In India, a country with a vast population and a diverse socio-economic fabric, healthcare remains fraught with challenges including disparities in access. These socio-economic disparities are deep, and they influence health outcomes. It is imperative to bridge these gaps amid the ongoing epidemiological, nutritional and demographic transitions that are bringing …
In India, cervical cancer kills around 80,000 women each year and 120,000 new cases emerge. This is in stark contrast to the US, for example, where only 4,000 women die annually from the disease. The most common explanation for this difference is that developed nations have good screening programmes. When …
diplomatic roadshow: Bangladesh and Myanmar recently signed a deal to construct the first major road between the two countries. The 25-km road is part of an Asian super highway to boost bilateral trade. It is hoped it will eventually connect India, Thailand and China. In another development, India plans to …
saving maize: Scientists have developed an effective form of biological control for a toxin-producing fungus that plagues crops in sub-Saharan Africa and poses serious health risks to people. The method uses a component of the fungus Aspergillus to control itself. Scientists from Germany, the us and Nigeria have carried out …
the verdict is heavy on symbolism. The Madras High Court dismissed a petition by pharmaceutical giant Novartis challenging section 3d of the Indian Patent (Amendments) Act 2005. Human rights groups said it will help ensure access of drugs to the poor. The company said the ruling will adversely affect innovations …
the largest ever cluster of childhood leukaemia cases in the vicinity of a nuclear facility has been reported by a German-American team of epidemiologists. The cluster of 15 children was found within 5 km of the Krmmel nuclear power plant in Geesthacht and a neighbouring nuclear research operation along the …
Lifestyle diseases are snuffing out lives and taking away productive years. The future looks menacing as India modernizes at blinding speed. There are many ways to measure the wealth of a nation. Economists count the consumer mantra in today's India: make good money, get cars, get houses, get gadgets, get …
Need for an independent ethics body for India's science research has got stronger after a reputed science journal has recently withdrawn an Indian research study on cancer cells. On February 23, 2007, the Journal of Biological Chemistry called off a study by researchers from the Pune-based National Centre for Cell …
In 1999, a scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in the US faked crucial evidence linking power lines to cancer in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences and F E B S Letters. In 2002, claims by researchers at Bell Labs in the US on creation of …
venom spewed by the deadly Indian black scorpion (Heterometrus bengalensis) could have a possible cure for human blood cancer, a new research claims. A joint team from Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, and University of Calcutta found in laboratory tests that venom from the black scorpion stopped the proliferation …
This report has two overall general purposes. The first is to summarise, assess, and judge the most comprehensive body of evidence yet collected and displayed on the subject of food, nutrition, physical activity, body composition, and the risk of cancer, throughout the life-course. The second purpose is to transform the …
us scientists have produced a device that could potentially screen patients for lung cancer. The new device works from a known principal: lung cancer cells give off different chemicals known as volatile organic compounds (vocs), that healthy cells don't. Earlier experiments had established that dogs with their heightened sense of …
in february, the us state of New Mexico rejected two bills demanding a ban on the use of aspartame, an artificial sweetener in food items. Aspartame, found in products like cough syrups, chewing gum, candy, desserts and soft drinks, is said to increase the risk of cancer, among other things …
Benzene exposure from vehicular sources and its health impact are relatively unexplored in India. We have investigated in this study hematology and lymphocyte subsets of 25 petrol pump attendants, 25 automobile service station workers and 35 controls matched for age, sex and socioeconomic conditions. The participants were non-smoking males of …
using bio-fuel for cooking could lead to cardiovascular diseases and cancer, says a research team from Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata. The team found that biomass smoke causes the activation of neutrophils and monocytes (white blood cells) and platelets. Platelets are blood cells that help in blood coagulation. These clump …
people with a specific variation in a gene who are exposed to arsenic have greater risk of getting skin lesions and hyperkeratosis, a precursor to skin cancer, say researchers from Kolkata. The gene, called ercc2 (excision repair cross-complementing rodent repair deficiency, complementation group 2), repairs any damage to dna. The …
researchers have found an increased risk of bladder cancer due to exposure to chlorinated water through drinking, swimming and bathing. The study was published online in the January 15, 2006, issue of American Journal of Epidemiology. The study found that exposure also occurs through inhalation and dermal absorption of trihalomethanes …
the fight for access to a generic version of a cancer drug is likely to get more problematic. India's ministry of commerce and industry has signed a memorandum of understanding (mou) with the us Patent and Trademark Office (uspto) on intellectual property (ipr). Signed on December 20, 2006, the mou …
Epidemiological studies were conducted in pesticide exposed agricultural workers along with an equal number of age- and sex-matched controls. All the 200 exposed volunteers were suffering from fever, nausea, headache and other abnormal symptoms and visited the hospital for general health check-up. These cases were taken up for more detailed …
In August and September 2006, patients with cancer, lawyers for patient advocacy groups, and representatives of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) converged on the offices of Novartis in Mumbai, India, to protest the company's efforts to obtain an Indian patent on Gleevec, the company's brand-name version of imatinib mesylate. Gleevec (spelled Glivec …
