London, Oct 27: A drink that claims to offer the same nicotine fix as cigarette is set for a launch in Britain.

The soft drink, containing 15 per cent nicotine, will offer smokers an alternative to shivering outside bars and restaurants.

Even the cans of Liquid Smoking look similar to red and white cigarette cartons.

"We''ve got a product that has the same effects as nicotine, but which you can drink in restaurants and on flights," the Independent quoted Martin Hartman, of the United Drink and Beauty Corporation, as saying.

However, Liquid smoking has been criticised by anti-smoking groups as it may promote smoking.

Wellington, October 27: Clinical trials with a non-invasive and painless system, which can assess people’s average blood-sugar levels, is all set to begin in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Scientists at Canterbury University have joined forces with medical researchers at Christchurch Hospital for the purpose.

The researchers believe that the breakthrough system may revolutionise the way diabetics'' long-term glucose levels are monitored, and provide an easier way to identify people with the disease.

After 3,988 cases and 49 deaths because of dengue being reported across the nation except few states, it is now the State of Punjab which is falling under the grip of it. Number of hospitals are getting cases from across the state who are now finding it difficult to manage the inflow of patients.

The difficulty is all the more aggravated as the government hospitals are not properly equipped with the facilities required and the patients are now being sent to PGI in Chandigarh or private medical college hospitals in Ludhiana. It has been reported that more than 50,000 cases approximately has come up.

Washington, Oct 27: Researchers from University of Medicine Berlin and McMaster University in Canada have found that stress may activate immune cells in the skin, leading to inflammatory skin disease.

This cross talk between stress perception, which involves the brain, and the skin is mediated through the "brain-skin connection".

The immune cells in skin can over-react, resulting in inflammatory skin diseases like atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.

London, Oct 27 : Viagra can overcome the signalling defect and relieve exercise-induced fatigue associated with muscular dystrophies, according to a new study.

In the study on mice, researchers at University of Iowa showed that Viagra could alleviate fatigue in the animals with mislocalized enzyme called neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS).

They also showed that there was a difference between the prolonged fatigue after mild exercise in muscular dystrophy patients and the inherent muscle weakness caused by the disease.

The researchers identified a faulty signalling pathway that apparently leads to exercise-induced fatigue in mouse models of muscular dystrophy.

Sydney, October 27: While the number of women turning to mammograms has significantly increased following breast cancer diagnoses among many celebrities, experts have found that many of them are in the under-40 age group, where mammographic screening is not effective.

"It is important to dispel the misconceptions, address unnecessary alarm and provide the facts for this age group," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Dr. Helen Zorbas, director of the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre, as saying at the launch of breast cancer awareness day in Sydney.