<p><span id="itro1">This new report by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology draws attention to the multiple benefits & threats of human nutrient use. It highlights how nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers
Win it to make your house allergen-free on a pest control call, Ranjan Sapra did a recce of a bungalow in Delhi. The director of Pest Cure, a private pest control service provider, checked the manhole, the racks, old furniture pieces and the dustbin in the backyard leading out of the kitchen. He instructed his applicator, who quickly mixed insecticide malathion and water in the spray
Children in Dhaka have a high percentage of lead in their blood. If lead is allowed to invade the body it can affect the intelligence of children and harm internal organs. But this is not the only
The killer disease of tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the developing countries where about 32 per cent of the population are infected by TB bacilli. Bangladesh
Did you think that chocolates are safe for your child? Think again. Chocolate firms are under scrutiny in California. Recently, the American Environmental Safety Institute, an environmental group,
hospitals will soon be under an obligation to hand over medical records to the patients. Failure to provide the treatment records will lead to imprisonment. This is one of the major provisions
An electrical technique developed at the Pacific Northwest National Labo ratory, USA, would help clean contaminated land. In this process, electric current is employed to heat the soil that leads to
Novartis, the Swiss pharmaceutical group, is stepping up the case for use of its experimental pandemic flu vaccine even ahead of a new virus mutation that could trigger a future lethal outbreak in humans. Jorg Reinhardt, head of vaccines and diagnostics, said the company would publish scientific data showing that its H5 vaccine stimulates rapid protection with a second booster jab against pandemic flu strains for at least seven years. Many specialists believe two flu injections may be necessary to provide significant protection from a pandemic, but there is far less current global capacity than supply. Reinhardt said a single flu vaccine shot would normally only offer protection after four to six weeks, but an initial jab would allow a subsequent booster to become effective within two to three days. His remarks come at a time of fierce competition between vaccine companies, which have invested significantly in pandemic flu and are attempting to recover their costs as international concern wanes. Companies including Baxter, Sanofi-Aventis and Solvay are all making arguments for the advantages of their own products, and GlaxoSmithKline raised the profile of its H5N1 vaccine last year when it agreed to donate to a "solidarity' stockpile for poor countries. World Health Organisation officials caution against labelling such products "pre-pandemic' vaccines, because they will only be effective if it is a mutation of the current H5N1 bird flu strain that triggers a pandemic. Others remain cautious about any preventative vaccination because of the cost and strain on public health systems, and concern that widespread use could trigger side effects. Reinhardt stressed it was up to the governments to decide whether or not to buy and use his vaccine. "We will share the data with everyone who is willing to listen and make the scientific argument that it provides protection,' he said. His comments came as Novartis unveiled a new Institute for Global Health at its vaccines research office in Siena, which will attempt to develop non-profit vaccines to protect against three salmonella-based infections that cause diarrhoea, one of the leading causes of disease and death in young children around the world. He said the institute, mirroring its work in Singapore to find medicines to treat illnesses for which there is no commercial market, would employ 50 scientists within three years and seek support from funds such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Institute by the end of this year.
seaweed found on beaches across Britain may provide some important clues to scientists about the process through which cancer develops. Researchers at the University of West of England, Bristol,
A Florida judge on Monday upheld a jury's award of a record &145 billion in punitive damages against leading US companies in a class action lawsuit brought by sick smokers in Florida, setting the
Leading Indian virologists say that people returning from Hong Kong should be screened to detect carriers of the new influenza virus which has created panic
After a century-long buildup in cigarette smoking, the world is turning away from cigarettes, following the U.S. lead. In 1999 cigarettes smoked per person in the United States fell by a staggering 8
Experimental evidence suggests that aluminium is a potent neurotoxin. Chronic exposure to aluminium can lead to diseases of the brain, bone and blood. According to the Indian Council of Medical
Ealier this year, AIDS became the leading killer in Africa, a mere 18 years after the infection was first recognized. But if political and religious leaders had responded with effective public health
In a discovery that could lead to powerful new vaccines and antibiotics, researchers have isolated a key gene that bacteria use to launch killer infections. Researchers at the University of
Highly toxic waste from metal miningposes a major threat to the environment and human health across Europe, and existing laws can do little to solve the problem, a leading environmental group said.
For the first time in two decades, most of the leading US Republican presidential candidates are trying to push an abortion ban off the top of the party's agenda, removing from the political
Laboratory studies last year showed that antioxidants in green tea help prevent the cell damage that can lead to cancer. Now it appears the leaves may hold even greater good fortune. Scientists at
Too many reforms at one go. The result ought to be chaos. And so it is the Calcutta's leading government hospitals. Superintendents have given up because they have no formal government order. Even if
Vitamin A deficiency leading to Nictalopia Xeraphthalmia, Karatomalacia and subsequent blindness, is common among children in Assam. So profilitic Vitamin A therapy is needed for the children to
