Research News

A mushroom which has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries could help treat obesity. According to the researchers at Chang Gung University in Taiwan, the fungus called Ganoderma lucidum slowed weight gain by altering bacteria in the gut in mice and could be a potential treatment of obesity.

A new research by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has found that infrared dry blanching prior to blanching may improve the retention of water-soluble vitamins, like vitamin C in dried mangoes. The new blanching process can be especially relevant in places where water is scarce and the consumers can benefit from dried fruits and vegetables with enhanced nutritional value. The study findings suggested that infrared blanching was a potential method for improving vitamin C retention in mango without extensive water consumption that was used in the traditional blanching method.

A new study conducted at Saint Louis University has found a way to stop cancer cell growth. The study appeared in Cancer Cell.

"Cancer cells look for metabolic pathways to find the parts to grow and divide. If they don't have the parts, they just die," said Thomas Burris, chair of pharmacology and physiology at Saint Louis University, US.

A new study has suggested that hikers, football players, endurance athletes and elite and recreational exercisers can avoid water intoxication by drinking only when thirsty during exercise. The study appears in Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine.

Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories has recalled drugs from the US market that are used to treat hypertension and seizure. The firm recall the tablets because Divalproex Sodium extended-release tablets has failed dissolution tests and Amlodipine Besylate and Atorvastatin Calcium tablets are close to expiry time.

Esophageal and gastric malignancies account for 15 percent of cancer-related deaths globally. British researchers have developed a breath test that can detect oesophageal and gastric (stomach) cancer in minutes with 90 percent accuracy. The test has produced encouraging results in a clinical study of 210 patients, and will now be tested in a larger trial involving three hospitals in London. The study was published in the journal Annals of Surgery.

[adsense:336x280:8701650588]

The researchers looked at the bacteria's gene expression  and find link between vitamin B12 and  acne. In the presence of vitamin B12, the skin bacteria that are commonly linked to acne start pumping out inflammatory molecules known to promote pimples.Propionibacterium acnes, the most common skin microbe, causes pimples in some people but not in others. In humans, vitamin B12 plays a key role in metabolism, red blood cell formation and the maintenance of the central nervous system and is found in multivitamins. The study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

A diagnostic test for Ebola can accurately predict within minutes if an individual has Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). The study is published in The Lancet.

Scientists, including one of the Indian-origin, have found a blood test effective in detecting early pancreatic cancer in human as it is often diagnosed in the later stages. The report appeared in the journal Nature.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that lindane, an insecticide, widely used in agriculture and to treat human lice and scabies, can cause cancer and associated to occurrence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a rare kind of cancer. International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC's)  specialist panel classified lindane as "carcinogenic to humans" in its Group 1 category, DDT as "probably carcinogenic to humans" in its Group 2A class, and the herbicide 2,4-D as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" in its Group 2B.