Plastic plates are a favourite of parents and picnic-goers the world over, but new research suggests that eating hot meals on melamine crockery could actually be harmful to health. Taiwanese researchers have found that hot temperatures increase the amount of melamine we are exposed to - and this can increase the risk of kidney stones, the Daily Mail reported. They studied two groups of people who ate piping hot noodle soup. One group ate from melamine bowls, the other from ceramic bowls. Urine samples were collected before the meal, and every two hours for 12 hours following the meal. Three weeks later, the volunteers consumed the same kind of soup but the type of bowl they used was reversed. Urine samples were collected again. Total melamine levels in urine for 12 hours after eating the soup was 8.35 micrograms when the participants ate out of the melamine bowls versus about 1.3 micrograms when they ate out of ceramic bowls. Lead researcher by Chia-Fang Wu, of Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan, said: "Melamine tableware may release large amounts of melamine when used to serve high-temperature foods." He noted that both higher temperatures (from hot soups, for example) or more acidic foods can encourage melamine to contaminate food, especially in older or low-quality kitchenware. But he added that the amount of melamine released into food and beverages from melamine tableware varies by brand, so the results of this study of one brand may not be generalised to other brands. However the results suggest it is advisable to serve hot food on ceramic crockery, to be on the safe side. They added that it`s not yet clear what effect all of this might have on human health. However, prior studies have linked chronic, low-dose melamine exposures to an increased risk for kidney stones in both children and adults, the researchers said. Studies of melamine toxicity in animals indicate that ingestion can cause kidney stones, kidney damage and may induce cancer. The study was published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.    

  A team of Queensland researchers is close to developing a new treatment for severe headaches, which consists of vitamin B and folate supplements.   The remedy would help the 20 per cent of migraine sufferers whose condition is genetic, said Griffith University postdoctoral researcher Bridget Maher.   Telling to a news agency she said that it basically reduces the frequency and severity of the migraines, the Herald sun reported.   According to her, one in five people prone to migraines have an enzyme that doesn`t work as well as other people. She said supplementing them with vitamin B and folate can treat that enzyme`s defect.   Migraines linked to genetics are also associated with auras, which refers to the experience of temporary neurological disturbances such as seeing stars, getting pins and needles and numbness.   The team at Griffith is working on the correct dose of the supplements and Maher has asserted that the treatment could be on the market in the next few years.   

  Two cups of cow`s milk a day is the exact quantity required by most children to maintain adequate vitamin D and iron levels, scientists say.   Two cups of cow`s milk a day is the exact quantity required by most children to maintain adequate vitamin D and iron levels, scientists say.   The most common question parents often ask is how much milk they should be giving their kids.   "We started to research the question because professional recommendations around milk intake were unclear and doctors and parents were seeking answers," said Dr Jonathon Maguire, a paediatrician at St Michael`s Hospital and lead author of the study.   Maguire and his team looked at how cow`s milk affected body stores of iron and vitamin D - two of the most important nutrients in milk - in more than 1,300 children aged two to five years.   They found that children who drank more cow`s milk had higher Vitamin D stores but lower iron stores.   "We saw that two cups of cow`s milk per day was enough to maintain adequate vitamin D levels for most children, while also maintaining iron stores. With additional cow`s milk, there was a further reduction in iron stores without greater benefit from vitamin D," Maguire said in a statement.   The researchers recruited healthy children during routine doctor`s appointments between 2008 and 2010. Parents were asked to fill out an extensive questionnaire about their children`s milk drinking habits and other factors that could affect iron and Vitamin D stores.   A blood sample was obtained from each child to determine body stores of iron and Vitamin D.   The study also suggested that children with darker skin pigmentation may not have enough vitamin D stores during the winter months.   Maguire suggested that instead of consuming more milk to increase these levels, wintertime vitamin D supplementation may be a more appropriate way of increasing vitamin D stores while preserving iron stores.   "Vitamin D deficiency in children has been linked to bone health issues and iron deficiency has been linked to anaemia and delays in cognitive development," Maguire said.   "Being able to answer parent`s questions about healthy cow`s milk intake is important to avoiding these potentially serious complications of low vitamin D and iron stores," Maguire added.   The Canadian Paediatric Society recommends that cow`s milk not be started before one year of age.   The study appeared in journal Paediatrics.   

   Mushrooms are good for diabetics since they contain little or no sugar, says an expert. "Cultivated and wild species of mushrooms are consumed because of their nutritional value. They are rich in essential nutritional constituents and are good for people with diabetes as they have little or no sugar," said T.N. Lakhanpal from the department of bioscience at Himachal Pradesh University.   Lakhanpal was among the delegates at the 100th Indian Science Congress, which ended here Sunday.   According to the scientist, mushrooms, being almost fat-free, benefit the obese too.   On the emerging importance of mushroom biology, Lakhanpal said: "The potential of mushrooms as neutraceuticals has emerged as an important aspect of mushroom biology in the last 20 years".   "Also, all the mushrooms investigated so far have been found to have curative properties against cancer, HIV and other dreaded diseases," he said.   Besides medicinal benefits, mushroom cultivation provides economic benefits, he said.   "Mushroom cultivation is a cottage and commercial industry and is finding favour among the rural people."

సంగీతమంటే ఇష్టం లేంది ఎవరికి..? మంచి పాటేదైనా అలా గాలివాటంగా వినిపిస్తుంటే.. చెవులు రిక్కించని వాళ్లు ఎవరైనా ఉంటారా.. ? మంచి రాగం చెవినపడితే వీలైతే కాళ్లూ చేతులూ లేకపోతే కనీసం వేళ్లైనా ఊపకుండా ఉండగలిగేవాళ్లు ఈ భూమ్మీద ఉన్నారంటారా.. ? లేరని గట్టిగా చెప్పొచ్చు. ముమ్మాటికీ ఆలాంటివాళ్లు ఈ పుడమిమీద దొరకరుగాక దొరకరని ఢంకా బజాయించి మరీ చెప్పొచ్చు. ఆ అలవాటే ఇప్పుడు కొన్ని జబ్బులకు మందుగా పనిచేస్తుందని శాస్త్రవేత్తలు చెబుతున్నారు. పార్కిన్ సన్స్ డిసీజ్ కి నచ్చినపాటకి నచ్చినట్టుగా స్టెప్పులేస్తే చాలా ఉపశమనం కలుగుతుందని వైద్య శాస్త్రవేత్తలు అంటున్నారు. తాజా పరిశోధనల్లో తెలిసిన ఈ విషయాన్ని వెంటనే అందరికీ చెప్పేయాలన్న ఉబలాటంతో శాస్త్రవేత్తలు టమకేసి మరీ చెబుతున్నారు. అంతే కాదు.. ఇలా ఇష్టమైన పాటలకి స్టెప్పులేయడంవల్ల ఒక్క పార్కిన్ సన్స్ డిసీజ్ కి మాత్రమే కాదు, బీపీ, షుగర్ లాంటి మొండి జబ్బులకుకూడా చాలా ఉపశమనం కలుగుతుందంటున్నారు. సో.. మీ కిష్టమైన మంచి పాటకి స్టెప్పులేయడంవల్ల ఇన్ని మంచి లాభాలున్నాయని తెలిసినప్పుడు మరింకెందుకు ఆలస్యం.. లెట్స్ డూ ఇట్ ఫాస్ట్..