Researchers from University of Hiroshima have found a novel way to cure fears.

They said that injecting a common local anaesthetic directly into the brain may cure fears. The research team conducted the experiments on goldfish that were taught to become afraid when a light was flashed.

"The goldfish soon became afraid of the flash of light because, whether or not we actually gave them a shock, they had quickly learned to expect one," dailymail.co.uk quoted lead researcher Professor Masayuki Yoshida as saying.

The team discovered that fish which had been injected in the cerebellum with the anaesthetic lidocaine an hour before the experiment began had stable heart rates and showed no signs of fear when the light was shone.

The cerebellum is the part of the brain that handles basic emotions in people such as fear and pleasure. In fish, it was known to be involved in learning and movement.

The study was published in published in journal Behaviour and Brain Functions.

A top government official on Monday urged the chairmen of different municipalities in and around the city to insulate children from the illeffects of tobacco.

Dr S Elango, director of Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, made the appeal at a workshop for municipal heads on the effective implementation of the Cigarettes and Tobacco Control Act, 1993. Tobacco, he pointed out, was one of the main killers in the world. Citing the Global Youth Survey 2006, he said 14.1% children between 13-15 years of age smoke throughout the world.

He urged the municipal chiefs to ensure that the non-smoking areas are specified and posters put up in public places, especially school zones.

The community should take up the responsibility to drive away tobacco-related problems by avoiding consumption, he said. The use of tobacco during auspicious events like weddings should also be avoided, he added.

Talking about the global scenario, he said that while tobacco consumption has decreased in the developed world it has increased in the developing world. Developed countries are exporting tobacco products to India, he said.

Studies show that 80% of smoking is happening in developing countries as compared to 20% in the developed ones.

There are one billion smokers in the world and 100 million people have died due to tobacco consumption in the 20th century alone, he pointed out.

A team of Japanese researchers has developed a mosquito that spreads vaccine instead of disease.

The new research, led by Associate Professor Shigeto Yoshida from the Jichi Medical University in Japan, has revealed that mosquito genetic engineering can turn the transmitter into a natural 'flying vaccinator', providing a new strategy for biological control over the disease.

The study targets the saliva gland of the Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes, the main vectors of human malaria. "Blood-sucking arthropods including mosquitoes, sand flies and ticks transmit numerous infectious agents during blood feeding," said Yoshida. "This includes malaria, which kills between 1-2 million people, mostly African children, a year. The lack of an effective vaccine means control of the carrier has become a crucial objective to combating the disease," Yoshida added. For the past decade, it has been theorized that genetic engineering of the mosquito could create a 'flying vaccinator,' raising hopes for their use as a new strategy for malaria control.

However so far research has been limited to a study of the insect's gut and the 'flying vaccinator' theory was not developed.

"Following bites, protective immune responses are induced, just like a conventional vaccination but with no pain and no cost. What's more continuous exposure to bites will maintain high levels of protective immunity, through natural boosting, for a lifetime. So the insect shifts from being a pest to being beneficial," said Yoshida.

In this study, Yoshida and colleagues team successfully generated a transgenic mosquito expressing the Leishmania vaccine within its saliva. Bites from the insect succeeded in raising antibodies, indicating successful immunization with the Leishmania vaccine through blood feeding.

While 'flying vaccinator' theory may now be scientifically possible the question of ethics hangs over the application of the research. A natural and uncontrolled method of delivering vaccines, without dealing with dosage and consent, alongside public acceptance to the release of 'vaccinating' mosquitoes, provide barriers to this method of disease control.

The use of condoms has gone down, while oral contraceptives are gaining popularity among young women in the Capital, a survey has found.

According to the Delhi statistical handbook, oral pills have gained more popularity as effective contraception in the last three years. Condoms, though, continue to be the most preferred contraceptive among Delhiites, it says.

The survey shows demand for condoms declined from 1,23,77,000 in 2006-07 to to 94,76,000 in 2008-09. The demand for oral pills, meanwhile, rose from 1,19,549 in 2006-07 to 1,81,412 in 2008-09, figures state.

Officials said the data was collected from various government hospitals, health centres and chemist shops across the city.

Experts said the preference for oral pills over condoms is encouraging as long as women do not use emergency contraceptive pills instead of regular ones. "These figures confirm a growing awareness among women about the need for effective contraceptive measures. The trend is not disturbing as young adults need to know all options available - this will enable couples to choose the most suitable contraceptive," Director of Delhi Health Services S Bhattacharjee said.

A notable study by the Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco, claims to have discovered a cellular defect in the human cells that can disturb the protein synthesis in the cells, making them more vulnerable to cancer.

They have also found a set of drugs that can stall the cellular defect and correct it.

The research would help doctors win over various forms of cancer [abnormal cells that divide without control, which can invade nearby tissues or spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body. ] like breast cancer, colorectal cancer, brain cancer, and multiple myeloma, claim the scientists.

"Our work has the potential to create real, tangible benefits for the medical community," said UCSF faculty scientist Davide Ruggero, whose lab team is doing research in the burgeoning field of study on how defects in protein synthesis can lead to cancer susceptibility.

The findings are featured as the cover story in the March 16, 2010 issue of the scientific journal Cancer Cell.

mTOR hyperactivity, the key defect
The scientists explain that a protein unit known as mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin.) is responsible for the control of protein production within the cell, translational control.

Obtaining information about the cell's energy needs and signaling the protein synthesis activity is the main function of the mTOR.

mTOR gets hyper activated when the cells lose control over it, leading to high levels of protein production in the body.

Cancer cells exploit this excess protein level for their own survival and growth, leading to tumor formation.

"Our findings show that for a cancer cell, normal cellular functions such as protein synthesis can be specifically hijacked for tumor growth," explained first author Andrew Hsieh, a clinical fellow at the UCSF School of Medicine and the Department of Urology at the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Drug discovered to rectify the defect
A new drug, PP242, which is in Phase 1 clinical trials, can obtain control over the protein production and the cell propagation, overcoming the mTOR hyperactivity, revealed the lead researchers.

"We are extremely excited about our findings and the potential of targeting aberrant protein synthesis and mTOR in cancer as we should be able to block cancer's main source of growth," said Ruggero.

"We demonstrated that the drug kills the cancer cells more effectively because it blocks the abnormal production of proteins,The other drugs we tested did not show clinical effectiveness in blocking cancer development in this manner," he concluded.

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health.