Researchers feed tiny pills of RNA to planarians to identify genes essential for regeneration
University of Utah researchers-feeding microscopic pills of RNA to quarter-inch long worms called planarians-have identified many genes essential to understanding a biological mystery that has captivated scientists for hundreds of years: regeneration. In pinpointing the genes, the U School of Medicine researchers have established the planarian as a genetically sound model for human biolog...Oil spills and climate change double the mortality rate of British seabirds
New research from the University of Sheffield has shown that major oil spills and a changing climate have had a far greater impact on populations of British sea birds than was previously thought. A team led by Professor Tim Birkhead from the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences at the University of Sheffield, shows for the first time that major oil spills double the mortality rate of a...Glaxo launches pills to help smokers quit in 7-12 weeks
GLAXO SmithKline India has launched an oral treatment for smoking, called Zyban. The pill (generic - Bupropion Hydrochloride) is reportedly the first product aimed at stopping smoking and is available at Rs. 40 per tablet. Speaking to newspersons, Mr. Kalyanasundaram, Director (Pharmaceuticals), Glaxo India Ltd, said the complete treatment osts about Rs. 5000 and takes about 7-12 weeks....Sweet Candies replace bitter Pills for Anaemia
Anaemia due to iron deficiency is one of the major cause of morbidity in most of the underdeveloped countries. Children with iron deficiency anemia may be reluctant to take extra vitamins or iron pills, as they are inadvertently inedible. But now Iron-fortified candies were effective for improving the iron status of young children and might be an affordable way to combat iron deficiency...New Birth Control Pills increase the stroke risk
Despite lower levels of estrogen, the new generations of birth control pills double the risk of stroke for women who take them. Researchers say the newest pills are no safer than the older versions when it comes to clotting problems.// In fact, the third-generation pills may be more dangerous than the second-generation ones. The first generation pills, introduced in 1960, was a mix of...Estrogen Patch is Safer than Pills for Heart
In a study reported in Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that Estrogen replacement therapy could be considered a safer profile for the heart when delivered through a patch rather than a pill. Interestingly, "the Women's Health Initiative", the largest study of its kind, was cut short last year (2002) because it was found that Hormone Replacement Therapy (a combination...Genetic Pills A Future Thought
Researchers are now finding new ways to deliver gene therapy without using viruses as carriers. Researchers are using lipids, oily molecules that can form a protective complex around DNA, to do the// same job as a virus. The lipids protect the DNA and help it get into the target cell. The approach could eventually make gene therapy treatments that are stable enough to take as a pill. G...