Washington, Apr 8 : An inflammatory factor-already implicated in causing several diseases, like pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and arthritis- may also have a role to play in insulin resistance linked with obesity, according to a study.

The researchers behind the study say that an inflammatory protein, known as CXCL5, rises and falls with obesity and subsequent weight loss in humans.

They say that they experiments on mice have provided further evidence linking the inflammatory factor, which is produced and secreted at high levels by fat tissue, to insulin resistance.

The researchers have also shown that treatments designed to block its action improve the animals'' sensitivity to insulin.

Washington, April 8: A leading new tuberculosis vaccine, called MVA85A, has been found to be safe in its Phase I trial.

Lead researcher Dr. Helen McShane, reader in vaccinology and Wellcome senior fellow at the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute in England, studied the effects of the vaccine specifically in people who had latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), which can cause full-blown disease when re-activated.

For the study, the researchers recruited 12 individuals with LTBI, who did not have other complicating factors like HIV or hepatitis.

Singapore  - A second woman died Wednesday after a food-poisoning outbreak hit Singapore last week, a radio report said.

Norani Kassim, 59, who was admitted to hospital Saturday, died after lapsing into a coma, hospital officials told the local 938LIVE station.

Aminah Samijo, 57, died Monday while another woman lost her 2-month-old foetus after suffering food poisoning by eating a salad at a food stall.

News reports said 137 people had suffered food poisoning after eating the salad of meat and deep-fried vegetables called India rojak from a popular hawker stall last week.

The government has initiated an investigation of the stall operators while the entire market where it was located has been closed for cleaning.

Washington, Apr 8: Carrying an extra four inches of fat around the waist can increase a person''s risk of being hospitalised with heart failure, warn researchers.

A study led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has found that larger waist circumference is associated with increased risk of heart failure in middle-aged and older populations of men and women.

Washington, April 8 : Heart failure patients may slightly reduce their likelihood of death or hospitalisation by exercising regularly, without any safety risk.

This suggestion is based on a study supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which was conducted at 82 centres in the U. S., Canada, and France.

It has shown that heart failure patients who add regular, moderate physical activity to standard medical therapy generally have a higher quality of life compared to patients who receive medical therapy only.

Geneva  - The World Health Organization said Tuesday that developed nations should not be lax in taking steps to make sure their hospitals are safe in times of emergencies, particularly in light of the earthquake in Italy.

United Nations agencies noted that a hospital in the medieval town of L'Aquila had to be evacuated owing to severe structural damage caused by the quake.

"If we are prepared, we certainly can save an untold number of lives," said Fadela Chiab, WHO spokeswoman in Geneva.