national average home price in feb $519,521, up...

NATIONAL AVERAGE HOME PRICE IN FEB$519,521, UP 3.5% FROM LAST YEAR

EVELYN SHARMA KAREENA KAPOOR KHANGAUHAR KHANPOOJA HEGDE VAANI KAPOOR

BIPASHA BASU UNVEILS HEALTH & NUTRITION MAGAZINE MARCH 2017 ISSUE.

Bugatti Chiron's over-engineered, technology takes

precedence over styling

FRANCE - Last week, the doors of Bugatti's Atelier at the brand'sheadquar ters in Molsheim opened for the delivery of the first cus-tomer vehicles in the Chiron1series. Three of the world's most pow-er ful, fastest, most luxurious and most exclusive production superspor ts cars are now star ting their journey to their owners in Europeand the Middle East. They were sent off on their journey by the 50 orso production, quality assurance and logistics team members. Bugattiintends to produce up to 70 Chiron at its plant this year. The French luxurybrand was presenting a further customer vehicle at this year's Geneva Interna-tional Motor Show between March 9 to 19. The £1.9m Chiron retains the Veyron'sfundamental proportions and powertrain, but it's new in every other conceivableway, and built to bend physics to breaking point. The Chiron is not ahybrid. Unlike its closest competitors - the McLaren P1, LaFerrari andPorsche 918 - it relies solely on fossil fuels.

OTTAWA - According to statistics released today by TheCanadian Real Estate Association (CREA), national home saleswere up on a month-over-month basis in February 2017.Highlights:* National home sales rose 5.2% from January to February.* Actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity in February wasdown 2.6% from a year earlier.* The number of newly listed homes was up 4.8% from Januaryto February.* The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) in February was up 16%year-over-year (y-o-y).* The national average sale price edged up 3.5% y-o-y in February.Home sales over Canadian MLS® Systems rose by 5.2%month-over-month in February 2017 to reach the highest levelsince April 2016. While February sales were up from theprevious month in about 70% of all local markets, the nationalincrease was overwhelmingly driven by an increase in activityacross the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and environs. Actual (notseasonally adjusted) activity was down 2.6% from levels for thesame month last year.Prices for two-storey single family homes posted the strongest

year-over-year gains (+17.9%), followed closely bytownhouse/row units (+16%), one-storey single family homes(15%) and apartment units (13.7%). In Greater Vancouver, prices areslightly off their peaks posted in August 2016. That said, home pricesin these regions nonetheless remain well above year-ago levels(+21.4% y-o-y and +14% y-o-y respectively).Meanwhile, benchmark prices continue to climb in Victoria andelsewhere on Vancouver Island, as well as in GTA, Oakville-Milton and Guelph. Year-over-year price gains in these fivemarkets ranged from about 18% to 30% in February. By com-parison, home prices were down by 1.9% y-o-y in Calgary andby 1.2% y-o-y in Saskatoon. Prices in these two markets nowstand 5.6% and 5.1% below their respective peaks reached in2015. Home prices were up modestly from year-ago levels inRegina (+3.5%), Ottawa (+3.8%), Greater Montreal (+3.3% y-o-y) and Greater Moncton (+1.2%). The actual (not seasonallyadjusted) national average price for homes sold in February2017 was $519,521, up 3.5% from where it stood one yearearlier. The average price is reduced by almost $150,000 to$369,728 if Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto sales areexcluded from calculations.

CONSUMING GLUTEN-FREEFOOD MAY UP DIABETES RISKNEW YORK, (IANS) Individuals who regularly eat gluten-freefoods such as starch-containing rice, cassava, corn, soyamong others, may be at a higher risk of developing Type 2diabetes, compared to those who eat gluten-rich foods, ac-cording to new research. Gluten, a protein found in wheat, ryeand barley, gives bread and other baked goods elasticity dur-ing the baking process and a chewy texture in finished prod-ucts. "Gluten-free foods often have less dietary fibre and othermicro-nutrients, making them less nutritious and they alsotend to cost more," said Geng Zong, research student at theHarvard University in Massachusetts, US.The findings showed that individuals who daily consume upto 12 grams foods rich in gluten may be at lower risk of devel-oping Type 2 diabetes. Individuals in the highest 20 per cent ofgluten consumption had a 13 per cent lower risk of develop-ing Type 2 diabetes in comparison to those with the lowestdaily gluten consumption (approximately fewer than fourgrams). A small percentage of the people cannot tolerate glu-ten due to celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.However, "people without celiac disease may reconsider lim-iting their gluten intake for chronic disease prevention, espe-cially for diabetes", Zong said.

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LUXURY VEHICLES: AUDI, BMW, MERCEDES, SPORTS CARS ANDCONVERTIBLE CARS. WE ALSO HAVE 7, 8, AND 9 PASSENGERS VEHICLES

Jimmy Shergill and Sargun Mehta along with the starcast of film 'Jindua' pay obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

DD LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENTAWARDS 2017

TORONTO - Dancing Damsels has announced the Life TimeAchievement Award to Dr Roberta Bondar and Dr Menaka Thakkar fortheir lifetime achievements and lifelong contribution to the community. Theawards to be presented at the Toronto International Women's day celebra-tions was held recently, at the Toronto City Hall.Dancing Damsels, an incorporated non-profit multicultural arts promotionscompany for women empowerment, is set to celebrate IWD 2017 as a DDWomen Achievers Award Gala with vivid programs to make it a resplendentevent. As a part of the IWD celebrations, they havedeclared the winners forthe Women Achiever Awards 2017, which is the highest honor conferred byDancing Damsels to women whose outstanding achievement has made adifference in the community.Other than the life time achievement awards, the following are winners ofDD Women Achievers 2017:Mary JeyaseeliIn panayakam - Owner, AmbikaJewellers, Sylvia Francis - Founder of North America's Leading Tamil MusicBand AGNI, Elsa Hsieh - Performing Artists, Music Conductor & Founder ofDolce De Soleil Music Group, Manoshi Chatterjee - Author, Poet, Singer,Music Composer, Elocutionist & TV Show Host of "Cultural Journey withManoshi", Enakshi Sinha - Award Winning Performer, Choreographer, ArtEducator, Malika Mounir - President ARGANA- Association des femmesmaroco-canadiennes, Dr Vasundara Venkateswaran - Scientist, ResearchDirector & Associate Professor, Ann Buller - CEO & President of CentennialCollege, Sasha Brathwaite - Program Director Let's Jam Percussive &Creative Movement, Josephine Bau - Founder & Past Chair of Peel ChineseCommunity Service Hub, Bhavna Bhatnagar - Ceramic Artist & DirectorCeramic Expressions Toronto and Mariatu Kamara - Unicef Special Repre-sentative, Author and Survivor of the civil war in Sierra Leone. This year, thetheme of the celebrations is "Be Bold for Change". There will be entertain-ment programs; delicious food; international stalls and exhibitions as part ofthis celebration. This is a FREE event by RSVP only.

Mississauga Annual Fine Art Auctionin the AGM's 30th Anniversary YearMISSISSAUGA - MississaugaMayor Bonnie Crombie will serveas Honourary Chair of this year'sAr t Gallery of Mississauga's FineAr t Auction taking place on April27, 2017. City Councillor andChair of Mississauga's Culture,Ar ts & Heritage Committee, JohnKovac, and AGM Board membersPenelope Mathieson and VandanaTaxali will serve as Co-Chairs.This year's auction celebrates theAGM's 30th anniversary."As a passionate champion ofar ts and culture in our city, I'mhonoured to be named as Chair ofthe fine ar t auction, one of ourcity's most anticipated ar t eventsfor the AGM's 30th year," saysMayor Bonnie Crombie. "Over thepast 30 years we have seen in-credible growth in the ar ts withmany diverse ar tists contributingto our vibrant and growing cul-tural sector."The Annual Fine Ar t Auction is thebiggest event of the year for theAGM and its primary fundraiser,in support of nationally recognized

exhibitions and programs all withfree admission at Mississauga'spublic gallery."We are thrilled to have MayorCrombie and Ci ty Counci l lor

Kovac as par t of our majorfundraising event of the year, par-ticularly as we celebrate 30 yearsof excellence in bringing ar t to thecommunity," says Penelope

Mathieson. "This year's eventwill be bigger and better than everwith high quality ar t for auction,live enter tainment and some spe-cial surprises."

You too can gain super-sizedmemory with trainingLONDON, (IANS) Far from being limited to a gifted few, theability to perform astonishing feats of memory, such as re-membering lists of several dozen words, can be learned,say researchers. In a study published in the journal Neuron,the researchers showed that after 40 days of daily 30-minutetraining sessions using a strategic memory improvement tech-nique, individuals who had typical memory skills at the star tand no previous memory training more than doubled theirmemory capacity. From recalling an average of 26 words from a listof 72, the participants were able to remember on an average 62 words,the findings showed. Brain scans before and after training showed thatstrategic memory training altered the brain functions of the trainees,making them more similar to those of memory champions. "After trainingwe see massively increased performance on memory tests," said studyfirst author Martin Dresler, Assistant Professor of Cognitive Neuroscienceat Radboud University Medical Centre in Nijmegen, The Netherlands."Not only can you induce a behavioural change, the training also inducessimilar brain connectivity patterns as those seen in memory ath-letes," Dresler said. To explore the effects of training on thebrain, Dresler and his colleagues recruited 51 individuals withtypical memory skills and no previous memory training. Theywere split into three groups - two training groups and onegroup that did not train. The researchers scanned par ticipants'brains before and after training.

Functional jewellery superseding elaborate setsNEW DELHI, (IANS) Customers are increasingly preferring functionaljewellery over bulky sets, says an industry exper t. "Functionaljewellery is indeed superseding the elaborate sets. In keeping withthis trend, we primarily focus on contemporary light wear jewellerythat appeals more to the younger generation," Arvind Singhal,Chief Operational Officer, Bluestone.com, said in a statement. Thejewellery e-tailer has just introduced Jashn-e-Jodhpur, a line cel-ebrating the vivid blue tones that the royal city of Jodhpur is knownfor. The collection brings together diamonds and sapphires.Why Jodhpur? "Indian jewellery has drawn inspiration from vari-ous monuments, cities, traditions and forms of nature. Keepingthis as the core of our design aesthetic, we wanted to create anexquisite sapphire and diamonds collection. The vivid blue tonesand the rich indigo tones of Jodhpur forms an integral par t of ourinspiration," Singhal said. Indigo por ticos, intricate jaalis, deli-

cate trellis and paisley patterns have been brought alive with acollection of earrings, neckpieces and rings. How well do cap-sule collections work in terms of jewellery, especially in the onlinespace?"Capsule collections act as a platform to launch new and uniquedesigns and styles. These collections are used to augment someof the timeless designs and themes in jewellery to suit moderntrends, tastes and preferences Such collections are par ticularlypopular online owing to the conveniences of browsing 24/7, freehome trials and 30-day returns," said Singhal, adding that thereare customers groups for every occasion and category. Whilesome prefer gemstones for its colours, others prefer gold, dia-mond, meenakri and pearls. Youngsters typically prefer gemstonejewellery for traditional occasions and diamond jewellery for spe-cial occasions such as weddings and anniversaries," Singhal said.

YUMMY WAYS TO CONSUME IRON, CALCIUMNEW DELHI, (IANS) Want to add iron, calcium to your diet in ayummy way? Try going for ingredients like sesame seeds,dried peaches and prune juice, says an exper t. Sonia Narang,Nutrition Exper t, Oriflame India, lists some items you can useto prepare dishes:* Green leafy vegetables: Spinach, fenugreek and other greenvegetables have high amount of iron, but in order for your bodyto absorb them better, you need to add vegetables like potato ortomato with them.* Sesame seeds: These tiny-looking food items are in fact veryhealthy. Sprinkle a handful of them on your dishes or salad oreven include them in your roti. They contain a good amounts offolic acid.* Brussels sprouts: Brussels sprouts are a viable source ofantioxidants, vitamins, folate and fibre. Plus, they are anexcellent source of iron, and an obvious choice in helping toprevent fatigue and other symptoms of iron deficiency.* Raisins: Like other dried fruits, raisins are nutrient-densetreats that contain large amounts of iron. It is easy to add ahandful of these subtly sweet treats to your cereal, yogur t,oatmeal, or salads as par t of a balanced diet.* Dried peaches: A serving of dried peaches contains aboutnine per cent of your daily recommended iron, without weighingyou down with lots of sugar and calories.* Prune juice: It is a potent source of iron. Its high vitamin C

content makes it easier for your body to absorb the iron, sohave a glass with your next meal to get the most out of the otheriron-rich foods in your diet.* Dried apricots: Apricots arean excellent source of iron andother nutrients. They can beconsumed raw, canned,cooked, and dried, but driedapricots provide your bodywith the most benefits and thelargest amount of iron.* Sun dried tomatoes: Besidestheir mouth-watering taste,one of the best things aboutsun dried tomatoes is theirhigh iron content. One cupcontains nearly 30 per cent ofyour recommended daily ironintake. Another great thing isthat you can use them in somany ways. Sun driedtomatoes make a tastyaddition to omelettes, pastasauce, pizza, sandwiches andsalads.


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WHY ASTHMATICS ARE LESSABLE TO FIGHT OFF FLULONDON, (IANS) People with asthma are likely to have worsesymptoms when they get the flu and are more likely to endup in hospitals because of immune system differences,researchers said. The study showed that when exposed tothe flu virus, people with asthma have weaker immunesystems, whereas healthy people show a strong immunesystem-triggering reaction."We wanted to look into whether immune system differ-ences explain why asthmatics are more likely to end up inhospital if they get flu than the general population. This isimpor tant, as flu can cause a person's asthma symptomsto get worse," said Ben Nicholas from the University ofSouthampton in London. For the study, published in the Jour-nal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the team assessedlung samples from asthmatics and healthy volunteers. Thesamples were exposed to influenza and their reactionsanalysed. "The samples from healthy people showed astrong immune system-triggering reaction to the flu virus.But in lung samples from asthma patients, this reactionwas much weaker," Nicholas said. "We hope these resultshelp researchers better understand why asthmatics aremore affected by influenza and help find new treatments for com-mon lung infections, which often make asthma symptoms worse," headded. More research is now needed to investigate whether the differ-ence in immune responses is due to the asthma itself, or thedaily medications used by par ticipating asthmatics to controltheir condition, the researchers noted.

FLIRE RETARDANT CHEMICALSLINKED TO AGGRESSION IN KIDSNEW YORK, (IANS) Higher exposure to some chemicals added to furniture,electronics and numerous other goods to prevent fires may put kids at in-creased risk of developing aggression and hyperactivity, says a study. Theresearchers studied the behavioural effects of organophosphate-based flameretardants (OPFRs) on young children."When we analysed behaviour assessments and exposure levels, we ob-served that the children who had more exposure to certain types of the flameretardant were more likely to exhibit externalising behaviours such as ag-gression, defiance, hyperactivity, inattention and bullying," said correspond-ing author of the study Molly Kile, Associate Professor at Oregon State Uni-versity in the US. Flame retardants are found throughout the built environmentin furniture, mattresses, carpeting, electronics, vehicles and more. The chemi-cals are added to the products and are not bound in the material, whichcauses them to be released into indoor environments.For this study, published in the journal Environmental Health, the researchteam recruited 92 children between ages three to five to wear a silicone wrist-band for seven days to measure exposure to flame retardants. The researchershad parents or primary caregivers complete questionnaires about socio-demo-graphics and the home environment, and preschool teachers completed behaviourassessments for each participating child. In all, researchers had complete dataand wristband results for 69 children. Their analysis showed that all of the childrenwere exposed to some level of flame retardant. Children who had higherexposure rates of OFPRs showed less responsible behaviour and moreaggression, defiance, hyperactivity, inattention and bullying behaviours.



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ITCHING IS SOCIALLYCONTAGIOUS: STUDYNEW YORK, (IANS) Ever wondered why you itch when an-other person scratches in front of you? A new study showsthat scratching, just like yawning, is socially contagious andnot a psychological response. According to researchers, itch-ing is highly contagious. Sometimes even its mention couldmake someone scratch."Many people thought it was all in the mind, but our experi-ments show it is a hardwired behaviour and is not a form ofempathy," said lead investigator Zhou-Feng Chen, director at the Wash-ington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, US. In the study, con-ducted on mice, the researchers found a chemical in the brain thatmakes them want to scratch when seeing someone else do it. Further,the findings, published in the journal Science showed that the behaviouris hardwired in the brains, rather than a form of empathy withthe original scratcher.

Why do people develop high blood pressure?MOSCOW, (IANS) Early life changes in brain activity and blood flow may be the reason why people tend to develop abnormally highblood pressure, or hyper tension, researchers said. High blood pressure is a condition in which the force of the blood against the ar terywalls is too high. It is also often called the silent killer because it typically has no symptoms until after it has done significant damage to the heart andthe arteries. In 90-95 per cent of people, high blood pressure has no identifiable cause, yet it is a risk factor for diseases of the brain, kidneys, heart, eyes, andother parts of the body, said a group of researchers at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Russia. For the study, published in Experimental Physiology, theteam investigated physiological changes in a rat model called ISIAH, short for inherited stress-induced arterial hypertension. These rats develop high bloodpressure at four to six weeks of age, and this is sustained throughout their lifetime. The researchers compared the high blood pressure rats to a control groupwith normal blood pressure. As the mice in high blood pressure group grew older, changes in rates of blood flow in certain arteries were observed. In addition,changes were found in the brain activity, specifically a decrease in the prefrontal cortex - the brain region associated with cognition,decision-making and working memory - as well as an increase in the hypothalamus - an area of the brain that controls mood andappetite. "The study of early physiological changes may help clarify the cause of high blood pressure. Understanding this could helpus prevent the disease early on," said led author Alisa Seryapina from the Institute of Cytology and Genetics.

STAR SHILPA SHETTY AT A WOMEN EMPOWERMENT GALA IN NEW JERSEY, USA.



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SYNTHETIC DNA MOTOR TO IMPROVECANCER DETECTION, DRUG DELIVERY

PRABHAS, RANA DAGGUBATTI, AND KARAN JOHAR WHO WAS GIVEN SWORD USED IN BAHUBALI 2 AT ITS TRAILER LAUNCH.

TORONTO, (IANS) Researchers have shown that synthetic DNA mo-tors can work in living cells and help early detection of deadly diseases such ascancer and also make drug delivery more precise. "This is really big because ofthe diverse potential applications," said one of the researchers Chris Le, Pro-fessor at University of Alber ta in Canada."One outcome of this will be to provide better and earlier disease detection.Another is the controllable release of targeted drug molecules within patients,resulting in fewer side effects," Le said. The process - previously only successfulin test tubes - was described in a study published in the journal Nature Communi-cations. The team created the nanomachine from compartments made up of DNAenzyme molecules and substrates. "This nanomachine has the required fuels,DNA tracks, and a molecular switch," said Hongquan Zhang, AssistantProfessor at University of Alber ta, Canada.

For the study, it was 'tuned' to detect a specific microRNA sequencefound in breast cancer cells. When it came into contact with thetargetted molecules, the DNA motor was turned on and producedfluorescence as par t of a reaction. The researchers were able tomonitor the fluorescence, detecting which cells were cancerous. "We want tobe able to detect cancer or disease markers in very minute amounts before thedisease gets out of hand. That way physicians can attack it very early," Le said."The trace amount of the target molecules that may be missed by other techniquescan now be detected with this one," Le noted. In addition to the potential for im-proved disease diagnosis, the researchers said DNA motors could also be usedfor precision drug delivery in patients. Conventional targetted drug therapy deliv-ers medicine to a selectively targeted site of action, yet it still affectsa large number of molecules that are not diseased.

GO THE SWARYOG WAY TOFIGHT INDIGESTIONNEW DELHI, (IANS) It is important to take a nap after everymeal to soothe your digestive system. While taking the nap,you should first sleep on the left side for some time andrelax for 10 minutes before rushing for work, says an ex-per t. Pramod Kulkarni, swaryog exper t and founder ofSwarYog Foundation, Mumbai, lists some tips:* Swaryog recommends having meals, including spicy orwarm food, with activation of right nostril. It helps in con-trolling excessive body acids generated due to food, thushelping in digestion process.* Having sweet or cold or frozen food dishes during activa-tion of left nostril helps in harmonising the body fluids with-out disrupting the body temperature.* It is recommended to sleep on the left side at night be-cause the longer the right nostril is active during this period, thebetter for digestion and, hence, for overall health.* Sit in Padmasana pose for 10 minutes in morning. Concentrate on theSwadisthan Chakra - around navel. Do deep breathing through rightnostril for 15 times. It helps in streamlining the digestion flow.* Drinking water from copper vessel is recommended as it helps yourbody maintain its temperature according to outside weather, thus,helping one to feel rejuvenated and energetic throughout the day.* One can practise this application daily after having lunch and dinner:Lie down straight on plain surface and breathe in normal breathingpattern for eight times, then turn around to right side and breathe for 16times and then to left side and breathe for 32 times. This applicationhelps to make your digestive system stronger and spread outthe food par ticles evenly throughout the system.

Some easy ways to maintainyour leather shoesNEW DELHI, (IANS) When you spend oodles of money on anice pair of leather shoes, it is impor tant to maintain themwell too. Add a layer of rubber at the bottom of the sole and keep yourleather shoes away from direct sunlight, suggests an expert. IshaanSachdeva, Director at shoe brand Alberto Torresi, has listed how youcan maintain leather shoes:* Applying polish is a must to-do thing. But while doing so, one thingthat needs to be kept in mind is to apply cream polish in the samecolour as the shoe to protect it. In case of unfinished leather, oil likemink oil helps to preserve the quality of the leather.* Add a layer of rubber at the bottom of the sole. The rubber protects theleather soles from damage and allows them to stay for long.* Always give your favourite pair of shoes a day's rest in betweenwearing them. This allows the moisture to dry out so that the leathercan last long and proffer a splendid fashion statement.* Let the leather dry at room temperature, away from heaters andsunlight. Both the heater and sunlight can cause cracking anddiscoloration of the shoes.



MOVIE MACHINE'S STARS MUSTAFA AND KIARA ADVANI AT THE KAPIL SHARMA SHOW IN MUMBAI.

Tumour drug may prevent infertilitycaused by chemotherapy

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NEW YORK, (IANS) A drug used to slow tumour growth may alsoprevent infer tility caused by standard chemotherapy used for breastcancer treatment, according to a study. The study, conducted on mice,found that the drug everolimus protects ovaries from cyclophospha-mide - a chemotherapy used often against breast cancer but known todeplete the supply of egg cells needed to achieve pregnancy.Female mice treated with everolimus, along with chemotherapy, werefound to have more than twice as many offspring afterward as micetreated with the chemotherapy alone. Such strong results with anavailable drug may speed the process of applying for permission totest it in premenopausal cancer patients, the researchers said."Our results argue that everolimus may represent a fer tility-sparingdrug treatment to complement the freezing of eggs and embryos,which are valued methods, but time-consuming, costly, less effec-tive with age and not protective of long-term ovarian function," saidlead author Kara Goldman, reproductive endocrinologist at New YorkUniversity-Langone.For the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academyof Sciences, female mice were treated with cyclophosphamide weeklyand then randomised to also receive either everolimus, an experi-mental drug called INK128 against several cancer types, or nothing.Everolimus and INK128 block the action of the enzyme mTOR, whichis par t of signalling mechanisms that encourage cell growth.Thus, everolimus is already approved to slow tumour growth in someforms of kidney cancer and breast cancer, but in a different way thanchemotherapies. The results showed that mice treated with chemo-

therapy combined with either mTOR inhibitor had more mouse pupson average, than mice treated with chemotherapy alone. In addition,mice treated with cyclophosphamide alone saw a 64 per cent reduc-tion in their numbers of primordial follicles when compared to controlmice, a pattern reversed by mTOR inhibitors.

HEAD INJURIES CAN AFFECTHUNDREDS OF GENESNEW YORK, (IANS) Head injuries can harm hundreds of genes in thebrain in a way that increases people's risk for a wide range of neuro-logical and psychiatric disorders, says a study. "Very little is knownabout how people with brain trauma - like football players and soldiers- develop neurological disorders later in life," said study co-seniorauthor Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, Professor at University of California,Los Angeles. "We hope to learn much more about how this occurs,"Gomez-Pinilla said. For the study, the researchers trained 20 rats toescape from a maze. They then used a fluid to produce a concussion-like brain injury in 10 of the rats; the 10 others did not receive braininjuries. When the rats were placed in the maze again, those that hadbeen injured took approximately 25 per cent longer than the non-injuredrats to solve it. To learn how the rats' genes had changed in response tothe brain injury, the researchers analyzed genes from five animals ineach group. Specifically, they drew RNA from the hippocampus, whichis the part of the brain that helps regulate learning and memory, andfrom leukocytes, white blood cells that play a key role in the immunesystem. In the rats that had sustained brain injuries, there was a coregroup of 268 genes in the hippocampus that the researchers found hadbeen altered, and a core group of 1,215 genes in the leukocytes thatthey found to have been changed.More than 100 of the genes that changed after the brain injury havecounterparts in humans that have been linked to neurological andpsychiatric disorders, the researchers reported in the study publishedin the journal EbioMedicine. As a number of the affected genes arepresent in both the hippocampus and blood, the findings could pave theway for a gene-based blood test to determine whether a brain injuryhas occurred. Measuring some of those genes could help doctorspredict whether a person is likely to develop neurological disorderslater in life, the study said.

INDIA RANKS 122ND INHAPPINESS INDEXOSLO, (IANS) India ranked 122nd, behind terror-riven Pakistanand poorest-of-poor Nepal in the global list of the happiest coun-tries, according to a United Nations report released on Monday.India came down by three slots, as last year it was placed at118th spot. It was behind the majority of South Asian Associa-tion for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) nations, apar t from war-ravaged Afghanistan, that stood at 141. Among the eight Saarcnations, Pakistan was at 80th position, Nepal stood at 99, Bhutanat 97, Bangladesh at 110 while Sri Lanka was at 120. However,Maldives did not figure in the World Happiness Repor t. Norwaytook the top spot from Denmark as the happiest country in theworld. The Scandinavian nation, which was ranked fourth in lastyear's report, jumped to the top this year on the basis of severalkey calculations, including levels of caring, freedom to makelife decisions, generosity, good governance, honesty, healthand income. Other factors by which 155 countries were mea-sured in the annual World Happiness Repor t are: inequality,life expectancy, GDP per capita, public trust (i.e. a lack ofcorruption in government and business), and social suppor t.Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and and Finland round out thetop five, while the Central African Republic came last in theWorld Happiness Repor t.



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