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 …
The new regulations proposed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Clean Air Act have kicked up a storm. Although few of its earlier targets have been achieved, the agency has 1@roposed even more difficult regulations. EPA itself predicts that the cost of new regulations will fhr exceed …
The first lawsuit seeking damages for injury suffered through passive smoking in flight cabins began recently in Florida, USA. The case was filed by Norma Broin, a former airline stewardess, who is suffering from lung cancer. A non-smoker herself, she has blamed her illness on her exposure to secondhand smoke …
FOR those women who are still not convinced of the usefulness of physical activity, here is another reason to put on the track suit. A recently published report of a study conducted on more than 25r,000 women in Norway suggests that, compared to sedentary women, those who exercised regularly had …
Women who gave birth to twins may be protected against breast cancer, says a study from the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London. This population-based study reports that their risk was reduced by almost a third as compared with mothers who had only one baby. Data was taken by examining 47,000 …
FOR the first time sharks may have to play the role of lifeguards for humans. An extract from shark tissues will be tested on cancer patients later this year. The extract, called squalamine, could help in cutting the blood supply of the tumours. The extract was discovered in the stomach …
mammography, a low energy x-ray suitable for soft tissues is considered by oncologists as the best method available for early detection of breast cancers. But a lot of conflicting reports are appearing about the use of this diagnostic test. Two diametrically opposite views have been taken by the major agencies …
for the people of Karain, a small village in central Anatolia, Turkey, cancer is a way of life. Over the last several decades, cancer has led to the death of over half of its population. There are several explanations for the high rate of cancer cases. Many local homes are …
the discovery of a new gene, has led scientists to create a portly breed of mice, with muscles two to three times bigger than those of normal mice. The discovery is of significance as it could help scientists to find treatments for muscular dystrophy or for the gradual muscle wasting …
SCIENTISTS have just synthesised possibly the most complex anti-cancer vaccine to treat patients suffering from prostate cancer at a bospitaJ in New York, US. Boost to immunity Sam Danishefsky and his colleagues from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York have made copies of a large active fragment, …
A MINIMAL amount of iron is critical for our health and perhaps life itself. But what researchers are now concerned with relates to the indiscriminate loading of iron supplements as well as the widespread use of vitamin C, which enhances the absorption of dietary iron from the gut. Our bodies …
THIRTY-EIGHT students of Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, were used as guinea pigs for trials of a colon cancer drug containing a radioactive element since December 1996. The shocking discovery was made recently when some students complained of headaches, body-aches and stomach pains. Three students had also developed problems in the urinary …
a recent study conducted in Hungary with the help of the World Health Organization (who) has found that workers exposed to pesticides showed a considerably higher percentage of abnormal cells than the accepted amount. According to a team headed by I Desi of the department of public health at Albert …
Research just published shows that grapes are a good source of resveratrol, which is a cancer-preventive agent. Resveratrol is a potent cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor, which catalyses the formation of prostaglandins, which in addition to stimulating tumour cell growth, also suppresses immune surveillance. Research had earlier shown that resveratrol can inhibit …
an enigmatic protein extracted from the urine of pregnant women can slow the progression of an aids -like disease in laboratory animals. It can also destroy cells from tumours that afflict some aids patients and boost the production of immune cells, according to Robert Gallo of the University of Maryland …
A RECENT study, led by University of Arizona epidemiologist Larry Clark, says that selenium, a mineral found in seafood and liver, helps reduce the risk of certain forms of cancer. The study done on 1,312 patients revealed that when compared with people who took placebos, patients who took daily doses …
among the novel methods of combating cancer are some drugs that fight the disease by blocking blood supply to the cancerous cells. These drugs stop angiogenesis
In a desperate bid to stop mushrooming legal claims against the industry, the British tobacco firm, BAT Industries PLC, is considering settling compensation claims brought by Americans who are suffering from smoking-related illnesses. The company's shares fell sharply after a jury in Florida ordered its US tobacco unit to pay …
the Himalayan yew (Taxus wallichiana), a rare tree found in the Himalayan foothills, is fast disappearing because of largescale illegal felling for an anti-cancer drug made from its leaves and bark. The tree parts are allegedly smuggled to laboratories in the us, Germany and other Western countries involved in research …
One of the biggest tobacco lawsuits was set in motion in the US recently with lawyers sending notices to potential claimants. These include former and current flight attendants on US airlines consistently exposed to second-hand smoke. A mass mailing exercise has begun to identify non-smokers among 120,000 flight attendants who …
