Patients whose hearts need a bit of help keeping the beat are often given a pacemaker, which delivers electrical pulses to regulate heartbeats. The tiny electronic devices, surgically implanted beneath the skin on the chest, must be replaced every five to seven years when their batteries run out. But an experimental device that converts energy […]
Folk Remedies Repel Mosquitoes
Some people in Africa and India have traditionally burned oil from seeds of the Jatropha curcas shrub in their lamps to keep mosquitoes away. U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists now know why it works so well. Chemist Charles Cantrell analyzed properties of the smoke and identified a number of active compounds that repel insects, including […]
Common Food Preservative May Slow, Halt Tumor Growth
A common food preservative appears to slow or even stop the growth of certain head and neck cancers, according to a University of Michigan study. The researchers found that the anti-bacterial agent Nisin activates a protein that promotes cell death in cancer cells, but does not harm normal ‘good’ cells. Oral cancer is a leading […]
UN: Pakistan First in Region to Launch Pneumonia Vaccine
The United Nations says Pakistan is the first country in South Asia to introduce a vaccine to protect Pakistani children from pneumonia. Prime Minister Yousuf Raja Pervez Ashraf announced the launch of a new vaccination campaign Tuesday as part of a partnership between the government and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization or GAVI […]
New Test Could Diagnose a Heart Attack in 1 Hour
Researchers have conducted a study indicating that a new test could help doctors diagnose a heart attack within one hour. Researchers from the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland led the study. It involved development of tests to determine the levels of troponin, a protein in the blood that indicates a heart attack. Using data from […]
Benefits of HIV Drugs Show Smaller-Than-Expected Gain
Researchers say the proportion of HIV-positive patients in the United States whose infection with the AIDS virus are effectively controlled by drugs jumped from 45 to 72 percent during the past decade. But despite this impressive 60 percent gain in viral suppression rates, the new analysis falls short of previous estimates. The finding is important […]
Ethiopia’s PM Meles on ‘Sick Leave’
Ethiopia says Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is taking “sick leave” but will remain in power while he deals with an unspecified illness. Government spokesman Bereket Simon briefed reporters in Addis Ababa Thursday, following media reports that the Ethiopian leader was critically ill at Saint Luc Hospital in Brussels, Belgium. Bereket specifically denied reports on Ethiopian […]
Ethiopia’s PM Meles on ‘Sick Leave’
Ethiopia says Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is taking “sick leave” but will remain in power while he deals with an unspecified illness. Government spokesman Bereket Simon spoke to reporters in Addis Ababa Thursday, following media reports that the Ethiopian leader was critically ill at Saint Luc Hospital in Brussels, Belgium. Bereket specifically denied reports on […]
Ethiopia’s PM Meles ‘on Sick Leave’
The Ethiopian government says Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has been prescribed a “sick leave” by his doctor, and will return to work when he has recuperated. A statement released in Addis Ababa Thursday did not say what is ailing Mr. Meles, where he is, or when he might return. European media reports have said the […]
Ethiopian PM’s Health Still in Question
A founding member of Ethiopia’s ruling party is accusing opposition groups and European media of exaggerating the health problems of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. There have been conflicting reports about the condition of the longtime prime minister, who has not been seen in public for two weeks. In an interview with VOA, Sibhat Nega of […]