Washington, Mar 31 : A new study in the U. S. has found a link between an increased number of birth defects in children of women who got pregnant in spring or summer and elevated levels of pesticides in surface water across the country.

Studying all 30.1 million births, which occurred in the U. S. between 1996 and 2002, the researchers found that women whose last menstrual period occurred in April, May, June or July were at increased risk for delivering infants with birth defects.

They also found that this period of increased risk correlated with elevated levels of nitrates, atrazine and other pesticides in surface water across the country.

Washington, Mar 31 : A new study has shown that dietary supplementation with lipoic acid, a natural compound found at low levels in red meat and green leafy vegetables, can significantly reduce triglycerides, a key risk factor in cardiovascular disease.

While experimenting on rats, the researchers found that supplements of lipoic acid lowered triglyceride levels up to 60 percent.

Washington, Mar 31 : A commonly used painkiller has been found to be effective against treating the acute pain of shingles, an illness that often causes severe pain along with a rash.

The painkiller oxycodone can help in treating acute pain of shingles, which is caused by reactivation of the varicella zoster virus, a bug that causes chicken pox.

Only those having chicken pox are vulnerable to shingles.

Older adults aged 85 have 50pct increased likelihood of getting shingles.

Stockholm - Several new incidents of pieces of glass found in chicken were reported in Sweden on Tuesday despite the recent recall of frozen chicken products by a leading producer, according to media reports.

A dozen cases have been reported since traces of glass was first found in frozen chicken breasts a week ago.

In Pitea, northern Sweden, a man eating a chicken dish at a Thai restaurant discovered two small pieces of glass in his food on Monday, the Pitea-Tidningen newspaper reported.

New Delhi, Mar 31: Taking notice of a letter written by the mother of a month-old child, alleging carelessness by a doctor of All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the Delhi High Court on Tuesday said internal disputes at the hospital would not to be tolerated at the cost of those suffering.

Expressing concern over the doctors not performing their duties properly, the bench headed by Chief Justice A P Shah said, "No body should be victimised because of ego clash."

Washington, March 31 : Diets rich in meat and fats and low in complex carbohydrates may increase the risk of colon cancer, say U. S. researchers.

Speaking at the Society for General Microbiology meeting at Harrogate, University of Pittsburgh's Professor Stephen O'Keefe described an expanding body of evidence to show that the composition of the diet directly influences the diversity of the microbes in the gut, providing the link between diet, colonic disease and colon cancer.