Washington, Mar 23: Heart disease is not only a product of genetic factors or lifestyle choices, air pollution also puts people at an increased heart attack risk, suggests a study led by Aruni Bhatnagar of the University of Louisville.

Evidence has shown that increase in particulate air pollution is also associated with an increase in heart attacks and deaths.

During the study, Bhatnagar found that risk of heart attack increases in parallel with time spent in traffic.

Manila - The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday urged governments in Asia and the Pacific to boost their national health systems, which are vital in the fight against tuberculosis (TB), especially drug-resistant cases.

The Manila-based WHO Western Pacific Office said that effective TB control has been hampered by weaknesses in national health systems, such as chronic staff shortages and inadequate financial resources.

Washington, Mar 23 : In a major advance in cancer treatment, nanotechnology researchers have developed the first hollow gold nanospheres that search out and "cook" cancer cells.

The researchers say that the cancer-destroying nanospheres, smaller than the finest flecks of dust, particularly show promise as a minimally invasive future treatment for malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer.

Washington, March 23 : German scientists have developed an automated synthesizer that can enable the use of carbohydrates in revolutionary new vaccines and drugs to battle malaria, HIV, and a bevy of other diseases.

Dr. Peter H. Seeberger, principal investigator for the research, developed the device at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

He says that it can build intricate molecules in a few hours, instead of the months or years required with existing technology.

Washington, Mar 23 : A new study has found that an increase in formal schooling has led to a reduction in AIDS infections in sub-Saharan Africa.

During the early stages of the HIV pandemic in the region, the disease passed unnoticed amidst the onslaught of other infections.

But after taking a closer look at the deadly disease, scientists have found that more often males with a higher than average education were contracting the disease.

Washington, March 23 : Scientists at the University of Michigan have come up with a new method of detecting nitric oxide in exhaled breath, elevated levels of which are a telltale sign of diseases like lung cancer and tuberculosis.

The researchers say that their work may prove useful in diagnosing illness and monitoring the effects of treatment.