New York/Toronto  - The parents of a two-month-old baby wanted to donate the heart of their severely brain-damaged daughter for another baby, but physicians in Toronto cancelled the transplant at the last minute.

The reason was the strength of Baby Kaylee's heart and lungs. The baby continued to breathe without the respirator, the Toronto Star reported on Wednesday.

Maputo  - Through a combination of improved prevention, diagnostic and treatment methods Mozambique is finally turning the corner on malaria, the biggest killer of children in Africa.

The number of malaria dead in the south-east African country fell for the first time in 20 years last year - from 3,998 in 2007 to 2,949 in 2008, or about one-quarter, Health Minister Ivo Garrido was quoted by the Noticias newspaper Wednesday as saying.

London, Apr 8 : "Binge tanning" and excessive sunbed use have made melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, the most common disease for women in their 20s, cautioned a charity.

A survey of 4,000 people carried out last year has revealed that 340 women in their 20s are annually diagnosed with malignant melanoma, indicating a rate of almost one a day.

The above figure is almost double the number found to have breast cancer in the same age bracket.

Washington, Apr 8 : Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) can worsen asthmatic symptoms in kids, according to a new study.

During the study, research team from University of Alabama followed 240 children with asthma who were either receiving usual care or supervised asthma therapy.

The kids were given 20 minutes of asthma education that incorporated discussion on the avoidance of asthma triggers, including ETS.

The researchers revealed that kids whose ETS exposure decreased reported fewer hospitalizations and ED visits.

Geneva - The International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) warned Wednesday that polio is spreading again in 14 countries across Africa, including in areas where the disease had once been eradicated.

"We have clear indications that polio is spreading again, including in countries such as Uganda, which had been polio-free for more than a decade," Tammam Aloudat, an IFRC expert on emergencies.

The IFRC comprises all national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies.

Washington, Apr 8 : The next time you grab a glass full of protein shake do remember this admonition: too much protein, eaten along with fat, may lead to insulin resistance.

The study, published in the April issue of Cell Metabolism, was led by Christopher Newgard of Duke Medical Center who reported that rats fed high-fat (HF) diets supplemented with extra so-called branched chain amino acids (BCAA) don''t have to eat as much or gain as much weight to develop insulin resistance as do chubbier animals fed a high-fat diet alone.