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CHICAGO: The bugs that help digest food may also cause the body to pack on the pounds if they are not properly regulated, a new study has found. That is because if the wrong kinds of bacteria take over they can cause a low-level inflammation that leads to a pre-diabetic condition and an elevated appetite, the study published Thursday in the journal Science found. "It has been assumed that the obesity epidemic in the developed world is driven by an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and the abundance of low-cost, high-calorie foods," said senior author Andrew Gewirtz of Emory University School of Medicine. "However, our results suggest that excess caloric consumption is not only a result of undisciplined eating but that intestinal bacteria contribute to changes in appetite and metabolism." Gewirtz and his colleagues studied mice that were genetically engineered to be deficient in a key immune system protein - TLR5 - which helps cells sense the presence of bacte...

NEW DELHI: An Indian mobile phone company has launched a low-cost handset that uses commonly available AAA-sized batteries aimed at the hundreds of millions who live in areas where power supplies are erratic. Priced at 1,699 rupees (35 dollars), Olive Telecommunications' "FrvrOn" -- short for "forever on" -- has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery common to mobile phones, but also a facility to include a AAA, dry-cell battery. "We have electrification all across the country but the power supply is erratic," marketing manager Ravi Perti said. "With our phone, all one needs to do is pack a few extra cells (batteries) if one is travelling in areas where one expects power supply disruptions." He said the phone would run for three hours non-stop on the lithium battery and for another hour with a conventional battery. Though predominantly for the rural market, the handset "is suitable for the urban user as well. It is aimed at the hea...