Washington, Nov 4 : Researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have discovered a gene that helps control the secretion of acid in the stomach.

According to researchers, this information could one day aid scientists in creating more efficient treatment options for conditions such as acid reflux or peptic ulcers.

During the study, UC professor Manoocher Soleimani, MD, and colleagues found that when transporter Slc26a9 – the gene responsible for the production of chloride in the stomach – is eliminated from the mouse model''s system, acid secretion in the stomach stops.

Gastric acid, comprised mainly of hydrochloric acid (HCL), is the main secretion in the stomach and helps the body to break down and digest food.

Washington, Nov 4: Smaller mosquitoes are more likely to be infected with viruses that cause diseases in humans, according to a new study.

For the study, Barry Alto, Ph. D., Director of the Medical Entomology Program at the Illinois Natural History Survey, along with Assistant Professor Michael Reiskind of Oklahoma State University and Professor L. Philip Lounibos of the University of Florida fed mosquitoes blood with dengue virus and later tested them for infection.

The study was conducted at the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory.

Mumbai, Nov 4 : The police have arrested three more suspects related to Malegaon blast which claimed six lives, officials said on Monday.

Ajay Eknath Rahirkar, Jagdish Chintamani Mhatre and Rakesh Dattaram Dhawade were arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Sunday.

Earlier the ATS had arrested five people including god woman Pragya Singh and two retired army officials for their suspected involvement in the September 29 Malegaon blast in Maharashtra.

They were produced before a local court in Nasik on Monday.

"The three were produced in the Nasik court today and they have been granted police custody till November 10," Hemant Karkare, ATS chief, told reporters in Mumbai.

Washington, November 4 : A team of Italian and British researchers has found that nervousness, social isolation, or anxiousness during childhood protect young men from becoming criminal offenders until they enter adulthood.

Dr. Georgia Zara of the University of Turin and Dr. David Farrington of the University of Cambridge say that the protective effect seems to wear off after the age of 21.

Their findings are based on a study, published online in Springer’s Journal of Youth and Adolescence, which explored whether or not certain childhood factors delay the onset of criminal behaviour until adulthood.

A research team led by Nigel Leigh, director of the motor neurone disease care centre at King's College London will conduct a study to assess the impact of the anti-depressant drug lithium as a treatment for motor neurone disease.

Motor neurone disease destroys nerves in the brain that control movement, leaving patients locked in a failing body. There is currently no cure and half die within 14 months of being diagnosed. A small study by Italian researchers suggested that lithium could slow the progression of the disease.

London, Nov 4 : Dispelling the myths surrounding homeopathy, a new research has revealed that claims made by scientists suggesting homeopathy does not have therapeutic effects are ‘seriously flawed’.

A 2005 review, published in The Lancet, of six trials of conventional medicine and 8 studies of homeopathy had revealed that homeopathic medicines are just placebo.

George Lewith, Professor of Health Research at Southampton University claims that the conclusions are ‘not’ reliable.

“The review gave no indication of which trials were analysed nor of the various vital assumptions made about the data,” the Lancet quoted Lewith, as saying.