Miscellaneous News

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Warning on the “raw water” drinking trend

For a few years now several companies have been marketing “raw water” that has been bottled directly from natural sources such as springs and small water bodies without filtration and treatment.

11 Jan 2018

Three in Five First-Time Smokers Become Daily Smokers, Says Study

New analysis of survey data suggests that nearly 61% of people who try their first cigarette become daily smokers, at least temporarily.

10 Jan 2018

CDC says Romaine lettuce cannot be blamed yet for the E. coli outbreak

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Romaine lettuce alone cannot be blamed for the outbreak of E. coli infections that has already affected 57 people in the United States and Canada. The infections are all due to E. coli O157:H7 strain of the bacteria that produces the Shiga toxin.

10 Jan 2018

Alcohol related hangovers may soon be passé with the advent of “safer” alternatives

Professor David Nutt, previously chairman of the United Kingdom’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs and now teaching at Imperial College, believes that having a hangover after a an episode of binge drinking would soon be a thing of the past. A new synthetic alcohol called “alcosynth” could provide the pleasures of alcohol consumption without the harmful side effects.

19 Dec 2017

Tobacco safer when “heated not burnt” say manufacturers – health panel unconvinced

Tobacco companies now say that tobacco is safer when “heated not burned”. A government advisory body has negated these claims saying that even heated, tobacco containing products have chemicals that can cause serious harm to health.

17 Dec 2017

5 kg of metal removed from man’s stomach

Doctors in Madhya Pradesh India, recently were shocked to find 5 kg of iron objects in a man’s stomach while operating on him for a suspected stomach bug.

26 Nov 2017

Pregnant mother in a coma wakes three months after delivery

A 33 years old woman from Victoria developed a severe case of influenza A or flu in August this year during her pregnancy with her first child. She developed severe complications from the flu and went into a coma and was placed at the intensive care unit at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital

19 Nov 2017

Electrochemistry method provides easy access to important classes of compounds

Electrochemistry has undergone a renaissance in recent years and numerous research groups are currently working on the environmentally friendly production or conversion of molecules. However, despite the superiority of electrochemistry, its application to various molecules has been problematic.

17 Nov 2017

FDA warning on miracle marijuana cures for cancer

Yesterday, 1st November 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, released a statement warning the general public against fraudulent claims regarding marijuana based cancer cures. The FDA has also issued warnings in writing to four companies that are selling such products online illegally. These products are being advertised as miracle cures for cancers and several serious conditions.

2 Nov 2017

Rutgers scientists find efficient way to enhance nutritional value of corn

Rutgers scientists have found an efficient way to enhance the nutritional value of corn - the world's largest commodity crop - by inserting a bacterial gene that causes it to produce a key nutrient called methionine, according to a new study.

9 Oct 2017

Indus Valley ground water in Pakistan shows alarmingly high levels of arsenic

Analysis of water supplies in Pakistan has shown abnormally high levels of Arsenic putting 60 million residents at risk of Arsenic poisoning. The study evaluated and analyzed around 1,200 groundwater quality samples from various parts of the country. Over the Indus plain the results show levels of Arsenic that are way above the World Health Organization (WHO) safety guidelines’ recommendations. The study was published in the journal, Science Advances.

23 Aug 2017

Researchers create rum flavor lexicon to accurately describe nuances found in different varieties

Aficionados use words like "oaky" to describe some wines, or "hoppy" when talking about certain beers. But for rum—a product with over 1,000 different varieties—putting the words together to describe what imbibers are smelling and tasting is a bit more difficult.

31 Jul 2017

27 contact lenses removed from a woman’s eye: Case report

A “bluish foreign body” or mass was detected in the eye of a 67 year old British lady. Medical staff initially thought it was a disease or a due to old age that her eye appeared discoloured. Then much to their surprise they noted that it was actually not a disease or cataract but a mass of 27 contact lenses. They reported the unusual case where they pulled out the 27 lenses from her eye successfully. The team with a two decade experience in eye surgery reported that this was the first time they came across something like this.

17 Jul 2017

Scientists urge caution on common antimicrobial chemicals Triclosan and Triclocarban

There are two ingredients, triclosan and triclocarban, that are used in several cleaning products such as soaps, toothpastes, detergents, carpets, paints etc. They are mainly used to kill the microbes such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. These chemicals however persist in the environment and continue to pose a risk says a new stud

20 Jun 2017

Innocuous start to opioid addition: A 1980 letter that started it all

In a letter to the Editor published this Wednesday (31st May 2017), a group of Canadian researchers have disclosed how a sting of words coming from a notable doctor nearly 4 decades ago was the seed that led to a nationwide epidemic of misuse and abuse of opioid painkiller drugs such as Vicodin and OxyContin.

1 Jun 2017

Canines in Florida are hit with a contagious dog flu strain

Hundreds of dogs are hit with dog flu over the last couple of years. In a new development, this flu strain has hit Florida for the first time. At least a dozen dogs have been down with the virus according to a report issued by the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine on the 31st of May 2017.

1 Jun 2017

Biovica appoints Samuel Rotstein as Scientific Advisor

Dr Rotstein received his Ph.D at Karolinska Institutet and has worked as an oncologist for almost 40 years. He was previously Head of Department at the Oncology Clinic at Danderyd Hospital where he together with his colleagues built and managed a highly-appreciated breast cancer clinic.

26 May 2017

Level of devotion toward religious beliefs can predict person’s behavior

Robert Lynch, a postdoctoral fellow in anthropology, says the level of devotion one feels toward religious beliefs can predict how that person likely will interact with members of his own group or with members outside of the group.

24 May 2017

Atomic Kitten Natasha Hamilton leads 'black henna' temporary tattoo warning

Atomic Kitten Natasha Hamilton is backing a British Skin Foundation campaign to #AvoidBlackHenna as summer approaches. She joins us in warning the public of the dangers of so-called ‘black henna’ temporary tattoos (BHTTs) after her son suffered a reaction earlier this year. Upon returning from a holiday in Morocco, Alfie aged six was left with a scar on his leg where the BHTT had been.

2 May 2017

Arizona State University earns 14 NSF early career faculty awards

Arizona State University has earned 14 National Science Foundation early career faculty awards, ranking second among all university recipients of the prestigious awards for 2017 and setting a new ASU record. The awards total $7 million in funding for the ASU researchers over five years.

28 Apr 2017