Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating give us pleasure. …
researchers from the National Chemical Laboratory, Pune have designed a polymer with the ability to absorb cholesterol. The product could help reduce ailments such as cardiovascular diseases, strokes and sclerosis (hardening) of the arteries (Journal of Chromatography B, Vol 804, No 1). The polymer was developed using molecular imprinting. In …
researchers at the University of Delhi have given a us pharmaceutical company the licence to use a novel technique developed by them that could help commercialise gene therapy. The gene delivery technology developed by A N Maitra and his associates at the university's Department of Chemistry uses calcium phosphate nanoparticles …
The Union ministry of health and family welfare needs to rethink its plan to introduce hepatitis b vaccination as part of the universal immunisation programme in the country. Does India really need it? For one, the vaccination protocol is faulty. Secondly, the real incidence of the disease is much lower …
The Mineral Foundation of Goa aims to: address environmental and social issues concerning the communities in the mining belt of Goa through formulation and implementation of developmental programmes; contribute to economic and social development of the local communities by training and capacity building; to facilitate tripartite partnership amongst industry, government …
The terms of reference of the National Commission on Macroeconomics & Health, included among others, a critical appraisal of the present health system — both in the public and the private sector — and suggesting ways and means of further strengthening it with the specific objective of improving access to …
the Union government is considering the restoration of the national ban on the consumption of non-iodised salt. The move has been triggered by reports of surveys conducted in various states on iodine deficiency disorders (idd), according to sources in the Union ministry of health and family welfare (mohfw). A letter …
there exists in India a particularly inactive version of beadledom called the healthcare bureaucracy. Its task is to look after, literally, the body politic. To this end, it is required to track down disease outbreaks, and speedily stamp on these its dread authority. Continuous monitoring is also a core function, …
Even as the us government's us$280 billion lawsuit against the cigarette industry takes its course, tobacco major Philip Morris is mired in a fresh controversy. A www.thelancet.com article charges the company with concealing information on tobacco research. It says the company covertly acquired a research facility in Germany in the …
The biggest tobacco trial till date began in the us on September 21, 2004, in which the government has filed a us $280 billion civil suit against tobacco giants, charging them with concealing, for decades, the harmful effects of smoking and for illegally marketing cigarettes to children. Apart from recovering …
A commonly used Indian herb, Terminalia chebula, which belongs to the family Combretaceae, is likely to receive international attention following the discovery that its fruit can protect people from the damage caused by nuclear radiation. The discovery has been reported by G H Naik, K I Priyadarsini and H Mohan …
Two hundred thousand traditional medicine practitioners of South Africa will be officially recognised as health-care professionals. So says a new legislation passed on September 9. According to health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, the Traditional Health Practitioners Bill received near unanimous backing in the South African parliament. Under the new law, a …
In 1982, the us-based multinational El-Lily produced and commercialised the first therapeutic recombinant protein, humulin (human insulin). That was the first instance of a pharmaceutical firm venturing into biotechnology. By the late 1980s, all the 20-odd us pharmaceutical majors were into biotechnology. Companies in uk and in many other parts …
no fishy treatment: A human blood clotting agent required for treating haemophilia and serious bleeding has been produced using genetically modified fish by researchers from the University of Southampton, the UK. There is still a long way to go before the product reaches the market, but if the project is …
In 1967-68, I was a proud 19-year old soldier with the American army's infantry division (1st/4th cavalry) fighting the Vietnamese. About 25 years later, I suffered severe back pains. I suspected lung cancer and got a full physical examination done. Sure as hell, the cancer was there
From 2005, mohfw (Union ministry of health and family welfare) plans to introduce auto-disable (ad) syringes under its Universal Immunisation Programme (uip). ad syringes are supposed to better reduce the risk of disease transmission than glass or disposable syringes (currently in use), because they lock up after the shot is …
The World Obesity Congress and Expo held in Washington dc, usa on July 12-13 this year was all about anti-obesity drugs: educating industry about new research on it, and finding ways to enhance business in this area. The Expo's focus was extremely timely: two days later, the us department of …
Are some diseases more neglected? Some good examples of neglected diseases are Chagas' disease, Guinea worm, leprosy, lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis. These affect a large number of people in poor and developing countries. They are "neglected' because the donor agencies from the developed world have limited interest in them. Unfortunately, …
