Indian men smoking like never before

Indian men smoking like never before

While the US is upbeat at reducing number of tobacco users, there has been an alarming growth in the number of daily smokers globally, including in India. More people are smoking in India now, 110 million, compared to just 74.5 million smokers over three decades back, claimed a study published in the Journal of American […]

Iraqi woman gets new breast after surgery

Iraqi woman gets new breast after surgery

A 20-year-old Iraqi woman, suffering from a rare medical condition characterised by an underdeveloped breast, got a new right breast after undergoing surgery at a hospital here, a doctor said Tuesday. The woman named Iman was suffering from “Poland Syndrome”, in which her right breast was missing. Her breast was tubular shaped, ptotic and completely […]

Stimulating brain cells stops binge drinking

Stimulating brain cells stops binge drinking

It is now possible to use gene therapy in the brain to not only treat binge drinking but other substance abuse, neurological diseases and mental illnesses. Researchers at the University at Buffalo have found a way to change alcohol drinking behaviour in rodents, using the emerging technique of optogenetics – using light to stimulate neurons. […]

Breakthrough for type-2 diabetes: Indian-origin scientist

Breakthrough for type-2 diabetes: Indian-origin scientist

If a single gene is not functioning properly, insulin is not released into the bloodstream to regulate blood sugar levels – leading to type 2 diabetes, claims a scientist of Indian origin. A research team led by Bellur S. Prabhakar, professor and head of microbiology and immunology at University of Illinois at Chicago College of […]

German scientists develop artificial bone marrow

German scientists develop artificial bone marrow

German scientists have developed a prototype of artificial bone marrow, which can simplify the treatment of leukemia in a few years, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) announced Friday. Scientists from KIT, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart and the University of Tubingen have artificially recreated basic properties of the natural bone marrow in […]

China, Japan high on R&D spending, US slides

China, Japan high on R&D spending, US slides

China and Japan, for the first time, are spending big on biomedical research and development, while the spending by the US has come down. Triggered almost entirely by reduced investment from industry, the R&D spending in the US dropped from $131 billion to $119 billion when adjusted for inflation from 2007-12, while China increased spending […]

New breast cancer treatment in the offing?

New breast cancer treatment in the offing?

More women are now undergoing early tests that reveal pre-cancerous breast tissue. Early diagnosis can save lives but in reality, few of those lesions go on to become tumours – and doctors have no good way of predicting which ones will. As a result, many women have to undergo surgery who might never develop the […]

Beware women who do binge drinking

Beware women who do binge drinking

Women who do binge drinking face a risk of birth defects known as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) that leads to growth retardation, head and face abnormalities and neurological problems. Till date, it was believed that FAS also caused heart problems in just over half of those with this condition but remained largely a mystery how. […]

Imaging technology helps fight bad cold virus

Imaging technology helps fight bad cold virus

Is your toddler suffering from bad cold again? It could be respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). A new high-end imaging technology studying the structure of the RSV virion and its activity in living cells could help researchers unlock the secrets of the virus – how it enters cells, replicates, how many genomes it inserts into its […]

Fructose itself has no impact on heart disease: study

Fructose itself has no impact on heart disease: study

Fructose, naturally found in fruit, vegetables and honey, is the sugar often blamed for the obesity epidemic and doctors the world over warn against having an excess of it. A new research has shown that fructose does not itself has any impact on an emerging marker for the risk of cardiovascular disease known as post-prandial […]