London, Nov 10 : Scientists have now discovered that anti-cancer drugs, earlier believed to tear down blood vessels, actually help in building stronger and more normal blood vessels.

Previously it was believed that it was possible to cease angiogenesis, a process in which tumour generates blood vessels to feed its growth, by creating drugs targeting at stopping a key vessel growth-promoting protein, called VEGF, or vascular endothelial growth factor.

But now, researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in La Jolla have found evidence that blocking VEGF may not really halt the process, but would in turn lead to the production of more blood vessels that are not only stronger, but more normal and larger also.

Washington, November 10 : Johns Hopkins researchers have uncovered a set of five proteins in blood, which they believe may lay the basis for a highly accurate early warning test to predict heart attack in people with severely reduced blood flow, a condition medically known as ischemia.

The team comprising over a dozen scientists revealed that it took them a year to perform the study. They believe that theirs is the largest protein analysis ever done at Hopkins.

Bangkok  - Thailand has detected a fresh outbreak of avian influenza among free-range chickens in the northern province of Sukhothai, the country's agriculture minister confirmed Monday.

Agriculture Minister Somsak Prissananathakul said lab tests had confirmed that a dead chicken from a family farm in Thuang Saliam district of Sukhothai province had died of an infection with H5N1, the virus subtype causing bird flu.

Washington, Nov 10 : A new study has revealed that neither vitamin E nor vitamin C supplements reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in men.

Previous studies have suggested that vitamin E, vitamin C, and other antioxidants reduce cardiovascular disease by trapping organic free radicals, by deactivating excited oxygen molecules, or both, to prevent tissue damage.

Munich - Condoms can help support the healing process of viral infections that affect the cervix, according to the Munich-based professional association for German gynaecologists.

Mutations that occur in cells affected by the human papilloma virus (HPV) are better contained when condoms are used because they the prevent the virus from spreading, the association said. In addition they protect from other sexually transmitted diseases that can slow down the healing process.

Hamburg  - Ventilating a home was no problem in the past because even when windows were kept shut, there was a constant exchange of air through poorly insulated exterior walls, joints, and cracks.

This uncontrolled ventilation wasted a lot of energy, though, and made the home's occupants turn up the heat. To save energy, buildings in Germany have been better insulated and equipped with modern windows in recent years.

But the new, airtight windows with heat-insulating glazing have a negative side. "Unless ventilation methods are changed, air moisture caused by showering, cooking, and washing isn't drawn out of living quarters, kitchens, and bathrooms," noted Dirk Petersen, who works for Hamburg's consumer advice centre.