Washington, Mar 20 : Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine have developed a simple onsite technique to quickly diagnose tuberculosis (TB)- injecting strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with fluorescent-green protein.

The new technique can expose the deadly drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that can mingle undetected with treatable strains.

Thus, the researchers engineered bacteriophages-tiny viruses that attack bacteria-to inject TB bacteria with a glowing, fluorescent-green protein.

Hanoi - A 3-year-old Vietnamese boy has died of avian influenza after four days in hospital, a health official said Friday, bringing Vietnam's bird-flu death toll to three this year.

Nguyen Van Chau, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Health Department, said the boy from the south-western province of Dong Thap died Thursday. He had been admitted Monday at the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases with high fever and respiratory difficulties.

Washington, Mar 20 : Revolutionary new drugs that could stop Alzheimer''s disease in its tracks are being tested by scientists.

Professor Simon Lovestone, of the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, told the annual meeting of the Alzheimer's Research Trust that the drugs are undergoing clinical trials.

Current treatment can help only to reduce symptoms but cannot prevent the disease from destroying brain cells.

The results from trials of up to 11 new medicines should be known within one to three years.

Washington, Mar 20 : Scientists have moved a step closer to developing a drug that could actually stop the progress of Alzheimer''s disease.

They have identified a molecule that can form the basis for a new therapy for the neurodegenerative disease.

A typical characteristic of the brains of Alzheimer''s patients is the presence of amyloid plaques, which are abnormal accumulations of the c¬-amyloid protein between the neurons. The sticky c¬-amyloid arises when the amyloid precursor protein is cut into pieces incorrectly.

Washington, Mar 20 : In a study on mice, a team of scientists have found how the biological circadian clock mechanism in animals corresponds with processes that control aging and metabolism.

The findings by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Northwestern University can explain why the weakening of the circadian rhythm with age could contribute to age-related disorders, such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Washington, Mar 20 : Low doses of blood pressure medications have been found effective in treating hypertension, say researchers.

Scientists at The University of Western Ontario have revealed that a simplified and more effective method of treating hypertension is using low doses of single pill combinations, rather than multiple pills.