Washington - An illness that has affected abut 75 students at a private school in New York City is "likely" swine flu, said Thomas Frieden, the New York City health commissioner. The conclusion was reached after swabs were taken from nine students at St Francis Preparatory School in Queens on Friday.

The specimens were examined by the health department, which concluded they exhibited in Influenza A strain that was "likely" swine flu, Frieden said.

A confirmatory result was expected Sunday from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tokyo - Japan began checking temperatures of passengers arriving from Mexico Saturday after a swine influenza outbreak killed more than 60 people in Mexico and infected at least eight in the United States. The Japanese government on Saturday began tightening health checks on travellers entering the country through Narita and Kansai airports directly from Mexico or via the United States.

Washington, Apr 25: People who are bony or lean are more likely to perceive an approaching sound as closer than it actually is, according to a new study.

Evolutionary psychologist John Neuhoff and colleagues at The College of Wooster in Ohio, who study "looming" sounds, said that such a connection between physical fitness and the brain''s auditory system may have evolved to help the weak get out of the way of approaching danger.

Washington, Apr 25: Scientists at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, are developing a new technology, called histotripsy, to trim the interiors of aging prostates in the body.

Traditionally, researchers treated prostate growths by inserting a rigid instrument through the penis and scraping away cells lining the walnut-sized gland.

But, the new technology being developed by urologist William Roberts and a team at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is a less invasive way to remove tissue using focused pulses of ultrasound.

Washington, Apr 25 : Researchers have identified a molecule which contributes to the development of smoking-related lung disease.

Long-term exposure to compounds found in smoke can lead to both cardiovascular and lung disease.

Although lung exposure to cigarette smoke leads to immune cell recruitment and tissue fibrosis, how cigarette smoke causes these changes is unknown.

Washington, Apr 25 : A research team led by Indian origin scientist has found no difference in the survival rates of HIV positive and HIV negative patients after undergoing liver transplant.

After analysing 6,315 adult patients, the results showed no difference in survival rates at 1 and 5 years between HIV negative and HIV positive patients (86.5pct and 74pct versus 87.1pct and 78 pct), suggesting a good prognosis for HIV positive patients following liver transplant.