Malignant malaria in Calcutta for second year running
Despite assurances given by the authorites about all preventive measures being taken, malignant malaria has struck the city again for the second consecutive year. Figures compiled by the Indian School of Tropical Medicine (ISTM) suggest that of the 1,700 blood samples checked till last month, 150 confirmed evidence of plasmodium …
Woman invents designer breasts
A Japanese "medical artist" is pioneering a new field with colour-changing body parts, including new breasts for women stricken by cancer and replacement fingers for Yakuza gangsters.
Cleansing of Dal Lake begins
The state authorities have begun cleaning the world -famous but fast shrinking Dal Lake in Srinagar. One of India's best known tourist attractions, the Dal Lake is getting a major clean up after years of neglect.
New method could help parents choose a baby's sex
Doctors at a fertility center near Washington report that they can substantially stake the odds that a couple using artificial insemination can have a baby of the sex they choose . The method, developed by the Genetics & IVF Institute in Fairfax, Virginia , involves sorting sperm by the amount …
It's spurious dal after fatal mustard oil
After spurious mustard oil, it is spurious dal that has arrived at various shops in the city. Ingenious manufacturers of pulses are now selling urad dal disguised as moong dal.What makes the camouflage so lucrative is the fact that the price of Moong dal is at least Rs 45 a …
Dam team cancels trip, but session is still on
Even as the World Commission on dams cancelled its proposed visit to Gujarat, the state has decided to go ahead with its special Assembly session on Friday. The Vidhan Sabha will meet for a day to voice it's solidarity on the Sardar Sarovar Narmada dam and to protest the visit …
Eastern Europeans fall for appeal of Western cigarettes
Over the past decade, leading western tobacco companies have capitalised on the opening of markets in the former communist countries. US and European tobacco companies now own all the cigarette factories in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, the Baltic states and Kazakhstan as well as some of the biggest in …
2 cases of 'mad cow' in France
Two news cases of "mad cow" disease have surfaced in France, bringing the number of cases discovered in the country so far this year to nine.
Herbal drugs to be divided into 4 groups
The Food and Drug Administration in Thailand plans to divide herbal drugs into four groups based on their production process so as to facilitate their registration. However, manufacturers have raised concerns such categorisation would further block the growth of small-scale industries and traditional healers. Dr Banphot Tonthirawongse, the deputy FDA …
Biomass liquid to increase engine efficiency
A Patna based oncologist, Dr. Kameshwarnath Mallik, has developed an agro-based biomass liquid concentrated titled Feacksol that can increase mileage and efficiency of automobile engines and other motor vehicles by 30 to 50 per cent. The product is recommended by the Petroleum Conversion Research Association (PCRA).
Gene-maize to fight cancer
In a major breakthrough, scientists have developed a genetically engineered maize strain capable of secreting human anti-bodies against cancer. According to a report published in the science journal, Scientific American, the 'plantbodies' secreted by the corn cells when purified and injected in a dose of 250 mg in cancer patients …
Drug can cure fatigue but at what cost?
There is a growing concern in Britain over clinical trials of a plant-based drug called galanthamine hydrobromide, now being tested to see whether it can help people suffering from chronic fatigue syndromes. Some health experts fear that the drug could be dangerous for many people with this condition and could …
New sub-types of AIDs virus confound researchers
India, all of a sudden, has become infected with multiple sub-types of Human Immuno Deficiency Virys (HIV) . This is alarming news because distinct sub-type can fuse and create a new tyupe of virus. "There is a very real scare that this is eventually going to happen," warns Dr Nitin …
New Sex pill for Women
After the stunning success of the male impotency pill Viagra, the pharmaceuticals industry is stepping up its efforts to help women with sex problems. At least six companies in the USA are developing pills and plasters to stimulate the female libido or increase the flow of blood to the genitals.
High Court to hear census case
The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether the Clinton Administration can use statistical sampling for the 2000 census. The justices will hear arguments in the case on Nov.30, a fast track that probably will lead to a decision by March.
New vaccine for malaria
Scientists at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in New Delhi claim to have developed two synthetic peptide vaccines for combating a lethal variety of malaria.
The biggest mass poisoning in history
When wells made clean drinking water available in every village in Bangladesh, the feat was greeted as a major public health victory. But in a bizzare turn of events, Bangldesh's tubewells have been secretly poisoining villagers. Arsenic has been traced to the ground water that villagers have been drinking and …
Mosquito diet
A mosquito pill that alters mosquito digestion, making it impossible for them to feed, lay eggs, or survive, has been perfected by U.S. scientists.
