Recent research revealed presence of a fatty substance, in the gut that signals the brain when it's time to stop eating. Research team led by Gerald Shulman of Yale University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute believe that this discovery can help in fighting obesity.

U. S. researchers found that a naturally occurring fat-derived chemical messenger called NAPE regulated the diet of animals. Researchers said that when the rodents were fed a fatty meal, their small intestine made a lot of NAPE and put it into the bloodstream. It then traveled to the brain and shut down hunger signals.

Recent research showed that many types of beverages have erosive effect on teeth. Some citric acids found in fruit drinks are more erosive than hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. These acids promote tooth erosion, which wears away the hard part of the teeth, or the enamel. Findings of the study revealed that a habit of drinking home brewed green tea can save teeth from erosion.

Studies have shown that excessive exposure to sun can increase the risk of some cancers. The recent research has shown that lack of sunshine can increase the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. Researchers from Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing at Loyola University in Chicago reviewed a number of earlier studies that linked chronic vitamin D deficiency to heart disease.

A new study has suggested that Down's Syndome in a child might one day be treatable before the birth of the child, in the womb itself.

Researchers have based their claims on an experiment on mice. In the experiment they injected two key nerve-protecting chemicals into pregnant mice with Down's pups and found that the offspring turned out to be free of these problems.

According to the health authorities, a fresh outbreak of bird flu was discovered in Hajo block of Kamrup district in Assam. Since last Saturday, over 200 birds have died in the area.  

The state authorities have ordered culling thousands of chicken and ducks.

R. C. Jain, a senior state government official said, “We were informed that the samples sent to laboratories in Bhopal and Pune have been tested positive. So we have ordered for culling in the area, which will start today.”

"It is H5N1 stain," added the official.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed the presence of 'trace amounts' of melamine in a US-manufactured infant formula. The toxic chemical has sickened tens of thousands of infants in China, and killed four - the faked formula having large amounts of melamine added to watered-down milk, to make it appear to have appropriate protein content.

The trace amounts of melamine and its by-product, cyanuric acid, were found in formula from Abbott Laboratories, Nestle and Mead Johnson, which together make more than 90% of all infant formula produced in the United States.