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 …
ONE person dies of smoking every 10 seconds somewhere in the world, but the worst is yet to come, reveals a recent study. Richard Peto of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in Oxford, UK, one of the authors of the study, who was recently in Delhi to attend the 16th …
MOMS have for generations been singing the virtues of green leafy vegetables, usually to deaf ears. Now, new findings vindicate their emphasis: scientists suggest that vegetables like spinach are not only essential for balanced growth but could also guard against several types of cancers -- including cancers of the colon, …
For US armed forces it is now adieu metals, and welcome plastics. Researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology have designed plastic-composite nosecones for shoulder-fired missiles for the marines. Plastic composites are inexpensive and lighter than metal parts. Difficult to produce, they were ignored by manufacturers. But the researchers have developed …
Three agricultural pesticides most widely used in the US will be reviewed for potential cancer risks by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Two of the pesticides -- atrazine and cyanazine -- are used on corn crops, while the third, simazine, is used on fruits and vegetables. Ciba-Geigy and DuPont are …
"PREVENTION is better than cure" sums up the deliberations of scientists and doctors at the XVIth International Cancer Congress held in New Delhi(WHEN?) recently. This message is even more significant as scientists unveil the molecular mystery behind cancer. The XVI International Cancer Congress -- organised by Union Internationale Centre le …
Four years ago, Pilu Oberoi, a 38-year-old schoolteacher in New Delhi, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent surgery and radiation therapy and also approached the Tibetan Medical and Astro Institute in Delhi, which gave her selected herbs to relieve her of the horrendous side-effects of radiation. "I would recommend …
Voluntary organisations and activists campaigning against the use of tobacco received a massive boost during the 16th International Cancer Congress held in Delhi last fortnight. The Congress focused on tobacco-related hazards and several papers presented at the occasion pointed out that the economic burden of tobacco-related diseases far outweigh the …
AFTER 4 years of hot pursuit, a us biotech company has won the race to isolate the much sought-after breast cancer gene called BRCA I. Close on the heels of this discovery, an international group has reported mapping of another breast cancer gene called BRCA2. Together, the pair probably accounts …
The German pharmaceutical giant Schering AG is in for a hard time. Androcur and Diane 35, 2 of its best-selling drugs marketed in Europe, are suspected to be potential causes of cancer. Tests carried out on rodents by the Federal Institute for Medication and Medical Products revealed a possible carcinogenic …
How do you fix faulty genes that cause cellular havoc by sending out all the wrong signals? Using molecular genetic techniques, scientists are trying to insert bits of foreign DNA into cancerous cells to correct them. But the problem is: how do you do it for every tumour cell? To …
In India, medical research has concentrated on communicable diseases like tuberculosis and leprosy. Cancer research is still at a preliminary stage and most research centres have focused on the epidemiology of the disease or developing better surgery and radiotherapy techniques. Some laboratories, like the Cancer Research Institute at the Tata …
GENES •Mary Claire King, a University of California geneticist, discovered the breast cancer gene BRCA1, which lies on chromosome 17 •Two groups simultaneously discovered the 2 genes, HMSH2 and hMLHI, which cause hereditary colon cancers VIRUSES •The Epstein-Barr virus, closely related to the herpes virus, is associated with cancers of …
Cells are not immortal. But cancer scientists have only recently taken this fact seriously. Apoptosis, a Greek word meaning the shedding of leaves in autumn, refers to the tendency of cells to commit suicide. Billions of cells kill themselves every hour as other cells proliferate continuously to maintain a constant …
ONLY 50 years ago, cancer was the Demon of Death spoken of in hushed whispers. What appeared to be a perfectly normal cell suddenly turned into a stealthy, lethal killer, rampaging through the body and destroying its victim from within. Even as recently as the "70s, many theories and myths …
The travails of Nepal's estimated 50,000 cancer patients may soon be at an end. Instead of going abroad for treatment, they will have access to medical treatment at the 100-bed B.P. Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital at Chitwan in south Nepal. The US $ 10 million hospital, being built with help …
TAXOL, the anti-cancer wonder drug extracted from the leaves and bark of the yew tree, has found another target. Researchers at the University of California School of Medicine say that polycystic kidney diseases (PKD), the most common hereditary kidney disease which accounts for 10 per cent of the patients requiring …
THE ozone layer over the US had thinned to unprecedented and worrisome flimsiness during 1993, say scientists who had monitored sunlight at various ground sites over the year. Between January and April of last year, ozone concentration was 12.6 per cent below normal (New Scientist, Vol 142, No 1927). What …
Simple urine and blood tests could soon be used to detect cancer. Scientists at the Boston Children's Hospital and the Harvard Medical School have detected increased levels of a tumour-related protein in the urine of patients suffering from cancer. Further, researchers at the Massachusetts-based Matritech Inc have reported finding proteins …
The holy grail of synthetic taxol may be in sight. Taxol, used to treat breast and ovarian cancers, is extracted in very small quantities from the leaf and bark of the endangered Himalayan and Pacific yew. But now, two teams of organic chemists -- led by K C Nicolaou of …
CAPITALISING on more than 100 years of expertise in plant product chemistry, Dabur, one of India's largest Ayurvedic formulation manufacturers, has now ventured into modern pharmaceutical research and product development. Dabur recently announced that it had perfected a method to extract taxol -- a potent drug used to treat ovarian …
