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 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 …
the British tobacco industry recently got a big boost when the largest legal action against it collapsed, drastically reducing Britain's chances of mounting a successful anti-tobacco litigation like its transatlantic neighbour, the us . The case collapsed on February 27, when 46 of a group of 53 lung cancer victims …
T he collapse of a landmark anti-tobacco case in the uk has severely hit prospects of a us -style litigation against tobacco companies. While this had been successful in the us , where states had sued tobacco companies to recover the costs for treating smoking-related illnesses, the withdrawal of their …
the municipal government of Saitama, Japan, has asked an association of waste facilities to temporarily shut down incinerators after residents called for a boycott of vegetables, which were reportedly contaminated with dioxin. Officials said they will ask more than 100 industrial waste facilities in Saitama to cease operations until March …
what can dock the space shuttle and spot a brain tumour? Not a medically-qualified astronaut but a neural networking computer algorithm designed by engineers at the us National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( nasa ). The system has become so adept at analysing the large amount of data needed to …
Wildlife in the Sariska Tiger Reserve is facing serious health problems. In the past two years, about a dozen tigers and leopards, which were killed in road accidents or found dead, were found to be suffering from tuberculosis (tb) or liver infection. "It is an established fact that tigers and …
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 …
THE UK government will launch an investigation into claims that a rare form of cancer is killing servicepersons who witnessed the Britain's nuclear weapons tests in Australia during the 1950s. UK's ministry of defence agreed to investigate the claims after, media reports in late 1998 suggested the number of test …
THE Japanese government is considering revising its guidelines on gene therapy. Current rules, introduced in 1994, allow only researchers to use gene therapy in the treatment of serious life threatening diseases such as cancer and AIDS. The move follows an application by researchers to Osaka University's ethics committee for permission …
Cell Pathways Inc, a tiny US company based in Pennsylvania, recently claimed that it is conducting human trials of a novel drug that can prevent and treat cancer by forcing tumour cells to commit suicide. The company also said that it will soon receive European and US patents for its …
women across the world have been greatly concerned by breast cancer and of late, scientists and researchers have devoted their efforts to find a treatment that prevents the disease. Recently, tamoxifen grabbed headlines as researchers announced that the drug could effectively prevent breast cancer in women who are most likely …
