Innovation seems to have reached dizzying heights these days, and it’s only getting better! Margaret Johnson has added her name to the long list of innovative inventors with the inception of her company that markets a game she created which uses computer play to teach reading to little children.

With technology powerhouse Microsoft as a partner, Johnson on Wednesday debuted the first of what she hopes will be a line of computer games that revives a moribund “edutainment” market for …

Officials at the World Health Organisation have said that they plan to include local chiefs in the fight against polio in areas in northern Nigeria where cases of the crippling disease have increased.

“We have realized that we would have recorded tremendous success if local chiefs had spearheaded the polio campaign from the start because the people listen and trust them”, Sani Gwarzo, an official with WHO told AFP.

Gwarzo said the new drive involves training traditional c…

A senior Thai agriculture official has confirmed the second case of bird flu in the country in less than a week.

The H5N1 virus was found in poultry in the northern province of Uthai Thani, 220 kilometers from the capital Bangkok.

“A group of about 200 backyard chicken began falling ill and dying on November 3,” Sakchai Sriboonsue, director general of the livestock department, told AFP.

“We were notified two days later and the official test result today confir…

A recent study has lauded doctors by stating that routine examinations by a doctor to predict heart disease are as good as electrocardiograms ie ECGs or EKGs.

ECGs are often given to people thought to have had an attack of angina, a condition characterized by sharp chest pains that is a common symptom of coronary artery disease.

Angina is experienced by about 1 in 50 people in Britain, where the study was conducted.

The ECG test is administered by placing elec…

On account of the Dutch government’s ban on “magic mushrooms”, cultivator of the hallucinogenic mushrooms Freddy Schaap, is bitter about having to lay off half his staff.

“I will have to dismiss at least half of my 16 employees” when the ban on cultivating and selling the so-called magic mushrooms enters into force on December 1, Schaap told AFP on his farm in Tiel in the central Netherlands.

McSmart, the business he created in 2000, produces some 25 tonnes a year of the…

Indonesia’s health minister has stated that tests on an Indonesian girl who was reported to have died of bird flu infection have turned out negative to the virus.

Siti Fadilah Supari said the 15-year-old girl, who died in hospital in the Central Java city of Semarang on November 7, was not carrying the H5N1 strain.

“Both tests came back negative,” she said.

The girl, who lived near a chicken slaughter house, died 10 days after complaining of flu-like symptoms….

Ingredients for 4 servings

• 250gms chicken cut pieces

• 250ml Water

• 3 Celery stalks with leaves

• 2 spring Onions

• 1/2 ts freshly ground Pepper

• 1/4 ts Cumin seed

• 1/2 c Finely chopped carrot

• 1/2 c Green beans cut, fresh

• Chopped fresh parsley

• 1 tb Salt

Remove skin and bones from chicken, discard.

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, set aside.

Place chicken pieces, water, a portion of celery leaves and cut onion in a large saucepan.

Cover saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 1/2 hour-45 minutes until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken. Strain broth into bowl; chill until fat sets on top. Remove fat.

Return broth to saucepan. Chop reserved celery stalks, add to broth with chopped onion, carrot, parsley, barley, lemon juice, seasonings. Cover and simmer 20 min.Add fresh green beans and chicken; continue cooking 15 min or until beans are tender. Serve in soup bowls.

Significance of World Diabetes Day

World Diabetes Day (WDD) is the primary global awareness campaign of the diabetes world. Led by the International Diabetes Federation, the campaign is a multi-stakeholder partnership that involves a broad alliance of diabetes representative organizations, individuals and government agencies. Official World Diabetes Partners contribute support to
help World Diabetes Day reach its goals. The 2008 Official World Diabetes Day Partners are: AstraZeneca, Boston Scientific, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Insulet Corporation, LifeScan, Eli Lilly, Medtronic, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Pfizer and Takeda. The theme for World Diabetes Day 2009-2013 is ‘diabetes prevention and education’.

Diabetes in children

Type 1 diabetes is growing by 3% per year in children and adolescents, and at an alarming 6% per year among pre-school children. It is estimated that 70,000 children under 15 develop type 1 diabetes each year (200 children a day). Of the estimated 440,000 cases of type 1 diabetes in children worldwide, more than a quarter live in South-East Asia, and more than a fifth in Europe. Type 2 diabetes was once seen as a disease of adults. Today, this type of diabetes is growing at alarming rates in children and adolescents. In the US, it is estimated that type 2 diabetes represents between 8 and 45% of new-onset diabetes cases in children depending on geographic location. Over a 20-year period, type 2 diabetes has doubled in children in Japan, so that it is now more common than type 1. In native and aboriginal children in North America and Australia, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes ranges from 1.3 to 5.3%.

Source: Diabetes Atlas 3rd Edition, International Diabetes Federation, 2006.

The Netherlands is to ban the selling and growing of so-called magic mushrooms, which have a hallucinogenic effect on users, from December 1, the Dutch health ministry said Wednesday.

Use of these mushrooms can ‘lead to unpredictable behaviour and risk-taking’, the ministry said in a statement.

“The sale and possession of dried (hallucinogenic) mushrooms has been forbidden for a long time,” the ministry said, adding that the ban would now be extended to fresh magic mushro…

Doctors at a Berlin hospital said Wednesday that they appear to have rolled back the AIDS virus in a patient by using bone marrow keyed to a genetic shield against HIV, but stressed it was an unusual case that needed further investigation.

“This is an interesting case for research,” said Rodolf Tauber, a professor at the Charite university clinic, where the work was carried out.

“But to promise to millions of people infected with HIV that there is hope of a cure would not…

More than half of people in three European countries who were diagnosed with high blood pressure in a recent survey did not know they had the condition, according to a study published Wednesday.

And less than half of those who were aware that they had hypertension had managed to bring the problem under control, the study found.

People with high blood pressure, also called hypertension, have an increased risk of developing heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and dementia…

Scientists said on Wednesday they found the reason why some women develop resistance to tamoxifen, the key frontline drug against breast cancer.

A genetic “switch” prevents tamoxifen from denying cancer cells access to oestrogen, the hormone they need to grow, they said.

The study, by a team from Cancer Research UK, is published by the British-based journal Nature.

Tamoxifen has played an essential part in slashing the death rate from breast cancer in advanced…

China recalled a haemorrhoid medicine on Wednesday after it was linked to liver problems, state media said, in the latest safety incident to tarnish the country’s food and drug sector.

The State Food and Drug Administration ordered the producer of Zhixue capsules to cease production and begin a nationwide recall, Xinhua news agency reported.

The recall came after 21 people around the country developed liver problems after taking the drug in recent months, it reported. br…

A recent study has revealed that when we are caught in a tight corner, the brain is the deciding factor that pulls us through. It works, like a “bookie’s computer”, comparing and contrasting our actions with those of others and deciding what’s the beast way out!

Scientists observing the brain activity of volunteers who worked through a series of tests say the results challenge conventional theories about how — and where — decisions are formed in the brain.

The findings …

US president-elect Barack Obama will lift a freeze on funding for global family planning programs imposed by the outgoing administration, a US lawmaker said Wednesday.

“We are about to see major cultural change in Washington,” Democratic lawmaker Carolyn Maloney told reporters at the launch of the UN population agency’s (UNFPA) annual State of World Population report.

“One big change is that UNFPA will be funded,” added the congresswoman to applause.

“And I am…

The end of the month is always difficult for Beckie Clark, 58, and when she has to choose between medicine, a costly medical test or an appointment with a specialist, she does it.

“Dr Krist said, ‘If you break a fever, you need to call.’ He told me, he said, ‘If you have a fever we will have to put you back at the hospital.’

“And the first thing that went on in my mind was, ‘Well, I am not saying anything because I can’t afford to go to the hospital,’” Clark said. br…

US Roman Catholic bishops on Wednesday warned president-elect Barack Obama against enacting an “evil law” that would deregulate the “abortion industry”, saying it would alienate millions of Americans and sow disunity.

In the last Congress, a Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) was introduced that would, if brought forward in the same form today, outlaw any ‘interference’ in providing abortion at will, the bishops said in a statement issued at an annual meeting in Baltimore.

It w…

The search engine biggie, Google, is putting the power of the Web to use for a good cause- tracking the onset of influenza in the United States through studying patterns in search queries of its users!

Google Flu Trends, a new tool unveiled by the Internet giant on Tuesday, counts the number of flu-related queries on the Google search engine and provides estimates on influenza outbreaks in the 50 US states.

“We found that there’s a very close relationship between the freq…

An Austrian study has revealed that genetically-modified maize has shown to affect reproduction in mice. The study has, however, debunked claims of environmental groups that the same could happen in humans also.

The long-term study, which was commissioned by the Austrian health ministry, found that female mice that had been given a diet consisting of 33 percent genetically-modified ie GM maize had fewer babies and fewer litters than those fed on non-GM food after a few generations. …

It has already been 6 months since thousands of school children lost their lives in the Sichuan earthquake but psychological counseling for families is still wanting in China.

It is a huge effort which is made difficult not just due to limited resources, but also because the idea that emotional traumas can and should be treated is new and alien to many people in this rural part of China.

“It’s not that they don’t welcome psychological counseling, it is just that besides b…

Here are some exciting snacking ideas that not only keeps you fit but help you lose weight.

Examples of snacks with around 15-20 grams carbohydrate:

•  2 cups of popcorn

•  1 small pear and a small handful almonds/walnuts/hazelnuts

•  A small cup of yogurt

•  1 cup of berries/straw berries

•  1 small apple with peanut butter

•  1/2 chicken sandwich on whole-wheat bread

Snacks should be around 150-200 calories — just enough energy to tide you over until your next meal but not so much that it contributes as many calories as a meal.

Foods rich in soluble fiber make for great snacks because soluble fiber leaves the stomach slowly, encouraging better blood sugars and makes you feel satisfied longer.

Go nuts:

25-30 gms of nuts is a perfect healthy snack and will add about 150-170 calories. Pistachios and macadamia nuts are high in fiber. Higher amount of fat in nuts will take longer to digest and will help the snack seem more satisfying.Hazelnuts and almonds are low in saturated fat while macadamia and hazelnuts are high in monounsaturated fat ,walnuts have the most omega-3 fatty acids which is good for health.

Get Your Whole Grain Snacks:

The latest research suggests that people who eat whole grains have the lowest incidence of diabetes. They appear to increase the efficiency of insulin so that less is required to metabolize the sugar. (Lower levels of circulating insulin are believed to help discourage weight gain.) Use snack time as a time to work in some whole grains!

Snacks need to be eaten slowly, too, just like meals. Don’t forget that it takes 20 minutes for your brain to get the message that you are full. Give that message time to work before you decide the snack didn’t do the trick. Make a point of enjoying a flavored mineral water (the unsweetened, no-calorie kind) at the same time. This will help you eat the snack slower, too.

Despite its rotten-egg smell and high toxicity, hydrogen sulfide in small doses helps protect mice from heart failure, according to research published Tuesday on an experimental treatment that one day could benefit humans.

Potentially life-threatening for miners and sewer workers, hydrogen sulfide has been recently found in the human body and mammals in general, where it is produced in minute quantities and linked to multiple physiological benefits.

The colorless, flammab…

Hormonal changes caused by menopause soften the biologically-driven rivalry between women for healthy and virile male partners, according to a study published Wednesday.

Scientists showed that menopause alters the way women judge attractiveness in younger members of the same sex, resulting in a greater preference for feminine facial characteristics.

Previous studies have shown that fertile women, especially around the time of ovulation, are more likely to downgrade the go…

A simple paternity test can often solve the problem of proving a child’s parenthood. But the issue is that such forcible tests by fathers are banned in several countries, one such being Australia.

In order to escape situations where a “presumed” father is compelled to pay child support for a child which is biologically not his, many Aussie men resort to sneaking a sample of hair or saliva from a child to conduct a DNA paternity test. Now, a proposed law in the land may label this par…

A band of non-believers in the United States, a country where six in 10 people pray every day and three-quarters believe in heaven, launched their Christmas campaign urging fellow Americans to be good- without God!

“Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake,” reads the ad, which appeared Tuesday in the Washington Post and New York Times dailies and will feature on public transportation buses in Washington starting next week.

The aim of the advertisement is to …

The World Economic Forum, on Wednesday, brought to focus again the issue of gender equality around the world. The Nordic countries retained their top rankings while economic giants China and the United States still need to catch up in terms of equality of the sexes.

In a study of women’s parity with men in 130 countries, the Nordic countries of Norway, Finland, Sweden and Iceland once again took the first four places, with Norway the highest-ranking.

The WEF report measur…

As a jubilant nation rejoices at the election of Barack Obama to the White House, Obamania seems to abound in US with the president-elect’s thumping victory run continuing into an unlikely sphere-America’s maternity wards!

The maternity ward at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Florida – a key battleground state in which Obama soundly beat his Republican rival John McCain – proudly staked claim to bringing the first American baby Obama into the world.

“Sanjae Obama…

The pharmaceutical biggie GlaxoSmithKline announced its proposed launch of final clinical trials for an anti-malaria vaccine in seven African countries to kick-off in January.

“This is the most advanced vaccine, and the only one today that has been shown effective against malaria in infants and children in Africa,” said Joe Cohen, who created the vaccine after two decades of work for GlaxoSmithKline.

Studies in Mozambique on children under five found that the vaccine, cal…

The country’s anti-smoking ban had ruffled quite a few feathers initially but most individuals and organizations fell into line once the law against lighting up in public places was implemented. However, a law like this does lay the ground for some peculiar instances which can range from the flippant and light-hearted to the serious and sincere. Even Dr.Ramadoss would read on to know more!

At the busy New Delhi railway station, anti-smoking officials zero in on a young eunuch puffi…

US researchers said on Sunday that the neck arteries of obese children and teenagers come under significant strain, just like that experienced by middle-aged adults.

“There’s a saying that ‘you’re as old as your arteries,’ meaning that the state of your arteries is more important than your actual age in the evolution of heart disease and stroke,” said Geetha Raghuveer, professor of pediatrics at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and cardiologist at Children’s Mercy Hospit…