12 dead, over 100 injured in China gas explosion

Beijing: A gas explosion in China’s Hubei province on Sunday killed 12 persons and injured over 100 others, including 39 in serious condition, the local authorities said. Rescue workers found 150 persons from the

blast site in the city of Shiyan and rushed them to hospitals, reports Xinhua news agency. The accident occurred in a residential community in the city’s Zhangwan district, trapping a large number of people. IANS

Covid: Diabetes drug may help treat lung inflammation

New York: Blood sugar-lowering drug metformin can prevent pulmonary or lung inflammation, a major factor in Covid-19 severity and mortality, researchers have found in studies of mice infected by the SARS-CoV-2 Covid. Metformin is often used as an early therapy for Type-2 diabetes. It works by lowering glucose production in the liver, reducing blood sugar levels that, in turn, improve the body’s response to insulin. IANS