Briefly Speaking

Published on:

30 Aug 2015, 12:00 am

India has most smokeless tobacco deaths

A new survey has revealed that India has most number of smokeless tobacco deaths. The world witnesses more than a quarter of a million deaths every year, of which India bears three-fourth of total number, according to the study that examined the impact of smokeless tobacco on global scale. Apart from so many deaths, the study found that the health of more than a million people gets affected because of chewing tobacco, causing several diseases that shorten life.

“Nearly 85 per cent of the total burden attributable to smokeless tobacco use was in SE Asia, with India alone accounting for 74 per cent of the global burden, followed by Bangladesh (5 per cent),” said the study. For the study, researchers analysed data from 113 countries. The study was based on the 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study and surveys including Global Adult Tobacco Survey. One of the study authors revealed that more than 62,000 people died in 2010 due to diseases caused by smokeless tobacco.

obesity gene in Indians identified

Scientists claim to have for the first time identified a gene that is linked to obesity in Indians. A team at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad has isolated one single nucleotide polymorphism marker (which is within a gene) of THSD7A that is linked to obesity.

Nearly one million single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers distributed throughout the genome were analysed among a total of 2014 non-smokers, aged between 20 and 30. “We found one SNP marker of THSD7A was significantly associated with obesity. This gene has not been associated with obesity in the Indian population,” Kumarasamy Thangaraj, who led the research team, said.

Germ-Killing Charger for cellphones

Recently, a first-of-its-kind mobile charger that uses ultraviolet light to kill germs and sanitise your cellphone has been developed in the US. The universal charger is the safest way to kill the bacteria growing on the cellphone, its manufacturer Utah-based PhoneSoap claims. Two UV-C lamps in PhoneSoap charger produce a specific wavelength of light which encompass the phone and passes through the cell walls of bacteria and virus to impair their DNA.

Once the DNA is compromised, the cells die and can no longer cause infections or disease. Users will get notifications and alarms when their phones are inside the charger as it has unique acoustic outlets. The device takes four minutes to completely sanitise the phone, and a blue indicator on the front will let the user know when the sanitising is complete.