Cells are the source of all heart cells

Washington - Researchers have identified the early master cells that make up the human heart and said on Wednesday they could someday be used to make patches to fix damaged hearts.

The discovery, published in the journal Nature, also sheds surprising light on how human hearts develop in the womb, and how congenital heart disease develops.....

Phone gadget to diagnose disease


Researchers have developed an add-on to a mobile phone that can take detailed images and analyse them to diagnose diseases such as tuberculosis.
The CellScope works as a so-called fluorescence microscope that can identify the markers of disease.
It is hoped the device will be useful in the developing world, where such medical diagnostics are rare but mobile ownership and coverage are common.
The research is published in the free-access journal PLoS ONE.
The CellScope is made up of conventional microscope optics as well as some equipment to make it function as a fluorescence microscope---

A golden result for TB diagnosis

South African scientists have devised an electrochemical technique that could provide a quick and easy diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB).
TB is a highly contagious disease and is often a secondary infection that causes death in many HIV/AIDS infected patients, particularly in south-east Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Current diagnostic techniques involve culture analysis of phlegm from patients and usually take 4-8 weeks. This leads to delayed diagnosis and hinders prompt patient care, explains Kenneth Ozoemena from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Pretoria and the University of Pretoria, South Africa...

herpes

http://insciences.org/article.php?article_id=6253

Tax junk food, drinks to fight child obesity-report

Soaring obesity rates make changes imperative

* Taxes could reduce soft drink consumption

* Changing public transport routes could encourage grocers

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON, Sept 1 (Reuters) - A strongly worded report on child obesity released on Tuesday recommends that state and local governments tax junk food and soft drinks, give tax breaks to grocery stores that open in blighted neighborhoods and build bike trails.

The report from the independent Institute of Medicine and National Research Council also suggests that governments limit television and video games in after-school programs, require restaurants to list calorie counts on their menus and open school playgrounds and athletic fields to communities.

"Childhood obesity poses a serious threat to health in the United States," it reads. The problem cannot be solved by the federal government and communities need to act, it adds,,,,