Lifestyle

Washington, July 17: Playing active video games can be as beneficial for kids as moderate exercise, says a new study.

Research by Oklahoma University (OU) paediatricians shows that active video games offer a great alternative to moderate exercise for sedentary kids who may be at high risk of obesity and diabetes.

“These exer-games are no substitute for ?real’ sports activities, but if kids play them as designed and stay engaged, they can burn several calories per hour above their sedentary level,” said Kevin Short, principal project investigator.

London, July 17: Tart and tangy with an underlying sweetness, grapefruit has a juiciness which rivals that of the ever popular orange and sparkles with many of the same health promoting benefits.

And, now researchers are on track to develop a pill from a chemical compound in grapefruit, which they claim would help obese people shed the flab and diabetics control their blood sugar levels.

Melbourne, July 17: A common gene mutation, previously thought of as harmless, can increase a person’s risk of bowel cancer, a new study has revealed.

Researchers in Australia have found that people with the defect and who had a cancer predisposing abnormality were three times more likely to develop bowel cancer, the latest edition of the ‘International Journal of Cancer’ reported.

Hong Kong, July 17: Scientists have mapped out the genomes of two parasites that cause snail fever, a disease that afflicts 210 million rural people worldwide and for which there is still no vaccine.

Only one drug currently exists to fight the disease, which is also known as Schistomiasis. Experts hope that by laying out the genetic structure of the parasites, new drugs can be designed to fight them.

Washington, July 17: Scientists have discovered how skin cancers manage to slip past the human immune system, a finding which they claim could pave the way for developing new treatment against the disease.

An international team, led by Sydney University, has in fact identified a compound produced by certain fatal skin cancer tumours, the latest edition of the ‘Immunology and Cell Biology’ journal reported.

Washington, July 16: Scientists have discovered how skin cancers manage to slip past the human immune system, a finding which they claim could pave the way for developing new treatment against the disease.

An international team, led by Sydney University, has in fact identified a compound produced by certain fatal skin cancer tumours, the latest edition of the ‘Immunology and Cell Biology’ journal reported.

London, July 16: Tart and tangy with an underlying sweetness, grapefruit has a juiciness which rivals that of the ever popular orange and sparkles with many of the same health promoting benefits.

And, now researchers are on track to develop a pill from a chemical compound in grapefruit, which they claim would help obese people shed the flab and diabetics control their blood sugar levels.

Pune, July 16: Two more cases of H1N1 virus—a boy and a girl– have been detected in the city taking the total of the Swine flu affected persons to 11.

The fresh cases were being treated with WHO prescribed medicines at the quarantined ward of the civic Naidu hospital, official sources said here today.

The two teenagers were believed to have contracted the virus through a 16-year-old boy, who returned here from the US after a youth cultural exchange programme on July 8, hospital source said.

Mumbai, July 16: Delhi hospitals have refused blood donations from homosexuals.

Even as the gay debate simmers in India, with homosexuals rejoicing at section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (criminalising homosexuality) being abolished, a report in yesterday’s Hindustan Times underlines the sentiment that it is not just the law, but the attitude towards homosexuality that needs to change.

Washington, July 16: Scientists have discovered how skin cancers manage to slip past the human immune system, a finding which they claim could pave the way for developing new treatment against the disease.

An international team, led by Sydney University, has in fact identified a compound produced by certain fatal skin cancer tumours, the latest edition of the ‘Immunology and Cell Biology’ journal reported.

Sydney, July 16: As many as 6,000 people could die from H1N1 in Australia this season in a “worst case scenario” if no preventive measures or vaccines are found, Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon said on Thursday.

The H1N1 influenza has killed 21 people in Australia so far and there are 10,387 confirmed cases, according to data compiled by Australia’s health department.

“We could expect around 6,000 deaths across the country,” Roxon told local radio. “That is the really worst case scenario that is being projected at the moment.”

Sydney, July 16: A widespread gene mutation, once thought to be a trivial abnormality, adds significantly to the risk of developing bowel cancer, according to a new study.

Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) deputy director John Olynyk, who co-authored the study, said people with the defect — present in one in every 36 Caucasians — and who had a cancer pre-disposing abnormality were three times more likely to develop bowel cancer.

Washington, July 16: Use of probiotics after a gastric bypass can help obese patients lose weight at a faster pace and avoid vitamin-B deficiency, according to the latest study.

Probiotics are the so-called ‘good’ bacteria found in yoghurt as well as in over-the-counter dietary supplements that help in digestion of food.

John Morton, associate professor of surgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine (SUSM), found that patients who take probiotics after the gastric-bypass, tend to shed more pounds than those who don’t take them.

Washington, July 16: New tests assessing brain changes and body chemistry are showing promise at diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease in its earliest stages, aiding the search for new drugs, researchers said on Tuesday.

In one study, Irish researchers found scans measuring brain volume and a combination of memory tests accurately identified nearly 95 percent of people who had progressed from mild cognitive impairment to early Alzheimer’s disease.

New Delhi, July 16: World Health Organisation (WHO) officials on Monday said the H1N1 virus was “unstoppable” but Indian health authorities claim it is very much under control in the country and there is no reason to worry.

Till Tuesday, the total number of swine flu cases in India was 251, of which 141 have been treated and discharged from hospitals. Globally, WHO has reported 94,512 H1N1 cases in 135 countries. There have been 429 deaths. India has not reported a single H1N1 death so far.

Hyderabad, July 15: Tupperware India, a leading direct selling company, plans to diversify into beauty and nutrition and ramp up its business presence and the manufacturing of existing range of products for kitchen and home.

Tupperware managing director Asha Gupta Wednesday said the firm would enter the beauty and nutrition sectors, which had “tremendous potential”, in two to three years.

“For now, we will continue to concentrate on existing products,” Gupta told reporters on the sidelines of a recruitment session to hire 1,200 women as consultants to sell products.

Washington, July 15: In a landmark research, neuroscientists have located the neurons responsible for fear conditioning in the mammalian brain, a development that will facilitate better understanding and treatment for human phobias and anxiety disorders.

Researchers at the University of Washington used an imaging technique, which enabled them to trace the process of neural activation in the brains of rats, to pinpoint the basolateral nucleus in the region of the brain, called the amygdala, as the place where fear conditioning is encoded.

London, July 15: ound that obesity is linked to the onset of diabetes, a key breakthrough which they claim could lead to the design of a drug to prevent the disease.

A new study has revealed that fat cells release a protein, called pigment epithelium-derived factor, that makes muscle and liver ignore insulin, triggering a chain of events and interactions that lead to development of Type 2 diabetes.

Prof Matthew Watt of Monash University, who led the team, said: “When PEDF is released into the bloodstream, it causes the muscle and liver to become desensitised to insulin.

London, July 15: Scientists claim to have found that chronic seizures following head injuries may be a result of the brain trying to repair itself, a finding which could prevent some of the most common forms of adult epilepsy.

For decades, researchers have focused on neurons as the culprits in seizures, which can actually be characterised as debilitating “electrical storms” in the brain.

Now, a team at Colorado University has found that micro-glial cells play a major role in seizures.

Washington, July 15: A baby born to an older mother may have a slightly higher risk for many of the cancers that occur during childhood, according to a new study.

“Our finding shows that although the absolute risk is low, advancing maternal age may be a factor and explain why, after other factors are adjusted for, some children get cancer,” said Logan Spector, professor of paediatrics, University of Minnesota (U-M).

London, July 15: In a bid to keep cancer at bay, more and more people are turning to green tea. However, a new review of studies on the effect of green tea on cancer prevention has yielded conflicting results.

Researchers looked at 51 medium-to-high-quality studies, conducted from 1985 through 2008, that covered more than 1.6 million participants.

The studies focused on the relationship between green tea consumption and a variety of cancers, including of breast, lung, digestive tract, urological prostate, and gynecological and oral cancers.

Kathmandu, July 15: With the detection of five fresh cases of swine flu in Nepal, the number of people suffering from the disease has gone up to 14 in the country.

Ministry of Health confirmed yesterday that five more people have been diagnosed with AH1N1 virus, which causes swine flu.

A 45-year-old Australian and four Nepalese are the newly infected patients, who were returning from the USA.

While, the Australian has gone back to his country, the others are under special supervision, health officials said, adding drugs are being administered to them.

Washington, July 15: Use of probiotics after a gastric bypass can help obese patients lose weight at a faster pace and avoid vitamin-B deficiency, according to the latest study.

Probiotics are the so-called ‘good’ bacteria found in yoghurt as well as in over-the-counter dietary supplements that help in digestion of food.

John Morton, associate professor of surgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine (SUSM), found that patients who take probiotics after the gastric-bypass, tend to shed more pounds than those who don’t take them.

London, July 15: The world’s top health official cast doubt over plans to vaccinate millions of people against the “unstoppable” swine flu pandemic, saying immunisations would not be available for months.

The comments by World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan came as Australia reported a spike in cases and Argentina dramatically upped its toll of those killed by the virus from 94 to 137 over the last three days.

New Delhi, July 15: India has a neo-natal mortality rate of 36 per thousand live births with the maximum cases being reported from the states of Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.

Both MP and Orissa have a neo-natal mortality rate of 49 per thousand live births.

The lowest rate was in Kerala which had only seven neo-natal deaths per thousand live births, the Lok Sabha was informed today.

The primary causes of neo-natal deaths are sepsis, low birth weight and asphyxia, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said in reply to a written question.