London, November 7: A Canadian researcher team says that the efficacy of anti-cancer drugs in destroying tumours, or in keeping them in check, may be improved with the aid of a virus called reovirus.

Brad Thompson, CEO of Canadian company Oncolytics Biotech that has been developing the virus as a product called Reolysin, has revealed that this virus harmlessly infects most people at some time in their lives.

He says that the reovirus destroys tumour cells because they lack the cellular machinery that keeps the virus in check in healthy cells.

Washington, Nov 8 : People who develop kidney stones are at a greater risk of developing chronic kidney disease, according to a new study.

It is known that kidney stones lead to CKD in patients with rare genetic diseases and in extreme cases individuals with CKD caused by kidney stones may even need dialysis or kidney transplants.

London, Nov. 7 : Health inspectors have shut down an Indian takeaway after a customer found a live cockroach in their food.

The Mogul Tandoori, in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, was infested with insects, and Cotswold District Council''''s Environmental Health Officers immediately shut it down on Sunday.

The council''''s Public Protection Team visited The Mogul on Monday.

It found poor hygiene standards as well as live and dead cockroaches.

A Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order ensuring The Mogul remains shut has now been granted at Cheltenham Magistrates'''' Court.

London, November 7 : Ingredients in plastic test tubes can block some biological reactions while testing the efficacy of drugs, and thereby lead researchers to bogus conclusions, according to a new study.

University of Alberta researcher Andrew Holt says that water alone can leach such chemicals out of plastic tubes.

He has revealed that the his team noticed the effect while testing experimental drugs that could potentially treat Parkinson''s disease.

According to him, his team’s work supports anecdotal evidence from various studies that plastics seem to affect some experiments.

Washington, November 7 : Duke University bioengineers say that gold nanostars may revolutionise medical diagnoses, and testing for environmental contaminants.

The researchers have revealed that their proposition is based on a comparison between all the shapes of nanoparticles studied to date, including rods, cones, cubes, and spheres.

They say that any such revolution would depend upon how light reflects off the particles, and nanostars can dramatically enhance the reflected light.

According to them, this increases their potential usefulness as a tracer, label, or contrast agent.

Washington, Nov 7 : Scientists have found evidence that Beta-alanine (BA), a dietary supplement widely used by athletes and body builders, can boost fitness levels in older adults.

BA is an amino acid that, together with histidine, forms the dipeptide carnosine.

Carnosine is found in muscle tissue and makes an important contribution to the maintenance of intracellular pH, which is vital for normal muscle function during intense exercise. An increased intake of BA significantly raises muscle carnosine levels.

The study, led by Jeffrey Stout, PhD from the University of Oklahoma, USA, also suggested that BA supplementation improves muscle endurance in the elderly.