Washington, Apr 25 : Researchers have identified a molecule which contributes to the development of smoking-related lung disease.

Long-term exposure to compounds found in smoke can lead to both cardiovascular and lung disease.

Although lung exposure to cigarette smoke leads to immune cell recruitment and tissue fibrosis, how cigarette smoke causes these changes is unknown.

Washington, Apr 25 : A research team led by Indian origin scientist has found no difference in the survival rates of HIV positive and HIV negative patients after undergoing liver transplant.

After analysing 6,315 adult patients, the results showed no difference in survival rates at 1 and 5 years between HIV negative and HIV positive patients (86.5pct and 74pct versus 87.1pct and 78 pct), suggesting a good prognosis for HIV positive patients following liver transplant.

Mexico City/Geneva - The World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva said Saturday that the number of deaths from swine influenza in Mexico had reached 62. WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib gave the figure, while saying that the organisation's Strategic Health Operations Centre was now involved in the efforts in the region.

The WHO was in constant contact with health authorities in the United States, Mexico, and countries in the Latin American region in monitoring the situation, she said.

London, Apr 25 : A device, which can detect malaria within minutes, has been created by scientists from Glasgow University.

As for how it works, blood samples are placed in the microchip, which is designed to detect the strain of disease.

Project leader Dr Lisa Ranford-Cartwright said: "The current way of diagnosing is using a blood smear on a slide and examining it on a microscope.

"That will take a good microscopist a good hour to reach a diagnosis, it''s extremely difficult to make that diagnosis accurately.

Washington, Apr 25 : With decline in the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to treat menopause symptoms, the rate of myocardial infarctions, or heart attacks, has also dropped, a new study has found.

However, there has been no decrease in the rate of strokes, the study published in the May issue of the journal Medical Care noted.

The study looked at whether the decreased use of HRT has affected the rate of cardiovascular health outcomes.

Washington, Apr 25 : A new study has found that long-term treatment with Gamunex can significantly improve health-related quality of life in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP).

CIDP is a debilitating nerve disease that results in progressive weakness in the arms and legs, causing significant disability for many individuals.

Gamunex is the first and only FDA-approved product for the treatment of CIDP.

The researchers showed that patients who received Gamunex experienced greater improvements in physical and mental component scores compared with placebo.