Taipei  - Taiwan's Consumer Foundation recently warned consumers to avoid using disposable eating utensils because they may contain high levels of lead.

Coloured eating utensils, especially the yellow, orange and green ones, are particularly hazardous because of their high lead content.

The foundation issued the warning after checking the health hazard posed by 41 kinds of disposable eating utensils sold by shopping malls or used at fast-food outlets.

The samples included disposable bowls, spoons, drinking straws and utensils for stirring coffee. Of these, up to 14 per cent contained a high level of lead which was almost at Taiwan's permissible level of 100 parts per million (ppm).

Washington, March 8 : Michigan Technological University scientists have come up with a way to make a strain of E. coli glow under fluorescent light, a technique that may one day help track down all sorts of pathogens, and even prove beneficial in fight against breast cancer.

London, Mar 8 : Institute of Cancer Research scientists claim that they have found an enzyme which is responsible for cancer spread.

Cancer Cell journal reported that boffins have discovered a way to stop cancer spreading to other parts of the body after finding enzyme called LOX.

According to researchers, LOX is crucial in promoting metastasis.

Cancer metastasis, where the cancer spreads from its original location, is known to be responsible for 90percent of cancer-related deaths.

To reach the conclusion, researchers studied breast cancer in mice - but are confident that their findings will apply to humans with other cancer types too.

Washington, March 8 : Dermatologists have achieved a significant success in improving the appearance of ageing hands by using sclerotherapy, a longstanding treatment for spider veins.

Dr. Mary P. Lupo, clinical professor of dermatology at Tulane University Medical School in New Orleans, shared her professional experience using sclerotherapy to treat prominent veins common in aging hands at the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy).

Washington, Mar 8 : People with severe psoriasis are at an increased risk of developing serious medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, says a dermatologist from University of Pennsylvania.

He has also found that patients with severe psoriasis may have shorter life expectancies than those without the condition.

Those with severe psoriasis may die three to five years earlier than patients who do not have the disease.

Washington, Mar 8 : A combination of laser therapy has been found to safely and effectively treat one of the most common skin conditions that plagues teenagers and adults alike-acne.

Dermatologist Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas, MD, PhD, FAAD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., demonstrated how photodynamic therapy combined with a long-pulse, pulsed-dye laser and topical 5-aminolevulinic acid provides long-lasting clearance of acne lesions.