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Indian Government Announces New Online Network to Connect Organ Donor and Recipient

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The Indian government has announced the launch of a new online network which will provide details related to organ transplantation, such as blood groups and availability of organs for transplantation. The online network, which is being set up under the soon to come up National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) would list all potential donors and recipients along with information like their blood groups and other medical details, a senior health ministry ...

Homeless Charity Chief Says Prince William 'Very Excited' About Fatherhood

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The chief executive of a homeless charity organization in Britain revealed that Prince William is 'very excited' on the prospect of becoming a father. "He is looking forward to being a dad. He's very excited about it," People magazine quoted Seyi Obakin, chief executive of the charity Centrepoint - whose aim is to help homeless young people -, as saying. During the secret visit to Centrepoint's Bruce House in London earlier this week, the royal patron ...

Functional Flow Reserve in Diagnostic Coronary Angiography Changes Decisions in 25 Percent of Cases

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A new study presented at the EuroPCR 2013 reveals that measuring fractional flow reserve (FFR) with the help of pressure wire assessment during coronary angiography for diagnosis of chest pain can provide significant changes in the management of almost quarter of the patients. The RIPCORD (Does routine pressure wire assessment influence management strategy at coronary angiography for diagnosis of chest pain) study was designed to assess whether routine assessment ...

Different Psychiatric Diseases Affect Different Neuron Networks in Brain

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A new study presented at the 2013 Canadian Neuroscience Meeting by Wester University's Dr Peter Williamson suggests that the neuron networks in the brain affected by psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia, bipolar disease or depression differ with the type of the disease. Previously, researchers had attempted to use genetic approaches to help explain the biological basis of neuropsychiatric diseases, but genetics can only explain a small percentage of cases. ...

Organic Food Consumption Among Affluent Indian Households Substantially Increased in the Last Five Years

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A new survey revealed that the amount of organic food consumption among two in three Indians from high income group families has substantially increased over the last five years. There has been a major shift in consumer preferences for organic foods with purchases notching a hike of 95 percent in the past five years, the survey by Associated Chambers of Commerce (and) Industry of India (Assocham) said. The nationwide survey, 'Rising Demand of Organic Products ...

Report Underlines Top 10 Qualities of an Exceptional Boss

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One of the first lessons in business these days is to figure out who to listen to and who not to. The Huffington Post has come up with 10 traits that show who an exceptional boss is and who is not. Accepting responsibility and hold themselves and others accountable is among the primary qualities of a good boss. Secondly, the good bosses are not full of surprises. One of the simple facts of management is that everyone's got issues, some more ...

Experts Say Prolonged Sitting Could Shorten Our Lives

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Adults who sat eleven or more hours a day are at an increased risk of dying compared with those who sat for fewer than four hours a day, says study. "That morning walk or trip to the gym is still necessary, but it's also important to avoid prolonged sitting," the paper quoted study author Dr. Hidde van der Ploeg, of the University of Sydney's School of Public Health, as saying in a statement. According to him, their results suggest the time ...

Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure Revealed

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Recent study has revealed simple, easy natural ways to lower blood pressure. High blood pressure can boost the risks of leading killers such as heart attack and stroke, as well as aneurysms, cognitive decline, and kidney failure. Go for power walks: Hypertensive patients who went for fitness walks at a brisk pace lowered pressure by almost 8 mmhg over 6 mmhg. Exercise helps the heart use oxygen more efficiently, so it doesn't work as hard to pump blood. Slow ...

Daily Calcium Requirement

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Daily calcium needs for men, women and children listed in this calcium requirement calculator that indicates your daily-recommended calcium level and gives you suggestions to maintain bone health.

Sea Anemone Compound Effective in Anti-obesity Studies

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ShK-186 - a compound derived from a sea anemone toxin shows potential as a treatment for obesity and insulin resistance, say scientists. The findings reveal that ShK-186 selectively blocks the activity of a protein that promotes inflammation through the Kv1.3 potassium channel. The study presents the first evidence that the drug candidate - which in March showed positive results in a Phase 1 safety clinical trial - may also work in an anti-obesity capacity. ...

Study to Detect Genes Pre-disposing to Anorexia Nervosa

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A study in Australia will hopefully provide information on the genes responsible for the eating disorder, anorexia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is a disorder in which a person is obsessed with maintaining low body weight. It commonly affects young adolescent women; the women severely restrict their eating, exercise vigorously, and may even vomit excessive food, with the sole purpose of remaining thin. Anorexia nervosa has a genetic ...

Scientists Discover Baby Heart Disease Gene

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A gene that is associated with a form of congenital heart disease found in newborns has been discovered by Newcastle University scientists. Professor Bernard Keavney led the team of researchers that analysed more than 2,000 newborns, who were born with a hole in their heart, the BBC reported. Keavney said that his team found that a common genetic variation near a gene called Msx1 was strongly associated with the risk of a particular type of congenital ...

Heart Failure Increases Risk of Male Menopause

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Heart failure boosts the aging process and risk of early andropausal syndrome (AS), finds study. According to the research presented at the Heart Failure Congress 2013, AS, also referred to as male "menopause", was four times more common in men with heart failure. As men get older they are more likely to suffer from andropausal syndrome (AS), also called "menopause", androgen deficiency in the aging male (ADAM), or late-onset hypogonadism. Men ...

Study Says Women Who Smoke and Drink are at Higher Risk Than Men

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According to a recent study, women who smoke and drink heavily are at an increased risk of early death than men who do the same. Data taken from a Europe-wide survey of some 380,000 people aged 40 and older, revealed that women faced a disproportional risk from the already well-known ill effects of heavy alcohol and tobacco use. Of the group, followed over an average period of 12 years, 26,411 died during the study period, said a report by French ...

GATA-3 Crucial for Regulation of the Immune System

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The protein GATA-3 plays an important role in mammalian immune response, but its overall function in cell development and cancer formation is not well understood. In an effort to further define the importance of GATA-3, researchers at the University of North Carolina have traced how the protein performs important functions in CD8+T-cell type of the immune system. GATA-3''s role in CD4 T-cells has been widely studied, but its role in CD8+ cells has received much ...

Team Sport Makes a Marked Difference to Academic Performance in Kids

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A new research has found that team sport is the only extracurricular activity that makes a marked difference to academic grades achieved by students. Teenagers belonging to sports clubs - as opposed to activities such as drama or debating - are also more likely to complete their education and enter higher education, Daily Mail reported. The findings follow a recent survey which revealed that physical education in British schools had been reduced despite ...

Hands-free Device Increase Driving Errors

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Scientists have found the dangers of using hands-free cellular devices while driving. A pilot study by Yagesh Bhambhani, a professor in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, and his graduate student Mayank Rehani, showed that drivers who talk using a hands-free cellular device made significantly more driving errors - such as crossing the centre line, speeding and changing lanes without signalling - compared with just driving without being ...

Slovak Wines Stand Out Among Global Competitors

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Slovak wines make a mark among global competition and connoisseurs enjoy its unique aroma and taste. Deep shades of red and vermilion catch the light as connoisseurs raise their half-full glasses to examine the colour of the wine before sinking their noses in to inhale enticing aromas. A sip, a swish and a spit is a wine-tasting ritual at prestigious competitions the world over. This May, it was performed on a grand scale in Central Europe for the first ...

Delhi Restaurants Make It to List of Asia's Best

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Three of the capital's tony eateries are among a list of 101 Best Restaurants in Asia 2013. Varq at The Taj Mahal Hotel that serves Indian cuisine was ranked at number six and ITC Maurya's Bukhara, frequented for its delectable north Indian cuisine, was at number 24. The Taj Palace Hotel's Orient Express, which specialises in French cuisine, was ranked at 55. The other Indian restaurants which made it to the list include Indigo in Mumbai ...

Monkey Teeth Enables an Idea of the Time When Neanderthal Baby was Weaned

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Researchers from the US and Australia have claimed that they can now use fossil teeth to calculate when a Neanderthal baby was weaned. The new technique is based in part on knowledge gained from studies of teeth from human infants and from monkeys at the California National Primate Research Center at the University of California, Davis. Using the new technique, the researchers concluded that at least one Neanderthal baby was weaned at much the same ...

Adults can Learn Just Like Kids

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Learning in adults can happen in just the same way as kids, a recent research seems to suggest. A new study suggests that as adults, we actually lose confidence in our ability to learn as we age and lack of time and self-esteem stand in the way of adults picking up new skills, Daily Mail reported. Children are more open and unembarrassed while learning anything new. As adults, it could be lacking the free time of childhood or getting ...

MRI-based Measurement Helps Predict Vascular Disease in the Brain: Study

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According to a new study published in the June issue the journal iRadiology/i, aortic arch pulse wave velocity, a measure of arterial stiffness, is a strong independent predictor of disease of the vessels that supply blood to the brain. "Pulse wave velocity from the aortic arch provides functional information about vessel compliance that may help determine a patient's risk for cerebrovascular disease down the road," said Kevin S. King, M.D., assistant professor ...

Recommendations for Management of High Blood Glucose in Hospitalized Patients Issued By ACP

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High blood glucose is associated with poor outcomes in hospitalized patients. Use of intensive insulin therapy (IIT) to control hyperglycemia is a common practice in hospitals. But the recent evidence does not show a consistent benefit and even shows harms associated with the use of IIT, according to the American College of Physicians' (ACP) Clinical Guidelines Committee in a new evidence-based paper published today online in the iAmerican Journal of Medical Quality/i. ...

Toxic Ozone Pollution Sees Hike Due To Delhi Heat

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There is more to the sizzling heat than rising temperatures in Delhi. Uunusually high levels of toxic ozone in the city in the past two weeks were found by scientists. Exposure to high levels of ozone induces adverse effects not only on health but damages vegetation and eco-systems, according to scientists. "Delhi's air is known to get polluted mainly due to the rise in particulate matters which can be felt when visibility becomes poor on extreme days," ...

Spinal Surgery On 104-year-old Successful

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Doctors said that in a veritable medical miracle, a 104-year-old man successfully underwent spinal surgery within weeks of recovering from a heart operation. "While the spine procedure in itself was simple, there were multiple risks considering the age of the patient and the prior medical history," said Sandeep Vaishya, additional director, neurology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon. "We had to weigh the patient's heart strength including ...

Everest 60th Anniversary Marked By New Records And Reflection

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In a remarkable feat of endurance and strength of the human spirit, sixty years ago this week two men became the first to stand on the roof of the world. As the May 29 anniversary of Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary's summit of Mount Everest approaches, hundreds of people from all walks of life, and with varying motivations, are trying to follow in their footsteps. With May the ideal month to climb in the Himalayas, some 500 have already succeeded ...

Important for Young Children to Attend Well-child Visits

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Young children who missed more than half of recommended well-child visits had up to twice the risk of hospitalization compared to children who attended most of their visits, according to a study published today in the iAmerican Journal of Managed Care/i. The study included more than 20,000 children enrolled at Group Health Cooperative. Children with chronic conditions like asthma and heart disease were even more likely to be hospitalized when they missed visits, ...

Boost Body's Natural Flu Killers, Suggest Researchers

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The ability of the flu viruses to mutate is a known difficulty in fighting influenza and thus evade various medications that were previously found to be effective. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have shown recently that another, more promising, approach is to focus on improving drugs that boost the body's natural flu killer system. Emergence of new influenza strains, such as the recent avian influenza (H5N1) and swine influenza (H1N1 ...

Novel Strategy Needed in the Quest for Alzheimer's Drugs

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In the search for medication against Alzheimer's disease, scientists have focused - among other factors - on drugs that can break down Amyloid beta (A-beta). After all, it is the accumulation of A-beta that causes the known plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. Starting point for the formation of A-beta is APP. Alessia Soldano and Bassem Hassan (VIB/KU Leuven) were the first to unravel the function of APPL - the fruit-fly version of APP - in the brain of healthy fruit ...

Depression Common Among Children and Adolescents With Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

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Children and adolescents with seizures involving the temporal lobe are likely to have clinically significant behavioral problems and psychiatric illness, especially depression, determined a new study. Findings published in iEpilepsia/i, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), highlight the importance of routine psychiatric evaluation for pediatric epilepsy patients-particularly for those who do not respond ...

Protein Preps Cells to Survive Stress of Chemotherapy

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Researchers have uncovered a survival mechanism that occurs in breast cells that have just turned premalignant-cells on the cusp between normalcy and cancers-which may lead to new methods of stopping tumors. In their iMolecular Cell/i study, the Salk Institute researchers report that a protein known as transforming growth factor beta (TGF-I), considered a tumor suppressor in early cancer development, can actually promote cancer once a cell drifts into a pre-cancerous ...

New Target Identified to Boost Plant Resistance to Insects and Pathogens

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Plants have evolved unique and sophisticated immune systems to defend themselves against insects and pathogens as they can't swat a bug or run away from one, that doesn't mean that plants can't fight back. Plant hormones called jasmonates play an important role in this defense, but jasmonates have been found to also be important for plant growth. Now, researchers reporting in the May 23 issue of the Cell Press journal iMolecular Cell/i have discovered a gene ...

Brain Waves Used to Create 3D Printed Object

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A technology company from Chile has claimed to print world's first physical object using the power of the mind. According to technology blog neurogadget.com, George Lakowsky, the CTO for Thinker Thing, a self-described "creative group" managed to successfully create an object using a brain-computer interface headset. Lakowsky used the interface to form a 3-D shape using his thoughts that were then sent to a 3-D printer for fabrication of the object- ...

Potential Alternative Drug Therapies for Neuroblastoma Uncovered

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Nearly two-thirds of patients with high-risk neuroblastoma cannot be cured using tumor-killing cancer drugs. Neuroblastoma is a common tumor that forms in the nerve cells of children. A study published by Cell Press in the May 23 issue of iChemistry (and) Biology/i reveals a new genomic approach to screen for compounds that could inhibit tumor growth by causing cancer cells to differentiate, or convert from immature cells to more specialized cell types. Using this ...

Using 3D Printers Invisibility Cloaks can Now be Created at Home

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Anyone who can spend a couple thousand dollars on a non-industry grade 3-D printer can literally make a plastic cloak overnight that masks small objects under specific wavelengths of light, a Duke University engineer has said. Three-dimensional printing, technically known as stereolithographic fabrication, has become increasingly popular, not only among industry, but for personal use. It involves a moving nozzle guided by a computer program laying down successive ...

Healthy Minds can be Trained to be More Compassionate

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Till today, little was scientifically known about the human potential to cultivate compassion. A new study by researchers at the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center of the University of Wisconsin-Madison shows that adults can be trained to be more compassionate. The report investigates whether training adults in compassion can result in greater altruistic behavior and related changes in neural systems underlying compassion. ...

Schizophrenia Symptoms Eliminated in Mice Model

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Scientists have shown in mice models that overexpression of a gene associated with schizophrenia causes classic symptoms of the disorder that are reversed when gene expression returns to normal. They genetically engineered mice so they could turn up levels of neuregulin-1 to mimic high levels found in some patients then return levels to normal, said Dr. Lin Mei, Director of the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia ...

Scientists Use New Fluorescent Tools for Cancer Diagnosis

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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and other non-coding RNAs are small molecules that help control the expression of specific proteins, in recent years. They have emerged as disease biomarkers. miRNA profiles have been used to establish tissue origin for cancers of unknown primary origin, determine prognosis, monitor therapeutic responses and screen for disease, but clinically tractable, diagnostic methods for monitoring miRNA expression in patient samples are not currently available. In ...

Researchers Try Modulating the Immune System to Combat Metastatic Cancer

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By avoiding detection and destruction by the immune system, cancer cells spread and grow. Stimulation of the immune system can help to eliminate cancer cells; however, there are many factors that cause the immune system to ignore cancer cells. Regulatory T cells are immune cells that function to suppress the immune system response. In this issue of the iJournal of Clinical Investigation/i, researchers led by Ronald Levy at Stanford University found that regulatory ...

For Stroke-related Disabilities Regenerating Spinal Cord Fibers Could be A Solution

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A study by researchers found "substantial evidence" that a regenerative process involving damaged nerve fibers in the spinal cord could hold the key to better functional recovery by most stroke victims. The researchers are from Henry Ford Hospital. The findings may offer new hope to those who suffer stroke, the leading cause of long-term disability in adults. Although most stroke victims recover some ability to voluntarily use their hands and other body parts, about half are ...

Promising Strategy to Help Vaccines Outsmart HIV Highlighted By OHSU Research

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A new discovery an ingenious method to ensure the body effectively reacts when infected with the highly evasive HIV virus that causes AIDS. The discovery was made at Oregon Health (and) Science University. The same team of researchers has been utilizing this unique approach to develop its own HIV vaccine candidate, which has so far shown promising results in animal studies. This latest research finding will be published in the May 24, 2013, edition of the journal iScience/i. ...

Research Finds Link Between War Support and PTSD

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Soldier PTSD influenced by public level of support for war. Soldiers returning home from combat may be at a heightened risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder if public support for a war effort is low, according to recent research. Social validation or invalidation shapes the level of distress soldiers feel from the act of killing, the researchers say. The study involved two experiments that asked participants to exterminate woodlice in a modified ...

Rate of Bicycle-related Fatalities Significantly Lower in States With Helmet Laws: Research

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Bicyclists who wear helmets have an 88 percent lower risk of brain injury according to existing research, but researchers at Boston Children's Hospital found that simply having bicycle helmet laws in place showed a 20 percent decrease in deaths and injuries for children younger than 16 who were in bicycle-motor vehicle collisions. The cross-sectional study, conducted by William P. Meehan III, MD, Lois K. Lee, MD, MPH, Rebekah C. Mannix, MD, MPH of Boston Children's ...

Experts: Healthcare Needs Government, Private Partnership

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A group of experts said that to provide quality healthcare, the government, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies should come together. India Health Progress (IHP), a healthcare forum brought together experts at a conference to discuss and deliberate 'Access to Healthcare'. "About 85 percent of healthcare costs are paid by the end consumer. To reduce this burden, innovative models of partnership amongst government, insurance companies and ...

Protest Against Gay Marriage In Paris Gets Heavy Security

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Ahead of a mass protest in Paris against a new gay marriage law, with hardline activists expected to mingle among 200,000 demonstratorsl, the French police were on alert. Trouble started late Saturday when 50 opponents of gay marriage were arrested in central Paris, according to police. The demonstration on Saturday took place along the French capital's iconic Champs-Elysees, a week after France became the 14th country to legalise same-sex marriage. ...

Poll: Germany 'Most Popular Country' in the World

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An annual poll for the BBC World Service revealed that Germany is the most popular country in the world despite well-publicised protests against its insistence on austerity measures within the European Union. More than 26,000 people from around the world were asked to rate 16 countries on whether their global influence was "mainly positive" or "mainly negative". Some 59 percent of those polled rated Germany as having a positive influence, while at ...

Chefs Suggest You Boost Your Nutrition Intake With Salads

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Chefs suggest east-to-prepare summer salads which can help you feel cool in the soaring temperatures. They recommend nutritious and light preparations to beat the heat. Two chefs share recipes of summer salads. "You can put vegetables or meat of your choice (in your salad). A well-constituted salad has Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Vitamin A. All the nutrients help to increase your immunity and fight diseases," executive sous chef Danish Ashraf at Renaissance ...

Indian Firm's iPhone App Under FDA Scanner

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A Mumbai-based medical technology firm has been asked by the US Food and Drug Administration to explain why it had not taken approval from the agency prior to releasing an app through which users can analyze their urine samples from their smartphones. The firm, Biosense, had developed an app known as uChek for iPhone through which smartphone users can analyze snapshots of their urine samples to detect a number of diseases, including diabetes, urinary tract infection ...

US Parents Feel They Cannot Stop Substance Abuse Among Their Teenaged Children

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More than 20 percent of parents in the US believe that they can do little in preventing their teenage children from indulging in illegal substance abuse, a new survey revealed. The survey was carried out by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and involved more than 67,000 Americans over the age of 12 years. The researchers found that over 22.3 percent of the parents of children between 12 and 17 years of age believed that they had ...

People With High IQ Cannot Detect Large Background Movements

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A new study published in the journal Current Biology reveals that people with high IQ are not able to quickly detect large background movements as their brains manage to filter out non-essential information. The study was conducted by researchers at University of Rochester who asked 53 people to take part in a visual test which involved them watching short video clips of black and white bars moving across a computer screen. Some of the clips were small and filled only ...

Brit Man Suffered from Walking Corpse Syndrome for Nine Years

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A British man suffered from a rare condition that made him think that he is no longer alive for the last nine years. The man, who has been identified only as Graham, suffered from a condition known as Cotard's Syndrome, which is also called 'Walking Corpse Syndrome'. When the doctors revealed their diagnosis to the man, he did not believe them and insisted he was dead. Graham suffered from severe depression nine years ago and even attempted suicide by immersing ...

Death Toll Caused by SARS-Like Virus in Saudi Rises to 18

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The death toll caused by SARS-like coronavirus in Saudi Arabia has risen to 18 after health officials reported of the death of an 81-year old woman who died due to the virus. "An 81-year-old woman who was suffering from kidney failure as well as other chronic illnesses has died" in the eastern Al-Ahsaa region of oil-rich Saudi Arabia after contracting the virus, it said. Saudi Arabia counts by far the most cases, with 30 confirmed infections and 18 ...

Alzheimer's Cancer Drug Study Questioned by Scientists

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A highly publicized study that touted a cancer drug's success against Alzheimer's disease in mice could not be replicated by four separate teams of scientists. "We wanted to repeat the study to see if we could build on it, and we couldn't," said David Borchelt, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Florida, noting that "it was important to publish the fact." "Maybe there should be some caution going forward in regard to patients," he added. ...