Recent study revealed that combination of two drugs can help in fighting extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB).

Researchers said that AstraZeneca's (AZN. L) MERREM I. V., also called meropenem, used together with clavulanate, sold by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK. L) in combination with amoxicillin as the drug Augmentin, killed laboratory-grown strains of TB.

Recent study revealed that person sitting on the window seat faces double risk of developing a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) as compared to those sitting on the aisle or in a middle seat. A DVT clot can cause death if it passes through a passenger's bloodstream to the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism.

Research team from Leiden University Medical Centre found that obese people have six times higher risk of developing a blood clot when seated by the window. Hence obese passengers should prefer to sit either in the middle or aisle seats.

Recent research revealed that genetic variations affect the response of patient to treatment for lymphoblastic leukemia. Researchers believe that these genetic variations explain why some children do not respond to the treatment of this type of blood and bone marrow cancer although about 80 percent of children are cured.

Washington, Feb 27 : In a breakthrough discovery, scientists have found that a system of opposing genetic forces determines why mammals develop a single row of teeth, while sharks sport several.

The study suggests that carefully understanding the genetic program may prove helpful for scientists to re-grow missing teeth and prevent cleft palate, one of the most common birth defects.

Gene expression is the process by which information stored in genes is converted into proteins that make up the body''s structures, and carry its messages.

Washington, Feb 27 : Bringing bio-engineered organs a step closer to reality, scientists have described how a "scaffolding" material extracted from the groin area of mice could be used to grow stem cells from blood, fat, and bone marrow, which could further be used to "grow your own organs".

The advance, by researchers from Stanford and New York University Langone Medical Center, clears two major hurdles to bio-engineered replacement organs- a matrix on which stem cells can form a three-dimensional organ and transplant rejection.

Washington, Feb 27 : Long-term use of beta carotene and some other carotenoid-containing dietary supplements could raise the risk of lung cancer, says a new study.

According to the study by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers, certain people - especially smokers - who took dietary supplements containing these nutrients, were at higher risk of developing lung cancer than the general population.