Thousands swallow sardines with paste to try to cure asthma.

Tens of thousands of asthma sufferers have swallowed live sardines or murrel fish smeared with a yellow herbal paste they believe will cure their breathing problems.

The Goud family that administers the traditional treatment says its ancestors received the secret formula from a Hindu saint about 170 years ago. They refuse to reveal the mixture's ingredients, and rationalists are skeptical of it.

People seeking the fish-and-herbal treatment started arriving early this week in Hyderabad, the joint capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states.

Bathini Harinath Goud, whose family has been administering the mixture for years, said the treatment started Wednesday morning and will continue for 24 hours.

The herbal paste is slipped into the sardines and then put into the mouth of the asthma sufferers.

4 New Elements Get Names.

The proposed names for elements 113, 115, 117 and 118 are nihonium, moscovium, tennessine and oganesson respectively, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (Iupac) has announced.

‘It’s an exciting day for the world,’ says Lynn Soby, Iupac’s executive director.

The groups responsible for the discovery of these new elements each put forward their proposed name and symbol after Iupac confirmed their existence in January 2016. The criteria states an element may be named after a mythological figure or concept, geological place, scientist, elemental property, or mineral.

Nihonium (elemental symbol Nh) is the proposed name for element-113. The element was synthesised by Kosuke Morita’s group at RIKEN in Japan after they bombarded a bismuth target with zinc-70 nuclei in 2004 and 2012. Named after Japan, the element will be the first East Asian name to appear on the periodic table if ratified.

Scientists based in Russia and the US who discovered elements 115 and 117 have put forward the names moscovium (Mc) and tennessine (Ts), respectively. A collaboration between the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research in Russia and the Oak Ridge and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, US, elements 115 and 117 were both created in 2010. Both element names take their cues from geographical regions. Moscovium is named after Moscow, where the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research is based. Named after Tennessee, tennessine is a tribute to the region where a large amount of superheavy element research is conducted in the US.

The same group has also named element-118 oganesson (Og), in honour of the Russian nuclear physicist Yuri Oganessian who led the team that synthesised element-117.

The names will now be put up for public scrutiny in a five month consultation process before Iupac ratify the final names. ‘It’s important for people around the world to review the names to make sure that they fit with all the different languages,’ Soby tells Chemistry World. ‘Now the public and the scientific community can weigh in on things.’

Smoking weed can alter your DNA.

As increasing numbers of countries and states review and relax their marijuana laws, it seems as though each new day brings yet another study either lauding or demonizing the drug. However, anti-weed researchers will have to really go some way to trump the latest study by a group of scientists from the University of Western Australia, who claim that marijuana use can mutate a person’s DNA, potentially making their children more susceptible to cancer.

The basis for this claim, which is outlined in the journal Mutation Research/Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis, revolves around a previous study into how certain genetic mutations occur. According to this paper, a process known aschromothripsis – or “chromosomal shattering” – can alter our DNA in such a way that we become more genetically predisposed to develop cancer and other serious illnesses.

This occurs when something goes wrong during cell division, otherwise known as mitosis. During this process, a cell’s chromosomes are arranged on microtubules known as mitotic spindles, ensuring the right genes are aligned in the right way when pairs of chromosomes break apart and re-join each other. However, ingesting certain toxic substances can cause these spindles to become deformed, meaning our DNA gets all jumbled up when our cells divide, often weakening the genes that protect us from cancer.

In light of this new information, the researchers point to a number of other studies that highlight an association between cannabis use and a range of life-threatening illnesses, including several types of cancer. They then cite another study that showed how THC – the active ingredient in marijuana – disrupts the formation of chains of proteins called tubulin, which just happens to be what mitotic spindles are made out of.

During mitosis, chromosomes become aligned along spindles. Giovanni Cancemi/Shutterstock

Extrapolating from this, they suggest that cannabis use may induce chromosomal shattering, causing smokers to become carriers of certain genes that increase their likelihood of suffering cancer, adding that these genes can then be passed on to future generations.

Summarizing this conclusion in simplified terms, study co-author Stuart Reece explainedthat he and his team “found that cancers and illnesses were likely caused by cell mutations resulting from cannabis properties having a chemical interaction with a person’s DNA.”

“The parents may not realise that they are carrying these mutations, which can lie dormant and may only affect generations down the track, which is the most alarming aspect,” he adds.

Though the research does provide some alarming insights into the potential consequences of smoking pot, it is important to note that these conclusions have not been experimentally verified, and much more work will be needed before the authors’ claims can be substantiated.

People overdosing on anti-diarrhoea drugs

Federal health officials are investigating sometimes-deadly overdoses with common anti-diarrhoea drugs, a bizarre manifestation of the nation's drug addiction problem.

Restricting over-the-counter sales

The Food and Drug Administration warned doctors and patients that the over-the-counter and prescription medications, including Imodium, can cause potentially deadly heart problems when taken in large doses.

The agency has received 31 reports of people hospitalised due to the heart problems, including 10 deaths over the last 39 years. The agency's database is not comprehensive and many drug overdoses are not reported to the government.

But national poison centres reported a 71 percent increase in calls involving the drugs between 2011 and 2014, according to a journal article published last month in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

The paper's authors recommended restricting over-the-counter sales of anti-diarrhoea drugs, similar to other easily abused medications like pseudoephedrine, the decongestant that can be processed into methamphetamine.

Epidemic of addiction and abuse

FDA regulators said in an online posting that they are monitoring the issue and considering next steps.

The primary ingredient in Imodium and similar drugs,loperamide, is intended to control diarrhoea, with maximum-recommended doses ranging between 8 and 16 milligrams per day.

But abusers have reportedly tried to achieve heroin-like highs by taking massive doses, up to 300 milligrams at once, according to cases in the medical literature.

Reports of abuse are rising amid an epidemic of addiction and abuse involving opioids, a family of drugs that includes narcotics like heroin and legal prescriptions like morphine and oxycodone.

In some cases, opioid abusers will attempt to wean themselves off those drugs by substituting the anti-diarrhoea drugs.

In 2014, more than 47,000 drug overdoses were recording in the US, with opioids accounting for 61 percent of that total, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Federal and state authorities have been trying to reverse opioid abuse for years, though overdose deaths have continued to rise.

Bacteria in female reproductive tract linked to cancer

Researchers have found bacteria in women's ovaries and fallopian tubes – locations previously believed to be sterile.

Different types of bacteria

The investigators also discovered that women with ovarian cancer have a different bacterial population in these locations than women without the cancer.

This finding raises the question of whether bacteria in the upper reproductive tract might play a role in the development or progression of ovarian cancer.

"This is a place essential to the beginning of life you don't expect that it's a place that's teeming with bacteria," Dr Wendy Brewster, director of the University of North Carolina Centre for Women's Health Research, said in a university news release.

"But there are bacteria in chemical pits at the bottom of the ocean, so why not in the fallopian tubes? Our proof of principle study has determined that while the upper female reproductive tract certainly isn't teeming with bacteria, there are bacteria present," Brewster said.

More research needed

The researchers took samples from the upper reproductive tract of 25 women. The women were already undergoing surgery to have their uterus, fallopian tubes or ovaries removed. Some of the women had cancer, while others did not.

Using genetic testing, the researchers identified the types of bacteria found in the samples. Different bacteria were found in the fallopian tubes than were found in the ovaries, the study revealed.

Women with ovarian cancer had more strains of potentially harmful bacteria, the researchers found. But it's too soon to know if these bacteria play a role in the development of ovarian cancer.

"Now that we know that these organisms are there, and that there are different organisms in different parts of the upper female reproductive tract, we want to know: Do these organisms influence whether or not you get cancer, or do they influence the behaviour of cancer? If you have different types of organisms, do you have better outcomes?" Brewster said.

More research is needed, the study authors suggested.

The study was presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago. Findings presented at meetings are typically viewed as preliminary until they've been published in a peer-reviewed journal.q

foods that cause gout.

Step 1. Understanding the link between gout and food

Gout is a type of arthritis that usually affects the peripheral joints, most often those in the big toe (first), but can also affect the knees, elbows, thumbs or fingers.

Gout is caused by deposits of urate crystals in the joints.

Urate is one of the breakdown products of compounds called purines.

People who suffer from gout tend to either produce more urate than normal or to excrete less in the form of uric acid. Gout is usually accompanied by raised blood urate levels.

Purines, which are broken down to urate and uric acid originate from two sources, dietary protein and body synthesis.

Men are much more prone to develop gout than women, although post-menopausal women also run an increased risk.

Factors that can precipitate a gout attack, include:

• Overweight – many patients who suffer from gout are overweight or obese
• Alcohol – acute attacks of gout are often precipitated by overindulgence in alcohol
• Dietary purines – eating foods rich in purines (meat, fish, fish roes) can cause an attack
• Starvation or very-low-energy diets – blood urate levels rise dramatically when body proteins are broken down due to starvation or very low energy intake
• Kidney disease – any disease, such as chronic renal failure, which prevents the kidneys from functioning properly and excreting sufficient urate can cause gout
• Other diseases – diseases such as leukaemia or psoriasis can cause increases in urate production
• Drugs – chemical compounds which decrease the excretion of urates, such as the so-called thiazide diuretics used to treat hypertension and edema, can cause a gout attack.

Step 2: Adopting new, healthy habits

You can reduce your risk of another gout attack. Follow these guidelines:

• Reduce weight loss
• Avoid alcohol: Cut down on alcohol intake drastically. If necessary avoid all alcohol or restrict drinking to less than two drinks a day. A harsh, but effective way of preventing gout.
• Avoid gorging: Avoid rich, heavy meals which contain lots of fat and purines – i.e. the typical Christmas dinner is an excellent example of a meal laden with fat and purines.
• Avoid purines: Avoid high-purine foods like liver, kidneys, sweetbreads, sardines, anchovies, fish roes (eggs and caviar) and meat extracts.
• Drink water: Drink six or more glasses of water throughout the day and a glass at night before going to bed to help the kidneys excrete urates.
• Go easy on caffeinated drinks: Don't overdo tea and coffee drinking and switch to rooibos tea if you find your joints start aching after a coffee/tea binge.

Step 3: The basic principles of restricting dietary purines

• Water – Drink at least six glasses per day and make sure that you have one of the glasses before you go to sleep. It helps getting rid of uric acid.
• Tofu (bean curd) – Use as protein source. Research suggests that it increases uric acid secretion.
• Macronutrients – Diet should be relatively high in carbohydrate (like bread, rice and pasta), moderate in protein (e.g. tofu) and low in fat.
• Alcohol – An excess of alcohol should be avoided. Total abstinence and avoidance of alcohol may be required in severe cases.
• Body weight – Maintenance of, or gradual reduction to, ideal body weight could prove helpful.

The absolute don’ts:

Avoid foods with a high purine content. The following foods contain 100 to 1 000 mg of purine nitrogen per 100 g of food:

• Anchovies
• Brains
• Consommé
• Goose
• Gravy
• Heart
• Herring
• Kidney
• Mackerel
• Meat extracts
• Mincemeat
• Mussels
• Roe
• Sardines
• Yeast (baker’s and brewer’s, taken as supplement)

The maybes, and in moderation

Foods with a moderate purine content
These foods contain 9 to 100 mg of purine nitrogen per 100 g of food. One serving of meat, fish or poultry (90 g) or one serving of vegetables (1/2 cup) from this group, is allowed per day, depending on the condition of the patient:

• Asparagus
• Dried beans
• Lentils
• Meat, fish and poultry (except the above-mentioned)
• Mushrooms
• Dried peas
• Shellfish
• Spinach

The yes foods

The foods with a low purine content
These foods contain negligible amounts of purine and may be used daily:

• Bread (white) and crackers
• Butter or margarine (in moderation)
• Cake and cookies
• Carbonated beverages
• Cereals
• Cheese
• Cherries
• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Cream (in moderation)
• Custard
• Eggs
• Fats (in moderation)
• Fruit
• Gelatin desserts
• Herbs
• Ice cream
• Milk
• Noodles
• Nuts
• Oil
• Olives
• Pickles
• Pasta
• Popcorn
• Puddings
• Relishes
• Rice
• Salt
• Sugar and sweets
• Tea
• Vegetables (except those mentioned in the first group)
• Vinegar

5 dietary changes to avoid gout.

Gout is a type of arthritis, which usually affects only one or two joints in the body. The most characteristic joint in which goutdevelops is the big toe.

Gout is caused by deposits of urate crystals in the joints. Urate is one of the breakdown product of purines - compounds commonly found in certain foods.

Usually gouty inflammation of the joints only last for a few days, but it can be so excruciatingly painful that sufferers never forget an episode.

Unfortunately gout has habit of recurring, however, there are changes you can make to your diet to reduce the number or severity of your gout attacks.

Here are five dietary changes you can make to avoid flare-ups:

1. Lose some weight

If you are overweight or obese you are at an increased risk of developing gout. In this instance, you should try to reduce your weight gradually and steadily, using a healthy, balanced diet andexercise.

Gradual weight loss is key. Starvation or very-low-energy diets cause blood urate levels rise dramatically when body proteins are broken down due to starvation or very low energy intake and increase the risk of an acute gout attack.

People with gout should, therefore, also not use detoxification or purification diets as these may also precipitate a flare-up.

2. Reduce your alcohol intake

Cut down your alcohol intake drastically. Alcohol, particularly beer, is high in purines which is why indulging in alcohol can often trigger a gout attack.

If necessary avoid all alcohol or restrict drinking to less than two drinks a day. A harsh, but effective way of preventing gout.

3. Avoid gorging and high-purine foods

Avoid rich, heavy meals which contain lots of fat and purines - i.e. the typical Christmas dinner is an excellent example of a meal laden with fat and purines.

Avoid high-purine foods like liver, kidneys, sweetbreads, sardines, anchovies, fish roes (eggs and caviar) and meat extracts.

4. Drink more water

Drink six or more glasses of water throughout the day and a glass at night before going to bed to help the kidneys excrete urates.

5. Go easy on caffeinated drinks

Don't overdo tea and coffee drinking and switch to rooibos tea if you find your joints start aching after a coffee/tea binge.

Moderation and abstinence from alcohol - those are the solutions to gou

Clinton claims historic victory in Democratic primary.

New York — Hillary Clinton declared victory on Tuesday night in her bruising battle for the Democratic presidential nomination, becoming the first woman to lead a major American political party and casting herself as the beneficiary of generations who fought for equality.

"This campaign is about making sure there are no ceilings, no limits on any of us," Clinton said during an emotional rally in Brooklyn, eight years to the day after she ended her first failed White House run. As she took the stage to raucous cheers, she paused to relish the moment, flinging her arms wide and beaming broadly.

Clinton had already secured the delegates needed for the nomination, according to an Associated Press tally. She added to her totals with victories in New Jersey and New Mexico, two of the six states voting on Tuesday.

Clinton faces a two-front challenge in the coming days. She must appeal to the enthusiastic supporters of her rival Bernie Sanders — who insists he still has a narrow path to the nomination — and sharpen her contrasts with presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

She sought to make progress on both, using her own loss in 2008 to connect with Sanders' backers.

"It never feels good to put our heart into a cause or a candidate you believe in and come up short," she said. "I know that feeling well. But as we look ahead to the battle that awaits, let's remember all that unites us."

She was biting and sarcastic as she took on Trump, accusing him of wanting to win "by stoking fear and rubbing salt in wounds — and reminding us daily just how great he is."

Even as the Democratic race was ending, new turmoil broke out among the Republicans. GOP leaders recoiled at Trump's comments about a Hispanic judge, with one senator even pulling his endorsement.

Trump capped his difficult day with victories in California, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota and Montana. But he was muted his victory rally, saying he understands "the responsibility" of leading the Republican Party. He also made a direct appeal to dejected Sanders supporters and other Democrats.

"This election isn't about Republican or Democrat, it's about who runs this country: the special interests or the people," he said. Trump promised a major speech next week on Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

Clinton's win in New Jersey came a day after she secured the 2,383 delegates she needed to become first female presumptive nominee of a major political party, according to an Associated Press tally. Her total includes pledged delegates won in primaries and caucuses, as well as superdelegates — the party officials and officeholders who can back a candidate of their choosing.

Clinton and Sanders were both pressing for victory in California, each eager to effectively end their primary battle on a high note.

Sanders picked up a win in North Dakota, where a handful of delegates were up for grabs.

Sanders hoped a victory would help in his so-far-unsuccessful bid to get Clinton superdelegates to switch their support. Asked on NBC whether he was continuing that effort, he said, "We are. We're on the phone right now."

Clinton and Sanders are expected to connect in the coming days, Clinton's spokesman said late Tuesday. The candidates' campaign managers spoke earlier in the day, signaling that conversations were underway about the road ahead.

Republicans had appeared unified after Trump vanquished his last opponents about a month ago. But the real estate mogul has continued to make controversial statements, frustrating party leaders.

The latest cause for GOP concern was his insistence that a judge handling a legal case involving the businessman was being unfair in his rulings. Trump has said U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel can't be impartial because the jurist's parents were born in Mexico and Trump wants to build a wall along the border.

Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk, who is locked in a close re-election fight, became the first lawmaker to pull his endorsement of Trump. House Speaker Paul Ryan said the businessman's assertion was the "textbook definition of a racist comment" but he would continue to support Trump.

Trump released a statement saying he does "not feel one's heritage makes them incapable of being impartial." But he still questioned whether he was receiving fair treatment in the case involving the now-defunct Trump University.

Clinton will soon have help on the campaign trail from President Obama. Her 2008 foe is to endorse her as early as this week, a move meant to signal to Sanders and his supporters that it's time to unify behind her.

Dianne Feinstein of California said Sanders and Clinton should "march on to a general election together," and any Sanders plan to keep fighting until the Democratic National Convention "is going to make that much more difficult."

Sanders' achievements have been remarkable for a candidate who was unknown to most Americans before the campaign. He has drawn massive crowds to rallies around the country and built a fundraising juggernaut based largely on small donations online. The Vermont senator has been particularly popular with young voters, an important piece of the Democratic coalition.

Still, Clinton's victory has been broadly decisive. She leads Sanders by more than 3 million cast votes.

After her win in New Jersey, Clinton had 2,469 delegates to Sanders' 1,637. That count includes both pledged delegates and superdelegates.