Kolkata: With two more deaths due to "different types of Encephalitis" reported in north Bengal in the last 24 hours, the toll from the disease in north Bengal rose to 121 on Sunday.

"Two deaths have been reported in north Bengal and four new cases have also been reported in the state," West Bengal Health Services Director Biswaranjan Satpathy said.

Kolkata, May 31 : If you are looking to ditch tobacco, make sure you include at least 15-20 minutes of physical exercise each day to maintain unwavering focus on quitting, a fitness expert said Saturday on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day.

According to WHO estimates, tobacco use kills someone every six seconds, while nearly six million people die from tobacco-related illness each year.

Kolkata, May 22 - From music to food to books, revolutionary smartphone applications have caught the world by storm. Now, thanks to a new app, residents of this eastern metropolis can also order medicines at the touch of a button.

Christened 'The Frank Ross Smartphone Application', the innovative service happens to be a first such app introduced by a pharmacy chain in India.

Kolkata, Feb 27 - Eight years after Arian Chowdhury was first diagnosed with Hunter Syndrome, a rare genetic disease that affects one in 150,000 worldwide, necessary medical aid still eludes the 12-year-old. With the clock ticking, his distraught parents can only hope help arrives in time.

Kolkata, Oct 16 :More than 300 residents of a West Bengal district have been affected by diarrhea following contamination of a water source, a state health official said Wednesday.

The diarrhea broke out Oct 6 in north Dum Dum, in the state's North 24 Parganas district and since then both adults and children are being brought to the three hospitals as well as medical camps organised by the health department.

Kolkata, Sep 19 : More than 100 confirmed dengue patients have been admitted in hospitals in Siliguri town of West Bengal's Darjeeling district, the local legislator said Thursday. As many as 12 patients were hospitalised for suspected dengue.

"There are over a 100 confirmed dengue cases admitted now," said Rudranath Bhattacharya, the Trinamool Congress Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Siliguri.

Kolkata, Sep 12 : The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has launched an SMS service that sends dengue test results to patients through a text message within a few hours of the medical examination.

The service is available at all five test centres under the KMC.

Kolkata, Aug 20 : With one out of every 20 Indians suffering from sleep disorders, setting up more sleep clinics and comprehensive treatment facilities is imperative, feels a US-based Indian sleep disorder specialist.

Kolkata, July 2 : Cancer cases are increasing in India but with availability of state-of-the-art procedures, its treatment has touched new highs, an expert said.

"There is a rise in cancer cases in India in almost equal proportion among men and women," Shaikat Gupta, who heads the surgical oncology department at Apollo Gleneagles Hospital here, told IANS.

Kolkata, Jan 29 - Let the nutty flavours of squid meat, the juicy sink-your-teeth-in flesh of prawns, the delicate texture of sweet crab meat and the creamy texture of octopus assail your senses. Fish is no longer the only aquatic offering that will satisfy the palate of the Kolkata foodie.

Kolkata, Jan 24 : Predicting one's predisposition to addiction and warning potential victims to stay away from certain substances may become a reality in the near future, Indian scientists say.

New avenues in predictive medicine have also opened up with scientists at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology identifying the presence of genetic mutations (or abnormal changes in the genes) responsible for addiction.

Kolkata, Dec 3 : Returning to international cricket after a brave battle against cancer, Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh Monday joined hands with a leading hospital here to launch a screening drive for early detection and cure for the dreaded disease.

A joint initiative of Yuvraj Singh Foundation's YouWeCan and the Apollo Gleneagles Cancer Hospital, it aims at screening, early detection and the appropriate treatment for cancer.

Kolkata, Nov 27 : Scientists at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB) here claim to have hit the bull's eye with a potential vaccine directed at the dreaded kala azar disease that claims dozens of lives in eastern India every year.

Kolkata, Oct 9 : The duo of nanocapsules and antioxidants has the potential to effectively fight gastric ulcers caused by drinking excess alcohol, researchers here say.

During research at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB) here, scientists focussed on quercetin, an antioxidant abundantly found in fruits and vegetables including apples, tomatoes and onions.

Kolkata, Sep 22 : There's no dearth of people willing to donate their eyes in India but more transplants can't be conducted due to a shortage of eye bank technicians and eye donation counsellors, experts say.

Kolkata, Sep 18 - The dengue toll in West Bengal has risen to seven while the number of people affected by the disease has risen to 2,033 people, according to the state health department officials Tuesday.

"The death toll is seven. A total of 2,033 people are down with dengue," said a statement from the department.

Kolkata, Sep 18 - Chewing 'paan' or betel leaf could help fight a form of bone marrow cancer, a group of Indian researchers say.

A molecule derived from betel leaf may be beneficial to patients suffering from a cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many white blood cells and the body refuses to respond to common drugs, said a study by scientists in Kolkata and Mumbai.

Kolkata, Sep 15 - Constant travelling and rapid urbanisation of rural areas have contributed to a nearly 50-fold increase in dengue cases over the last 50 years, say experts.

Kolkata, Sep 10 : Indian scientists have found a safe orally-administered drug against kala azar, a disease that puts at risk an estimated 165.4 million people in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.

Termed by WHO as a "neglected disease", kala azhar or visceral leishmaniasis, the second-largest parasitic killer in the world after malaria, has proved resistant to most medicines.

Kolkata, Sep 7 - Two new devices are now available to monitor recurrent blackouts, which can cause death in 10 percent cases and injuries in 30 percent, a senior cardiologist said here Friday.

Kolkata, Sep 4 - Fat, not sugar, contributes to the more common Type-2 diabetes, said a leading scientist of the Visva Bharati University here Tuesday

"Diabetes exists in two forms, Type-1 and Type-2. Ninety-six to ninety-seven percent of patients exhibit the latter type," explained Samir Bhattacharya, while speaking at the Frontiers of Science conference organised by the

Kolkata, Aug 29 : Pill popping has become a reflex action to aid quick pain relief, often leading to gastro complications and sometimes even hospitalisation. Now, relief could be at hand with researchers at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB) here synthesising a novel molecule that helps shield the stomach.

Kolkata, Aug 24 - As many as 209 confirmed cases of dengue have been reported so far in West Bengal, Minister of State for Health Chandrima Bhattacharjee said here Friday.

"Today (Friday) we had held review meeting about the status of dengue in the state. Right now there are 209 confirmed cases of dengue in the state," Bhattacharjee told IANS.

When the endemic first came to the fore in the second week of August, the number of confirmed cases was 80.

Kolkata, July 26 - The soft, shiny red exterior of tomatoes or the lush, green texture of peas and leafy veggies might tempt one's taste buds and their "freshness" might appeal to the eyes, but there lies something sinister beneath - a toxic concoction of hazardous chemicals.

Kolkata, July 19 - The common breakfast bread has been elevated to a nutrient-packed wheat product by scientists at Jadavpur University, who decided to go green and fortify it with coriander.