Washington, March 28: Studies on fireflies and jellyfish’s genes are providing significant insights into the possible causes of infertility and autoimmune diseases in humans, says a report.

The article states that with the aid of the luminescent and florescent genes, scientists illuminate cells that produce a hormone linked to conditions, which include rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

Washington, March 28 : Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine say that they have found a direct association between oxidative stress and inflammatory signals in the blood.

The researchers believe that their finding may pave the way for improved strategies for preventing several diseases by including antioxidants in the diet, and for reducing the impact of inflammation in critically ill patients by adding cysteine to intravenous or tube feeding.

Washington  - US President Barack Obama will make his first trip to Europe next week since taking office, hoping his immense popularity on the continent will provide a fresh start in cross- Atlantic relations.

Obama is due to arrive in London to attend Thursday's 20-nation summit on the financial crisis, before heading to France and Germany for a NATO summit April 3-4. Later, he'll stop in Prague for an EU gathering and then Turkey.

Washington - With a Tuesday deadline looming for its survival plan, General Motors appeared to be seeking a delay as it juggles demands by bondholders and unions, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

The country's largest car maker, which received a government loan lifeline of more than 13 billion dollars last year, was to have taken certain steps in its viability plan by Tuesday.

But GM could bump up against the deadline and receive an extension of 30 days, several people briefed on the matter told the Journal.

New York  - US stocks fell on Friday after two leading banks said they made less money in March, but the major indices were still up at least 6 per cent for the week.

JPMorgan Chase & Co and Bank of America Corp said that earnings had fallen this month after they made money in the first two months of the year, pushing their shares down more than 3 per cent, Bloomberg financial news reported.

Washington  - A US court on Friday ordered Iran to pay 25 million dollars plus interest to the family of an Israeli soldier kidnapped and killed by Hamas 15 years ago.

Nachshon Wachsman, a 19-year-old soldier with both US and Israeli citizenship, was kidnapped by four members of Hamas in 1994, while waiting for a ride on a street in Lod, Israel.

He was held captive for six days before being executed by his captors as the Israeli military staged a rescue operation to free him oustide Jerusalem.