LAHORE  -


Two more measles patients died at different hospitals in the city on Sunday, taking the death toll till today to 44.
Alisha, 6, breathed her last at Children’s Hospital while Noor Fatima, nine months, died at Mayo Hospital. 
Meanwhile, Punjab Health Department has extended anti measles campaign for two days to vaccinate children left out during seven days. Mass Immunization Campaign was started in Lahore on April 29 and it ended on May 5. The Department has given two more days to parents to get their children vaccinated against measles. A spokesman of Punjab Health Department has refuted the allegation regarding induction of untrained staff in teams carrying out anti-measles campaign in the province. He said that the teams constituted for inoculation of children comprise skilled nurses, lady health workers, lab technicians and paramedical staff. Moreover, the staff has been given guidance and training during special sessions held before launching anti-measles campaign. The spokesman said that anti-measles campaign was successfully continuing in the city and people were fully cooperating with the Health Department teams.
Prolonged sitting at work may boost cancer risk
Beef up muscles, cut diabetes risk:  The more your muscle mass, the lesser is your risk of developing diabetes, a new study led by an Indian-origin researcher has shown.
Previous studies have shown that very low muscle mass is a risk factor for insulin resistance, the major precursor of type 2 diabetes, but new research has suggested otherwise.
"Our findings represent a departure from the usual focus of clinicians, and their patients, on just losing weight to improve metabolic health," said the study``s senior author, Preethi Srikanthan, MD, of the University of California, Los Angeles ( UCLA).
"Instead, this research suggests a role for maintaining fitness and building muscle. This is a welcome message for many overweight patients who experience difficulty in achieving weight loss, as any effort to get moving and keep fit should be seen as laudable and contributing to metabolic change."
In this study, researchers examined the association of skeletal muscle mass with insulin resistance and blood glucose metabolism disorders in a nationally representative sample of 13,644 individuals. Participants were older than 20 years, non-pregnant and weighed more than 35 kg.
The study demonstrated that higher muscle mass (relative to body size) is associated with better insulin sensitivity and lower risk of pre- or overt diabetes.
"Our research shows that beyond monitoring changes in waist circumference or BMI, we should also be monitoring muscle mass," Srikanthan concluded.
The study will be published in The Endocrine Society`s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.