Health

London, Dec 02: A new device that will reduce the time to diagnose the ailment from several weeks to just a couple of minutes has been designed by British scientists.

The new device — APX — looks like a TV remote control with a pen like probe on its end. Researchers believe it will also ease the trauma of smear-testing for thousands of women.

The APX, originally developed at Sheffield University and now being developed by Sheffield technology firm Zilico Ltd, operates by passing a very mild electric current into the cervix and monitoring its movement through the cells.

Paris, December 02: French scientists have found a way to create human skin rapidly from stem cells, a discovery that could save the lives of many burns victims who are vulnerable to infection and now wait weeks for a skin graft.

The scientists made the breakthrough by creating a patch of human skin on a mouse’s back using stem cells — cells which have the ability to develop into any human cell.

Skin grafts have traditionally been created from cell cultures taken from the patient — a process that takes three weeks, too long for some patients suffering extensive burns.

London, December 02: Bizarre it may appear, but having two mothers may be the key to a longer lifespan in mice, at least, a new study has revealed.

Scientists in Japan have discovered that mice with two biological mothers but no father live about 30 percent longer than usual, in an pioneering experiment which they claim could have implications for understanding human ageing.

New Delhi, Dec 02: Five swine flu deaths were reported in the country Tuesday, taking the toll to 580, health authorities said here.

A record 198 new cases were also recorded. This takes the number of people affected with the virus to 18,396. While two deaths were reported from Rajasthan, one death each was recorded in Delhi, Punjab and Maharashtra.

According to officials, the death in Punjab had occurred earlier, but was confirmed Tuesday. In Punjab, four people have died due to the flu so far.

London, Dec 02: While many consider environmental factors such as stress, diet and smoking as the main factors leading to graying hair, a new study finds genes to be more important.

According to the study published in PLoS One, genetic factors and family history are more important than environmental factors in causing hair to turn gray.

Guwahati, December 02: 40-year-old Aktara is a former sex worker. However, the flesh trade still sustains her as she supplies girls and arranges customers. The trade has not just given her money but has also infected her with the HIV virus.

Former sex worker and HIV positive Aktara, “I did not join the profession on my own will. It was only after my marriage. My husband filed for divorcee. My child was one year and half year old and to look after my, child I became a sex worker. I tried other jobs but there was no luck.”

Brasilia, Dec 02: Brazilian mint tea, traditionally used to treat pain and different ailments, is as effective as commercially available analgesics in alleviating pain.

Mint tea is renowned for its healing properties in fighting digestive system problems such as stomach pains and flatulence.

Brazilian healers, however, had long been using a certain type of mint to treat various ailments from headaches and stomach pains to fever and the flu.

United Nations, Dec 02: The recommendations, based on the latest scientific data, also ask pregnant women to start taking the medicines as early as 14 weeks and continue throughout the breastfeeding period.

The UN has recommended intake of Antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) for breastfeeding women to reduce the mother-to-child HIV transmission risk to five per cent or lower.

The recommendations, based on the latest scientific data, also ask pregnant women to start taking the medicines as early as 14 weeks and continue throughout the breastfeeding period.

Washington, December 01: Love transcends all boundaries. It is love, which brings two strangers together. It helps in a better understanding between friends. It is the only way to show and express human emotions. A mere expression and true gesture of love can make anybody yours. However, the word is losing its force in today’s scenario and sex is gaining momentum. Sex – though, an essential aspect of anybody’s life – is incomplete without love.

London, December 01: Nearly 10,000 cancer patients needlessly die every year in Britain due to of late diagnosis, an official report has said.

The figure is double the earlier estimate of 5,000 fatalities, according to the report by the government’s director of cancer services.

Professor Mike Richards, who prepared the report, revised the estimate after studying the three deadliest forms of the disease — lung, bowel and breast cancer — that together kill almost 63,000 people a year in UK, The Guardian reported.

London, December 01: Believe it or not, loneliness spreads like a disease.

An international team has carried out the study and found that people who feel lonesome can spread that feeling to others “like a cold”.

The study found that lonely people tend to spread their outlook on life to others and that over time the whole group of lonely, disconnected people move to the fringes of society, ‘The Daily Telegraph’ reported.

Washington, December 01: The fear of anxiety may put people who are already severe worriers at risk for depression, says a new study.

Understanding this specific sensitivity may make it a potential target for treating depression in the future.

“Anxiety sensitivity has been called a fear of fear,” said Andres Viana, graduate student in psychology at Penn State University (PSU).

“Those with anxiety sensitivity are afraid of their anxiety because their interpretation is that something catastrophic is going to happen when their anxious sensations arise,” he said.

New Delhi, December 01:India had reassuring news on the HIV/AIDS front on World AIDS Day Tuesday. The number of HIV positive people in the country had declined by 400,000 over the last five years and new infections were down by at least 100,000 per year.

“In 2002, over 27 lakh (2.7 million) people in India were HIV positive. The number has gone down to 23 lakh (2.3 million) in 2007. We have reduced the number by over 400,000,” Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on the occasion of World AIDS Day here.

New Delhi, 01: Underlining the importance of collective efforts by various government departments to check the spread of HIV, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said controlling the virus was high on the priority of the government.

“The disease needs collective efforts and understanding of all our people to contain it from spreading.

Checking HIV/AIDS is a high priority of the government,” she said at the flagging off ceremony of the ‘Red Ribbon Express’, a dedicated train travelling across the country to spread awareness about the virus, on the occasion of World AIDS Day.

Washington, Dec 01: Loneliness, like a bad cold, is contagious too, according to a latest finding.

Using data from a large-scale study, following health conditions for more than 60 years, a team found that lonely people tend to share their loneliness with others.

Gradually over time, a group of lonely, disconnected people move to the fringes of social networks, says the study conducted by Universities of Chicago (UC), California-San Diego (UC-SD) and Havard.

Washington, Dec 01: Brain cells memorise a new task by rewiring themselves as soon as it is performed, says a new study.

University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) researchers made detailed observations of the rewiring processes that take place in the brain following an activity.

They studied mice trained to reach through a slot to get a seed. They observed rapid growth of structures that form connections (called synapses) between nerve cells in motor cortex, the brain layer that controls muscle movements.

Toronto, Dec 01: Younger people, those with children and less-educated individuals are more likely to experience anger, according to new research.

Compared to people with fewer years of education, the well-educated are less likely to experience anger and, when they do, they are more likely to act proactively (trying to change the situation or talking it over).

Drawing upon a national survey of more than 1,000 Americans aged 18 and older, Scott Schieman, sociology professor at the University of Toronto (UT), has come up with new findings about the most common negative emotion – anger.

Washington, Dec 01: Despite the beneficial effects of physical activity in keeping individuals healthy, a new study finds excessive exercise in the middle-aged population may lead to arthritis.

According to the study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, osteoarthritis particularly of the knee is more common in middle-aged individuals over-exercising.

London, Dec 01: Despite general belief, offering early but effective therapy can increase IQ levels in autistic toddlers and improve their language skills and behavior.

Based on existing guidelines, children are screened for autism at the ages of 18 and 24 months. The necessary treatment, however, is not started unless the child passes 30 months of age.

“It’s crucial, if we’re going to offer screening at such a young age, that we can offer an intervention, and now we know we have methods that are effective,” said lead researcher Geraldine Dawson.

Washington, Dec 01: The number of diabetics residing in the US will double in the next 25 years if no special policies tackling the issue are adopted, health officials say.

“We forecast that in the next 25 years, the population size of people with diabetes — both diagnosed and undiagnosed — will rise from approximately 24 million people to 44 million people by the year 2034,” said lead researcher Elbert S. Huang.

Washington, Dec 01: Natural lipid molecules commonly found in soy have shown promising results in treating colon cancer, a new study finds.

Previous studies had linked the consumption of soy-rich diets to various health benefits such as diminished menopausal symptoms, heart disease and kidney disorders.

According to the study published in Cancer Research, sphingadienes in soy can protect individuals against colon cancer through triggering the death of mutated cells.

Lucknow, Dec 01: Swine flu claimed its second victim in Uttar Pradesh on Monday. Amresh Sinha (37), a teacher, died at a private hospital in Lucknow’s Alam Bagh.

A resident of Rae Bareli, Sinha was brought to Lucknow last week and underwent tests at both SGPGI and a private testing center. “The reports came on November 28. He was in a serious condition and was put on ventilator as soon as he was admitted in Awadh Hospital, Alambagh.

He died early this morning,” said Chief Medical Superintendent AK Shukla.

New Delhi, November 30:Three years after a bill to protect the rights of people living with HIV-AIDS was drafted and cleared by the health ministry, it is yet to be introduced in parliament. A group of experts and victims Monday demanded that the bill be presented in the current winter session.

Washington, Nov 30 (IANS) If you are a middle-aged man or woman and tend to over- exercise, then you may unwittingly damage your knees, increasing chances of osteoarthritis, a new study says.

“Our data suggest that people with higher physical activity levels may be at greater risk for developing knee abnormalities and, thus, at higher risk for developing osteoarthritis,” said Christoph Stehling.

Stehling is a research fellow in radiology and biomedical imaging at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Jaipur, November 29: Fifty-nine more people have tested positive for swine flu in Rajasthan, raising the number of those afflicted with the illness in the state to 1488.

Twenty-eight fresh H1NI cases surfaced in Jodhpur, 21 in Jaipur, five in Kota, two each in Udaipur and Bikaner, and one in Ajmer, a state health official said.

As many as 42 people have succumbed to the swine flu in Rajasthan so far, he said.

–Agencies