Pakistani scientists succeed in mapping genome

Karachi:Pakistani scientists have mapped genome of the first Pakistani, while with this historical achievement, Pakistan joins the ranks of the few countries - the US, UK, China, Japan and India - which have successfully sequenced the human genome.

Dr Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine & Drug Research (PCMD), University of Karachi (KU) and Beijing Genomics Institute, China, have jointly mapped genome of the first Pakistani, living in Karachi.

Pakistan has become the first country in the Muslim World as well that has mapped genome of a first Muslim man.

This historical announcement was made by Prof Dr M. Iqbal Choudhary, Director International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), KU, while talking to a group of scientists at ICCBS. He said that the first Pakistani genome had been mapped using a newly developed technology ten years after the first human genome was discovered. The PCMD, working under the umbrella ICCBS, had reported mapping of the entire genome of a Pakistani male in just 10 months.

The individual who has been genetically mapped is a resident of Karachi, he added.

“According to the researchers, the newly-sequenced Pakistani genome has uncovered a multitude of ‘Pakistan’-specific sites which can now be used in design of large-scale studies that are better suited for the Pakistani population. The research team was comprised of Dr Kamran Azim, Assistant Professor in the Dr Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research and Dr Yong Zhang, head of the genomics department at the Beijing Genomics Institute, Shenzhen, China; among world leading genomics institutions,” he said.

Acknowledging the fact that the complete Pakistani genome has been sequenced for the first time Dr Azim said, “The new thing in the study is the technique which can trace back a mutation to the specific parent. We are still studying the actual genome data itself and how the genetic differences we identified may predispose this particular individual to certain diseases”.The news.

Health benefits of walnuts

WASHINGTON: Walnuts are the no. 1 nut for heart health, said the US research that was presented at the American Chemical Society annual meeting.

That is because walnuts were found to have more antioxidants -- and better-quality antioxidants -- than other popular nuts tested, the research said.

'Nuts are good for heart. They can lower cholesterol, reduce the oxidative stress caused by the free radicals, and decrease unhealthy inflammation.

Walnuts have more, better antioxidants than peanuts, pistachios, other nuts, the researcher said.

More than a decade of scientific evidence shows that incorporating walnuts in a healthy diet reduces the risk of heart disease by improving blood vessel elasticity and plaque accumulation.

Walnuts have also been shown to aid in the lowering LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and the C-Reactive Protein (CRP). CRP was recently recognized as an independent marker and predictor of heart disease.

Women worry about their looks 252 times/ week

LONDON: A survey has shown that women are constantly concerned by their appearance and worry about ageing.

One hundred women were asked to carry a clicker in an experiment to measure how many times they felt anxiety about their bodies ageing.

Over a seven day period, the women aged 35 to 69 had to use the clicker every time they worried about their face, body, or appearance in general.

On average, the women surveyed had negative thoughts 36 times a day.

One of the participants, Loose Women presenter Sherrie Hewson, 59, said: "It brought to the fore how many women have issues.

"Listening to others, they are saying what I'm saying when you think it's only you.

"There are so many of us there's got to be a common denominator, so we've got to get together and change it, change us."

Sherrie, who had a facelift ten years ago, clicked 1,400 times over seven days but admitted she thought it would be more.

In her waking hours, she experienced a negative thought about herself approximately every three minutes.

She told the Daily Mail: "When I look in the mirror, my overriding thought is: "I don't know this person." I wake up to this face, and I feel as though it's someone else's. All I see in the mirror is age creeping up on me.

"The worst time for me in terms of clicking was the morning.

"Just getting up, I'd look in the mirror at my face and hair and think: "Oh dear, now that's a worry." I'd click as I put my make-up on, but the more make-up I applied the less I clicked, and by the time my "face" was complete I'd have stopped clicking.

"I'd also click whenever I saw images of myself as a young actress, which happens from time to time. Just seeing how I used to look would remind me I was getting older."

The study was devised by keep-fit instructor Irene Estry and psychologist Emma Kenny to see if a looks-obsessed society creates ageism and pressure to stay youthful.

More than 3,400 recorded AIDS deaths in Iran. report

WashingtonTV:  According to official figures from Iran’s Health Ministry, at least 3,409 people have died in the country from AIDS, the Iran Labor News Agency (ILNA) reported on Thursday.

The report said that an additional 2,097 people have been diagnosed as having AIDS, and a total of 20,130 people had tested positive for HIV. It did not specify whether that figure included those who had gone on to develop AIDS.

Men accounted for 93 percent of recorded HIV/AIDS infections, ILNA said.

Health experts believe that the actual of AIDS patients in Iran is much higher.

The report said that intravenous drug use is the most common way HIV is transmitted in Iran [69.8 percent], while sexual relations counted for 8.5 percent of transmissions.

World-renowned Iranian physicians, Kamiar and Arash Alaei, leaders in the field of HIV/AIDS education, prevention and treatment, have been detained in Tehran’s Evin Prison since June 2008.

The two brothers are being held on charges related to endangering national security.

The doctors founded Iran’s non-governmental Pars Institute and formed the “triangular” clinical plan, in which treatment is offered for sexually-transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, and drug addiction.

The AIDS virus infects 33 million people around the world, and around a million in the United States, according to Reuters.

Artificial Penis Tissue Proves Promising in Lab Tests

One day artificial penis tissue could be grown to help men, new findings in rabbits now suggest.

After implantation with replacement tissue, lab rabbits that once had damaged penises had working organs and could produce offspring.

"Further studies are required, of course, but our results are encouraging and suggest that the technology has considerable potential for patients who need penile reconstruction," said researcher Dr. Anthony Atala, director of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Such methods could potentially aid men who just want to enhance their normal penises, rather than repairing any damage.

"Our intent and the goal of our work is to provide a solution for men who need penile erectile tissue for medical reasons," Atala told LiveScience. "Of course, you cannot control how the technology is used in terms of what patients want."

The real hope is "that patients with congenital abnormalities, penile cancer, traumatic injury and some cases of erectile dysfunction will benefit from this technology in the future," Atala said.

Click here to read more from Live Science.

2 pregnant women die from H1N1

RALEIGH:  Two pregnant North Carolina women died of pandemic H1N1 flu during the week of Oct. 25, state health officials confirmed Monday.

A spokesman for the state Department of Health and Human Services declined to identify where the two women lived.

In addition to the two pregnant women, three other people died in North Carolina from "influenza-like illness" during the week of Oct. 25.

Up through Sept. 26, North Carolina reported only deaths and hospitalizations attributed to the H1N1 virus. On Sept. 27, the state expanded its reporting to cover hospitalizations and deaths attributed to any influenza-like illnesses, whether seasonal flu or pandemic H1N1 flu.

A total of 12 deaths and 267 hospitalizations this year, through Sept. 26, were attributed to laboratory-confirmed H1N1 virus. Since Sept. 27, the state says 32 North Carolinians have died from influenza-related viruses, including H1N1.

The reporting change was ordered by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide a fuller picture of the impact of flu, since the number of laboratory-confirmed pandemic H1N1 flu cases is much lower than the true number of cases.

Both pregnant women and children are considered high-risk groups for infection by the H1N1 virus and have priority for the vaccine.

News of the deaths came as Wake County ran out of the vaccine and shut down H1N1 flu clinics Monday afternoon. County health officials say they expect to reopen the clinics when they receive additional doses.

Many physician practices and pharmacies still have the vaccine available.

With victory in House, health care reform moves to Senate

Washington:  The House of Representatives passed a sweeping health care bill Saturday night with a tight vote of 220-215, making it the biggest expansion of health care coverage since Medicare was created more than 40 years ago.

The Affordable Health Care for America Act, or H.R. 3962, restricts insurance companies from denying coverage to anyone with a pre-existing condition or charging higher premiums based on gender or medical history. It also provides federal subsidies to those who cannot afford it and guarantees coverage for 96 percent of Americans, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

However, turning the bill into law remains uncertain.

The bill barely squeaked by in the Democrat-controlled House, with just one Republican voting for it -- first-time lawmaker Joseph Cao who holds a seat in predominantly Democratic New Orleans.

One hundred and seventy-six Republicans opposed it, as did 39 Democrats.

The Senate must now pass its own version of the health care legislation.

Senate lawmakers are also having a hard time winning over Republicans and conservative Democrats. It is unclear when the Senate will vote on its version.

Even if it passes, lawmakers in the House and Senate will have to reconcile their respective versions into one document and vote again.

President Obama said he was "absolutely confident" the Senate will follow suit in passing its version of the bill.

"I look forward to signing comprehensive health insurance reform into law by the end of the year," he said.

With eight seconds left in the voting period, Democrats began counting down, erupting in roars when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared, "The bill is passed."

Democrat Sheila Jackson-Lee from Texas waved a copy of the bill while her colleagues pumped their fists.

"Democrats voted for the bill and a Republican voted for the bill. That equals bipartisan," Pelosi said later.

Republican lawmakers stood silently across the floor, some with their arms folded across their chest.

"Well, it was about what I thought it would be," said House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio as he quickly exited.

Later, he issued a statement where he said the $1.2 trillion legislation would add to the country's "skyrocketing" debt. Democrats have said the bill will cut the deficit by $104 billion over 10 years.

"I came here to renew the American Dream, so my kids and their kids have the same opportunities I had," Boehner said. "I came here to fight big-government monstrosities like this bill that dim the light of freedom and diminish opportunity for future generations."

Michael Steele, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, released an equally tersely-worded statement.

"Nancy Pelosi and her liberal lieutenants made a lot of promises today to get the votes they desperately needed," he said. "Make no mistake -- the Democrat leadership's assurances were based on political expediency, not principle. Anyone receiving a promise from Pelosi is guaranteed to be disappointed in the end when their votes are no longer needed."

Earlier in the day, Obama met behind closed doors with Democrats to shore up support for the bill, calling it a chance of a generation.

In the run-up to the vote, Republicans and conservative Democrats joined forces to pass an amendment to the bill to prohibit federal funds for abortion services.

Its consideration was considered a big win for them and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which used its power, especially with conservative Democrats in swing congressional districts, to help force other Democratic leaders to permit a vote that most of them oppose.

The prohibition, introduced by Democratic members, including Rep. Brad Ellsworth of Indiana and Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan, would exclude cases of rape, incest or if the mother's life is in danger.

The GOP accounted for 174 of the votes in favor of the amendment, with one Republican voting "present."

On the Democrat's side, 64 voted for the measure, and 194 voted against.

A second amendment, introduced by Boehner, would have substituted several sections of the health care bill dealing with insurance. Legislators voted against the amendment 258-176.

Rep. John Dingell of Michigan, the longest-serving member of the House, presided over the debate. Since joining the House in 1955 to replace his father, Dingell, 83, has introduced his father's health insurance bill every year since.

"The nation will be grateful to us all," he said, urging the House to pass the bill.

It did, after a lengthy contentious session. Later, the Democrats made it clear they are braced for a fight if one awaits them in the Senate.

"Today, Congressional Democrats put opponents of reform on notice: the status quo is unsustainable and inaction is not an option," said Tim Kaine, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee. "This vote doesn't mark the end of this process -- we still have a ways to go -- but it is a critical milestone on the road to passing health insurance reform.

"The American people want reform -- they need reform -- and Democrats will not rest until we pass comprehensive health reform legislation."

Babies are found to cry in their mother tongue

Just days after birth, German and French infants' wails mimicked the patterns of their native languages. Researchers believe they started to pick up on the melodies in the third trimester.

They may not be old enough to talk, but babies less than a week old know how to cry in their native language.

Researchers have known that infants have the ability to mimic speech starting around 12 weeks of age. Babies also show a preference for spoken language that mirrors the rhythm, melody and intensity patterns of their mother tongue.

But when they're too young to control their vocal cords or the muscles that shape the mouth to make specific sounds, how can babies demonstrate that they're tuned in to the chatter around them? Through their cries, suggests a team of European scientists.

The researchers recorded the cries uttered by 30 French and 30 German newborns when they were hungry, having their diapers changed or generally out of sorts. Though the babies were only 2 to 5 days old, they cried in distinct patterns.

The wails of the French babies started out low and rose to a higher pitch, whereas those of their German counterparts started out high and fell to a lower pitch. The German babies also cried with more intensity than the French babies, the researchers found. These patterns matched the intonation patterns of spoken French (in which the pitch tends to rise over the course of several words) and German (in which the opposite occurs).

The scientists said that fetuses start to pick up on the melody of ambient language during their third trimester in the womb. They can't hear all of the phonetic details of their mothers' speech, but they can perceive the overall patterns or phrases and sentences. Imitating those patterns probably helps newborns endear themselves to their mothers, the researchers theorized.

The findings, by scientists at the University of Wurzburg and the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Germany and the Ecole Normale Superieure/National Center for Scientific Research in France, were published online in the journal Current Biology.

Aging in muscles likely to be reversed?

NEW YORK: Researchers have discovered a way of boosting the muscle regeneration process in old age back to the levels of the young.
They found that an enzyme that acts as a catalyst to repair and maintenance of muscles is much lower in older people than the young. By increasing its concentration in the elderly, they believe they can restore “youthful vigour” to old muscles.
Scientists hope the breakthrough could lead to new treatments that rejuvenate and strengthen ageing bodies or combat degenerative diseases.
It is well known that as people get older, their ability to restore and rebuild lost muscle is weakened.
Researchers at the University of California, working with colleagues from the Institute of Sports Medicine and Centre of Healthy Ageing at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, compared muscle tissue samples from around 30 healthy men.
Half the volunteers were young 21 to 24-year-olds and half aged between 68 and 74.
At the start of the study, samples of muscle tissue were surgically removed from the participants’ thighs.
The men then had the leg from which the biopsies were taken immobilised in a cast for two weeks so that their muscles atrophied.
After the casts were removed, the men exercised with weights to rebuild their wasted muscles. More tissue samples were removed three days and four weeks after removal of the casts and sent to Prof Conboy’s laboratory.
The scientists found that during the exercise period the muscles of younger volunteers had four times more regenerative stem cells engaged in tissue repair than those of older participants.
Old muscle also showed signs of damaging inflammation and scarring.
Analysis of the samples revealed for the first time a biological pathway involved in muscle repair that relied on an enzyme called mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK).
The enzyme, a type of active protein, stimulated a biological “switch” on muscle stem cells called Notch that triggered growth.
MAPK is known to be important for organ formation during embryonic development in species as wide-ranging as worms, fruit flies and mice.
In old human muscle, MAPK levels were low and prevented tissue repair, the researchers reported in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.
The scientists found they could block muscle regeneration in the young tissue samples by artificially reducing MAPK levels.
But the reverse effect was seen when they grew old muscle cells in a solution that forced MAPK activation. Suddenly, the old muscle regained its ability to regenerate.
Professor Irina Conboy, who led the research, said: “Our study shows that the ability of old human muscle to be maintained and repaired by muscle stem cells can be restored to youthful vigour given the right mix of biochemical signals.
“The fact that this MAPK pathway has been conserved throughout evolution, from worms to flies to humans, shows that it is important,” said Prof Conboy.
“Now we know that it plays a key role in regulation and ageing of human tissue regeneration.”

UK swine flu vaccine 'approved'

The European drugs regulator has given the go-ahead for one of the UK's swine flu vaccines.
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An expert committee agreed that Pandemrix, made by GlaxoSmithKline, can be used in adults and children over six months old and pregnant women.
The decision removes one of the last obstacles to getting the immunisation programme under way although licensing still needs to be formalised.
The UK has bought 60 million doses of the vaccine.
In addition, there are contracts for an as yet unapproved vaccine, Celvapan, produced by Baxter.
It means the UK has provision for up to 132 million doses - enough for every person in the country.
A vaccine made by Novartis, Focetria, has also been recommended for licensing by the European Medicines Agency - but this is not planned to be used in the UK.
Final marketing authorisation for the vaccines still needs to be signed off by the European Commission and is expected "as soon as possible".
The EMEA said they were working with Baxter on some ongoing issues about their vaccine but hoped to be able to resolve those next week.
The vaccines have undergone an accelerated approval process as "mock-ups" of the vaccine had already been developed in preparation for a pandemic and tested in 6,000 people.
Manufacturers have worked quickly to add the swine flu H1N1 strain to the mock versions.
Early trial data had suggested good immune responses with just one dose of the vaccines.
However, the EMEA is recommending two doses are given three weeks apart for both vaccines, but may revisit that decision as more clinical trials are carried out.

Second swine flue patient confirmed in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The second swine flue patient was confirmed in the capital city here.
PIMS Hospital spokesman, Dr. Wasim Khawaja told Geo News that Imram Khan hailing from the Frontier province suffering from fever and flue was brought to the hospital. He said that the patient 28 had arrived here through Amman flight. He further said that the National Institute of Health has confirmed Imran Khan suffering from swine flue.
Last Wednesday, a passenger arriving from Sharja was also admitted in the PIMS Hospital on being diagnosed struck by swine flue.

Is sleeping in the same bed harming your relationship? How ’bout your health?

Have you ever been rudely awakened at 3 a.m. when your bed mate takes all the covers or rolls on top of you? How about trying to fall asleep while your partner snores like an asthmatic hog? According to sleep specialist Dr. Neil Stanley, couples should sleep separately for the good of their health and their relationship.
Dr. Stanley is quick to point out that couples suffer 50% more sleep disturbances when they share a bed and that historically, people are not actually meant to sleep beside one another.
The tradition of couples sharing a bed didn’t arise until the industrial revolution, when overcrowding and lack of space made it a necessity. According to Dr. Stanley, who sleeps separately from his wife, the marital bed was intended for sex, not sleep. He suggests more people consider this arrangement.
“We all know what it’s like to have a cuddle and then say ‘I’m going to sleep now’ and go to the opposite side of the bed. So why not just toddle off down the landing?”
According to the Stanley, who created Britain’s premier sleep laboratory at the University of Surrey, poor sleep that comes of bed sharing is linked to depression, strokes, lung disorders, heart disease, car accidents and even divorce.
A study conducted by Dr. Robert Meadows, of the University of Surrey, found that when couples share a bed and one of the partners moves, there is a 50% chance that the other will be disturbed as a result.
“People actually feel that they sleep better when they are with a partner but the evidence suggests otherwise,” says Dr. Meadows.
Despite these findings, couples remain reluctant to sleep separately, with only 8% of those in their 40s and 50s sleeping in different rooms. Perhaps separate beds in the same room might be a better idea, though even that may be a foreign concept in modern relationships.
“It’s about what makes you happy,” says Dr. Stanley. “If you’ve been sleeping together and you both sleep perfectly well, then don’t change, but don’t be afraid to do something different.”

New malaria 'poses human threat'

An emerging new form of malaria poses a deadly threat to humans, research has shown.
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It had been thought the parasite Plasmodium knowlesi infected only monkeys.
But it has recently been found to be widespread in humans in Malaysia, and the latest study confirms that it can kill if not treated quickly.
The work, by an international team, appears in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Although the new form of the disease has so far been concentrated in South East Asia, the researchers warn that tourism to the region could soon see cases appearing in Western countries too.
than a million people each year.
It is caused by malaria parasites, which are injected into the bloodstream by infected mosquitoes.
Of the four species of malaria parasite that often cause disease in humans, P. falciparum, found most commonly in Africa, is the most deadly.
Another parasite, P. malariae, found in tropical and sub-tropical regions across the globe, has symptoms that are usually less serious.
P. knowlesi had been thought only to infect monkeys, in particular long-tailed and pig-tailed macaques found in the rainforests of South East Asia.
But following work by a team at the University Malaysia Sarawak it has now been recognised as a significant cause of disease in humans.
The latest study shows that P. knowlesi can easily be confused with P. malariae under the microscope.
Speedy reproduction
However, unlike its cousin, P. knowlesi has the ability to reproduce every 24 hours in the blood - meaning infection is potentially deadly.
Researcher Professor Balbir Singh said this meant early diagnosis and treatment were crucial.
The researchers carried out tests on over 150 patients admitted to hospital in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, between July 2006 and January 2008 with malaria infection.
They found that P. knowlesi accounted for more than two-thirds of the infections, resulting in a wide spectrum of disease.
Most cases of infection were uncomplicated and easily treated with drugs, including chloroquine and primaquine.
However, around one in ten patients had developed complications, such as breathing difficulties and kidney problems, and two died.
Although the fatality rate was just under 2%, that made P. knowlesi as deadly as P. falciparum malaria.
And the researchers stress it is hard to determine an accurate fatality rate given the small number of cases so far studied.
Low platelet count
All of the P. knowlesi patients had a low blood platelet count, significantly lower than that usually found for other types of malaria.
However, even though blood platelets are essential for blood clotting, no cases of excessive bleeding or problems with clotting were identified.
The researchers believe the low blood platelet count could be used as a potential way to diagnose P. knowlesi infections.
Professor Singh said: "The increase in tourism in South East Asia may mean that more cases are detected in the future, including in Western countries.
"Clinicians assessing a patient who has visited an area with known or possible P. knowlesi transmission should be aware of the diagnosis, clinical manifestations, and rapid and potentially serious course of P. knowlesi malaria."

Swine flu kills 2,837, virus not mutated: WHO

GENEVA : H1N1 flu has killed at least 2,837 people but is not causing more severe illness than previously and the virus has not mutated, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
The WHO is carefully monitoring the virus to detect any mutation which might signal that it has become more deadly.
"There is no sense that the virus has mutated or changed in any sense," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told a news briefing. "We are continuing to see increased number of deaths because we are seeing many, many more cases."
About a quarter of a million cases have been laboratory-confirmed worldwide, but this is far fewer than the true number according to the United Nations agency which has stopped requiring countries to report individual cases.
One-dose vaccine
A WHO weekly statement on the latest strain, commonly known as swine flu, is expected later on Friday. The agency's previous update of Aug. 28 showed at least 2,185 deaths.
In the meantime, a Swiss drug maker may be able to provide a one-dose H1N1 vaccine instead of the two-dose inoculation required previously, the company said Thursday.
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. of Basel, Switzerland, said, based on studies conducted through the University of Leicester, it may be able to protect people from A(H1N1) infections within two weeks following administration of a one-time vaccine.
Further clinical experimentation on more than 6,000 children and adults was being conducted worldwide, the company said.
"The study suggests that while two doses seem to provide better protection, one dose of our adjuvant Celtura vaccine may be sufficient to protect adults against the swine flu. This is important information for public health authorities who prepare for vaccination in the coming months with limited vaccine supply," said Dr. Andrin Oswald, chief executive officer of Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics.

Large thighs 'may protect heart'

Men and women with thighs over 60cm (23.6in) in circumference have a lower risk of heart disease and early death, a study of 3,000 people suggests.
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The relationship remains even when body fat, smoking and blood cholesterol are taken into account, a Danish team says.
Those with narrow thighs may not have enough muscle mass to deal with insulin properly, raising the risk of diabetes and, in turn, heart disease, they say.
Experts cautioned that the research needed corroborating.
Some said it was too early to change current advice on eating and exercise for heart health, but the researchers said thigh size could be used as a marker for at-risk patients.
The study, published in the British Medical Journal, followed men and women in Denmark for more than 10 years.
They were measured for height, weight and thigh, hip and waist circumference and their overall percentage of body fat was calculated.
The thigh measurement was taken just below the gluteal fold, which is the crease caused by your buttocks.
Researchers also looked at the activity levels of the participants, whether they smoked, their blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
They then monitored incidence of heart disease over 10 years and death rates over 12-and-a-half years.
'Crude measure'
During this time, 257 men and 155 women died, 263 men and 140 women developed cardiovascular disease and 103 men and 34 women suffered from heart disease.
The team at the Copenhagen University Hospital found that those with the smallest thighs - below 55cm - had twice the risk of early death or serious health problems.
Professor Berit Heitmann, who led the research, said: "The increased risk was independent of abdominal and general obesity and lifestyle and cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure.
"Additionally we found that the risk was more highly related to thigh circumference than to waist circumference.
"It's a very simple, very crude measure but it seems to have an individual effect. And it may be a way for doctors to assess risk.
"The nice thing is that if you have a small thigh you can do something about it through exercise."
Previous studies have suggested that a waist circumference of over 35in (88.9cm) for a woman and 40in (101.6cm) for a man indicated a high risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.
Professor Heitmann's team says the risk of narrow thighs could be associated with too little muscle mass.
They say this can lead to the body not responding to insulin properly, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes and, in the long-run, heart disease.
Too little fat can also lead to adverse changes in the way the body breaks down food.
'Great news'
British Heart Foundation senior cardiac nurse Judy O'Sullivan said: "There is insufficient evidence to confirm that a low thigh circumference affects a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
"However, low muscle mass is associated with low levels of physical activity which is an established risk factor for developing heart disease."
Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, agreed that the research needed further corroboration, saying: "This is a very interesting and slightly counter-intuitive piece of work but it has to be respected because of the numbers looked at and the duration of the research.
"This must be great news for people with larger thighs. What I find fascinating is that researchers are now going back to the drawing board and looking for every possible way of mitigating obesity."

Boy conceived using new test born

The first baby conceived with the help of a new egg screening technique which could offer hope to women for whom IVF has repeatedly failed has been born.
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BBC NEWS: Oliver was born to a 41-year-old woman who had had 13 failed IVF treatments.
The new screening method, developed in Nottingham, allows a rapid analysis of the genetic material in fertilised eggs to check for chromosomal abnormalities.
The British Fertility Society said the technique was promising but that more research was needed.
Professor Simon Fishel, who led the team, said Oliver's arrival showed that the test could help couples who have repeatedly failed to become pregnant.
"All the team have been waiting for this very special baby to be born.
"Oliver's birth is an important landmark in shaping our understanding of why many women fail to become pregnant.
"Up to half of the eggs in younger women and up to 75% in women over 39 are chromosomally abnormal.
"Array Comparative Genomic Hybridisation is used to screen eggs or embryos in an IVF cycle, evaluate all the chromosomes and select the most chromosomally normal embryos."
Before an egg is fertilised, it ejects half of its own set of chromosomes to leave space for the chromosomes coming from the father's sperm.
Miscarriages
These "spare" chromosomes are kept in a structure on the edge of the cell known as the "polar body".
Array CGH involves extracting the polar body and looking to see if there are too few or too many chromosomes.
It is believed that two out of three women fail at each IVF attempt because of chromosomal abnormalities in the implanted egg.
The team at Care Fertility Clinic have found a way of speeding the analysis of the genetic material they extract.
Two years ago US scientists announced that 18 women had given birth after having their eggs screened using a similar technique.
But in those cases the resulting embryos had to be frozen and re-implanted later.
The Nottingham team can get the results back in 24 hours which means that the mother can undergo IVF in the same cycle of treatment.
Oliver's parents had 13 previous failed IVF cycles and three miscarriages.
Eight eggs were tested and only two found to be chromosomally normal. One of those produced Oliver.
Great hope
British Fertility Society chairman Tony Rutherford said the technology offered much promise but the widespread use of it should await the outcome of further rigorous research.
He said there was no compelling evidence yet that pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) tests, in which embryos are looked at for genetic abnormalities before they are implanted in the womb, improved the pregnancy rate or live birth rate.
He said: "All too often we see groundbreaking news about techniques that seem to offer great hope, but fail to live up to expectations when applied in widespread clinical practice."
Professor Peter Braude, head of the department of women's health at King's College London, said he was delighted that the mother had achieved her positive outcome after so many years of trying but he too sounded a note of caution.
"At the moment this can only be viewed as a potentially very lucky result," he said.
Stuart Lavery, a consultant gynaecologist and director of IVF at Hammersmith Hospital in London, said: "This technique is a very poweful tool that may allow us to detect which embryos of the many produced in an IVF cycle have the best chance of implantation and resulting in a birth.
"Clearly this is very early days, and our optimism needs to be tempered with caution until we have more evidence of the technique's safety and effectiveness.
"My own unit at the Hammersmith has recently been given an HFEA licence for microarray CGH and we look forward to contributing to this promising new field."

98% H1N1 victims recovered

RIYADH: Ninety-eight percent of the 3,500 people who contracted the H1N1 virus in the Kingdom have recovered from swine flu, the Health Ministry said.
In a statement issued here on Wednesday, the ministry said the health condition of thousands of pilgrims in Makkah and Madinah was satisfactory.
“The number of swine flu cases reported among pilgrims in Makkah since the beginning of Ramadan was 28. None of them have died and all of them have recovered,” the ministry said.
As many as 265 swine flu cases have been reported in Makkah since the virus first appeared in the Kingdom on May 27. In Madinah, a total of 206 cases have been reported including 17 during Ramadan.
“We have not noticed any increase in swine flu cases during the Umrah season of Ramadan compared to previous months,” the ministry said. It also reported the death of four Saudis including three women recently, bringing the total number of swine flu deaths in the Kingdom to 23, adding that most of them died of previous health complications.
“The rate of swine flu deaths in the Kingdom stood at 0.66 percent, coping with the international rate,” the ministry pointed out.

UN warns over swine flu in birds

The discovery of swine flu in birds in Chile raises concerns about the spread of the virus, the UN warns.
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Last week the H1N1 virus was found in turkeys on farms in Chile. The UN now says poultry farms elsewhere in the world could also become infected.
Scientists are worried that the virus could theoretically mix with more dangerous strains. It has previously spread from humans to pigs.
However, swine flu remains no more severe than seasonal flu.
Safe to eat
Chilean authorities first reported the incident last week. Two poultry farms are affected near the seaport of Valparaiso.
Juan Lubroth, interim chief veterinary officer of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said: "Once the sick birds have recovered, safe production and processing can continue. They do not pose a threat to the food chain."
Chilean authorities have established a temporary quarantine and have decided to allow the infected birds to recover rather than culling them.
It is thought the incident represents a "spill-over" from infected farm workers to turkeys.
Canada, Argentina and Australia have previously reported spread of the H1N1 swine flu virus from farm workers to pigs.
Dangerous strains
The emergence of a more dangerous strain of flu remains a theoretical risk. Different strains of virus can mix together in a process called genetic reassortment or recombination.
So far there have been no cases of H5N1 bird flu in flocks in Chile.
However, Dr Lubroth said: "In Southeast Asia there is a lot of the (H5N1) virus circulating in poultry.
"The introduction of H1N1 in these populations would be of greater concern."
Colin Butter from the UK's Institute of Animal Health agrees.
"We hope it is a rare event and we must monitor closely what happens next," he told BBC News.
"However, it is not just about the H5N1 strain. Any further spread of the H1N1 virus between birds, or from birds to humans would not be good.
"It might make the virus harder to control, because it would be more likely to change."
William Karesh, vice president of the Wildlife Conservation Society, who studies the spread of animal diseases, says he is not surprised by what has happened.
"The location is surprising, but it could be that Chile has a better surveillance system.
"However, the only constant is that the situation keeps changing."

Swine Flu Campaign Waits on Vaccine

Government health officials are mobilizing to launch a massive swine flu vaccination campaign this fall that is unprecedented in its scope and in the potential for complications.
The campaign aims to vaccinate at least half the country's population within months. Although more people have been inoculated against diseases such as smallpox and polio over a period of years, the United States has never tried to immunize so many so quickly.
But even as scientists rush to test the vaccine to ensure it is safe and effective, the campaign is lagging. Officials say only about a third as much vaccine as they had been expecting by mid-October is likely to arrive by then, when a new wave of infections could be peaking.
Among the unknowns: how many shots people will need, what the correct dosage should be, and how to avoid confusing the public with an overlapping effort to combat the regular seasonal flu.
To prepare, more than 2,800 local health departments have begun recruiting pediatricians, obstetricians, nurses, pharmacists, paramedics and even dentists, along with a small army of volunteers from churches and other groups. They are devising strategies to reach children, teenagers, pregnant women and young and middle-aged adults in inner cities, suburban enclaves and the countryside.....more

Swine flu vaccine 'by September'

The first swine flu vaccines are likely to be licensed for use in the general population in September, the World Health Organization has announced.

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Several manufacturers have produced initial batches of a H1N1 vaccine and some clinical trials are already underway.
WHO director of vaccine research Dr Dr Marie-Paule Kieny also sought to calm fears about safety of new vaccines.
She said the vaccines were based on "old and proven technology".
Figures show continuing rises in cases in the southern hemisphere in the past seven days.
Argentina has particularly seen a large increase and deaths now stand at 337.
And there has been a rise in cases of 25% in Australia.

Although it has not yet been clarified who would be first in line for a vaccine, it is likely to be those who are most vulnerable, such as pregnant women and young children.
Some experts have raised concerns about the lack of safety data on flu vaccines in these groups.
In particular a very rare neurological condition called Guillame Barre syndrome, which affected 500 people during a US vaccine programme against swine flu in 1976.
Dr Kieny said much was known about flu vaccines in these groups from seasonal vaccines given every winter and added that regulatory agencies would be monitoring for any signs of adverse reaction.
"The quality controls on today's vaccine are much better than they were 30 years ago," she added.

Fast track
Regulators in the US and Europe have special plans in place to fast-track swine flu vaccines, some of which are based on conventional seasonal flu vaccines and some which use newer technology.
Clinical trials are already underway in China, Australia, USA, UK, and Germany.
It comes as drug company, Baxter, has announced the production of the first commercial batches of its swine flu vaccine Celvapan.

The vaccine has been grown using cell culture, a much faster method than the traditional way of growing it in eggs.
Baxter is one of two companies contracted to provide pandemic flu vaccine to the UK, the other being GlaxoSmithKline, and both plan to start clinical trials this month.
One key part of the trials is to work out whether people need one or two doses of the vaccine.
Ministers have repeatedly said they expect to have enough doses for half the UK population by the end of the year.

BBC NEWS