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 Marlboro man just fell off his high horse into quicksand and it will be years until the tobacco industry even gets him halfway out,'' said Ahron Leichtman, executive director of Citizens for a Tobacco-Free Society, a non-governmental organisation. He was commenting on a jury decision taken in Florida on …
As part of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and China, the two countries have signed an agreement on joint research in the use of herbal medicine to treat cancer and aids . The cooperation will be carried out between the Kunming Institute of …
a global fund to sponsor and coordinate research into the impact of chemicals on human health and the environment was launched in London. The European Chemical Industry Association, the us Chemical Manufacturers Association and the Japanese Chemical Industry Association announced plans for a us $25 million annual fund for a …
a cancer scare, which threatens to become as grave as the bse virus(mad cow disease) in the uk , is causing mayhem in many countries, particularly Europe. At the heart of the controversy are food products from Belgium that were contaminated with dioxins
Cancer cases will rise by 10 per cent in seven years and more than 13,000 cancer patients will die each year in Hong Kong. A document to be discussed at the government's medical services development committee says the number of new cancer cases will reach 22,286 by 2006, compared with …
Should cigarettes have a low or high tar certification? Should the court be approached to force cigarette companies to make safer cigarettes for the general public? There are reasons for asking these questions. The Supreme Court has given top priority to health while ordering car manufacturers to observe emission norms …
whether it is a vegetable or a fruit may never be established conclusively. But the luscious red of the tomato has qualities hitherto unknown: it helps prevent cancers. Tomatoes get their red colour from lycopene, a natural pigment. Lycopene is also found in pink grapefruit, watermelon and guava, among other …
Long-term exposure to atmospheric particles less than 10 microgrammes in diameter (PM10s) can increase chances of lung cancer in men, says a new study. David Abbey and his team from Loma Lind University, California, USA, monitored 6,338 non-smoking Caucasians between the ages of 27 and 95 years who lived in …
Hell on wheels Dieselmania hits the Indian private automobile sector. And why not? Diesel is cheaper than petrol, and car loans are available in plenty it's sleek , it's mean, it races, it is not an aircraft. It runs on diesel. Some of them even run on petrol. The automobile …
The euphoria over the growth in the diesel-powered private vehicular segment would evaporate if people were to open their eyes to the evidence on environmental and health hazards of diesel engines. Diesel engines are primarily responsible for harmful emissions of suspended particulate matter ( spm )
Recent studies show that neither using clean diesel fuel nor improving the quality of the engine help in solving the threat of particulate matter in diesel emissions. So banning the manufacture of diesel cars may be the only option to counter the threats posed by particulate matter. Fuel quality A …
in what is considered a significant step, the National Cancer Institute ( nci ), Bethesda, usa, has urged thousands of us doctors to use chemotherapy along with radiation while treating cervical cancer after studies showed that such treatment can halve death rates. Randomised clinical trials conducted in various hospitals across …
nobel laureate Linus Pauling, who died at the age of 93, consistently extolled the benefits of vitamin c . He was said to stir 18 gramme of the vitamin into his daily orange juice. Last April, however, researchers at the University of Leicester, uk , reported that a supplement of …
the Japanese government is considering revising its guidelines on gene therapy. The present rules, which were introduced in 1994, limits researchers to its use only for treatment of terminal diseases such as cancer and aids . The move follows an application by researchers to Osaka University's ethics committee for permission …
tumours are a form of uncontrolled tissue growth. One of the main reasons why a malignant tumour can lead to death is that the tumour secretes factors that induce the growth of blood vessels in its neighbourhood. Thus, by increasingly monopolising the supply of nutrients, the tumour succeeds in starving …
the number of cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma ( nhl ), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and testicular tumours increased in three predominantly agricultural counties in western Ireland during the past decade. The increase may be at least partly a result of increased exposure to agricultural chemicals, theorise Cecily Kelleher and colleagues of …
a recent study conducted by environmentalist Banke Behari Das and his team has warned that people living in Orissa's Sukinda valley will be exposed to high levels of toxic pollution. The region has the largest concentration of chrome ore deposits in Asia. Das said stomach ailments, respiratory and heart diseases …
A recent decision by the Himachal Pradesh government may not be good news to the endangered Himalayan yew (Taxus baccata). The government has allowed collection and export of yew, which is in great demand in the pharmaceutical industry for manufacturing drugs to treat cancer. In 1995, the government had announced …
