Washington, Apr 21 : A surgeon has successfully removed a patient's lemon-size gallbladder through a single incision in the belly button.

Julie Kopec had her gallbladder removed via a minimally invasive procedure to operate inside the abdomen, and that too with no traces of a scar, less pain and a lower risk of infection.

Dr. P. Marco Fisichella, assistant professor of surgery, division of general surgery, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, performed Kopec's surgery.

Washington, Apr 21 : After a hectic day of shopping in the mall, our memory guides us through a sea of vehicles in the parking lot to reach our car. Now, researchers have identified the specific parts of the brain responsible for solving this problem.

The findings of the study have implications for understanding the functional significance of a prominent brain abnormality observed in neuropsychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia.

Researchers explained that different types of memory are formed in different parts of the brain.

Washington, April 21: Keeping warm isn''t the only reason lizards bask in the sun. A new study has found that chameleons set their sunbathing schedule depending on how much vitamin D they need.

"It''s a longstanding assumption that thermoregulation is the only reason that lizards bask. Our results suggest that in addition to thermoregulation, vitamin D regulation appears to have a significant impact on basking behaviour as well," said Kristopher Karsten, a biologist at Texas Christian University who led the study.

Washington, Apr 21 : Individuals are often stunned when they undergo routine tests and find that they have had a heart attack. Now, a new research suggests that the so-called "silent" attacks occur much more frequently than suspected.

"Silent" heart attacks aren''t noted because they don''t cause any pain - or at least any pain that patients believe is related to their heart - and they don''t leave behind any telltale irregularities on electrocardiograms (ECGs).

New York  - The global economic crisis has scrambled the pecking order among US firms, with Exxon Mobil ousting Wal-Mart as the top revenue-earning company.

The energy company vaulted to the top of the business magazine Fortune 500 list, pushing the world's largest retailer to second place.

Profits among Fortune 500 companies saw the worst declines in the list's 55-year history, falling 85 per cent in 2008 compared to 2007, for total losses of 99 billion dollars.

Washington  - PepsiCo Inc, the chief rival to Coca-Cola for world domination of the drinks market, Monday offered 6 billion dollars in cash and stock to buy out other shareholders of its two biggest bottlers in North America.

The move represents an about-face from the 1990s, when Coca-Cola and then PepsiCo spun off their capital-intensive bottling operations.

The offers of 29.50 dollars per share for stock it doesnt already own in Pepsi Bottling Group Inc and 23.27 dollars for PepsiAmericas Inc. shares reprsent a 17 per cent premium over closing priceirs on Friday.