02 per cent of Mumbai's population is in the grip of schizophrenia. "Mercifully, 90 per cent of them recover and go on to lead productive lives," says Dr Ravi Abhyankar, organising secretary of the western chapter of …
Arthritis under arrest
Last week, a U.S. Federal Drug Administration advisory panel recommended that the agency approve a new drug called Enbrel. The week before, the full FDA had given the nod to another anti-rheumatoid arthritis drug called Arava. The excitement began with a growing understanding of how rheumatoid arthritis works and doctors …
Vertex claims positive data for HIV drug
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, the Massachussetts-based biotechnology company, announced positive clinical trials data for a new HIV protease inhibitor, Agenerase, and signalled its intention to apply for clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration within the next 30 days.
Swallow at your own risk
Growing number of people are stepping daily into a potential minefield of substances loosely referred to as dietary supplements, many of which have little or nothing to do with the components of foods people normally consume. And increasingly these pill poppers are getting into trouble, suffering toxic reactions to deliberate …
Genentech's Herceptin gets approval in U.S.
Genentech Inc. won unusually swift U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to market its breast cancer drug, Herceptin, the first rifleshot attack on underlying causes of the disease. The drug, acts on a specific gene to slow the most aggressive form of metastatic breast cancer, which could add months or …
Novo pulls plug on drug seen as key to its growth
In a major blow to growth prospects, Novo Nordisk As scuttled development of levermeloxifene, a ballyhooed drug in advanced testing against osteporosis. Levormeloxifene had been viewed as the crown jewel in an aggressive research push that aimed to make Novo a powerhouse in female health care.
Another vaccine for the early years
The first experimental vaccine designed to prevent a common and often deadly group of early childhood infections has proved highly effective and may also reduce the number of troublesome ear infections in preschoolers, according to researchers. The vaccine prevents "invasive" pneumococcal diseases, including life-threatening bacterial meningitis, blood poisoning and pneumonia. …
