The hepatitis-B epidemic in Modasa has not only taken lives of many but also given rise to frauds.

Promising hepatitis-B virus vaccination at reasonable prices, some fraudsters have taken Rs17,000 from residents of Varthu village near Modasa.

Tempted by the pricing at Rs12 a vaccination, (otherwise Rs50), about 1,500 residents in Varthu village, gave away money and never found self proclaimed doctors visiting the village again.

Be it a fast lifestyle, erratic working hours or stress. Slowly yet steadily, the factors have been taking its toll on women, including teenagers. Or so say doctors about cases they face where patients complain about severe hair loss, sudden weight gain, irregular menstruation or increased hair growth on the chest or body. The symptoms may vary, but the causal factor is a sudden hormonal change in the body.

City gynaecologists say over the last five decades, the number of women suffering from hormonal problems has increased to 20 per cent.

Washington, Feb 25 : A new study has revealed that kids who have high blood pressure are not as good at complicated, goal-directed tasks, have more working memory problems and are not as adept at planning as their peers without hypertension.

The study also found if kids are both hypertensive and obese, they are also more likely to have anxiety and depression.

For the study, Marc Lande, M. D., a paediatric nephrologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and colleagues enrolled 32 newly diagnosed hypertensive children and adolescents (10 to 18 years old) from the Paediatric Hypertension Clinic at the University''s Golisano Children''s Hospital.

Washington, Feb 25 : Researchers at Harvard Medical School and the University of Minnesota School of Public Health have found that pregnant women and new moms with diabetes are likely to become depressed, putting both themselves and baby at risk.

"While previous studies have linked diabetes and depression in the general population, this is the first time, to our knowledge, that the relationship has been studied specifically in pregnant women and new mothers," says Katy Backes Kozhimannil, research fellow in the Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.

"We believe these findings may help clinicians better identify and treat depression in new mothers," Kozhimannil added.

Washington, Feb 25 : A team of scientists, including an Indian-origin boffin, has identified a specific gene that plays a key role in the weight-gain response to a high-fat diet.

The study, conducted on mice, has suggested that blocking this gene could one day be a therapeutic strategy to reduce diet-related obesity and associated disorders, such as diabetes and liver damage, in humans.

The researchers found that a diet rich in fat induced production of this gene, called protein kinase C beta (PKC beta), in the fat cells of mice. These mice rapidly gained weight while eating a high-fat diet for 12 weeks.

Washington, Feb 25 : Older adults who are physically fit have better spatial memory than those who are less healthy, says a new study.

Spatial memory is the part of memory responsible for recording information about one''s environment and its spatial orientation.

For example, a person''s spatial memory is required in order to navigate around a familiar city.

Hippocampus is a brain structure located inside the medial temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex, and plays a major role in short term memory and spatial navigation.

Researchers from the University of Illinois and the University of Pittsburgh have found that fitness increases hippocampus size and improves spatial memory in humans.