New antenna may prevent cellphone radiation

This new antenna has been designed by using laser technology and computer modelling techniques. The design developed has a low ‘‘near field’’ interaction — the radiation field around the antennae.

Rare heart disease on the rise in children

London: A new study by researchers at Oxford University and Imperial College in London found that Kawasaki disease, a condition which affects the hearts of young children, has more than doubled between 1991 and 2000 than a decade ago, reports BBC.

The rare heart disease normally strikes children under five years of age and may later lead to heart damage, and perhaps arthritis or meningitis. The symptoms include high fever, mood changes, red eyes, a swollen lymph node in the neck, swollen hands and feet and peeling skin on the fingers, researchers say.

The rise could be due to a change in the infectious agent which might cause it, or in the susceptibility of children. One of the researchers, Dr Anthony Harnden, from the department of primary healthcare at the University of Oxford, said: ‘‘A fifth of children with untreated Kawasaki syndrome will develop cardiac lesions during the acute phase of their illness, increasing their chances of developing heart problems later on in life.’’

Adult-onset diabetes may trigger fatal complications

Toronto: People who develop adult-onset diabetes as children — a once-unknown condition whose prevalence is rising rapidly — can develop severe, and occasionally fatal, complications as early as in their twenties, a new study has found.

The problems include not only early death, but also kidney failure, blindness, high rates of miscarriage and stillbirth, according to research on a group of about 80 children in central Canada. ‘‘This form of diabetes causes serious disease in these young adults,’’ said Heather Dean, a diabetes researcher from the University of Manitoba.

Adult-onset diabetes in children is an emerging problem worldwide, closely linked to the epidemic of obesity and the adoption of western diet. Studies have shown that at the time of diagnosis, many have detectable, although not obvious, organ damage.