Latest News

Robots might soon be able to ‘smell’ cancer

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

Chemicals in patients’ breath, sweat, and tears can point towards cancer.
All organisms release volatile organic compounds.
Robots being able to smell diseases is a concept called “volatolomics”.

Detecting diseases might become easier in the future with robots’ ability to “sniff” hidden illnesses, surprisingly including cancer, by smelling a person’s breath.

Scientists are trying to find out techniques that can analyse chemical compounds in patients’ breath, sweat, and even tears and point towards diseases. Experts believe these chemicals are like “fingerprints” leading to diagnosis.

Researchers call the concept “volatolomics” and make it clear that the robot will not be commercially available at any time.

Whenever we smell anything, the nose encounters volatile organic compounds, which evaporate very quickly and have a low boiling point. These are the products of human metabolism that can be excreted out in some form.

All organisms release VOCs for various purposes like communication, reproduction, and even defense. Similarly, the body releases VOCs as a response to biological changes as well like falling sick.

Electronic noses (e-noses) have been found to have a high level of diagnostic accuracy for the detection of cancer in exhaled breath according to a systematic review and meta-analysis by a group of Dutch researchers.

A combination of gas-chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) can study exhaled breath samples.

A study, for example, suggested that ovarian cancer has certain markers.

In the review article on Hospital Healthcare Europe, 52 publications that included more than 3,000 cancer patients (including lung, gastric, breast, and prostate) were included in the analysis .

While volatolomics is a relatively new concept, scientists report that the idea has existed for centuries. Back then, however, scientists did not have the technology to experiment.

With machine learning and artificial intelligence, scientists can put their knowledge to use. Nanomaterial sensors, for example, can accurately recognise VOC fingerprints coming from food, beverages, pollution, and people.

The findings appeared in the journal Nano Research and Hospital Healthcare Europe.

Business

Pakistan’s gold prices continue to decline.

Published

1 hour ago

Farwa

The price of ten grams of 24 carat gold dropped by Rs 1,201 to Rs 205,418 from Rs 206,619, while the price of ten grams of 22 carat gold dropped to Rs 188,300 from Rs 189,400, according to the All Sindh Sarafa Jewellers Association.

Silver, priced at Rs. 2,620 per tola and Rs. 2,254.80 per ten grams, stayed at that level. As reported by the organization, the price of gold dropped by $11 on the global market, to $2,297 from $2,308.

Business

Price of LPG “slashed” by Rs. 20 per kilogram

Published

1 hour ago

Farwa

Sources claim that LPG rates have been lowered by Rs 20, making the cost per kilogram drop from Rs 280 to Rs 260.

It is noteworthy to remark that the costs of LPG were reduced by Rs 20 per kilogram earlier, resulting in a total reduction of Rs 40 per kilogram within a few weeks.

The price of liquefied petroleum gas for the month of May 2024 was lowered by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on April 30.

The LPG tariffs were lowered by Rs 11.88 to Rs 238.46 per kilogram in accordance with the OGRA’s notice. On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, the new rates will go into effect.

In April of last year, the price per kilogram of LPG was Rs 250.34. pricing reduction of Rs 140.18 has resulted in a new pricing for home LPG cylinders set for May 2024 of Rs 2813.85.

The OGRA reported a drop in liquefied petroleum gas pricing in April. The price of LPG is now Rs 250.34 per kg instead of Rs 256.78 due to a reduction of Rs 6.44 per kg.

The price of the household cylinder was fixed at Rs 2954.03 for the month of April, down from Rs 3030.12, a decrease of Rs 76.9.

Business

ADB delegation stops by FBR headquarters

Published

1 hour ago

Farwa

Senior Director ADB Tariq Niazi oversaw the expedition, which also involved Sana Masood, Farzana Noshab, and Senior Public Sector Management Specialist Laisiasa Tora. The meeting included presentations from economists as well, according to an FBR press release.

The officers focused on structural and policy adjustments as they discussed the Domestic Resource Mobilization Program’s implementation at the meeting.

$300 million was given to the Pakistani government by ADB in December 2023 as a result of the hard work and dedication of FBR. Better laws, regulations, and institutional capability for the FBR were established by Sub-Program I.

With the $300 million in funding provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to the Government of Pakistan in December 2023, the delegation conveyed satisfaction with the program’s effective launch.

The FBR also underlined how crucial digitization is to recording the economy and boosting productivity in a sustainable way.

In order to promote the Government of Pakistan’s Digital Tax Administration Project, both parties decided to look into measures to improve their cooperation.