While cancer takes many years to develop, radiation leads to changes in the DNA profile in a fraction of a second. In breast cancer patients radiation therapy is often used to destroy any remaining breast cancer cells in the breast, chest wall or underarm area after surgery. Occasionally, radiation therapy is used before surgery to shrink the size of tumour.
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: Breast cancer patients suffer more from radiation therapy than from the disease itself. According to a research conducted by the Human Genetics Division of the Department of Zoology, Osmania University, radiation therapy, commonly followed in breast cancer patients after surgical removal of the affected breast, leads to mutations or changes in the DNA profile of the individual. The severity of the mutation and its consequential impact on the overall health and genetic profile of the breast cancer patient depends on the intensity of the radiation used in the therapy. The study conducted by C Kusum and K Rudrama Devi of Osmania University revealed chormosomal aberration in peripheral blood lymphocyte of the breast cancer patients treated with ultraviolet radiation. In radiation therapy involves dosages many thousand times higher than those used in diagnostic x-rays. Ionising radiation has been shown to induce cancer in many different species of animals and in almost all parts of the body. It is one of the few scientifically proven carcinogens in human beings, although it appears to be a relatively weak cancer-causing agent compared to many chemicals. It was found in the study that ionising radiation was capable of penetrating cells and causing ionisation in different parts of the cell. Since ionised molecules are unstable and quickly undergo chemical changes, they will form free radicals that can damage the molecule or other molecules around. One type of molecule that is sensitive to ionising radiation is DNA, the part of the cell that contains the genes for each person's characteristics. "ionising radiation can lead to mutation in a cell's DNA, which could contribute to cancer, or to the death of the cell. Al cells in the body can be damaged by ionising radiation. The amount of damage is related to the dose of radiation received by the cell," the study points out. While cancer takes many years to develop, radiation leads to changes in the DNA profile in a fraction of a second. In breast cancer patients radiation therapy is often used to destroy any remaining breast cancer cells in the breast, chest wall or underarm area after surgery. Occasionally, radiation therapy is used before surgery to shrink the size of tumour. Treatment with radiation usually begins one month after surgery, allowing the breast tissue adequate time to heal. Radiation therapy may occasionally be recommended for women to destroy remaining cancer cells after mastectomy or to shrink tumours in patient with advanced breast cancer.
By Syed Akbar Hyderabad: Women employed in fish processing units suffer from a myriad of health problems including premature ageing. According to a research study carried out by the National Institute of Occupational Health, many women, who work for long hours in fish processing companies spread across the country including Andhra Pradesh, have complained of premature ageing even before they cross 30 years. According to NIOH scientist Pranab Kumar Nag, the study surveyed the health conditions of women, mostly contract labour, working in fishing harbours and processing units with poor sanitation. Women from Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat as also from other States were studied as part of the research project. It was found during the study that women from one State have migrated to other States to work in the fishing industry. Since they spend as much as 14 hours every day in unhygienic conditions in fishing units, they contact several health related problems. The heavy work is telling on their health, he pointed out. The common health problems they encounter include severe pain in the back, skin and ENT disorders. Some of them have complained of asthma. They are also susceptible to a problem called, "Raynaud's Phenomenon" which affects skin exposing the bones. Dr Nag said the study revealed that most of these women work in freezing temperatures. He said the institute would take up detailed studies in Andhra Pradesh which has a long coastline extending up to 1000 km dotted with a number of fishing harbours and fish processing units.
By Syed Akbar Hyderabad: The agricultural gain by Bt cotton farmers seems to be at the cost of other ryots. The bollworm, which used to feed on cotton before the Bt variety was introduced, has now found new hosts for survival.
Bt cotton is poisonous for the cotton bollworm and it cannot survive on its leaves. To avoid death in Bt cotton fields, the insect, which belongs to the butterfly family, has cleverly migrated to new plant hosts for survival.
The bollworm is now attacking crops like tomato, pigeon pea, chickpea, sorghum and maize. The agricultural loss, which cotton growers suffered earlier, has shifted to farmers growing food crops. This has led to increase in use of pesticides by non-Bt cotton farmers to reduce the additional loss.
“Cotton bollworm has about a dozen plant hosts including the wild varieties. The mother insect is a long flier and in the absence of cotton, it lays eggs on new plant hosts for its larvae to feed on. It is a smart insect and its survival tactics has led it away from poisonous Bt cotton to non-poisonous plant varieties grown in the vicinity,” said senior researcher MA Qayyum.
There are no reports of reduction in the population of cotton bollworm and this indicates that it has adapted to non-bt cotton crops to lay eggs and populate its species.
There have been no scientific studies on the additional loss to farmers growing other crops. However, field observations show that the shifting of bollworm from Bt cotton to food crops has resulted in farmers losing at least 20 per cent of their yields. Thanks to the pest migration, the bollworm has found a continuous life, from one season to other, pointed out Qayyum, who had conducted field research studies on Bt cotton for about a decade now.
Dr PV Satheesh, national convenor of Southern Action on Genetic Engineering, said given the choice between cotton and red gram, the bollworm prefers red gram. “If you control the pest using Bt technology, it will find new sources of food for survival. We have to access the damage caused to other crops with the shift in plant hosts,” he added.
Red gram seems to be the most affected crop with the shift in pest’s preference. Earlier, farmers used to grow a few layers of red gram plantation along with cotton to detract the attention of bollworm from cotton to red gram. Farmers stopped this practice after the introduction of Bt cotton. Red gram once served as a “trap crop” for cotton farmers, but now it has turned into a target crop by the bollworm.
By Syed Akbar Hyderabad: After failing to control the spread of sexually transmitted diseases including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through medical interventions, scientists will now take psychological and sociological routes to demystify this major health problem in the country. They will also find out if interrelationship of domestic violence has anything to do with the spread of HIV.
Since the spread of HIV and other STDs is largely linked to behavioural issues, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has sought the help of scientists to explore psychological, social and structural issues to bring down the incidence. The study is part of the Indo-US joint research initiative on reduction of STDs and HIV in India.
Calling for development of new approaches, the ICMR in its latest circular noted that “psychological, social and structural issues increase HIV transmission and acquisition risk”. The country’s premier medical research body has also sought the help of scientists in evaluating the interrelationships of domestic violence and HIV transmission in longstanding relationships. Behavioural and social interactions will be the focus of the study.
Apart from finding solution to the problem of STDs and HIV transmission from psycho-sociological perspectives, scientists will also take a multi-faceted approach, which includes the role of other microbes like viruses and bacteria, epidemiological factors and co-morbidities associated with HIV transmission.
The ICMR’s proposal on new research asks scientists to look into viral pathogenesis and immunology of HIV/AIDS for development of advanced diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics. There will be preclinical research to establish clear evidence of physiologically relevant anti-HIV activity.
Scientists will carry a broad range study of populations including men and women, who are at-risk for HIV/AIDS infection and uninfected. They will also study HIV or STD-infected infants and children.
The ICMR will assess the efficacy of newer anti-retrovirals and anti-retroviral therapy-based approaches to prevent HIV transmission effectively in India. “The development of safe, effective and acceptable prevention strategies must integrate efforts to understand how biochemical, pharmacological and biophysical factors affecting susceptibility and progression to HIV/AIDS disease interact with the implementation of a prevention strategy,” the proposal note pointed out.
Specific pathogens of interest for research include drug sensitive and drug resistant M. tuberculosis complex, parasites including malaria, viruses such as Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), and other AIDS-related oncogenic (cancer-causing) viruses.
Syed Akbar Hyderabad: Saudi Arabia is one of the favourite destinations for illiterate and unskilled workers from India, but in a startling revelation the US State Department’s annual report of human trafficking 2012 points out that “they are subjected to forced labour and a lesser extent, forced prostitution”.
Men and women from India and other countries voluntarily travel to Saudi Arabia as domestic servants or other low-skilled labourers. Some of them subsequently “face conditions indicative of involuntary servitude, including nonpayment of wages, long working hours without rest, deprivation of food, threats, physical or sexual abuse, and restrictions on movement such as withholding of passports or confinement to the workplace.”
Saudi Arabia has one of the largest contingents of Indian migrant workers in the Arabian Gulf. A considerable number of unskilled or low-skilled workers are from Andhra Pradesh. Women domestic labour is largely from cities like Hyderabad, notorious for minor girl child marriages with elderly Arab nationals.
“Although many migrant workers sign contracts delineating their rights, some report work conditions that are substantially different from those described in the contract. Other migrant workers never see a contract at all, leaving them especially vulnerable to forced labour, including debt bondage,” the report said.
Saudi Arabia has legislation which states that foreign workers receive permission from their employer to get an “exit visa” before they are able to leave the country. This provision has come handy for unscrupulous Arab employers to force migrant labourers to work for months or years beyond their contract term because their employer will not grant them an exit permit.
“Women, primarily from Asian and African countries, are believed to be forced into prostitution in Saudi Arabia. Some female domestic workers are reportedly kidnapped and forced into prostitution after running away from abusive employers,” the report said.
Referring to the menace of minor girl marriages with the elderly Arab nationals, the US report said Saudi nationals travel to destinations including India to solicit prostitution. Some Saudi men used legally contracted “temporary marriages” in countries including India as a means by which to sexually exploit young girls and women overseas.
The report accuses the government of Saudi Arabia of not fully complying with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, and not making significant efforts to do so.
Domestic workers – the population most vulnerable to forced labour – remained excluded from general labour law protections, and employers continued to regularly withhold workers’ passports as a means of keeping them in forced labour, despite this practice being prohibited by a 2000 Council of Ministers’ decision. There have been hundreds of incidents of women from Andhra Pradesh held captive or forced to return wages.
The report suggested reforms in the sponsorship system and enforcing existing laws to discourage employers from withholding workers’ passports and restricting their movements, including arbitrarily denying permission for exit visas, as a means of preventing trafficking abuses. It also suggested that authorities significantly increase efforts to prosecute, punish, and stringently sentence traffickers, including abusive employers and those culpable of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.
By Syed Akbar Hyderabad: The loss of forest cover in India is threatening the very survival of not only big animals, but also small creepy creatures like cockroaches, which play a vital role in recycling nutrients in the woods.
According to Dr Srini Kambhampati, Hyderabad-born American biologist, cockroaches are fast losing their natural habitat in the country, and this threatens their very survival. “Considering that there is very little forest left in India, two issues are of concern. First, cockroach habitat is being destroyed and they, like many other species, are either threatened or endangered. Second, the role of cockroaches in recycling nutrients in forests becomes even more critical to maintain the health of the remaining forest”.
Dr Srini is the chair in the Department of Biology, The University of Texas at Tyler, USA. He told this correspondent that India has a remarkable diversity of cockroach species, like many tropical countries. Of the few thousand species of cockroaches, only four have become a major nuisance for human beings.
“Unfortunately, little research has been done on Indian species. Almost all the research is on a handful of species that are associated with humans - such as American, German, and Oriental cockroaches - all of which are cosmopolitan and thought to have originated in Africa. I do not know the number of species that are native to India. But I suspect their ecological role is similar to those species found in other tropical countries,” he points out.
Dr Srini has often stressed the importance of cockroaches, the creepy creatures that many consider useless, in the ecology of forests and the survival of animals and human beings. While cockroaches that live in the greenery play a vital role in the nutrient management of the forests, those that inhabit kitchens are a problem for human beings.
“Of course, domestic cockroach species - especially the American cockroach - are a huge problem in India. They are not like mosquitoes in that they spread a lot of disease. Mostly they mechanically transport bacteria and other pathogenic organisms from one environment to another,” he observes.
Dr Srini said cockroach skin and body parts also are a major source of allergic reactions in people. But given the many breeding places and abundant food available to cockroaches in India, this will continue to be a problem. Only thing people can do is to keep their homes clean, do periodic treatment for cockroaches (there are some non-toxic alternatives), and place barriers to prevent cockroaches from entering their homes.
Work on “tamed lions” is going on clandestinely and if it succeeds, the big cats will besimply herbivorous or small carnivores.
By Syed Akbar Super intelligent monkeys and tamed lions will become a reality soon, if scientists working on genetic engineering have they say. Experts in stem cell technology and genetic engineering believe that the day is not far off when the Earth will be populated by monkeys with human brains and lions that simply “meow” without harming others. Scientists are now looking beyond genes and genetic engineering. But if this is misused, there could be animals who could compete with human beings. Unscrupulous scientists may develop monkeys with human brains or humanlike monkeys. Nobel laureate Dr Roger Kornberg says monkeys with human intelligence has almost become a reality but such creations will lead to debate on human ethics. “There are two sides of genetic engineering and stem cell technology. Good and bad. Use of the technology for therapeutic uses will result in saving the lives of millions. But a small misuse of the facility will lead to ethical issues,” he pointed out. What’s all about this conceptualized human-monkey? It’s nothing but a reversal of the Darwin’s theory which believes that human beings have evolved from monkeys. If the researchers have their say, there will monkeys evolving virtually from the modern man. This can be achieved by injecting human brain cells into monkey brains or through transplantation of embryonic stem cells of a human embryo into the womb of a monkey. As the stem cells grow in the womb of a monkey, the resultant offspring will be a monkey with human intelligence, the scientists hope. The concept of super monkeys gains significance in the backdrop of creation of genetically-engineered cats, by Korean scientists, which glow in the dark. The scientists have also created rats that have no “fear genes” in them and can roam freely in front of a cat. Work on “tamed lions” is going on clandestinely and if it succeeds, the big cats will be simply herbivorous or small carnivores. While it is quite “easier” to create super monkeys with human qualities, the major ethical problem that crops up before society is should such creatures be considered “human subjects” or simply “intelligent animals”, he argues. If such creatures are considered human subjects then they will have to be protected by ethical guidelines that govern research on human beings. And more importantly, when a monkey turns “human” will it be subjected to all legal rules. If yes, can it sue the “rogue” scientists who created it through “unethical” genetic engineering?
In patients suffering from ischemic heart disease the flow of blood to the heart is obstructed and thus the heart is deprived of oxygen. This leads to death if not attended to immediately.
By Syed Akbar
Aping the West in food habits and lifestyle is proving to be dear to people in Andhra Pradesh with heart diseases linked to food habits emerging as the leading cause of death. According to a recent survey published by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence, ischemic heart disease characterised by reduced blood supply to the heart has been killing 13.21 per cent of people in Andhra Pradesh. It is the cause of death in 12.2 per cent of women and 14.08 per cent of men. Incidentally ischemic heart disease tops the 10 important causes of death in people of the State. Doctors link the disease to smoking, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, excessive use of hydrogenated fats (vanaspathi) and foods containing high cholesterol levels. So far, ischemic heart disease has been the major cause of death in the US and Europe. That it has emerged as the top killer in Andhra Pradesh is a cause for concern, says senior cardiologist Dr PC Rath. In patients suffering from ischemic heart disease the flow of blood to the heart is obstructed and thus the heart is deprived of oxygen. This leads to death if not attended to immediately. According to Dr Rath, a little change in lifestyle and food habits will help in controlling cardiovascular diseases. Cerebrovascular disease (bleeding in brain or cutting supply of blood or oxygen to the brain) is the second leading cause of death in Andhra Pradesh, though it is the third leading cause of death in the West. Cancer or malignancy, which is the second leading cause of death in the West, is incidentally the 10th cause of death in Andhra Pradesh. While lower respiratory (lung) infections is the third over all leading killer in the State, diarrhoeal diseases occupy the third position in case of women and tuberculosis in case of men. Self-inflected injury is the seventh leading killer both among men and women while asthma and stomach cancer is the eighth major cause of death among men and women respectively, according to the CBHI report. Road accidents occupy the 10th slot in case of men and dementia (group of disorders relating to brain) is the 10th cause of deaths among women. Cirrhosis of the liver is the cause of 2.19 per cent of deaths among men but incidentally it is absent among women. Cirrhosis is linked to alcohol. Women tend to be more prone to unintentional injuries than men. Statistics show that 4.09 per cent of deaths in women and 3.81 per cent of deaths in men are attributed to unintentional injuries.
By Syed Akbar Hyderabad: A team of city doctors has found that tuberculosis is capable of attacking the heart muscle, making it enlarged and puffy and causing fast irregular heart beat. Earlier, it was thought that tuberculosis does not attack the heart muscle but causes damage to the outer layer. The finding by city doctors, however, negates this age-old medical belief. The damage to the heart muscle by myocardial tuberculosis often leads to sudden death.
“Our scientific work involved studying myocardial tuberculosis causing heart rhythm disorder called ventricular tachycardia. This is a serious life-threatening disorder leading to blackouts and even sudden cardiac arrest and death. Treatment often requires expensive devices as medicines are not fully protective. We have identified a cohort of patients in whom tuberculosis of the heart muscle has been responsible for this condition. This is the largest spectrum of such patients in the world,” said Dr K Sarada, cardiologist and electro-physiologist, Care Hospital. Dr Sarada and her team for the first time noticed that tuberculosis is capable of damaging the heart muscle.
The problem, if detected early, can be reversed through a combination of anti-TB drug therapy and immuno-suppressant drugs, she said adding that as many as 70 per cent of the patients recovered. The enlarged and puffy heart as also the rhythm became normal.
The study was presented at the plenary session of the prestigious Heart Rhythm Society at Boston, USA held in May. Dr C Narasimhan and Dr C Sridevi are the other two members of the research team.
The team also found that besides myocardial tuberculosis, patients with cardiac sarcoidosis are at increased risk for sudden death from ventricular arrhythmias (irregular heart rhythm). In this multi-center retrospective cohort study of 235 patients, the researchers found that patients with cardiac sarcoidosis and implantable cardiac assist devices (ICDs) were at high risk for ventricular arrhythmias, with 36 per cent of patients receiving an appropriate ICD therapy over a mean follow-up of 4.2 years.
Patients also had high rates of inappropriate shocks and device-related complications. Patients receiving appropriate therapies were more likely to be male, have a history of syncope (loss of consciousness), have a lower left ventricular ejection fraction, have had the ICD implanted for secondary prevention, and have ventricular pacing on baseline ECG.
Syed Akbar Hyderabad: Milk loses much of its nutritional value when heated intermittently. Dilution of milk with water and removal of fat layer robs it of vitamins important for the healthy growth of individuals.
A team of researchers has found that boiling milk brings down the content of vitamins to a significant extent. Each step adopted during household practices plays a significant role in varying the concentration of nutritional components, which affect the quality of milk.
Though boiling of pasteurized milk is not advisable from nutritional point of view, the team from Punjab suggested boiling of milk once as prevention of food-borne diseases remains a priority in the Indian context.
“Dilution of milk significantly affects the nutritional profile which might lead to insufficient nutrient deliveries especially in infants and young children. Milk should not be diluted before consumption and the practice of storage and intermittent heating of milk should be avoided to prevent the vitamin loss,” reveals the research study by senior scientists S Bahman, N Yadav, A Kumar, S Ganguly, V Garg and SS Marwaha.
Boiling of milk increases the concentration of most of the components and minerals but reduces the level of vitamins A (by 21 per cent), B3 (13 per cent), B5 (three per cent) and B12 (21 per cent). Addition of water also decreases the concentration of minerals and vitamins. Storage of milk leads to a decrease in total solids by 19 per cent and vitamins A, B3, B5, and B12 by 26 per cent, 17-19 per cent, 23 per cent, and 18-26 per cent respectively.
“Milk contains over a hundred biochemical compounds of which the majority has substantial nutritional values. When boiled milk is stored at different conditions (room temperature and refrigeration), and unboiled milk under refrigerated conditions, the level of total solids decreased up to 19 per cent. After storage for 24 hours, when the deposited the fat layer at the top was removed, 71-76 per cent loss of fat was observed,” the researchers said.
Storage of milk at low temperature results in the deposition of the fat layer on the wall of the storage utensil/pouch carrying away fat-soluble vitamins resulting in their substantial quantitative loss. Also, exposure to light during storage has a deleterious effect on water-soluble vitamins. An appreciable loss in their contents during storage at lower temperature has been reported.
Adding sugar to milk leads to reduction in the concentration of calcium and magnesium. However, an appreciable increase in total solids, SNF (solids not fat) and carbohydrate contents was found.
By Syed Akbar Hyderabad: India continues to unravel the secrets of its biodiversity with 193 new animal species discovered in the last one year. These animals are completely new to the world of science. The discovery, ahead of the biodiversity summit in Hyderabad during October, puts India in a unique position and gives it an added advantage on the biodiversity front.
During the period, 66 animal species, hitherto unknown in this part of the world, were also discovered. These animals, though known to science, are found in different parts of the world. It is for the first time that these 66 animal species were found to exist on the Indian terrain. Interestingly, none of these newly discovered animals is from Andhra Pradesh, though other southern States contributed a considerable number. However, zoologists from Andhra Pradesh are involved in some of the discoveries.
According to the latest report on animal discoveries by the Zoological Survey of India, zoologists from different parts of the country discovered the new species that included worms, insects, starfish, reptiles, fish, frogs and other amphibians, corals, molluscs, spiders and leeches. The largest find was from the Insecta, the animal class to which insects belong. In all 135 new species of insects were discovered from forests, hilly tracts ad water bodies.
There were 23 new discoveries from Amphibia, the class to which frogs and salamanders belong. An interesting discovery was in the Indian Ocean where zoologists noticed 34 species of corals thriving near the Andamans.
The ZSI report feels that the discovery ahead of the biodiversity summit would boost India’s image. India has just two per cent of the world’s total land surface, but it has over 7.50 per cent of the species of animals that the world holds. This percentage accounts for 92,034 species so far known, of which insects alone include 61,375 species.
It estimates that about two times this number of species remains to be discovered on the Indian terrain.
By Syed Akbar Hyderabad: Even as sustained efforts are on to eliminate the common filariasis, a new type of filaria, human dirofilariasis, is now emerging as a health issue in certain parts of the country including Andhra Pradesh.
Dirofilariasis, which was hitherto limited to dogs and other animals, is occasionally reported in human beings. Human dirofilariasis, like the normal filarial infection, is transmitted by mosquitoes. Since the reservoir of dirofilariasis is mostly dogs, the disease is carried to human beings when mosquitoes that feed on infected canines bite them.
Analysis of medical data by scientists at the Vector Control Research Centre, Puducherry, shows that cases of human dirofilariasis, caused by Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens, are more common in areas where stray dog and cats live in large numbers. The analysis was published in the scientific journal, Tropical Parasitology. Dirofilaria are small nematode worms. But unlike the common filaria, most of the cases of dirofilariasis are not properly reported.
“Since classical cases of filariasis are common, they are dealt at epidemiologic scales. Uncommon infections are largely neglected and reported rarely. When one searches for the reports in the literature, it is not uncommon to find a few thousands of such reports. This is only a tip of iceberg and indicates the occurrence of large number of cases that go unreported,” points out VCRC senior scientist Dr SL Hoti.
He suggests that data on such cases should be generated in a systematic epidemiologic study, as it will help in assessing the dimension of the problem and devising strategies for the control.
Dirofilariasis is an emerging zoonosis (disease transmitted by animals to man). This worm is capable of causing subconjunctival infection. It is present in the form of periorbital and subconjunctival cysts. The common filarial worm causes elephantiasis leading to swelling of lymph glands, mostly those in the legs.
The emergence of dirofilariasis may thwart the attempts of health planners to eliminate the common lymphatic filariasis caused by mostly by W bancrofti. India accounts for 40 per cent of lymphatic filarial cases in the world.
By Syed Akbar Hyderabad: Diabetics, who want to keep their blood glucose level under check the natural way, can now comfortably drink karela juice. Vegetable scientists have developed a bitter gourd, which is not bitter, but highly palatable.
A team of Indian and Taiwanese researchers is now conducting clinical trial on the efficacy of bitterless bitter gourd in controlling blood sugar levels. The Asian Vegetable Research and Development Centre (AVRDC), which has successfully removed bitterness from karela, has tied up with Avinashlingam University for Women, Coimbatore, for the trials.
The AVRDC has a centre in Hyderabad and it is part of the Project Bitter gourd, aimed at developing a bitter gourd variety that has the ideal content of momordicin, a chemical that gives bitterness to this gourd.
“The clinical trials will help us to identify whether bitter gourd, which is robbed of its bitterness, will be able to control the blood sugar in diabetics. We have received samples of the bitterless bitter gourd powder from AVRDC, Taiwan. Our team will visit Taiwan before we launch the trials in India,” said Dr S Premakumari, dean, Avinashlingam University for Women.
Dried powder of nonbitter bitter gourd for preparation of juice has been developed by researchers Hsin-I Wang and Sandra Habicht of AVRDC. This will be used for an intervention trial with diabetic patients to manage type 2 diabetes, and promote health in developing countries.
Data collected during the intervention trial will help determine the anti-hyperglycemic properties of bitter gourd, and will be used to develop evidence-based dietary strategies for managing the disease. “The bitter taste of the vegetable powder had to be masked to avoid bias and guarantee a blind study design. During the trial the powders will be dissolved in drinking water and consumed by participants, who will not know which juice is which,” she said.
The Indian team will also develop bitter gourd recipes and evaluate them for nutrient retention and anti-diabetic activity.
By Syed Akbar Hyderabad: In a major breakthrough that could help in fighting diabetes, a team of researchers from the city-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology has successfully deactivated a gene to regulate the functioning of beta cells in pancreas.
The malfunction of these beta cells leads to non-production of insulin or production of ineffective insulin. In either case, the problem is manifested in the form of diabetes. The CCMB team could regulate the mass of beta cells in pancreas in the mouse model. The medical implications of this research are many, the prime being the successful management and control of diabetes. The quantity of pancreatic beta cells determines whether a person is diabetic or normal.
The research team comprised Dr Satish Kumar, D Partha Sarathi, Shalu Singh and Vijay Pratap. The researchers created a mouse model without the presence of the gene, Wdr13 (WD-repeat protein), using genetic engineering technology. The team inactivated or knocked out the gene by disrupting it through insertion of an artificial piece of DNA in the embryonic stem cells.
The removal or inactivation of the gene WDr13 in mouse model led to formation of more pancreatic mass in the islets of Langerhans. This showed that the knocking of the gene would lead to formation of more beta cell mass in pancreas. The mouse showed higher levels of insulin in blood serum, and thus better management of blood glucose. This in other words means knocking off the gene WDr13 will help diabetics to clear blood glucose quite effectively.
According to CCMB team, the protein could be helpful in finding a potential drug target to treat diabetes, which is becoming a major health problem in the country. Hyderabad has already emerged as the diabetic capital of India.
The team is now busy studying the health implications of the knocking off the gene WDr13 as the person ages.
By Syed Akbar Hyderabad,: Scientists can now eavesdrop and listen to the talks between different cells in the body.
Researchers from the city-based University of Hyderabad (UoH), and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata, have used high power near-infrared laser light to secretly listen to what transpires between the living cells. The research has great medical significance, as it will provide an insight into the happenings between health cells and killer cancerous cells.
The work was selected as a research highlight by the prestigious science journal, Nature. Using high power near-infrared laser light, the team trapped very small particles (microspheres) of polystyrene beads. This could find use in probing the interactions between biological cells. The minute particles that range between one milli micron to 1000 milli micron were trapped in a tiny chamber formed by a cover slip and a glass slide.
Prof. S Dutta Gupta of the School of Physics, University of Hyderabad, formed part of the research team. Dr Ayan Banerjee from the department of physical sciences, IISER-Kolkata, was the lead researcher.
"The ring pattern can be useful for studying tiny interaction forces between micro-particles and the controllable study of biological cell-to-cell interactions, such as that between cancer cells and natural killer cells," said Dr Ayan Banerjee.
The Nature report said in recent years, focused laser beams have emerged as handy tools for trapping and studying minute (micrometre) materials. The tiny force exerted by such a beam induces random self-assembly of micro-particles, thus providing an insight into the dynamic of particles in a well-understood force environment.
“The researchers explored ordered self-assembly by employing a single pure Gaussian beam emitted by a near-infrared laser. They used an inverted microscope to focus the beam onto a sample chamber formed by a cover slip and a glass slide. The sample chamber contained spherical beads of polystyrene dispersed in water,” the research highlight published in Nature said.
Slight manipulation of the microscope focus caused spherical aberrations in the cover slip that pushed the beads towards the edge, leading to the formation of well-defined closed ring structures. Switching off the optical trap caused the beads to diffuse away, only to reassemble almost instantaneously in the same ring structure after the trap was switched on again.
With space tourism being dubbed as the most lucrative travel industry of the future, space scientists, astrophysicists and astrobiologists are now busy exploring the ways and means of colonising the moon and the earth's neighbouring planet, Mars.
Though establishing human colonies on the moon and Mars may take at least three to four decades, travel to the outer space has already become a reality. The next 10 years is going to witness a major boom in space tourism, which of course is restricted to holidaying in the outer space. The moon and the Mars mission will, however, continue to be out of the reach of man till the next generation. But studies are already underway and this is soon going to be a reality.
Space experts from across the globe including the USA's National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Union's European Space Agency and India's Indian National Space Research Organisation, are researching theoretically what steps they should take to ensure a comfortable space tourism project. They are also discussing the feasibility of establishing human colonies on the moon and Mars. Space scientists are enthusiastic about the space tourism to outer space but are divided over the human tour packages to natural satellites and planets. This is because scientists do not know the short term or long term effects of atmosphere of the moon and Mars on human beings. Sub-orbital vehicles and orbital cities are being planned to boost space tourism to outer space by 2020. Space tourism, though a recent phenomenon, is fast catching up among private individuals who could afford the journey. The cost is highly prohibitive, about 30 million US dollars for a week long stay in outer space.
The space scientists are also thinking of measures to bring down the space tourism price so that more and more people could avail of the facility. Some scientists foresee a reduction in the over all fares by at least 10 per cent in the next two decades.
Presently, only the Russian Space Agency is offering space tourism packages for the general public. Russia takes the enthusiast space tourists to the international space station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. It is the thrilling experience that has attracted at least half a dozen civilians to venture into this new tourism package.
Since the space tourism package is limited to Russian space agency, one has to wait for at least two years after purchasing the "ticket" to enjoy the beauty of the earth and its atmosphere, from outside while circulating the globe in outer space. Space tourism flights are already reserved for the next few years.
"Tickets" are now available for beyond 2014 journeys.To ensure that the nascent space tourism project clicks well, "spaceports" are being planned at various locations including the United Arab Emirates, Sweden, Singapore and at a few cities in the USA including California, Alaska and Florida.
So far only five individuals have availed of the space tourism facility. They are Americans Dennis Tito, Gregory Olsen and Charles Simonyi, South African Mark Shuttleworth and American of Iranian descent Anousheh Ansari.
While private space travel firms are busy devising strategies to woo space tourists by building the required infrastructure, NASA and ESA have launched a research on the atmospheric effects of Mars on human health. NASA has already developed an advanced life support programme. It uses plants to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen in closed chambers.
"To live safely on Mars, which has 95 per cent carbon dioxide in its atmosphere, we'll have to create a lot of technology tricks like that to survive," explains NASA scientist Douglas Ming. Explorers visiting Mars will have to live in habitats where the oxygen is regenerated, wear spacesuits with oxygen masks, drive radiation-proof vehicles, and grow food by adding nutrients to the "topsoil" that currently seems unable to nourish plants.
But before space tourists can do all of these activities on Mars, robots need to teach humans where and how to land, where to build, and how to survive in the harsh martian environment.
NASA is also studying the chemical composition of the soil on Mars to find out what chemicals might be detrimental to humans if they inhale the dust. For example, trace metals could be toxic to lungs, and dust could also affect electronic devices like computers and vehicles that humans will need on Mars.
NASA administrator Michael Griffin points out that it wants to build a space civilisation on the Mars. "We have a long-term plan to put man on Mars by 2037, Griffin says adding that Nasa is looking beyond the moon and Mars into the inter-planetary system.
* The forest cover is estimated at 6.73 lakh square kilometres or just 20.64 per cent of the total geographic area of the country. But the percentage of very dense forest is just 1.56.
* India's biodiversity wealth extends to 80,000 known species of animals and 45,000 species of plants including 15,000 medicinal plants.
* Almost 3,200 wild relatives of agricultural crops and 131 wild relatives of domesticated animals are found in India.
* India has several endemic species (that are present only in India and not elsewhere in the world). They include 5,150 plant and 1,837 species. One- third of all these species are facing the threat of extinction.
* Endemic species like Narcondom hornbill, Andaman teal and Nicobar megapod will be lost for ever, if immediate conservation measures are not taken.