New York, Nov 07: Children whose mothers have taken folic acid supplements in late pregnancy are at greater risk of developing allergic asthma, researchers said.
According to a recent study by University of Adelaide’s Robinson Institute, supplemental folic acid in late pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of asthma in children at the age of 3 to 5 years.
London, Nov 07: In what could raise hopes of thousands of families, scientists have managed to halt a rare brain disease that kills boys by the time of adolescence through an experimental gene therapy.
During the treatment, the team of doctors used a virus known as a lentivirus — a disabled form of HIV — to deliver working genes into two Spanish boys suffering from X-linked drenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a common form of brain disease that affects boys at an early age of six.
Hamburg, November 07: The recent study has shown that intake of coffee during night-shifts negatively affects quality of sleep during day, and this phenomenon goes on worsening with the age.
Caffeine can interfere with sleep.
Research team led by Julie Carrier, a Universite de Montreal psychology professor, analyzed data collected from twenty-four men and women. The study subjects were divided in two groups.
Pune, Nov 07: A sneeze here raises eyebrows and coughing makes people nervy. It goes without saying that you are in Pune, which has emerged as the epicentre of swine flu with its 100th victim.
A lurking fear pervading the city for the last three months after the death of 14-year-old school girl Reeda Shaikh on August 3 – India’s first H1N1 fatality – has hit social life but Pune, with its population of 35 lakh, is braving the pandemic which has killed 206 people in Maharashtra.
Pune, November 07: A sneeze raises eyebrows and coughing makes people nervous in the city, which has emerged as the epicentre of swine flu with 100 casualties.
A lurking fear pervading the city for the last three months after the death of 14-year-old school girl Reeda Shaikh on August 3 – India’s first H1N1 fatality – has hit social life in Pune, with its population of 35 lakh.
New Delhi, November 06: Twenty five new dengue cases were recorded in Delhi Friday, taking the number of people affected by the vector-borne disease to 489, health officials said.
The Delhi government has appointed a nodal officer to whom all dengue cases will be reported by government and private hospitals.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi attributed the rise in dengue cases to stagnant water found at the various under-construction Commonwealth Games sites in the city.
New Delhi, November 06:Twenty five new dengue cases were recorded in Delhi Friday, taking the number of people affected by the vector-borne disease to 489, health officials said.
The Delhi government has appointed a nodal officer to whom all dengue cases will be reported by government and private hospitals.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi attributed the rise in dengue cases to stagnant water found at the various under-construction Commonwealth Games sites in the city.
London, November 06: Adding tomatoes to diet will not only help you in reducing weight, but it will also satiate your hunger. Recent study showed that tomato can help in shedding extra pounds.
It is believed that lycopene that gives tomato its red colour has the ability to lower the levels of hunger hormones such as ghrelin hence leading to satisfaction of a person’s hunger even in lower quantities.
Ahmedabad, November 04: India, which is home to highest number of diabetics in the world, will have around 51 million patients of the disease by 2010 and that figure may go up to 80 million by 2030, a leading diabetes expert said today.
Chennai-based V Mohan said this during media briefing about the four-day conference of RSSDI (Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India) beginning here from tomorrow.
The annual conference will have more than 3,000 delegates, including 250 from abroad, 109 faculty members and 13 foreign scientists, he said.
Seoul, November 04: South Korean health officials said Wednesday three more people have died of swine flu, raising to 45 the number of fatalities from the viral disease in the country, news agency reported on Wednesday.
A three-year-old baby and two men were the latest victims of the H1N1 virus, the health and family affairs ministry said in a statement.
“The baby had no symptoms of pneumonia, but there was a possibility that the virus might have intruded into his brain,” said Kwon Joon-wook of the Korea Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bhubaneswar, November 03: Three more students tested positive swine flu in a residential girls’ school in Orissa’s Sundergarh district, officials said Tuesday. Two girls had already been detected to be infected Sunday.
“Four swab samples had been sent to regional medical research center. Three of them were found to be positive,” Gopinath Mahalik, director of health, told IANS.
He, however, said that there is no need to panic.
New Delhi, November 03: Two more people succumbed to the contagious swine flu Tuesday, taking the toll in India to 477, health authorities said here.
At least 76 new cases were reported in the country, taking the total number of people affected with the virus to 14,049.
One death was reported from Maharashtra and Kerala each.
With the latest casualty, the toll in Maharashtra has gone up to 204 – the highest in the country.
In Kerala, 16 people have died.
Toronto, November 03:Even one cigarette has serious adverse effects on young adults, according to new research.
The study found that smoking one cigarette increases the stiffness of the arteries in 18 to 30 year olds by a whopping 25 percent.
Arteries that are stiff or rigid increase resistance in the blood vessels, making the heart work harder. The stiffer the artery, the greater the risk for heart disease or stroke.
Sydney, November 02:An increased waistline is not only bad for your health but can lead to decreased bedroom activity, according to researchers.
“I’m exploring the effects of being overweight or obese on sexual relationships, both the frequency of, and intensity of sexual activity,” Frances Quirk, a professor at James Cook University said.
There are several biological and physical factors that can lead to a decrease in sexual functionality.
Hamburg, November 02: Antibodies that could guard against HIV infection and therefore help to prevent AIDS can now be produced in genetically modified plants, according to a team of German scientists.
The researchers say they have helped to establish the fundamental principles required to produce the HIV-neutralizing antibody 2G12 in genetically modified tobacco plants and are now providing the materials needed for clinical testing.
Every year, about 2.7 million people become infected with HIV.
New Delhi, November 01: Fourteen cases of dengue were confirmed Sunday morning, taking the total number of cases of the vector-borne disease in the national capital to 366, a health department official said.
“As of today (Sunday) morning, there were 366 confirmed cases of dengue in Delhi. This is no alarming figure since the numbers of those affected has been consistent,” NK Yadav, chief medical officer of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), told an agency.
On Saturday, the total number of cases recorded was 352.
Geneva, October 31: More than 700 people have died of swine flu this week raising the number of fatalities from the viral disease to 5,712 worldwide, Xinhua reported citing the UN health agency Friday.
Of all the deaths, 4,175 occurred in the Americas, 605 occurred in South-East Asia and 465 occurred in the West Pacific. Europe, East Mediterranean and Africa reported 281, 111 and 75 deaths respectively, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said in a latest update Friday.
Chandigarh, October 31: A 14-year-old girl died from Influenza A (H1N1) virus Saturday, becoming the third swine flu casualty here, a health official said.
The victim was a native of Karnal town in Haryana, around 130 km from here. She was a student of Class 7 and was staying in the hostel of Sant Nikka Singh Model School in Karnal.
London, October 31: Kissing is considered a symbol of love and affection, but scientists claim it may have evolved for reasons less fascinating and more practical.
The scientists believe kissing is developed to pass on a dangerous bug called cytomegalovirus from man to woman.
The virus, which lurks in saliva, normally causes no problem but can prove dangerous during pregnancy, killing the unborn baby or causing birth defects, including problems ranging from deafness to cerebral palsy, claim the scientists.
–PTI
Washington, October 30: Sleep disorder seems to be one of the major health concerns in the US as a new study found that 29 per cent of Americans get less than the required seven hours of sleep a day.
According to the study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 70 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep and wakefulness disorders.
Chronic lack of sleep could cause serious health hazards, including depression, obesity and high cholesterol.
Washington, October 30: The need to eat healthy food during pregnancy for the health of unborn child is a well established fact. Recent study has shown that intake of vegetables during pregnancy can reduce the risk of Type 1 Diabetes in the child.
During type 1 diabetes, certain cells in the pancreas fail to produce insulin hence leading to insulin deficiency.
The recent study was based on the data collected from 6,000 five-year-olds. Children who are at higher risk of developing type-1 diabetes generally have high level of antibodies in blood, which attack insulin-producing cells.
Washington, October 30: Recent study revealed that using double embryos doesn’t increase chances of pregnancy, but it increases the risk of multiple births and complications related to it.
Earlier doctors used to transfer half a dozen embryos with a belief that at least one embryo would develop into a healthy fetus. With the passage of time and improvement in technology, the chances ofpregnancy were increased with implanting of fewer embryos.
But, the debate regarding benefits and problems linked with implanting two embryos as compared to one still continues.
London, October 29: The Government’s chief drug adviser claims substances like ecstasy, LSD and cannabis are less dangerous than both alcohol and cigarettes.
Professor David Nutt, chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, also attacks the decision to make cannabis a class B drug.
He accuses former home secretary Jacqui Smith, who reclassified the drug, of “distorting and devaluing” scientific research.
Prof Nutt said smoking cannabis created only a “relatively small risk” of psychotic illness.
New Delhi, October 29:Brain stroke is the third largest killer in India after heart attack and cancer. And on World Stroke Day Thursday, experts say that awareness and immediate medical help can save the life of a person suffering a stroke.
A study by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which was released in June, says that the incidence of stroke in India is around 130 per 100,000 people every year. It further says that about 20 percent of heart patients are susceptible to it.
New Delhi, October 28: Six swine flu deaths, including four from Puducherry, were reported Wednesday, taking the toll due to Influenza A (H1N1) virus in India to 457, health authorities said here.
One death each was reported from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, and four from Puducherry. So far, five people have died in Puducherry due to the virus.
With one more death in Maharashtra, the toll in the state has jumped to 196 – the highest in the country.
Tamil Nadu’s toll due to the contagious virus has gone to seven, authorities said.