Category: Features
Live poultry markets suspended in two Chinese cities due to bird flu fears
The eastern cities of Wuxi and Suzhou in the Jiangsu province in China have announced the suspension of live poultry trade due to fears of the recent bird flu outbreaks in the country. Wuxi will close live poultry wholesale markets, […]
Neuroscientists discover how brain recognizes speech in a noisy room
A common festive phenomenon that is of interest to researchers who are seeking to improve speech recognition technology is something that is called the “cocktail party effect”. It is the ability to focus one’s listening attention to a specific conversation […]
Diabetes, hypertension medication found to be effective against cancer cells
A team of researchers at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel in Switzerland has found that a combination of a diabetes drug and an antihypertensive medication is effective in fighting cancer cells. The most widely prescribed drug for the […]
NZ wool tech firm to offer face masks for Asian consumers in polluted areas
TexusFibre, an Auckland, New Zealand-based company that develops functional materials derived from natural wool, has signed a wide-ranging distribution agreement with Healthy Breath Limited (HBL), another Auckland company, to deploy its wool-based Helix Filter in a new generation of urban […]
Singapore creates national action plan against antimicrobial resistance
As more and more Singaporeans use antibiotics as a quick fix for their ailments, the country’s governmentaims to tackle the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the country with the development a national action plan. Singapore’s Ministry of Health […]
WHO: Successful Ebola vaccine may be available for use by 2018
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a successful Ebola vaccine that protects against the fatal virus may be available for use by 2018 as it is currently being fast-tracked for regulatory approval. Trials conducted in Guinea, one of the […]
Elderly people who care for others live longer than those who do not –study
Findings of a study – which was conducted by researchers from the University of Basel (Switzerland), the University of Western Australia and Edith Cowan University (Australia), the Humboldt University of Berlin and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in […]
“Landmark” drug is first to work in primary progressive multiple sclerosis
A “landmark” drug that alters the human immune system to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) has been found to be the first drug shown to work in the primary progressive form of the disease in trials. The drug, called ocrelizumab, is […]
Three cases of human bird flu infection confirmed in China
Two more cases of human bird flu infection have been confirmed by China this week. This raises the total number of cases to three as it follows the confirmation of an elderly man in Hong Kong being diagnosed with the […]
Laser therapy successfully destroys prostate cancer cells in trials
A non-surgical laser treatment, which uses a light-sensitive drug derived from deep-sea bacteria, for low-risk prostate cancer has successfully eliminated cancer cells without destroying healthy tissues in a trial. The treatment, called vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP), was developed by scientists […]
