The electronic waste generated due to discarded computers, mobile phones and other gadgets is all set to take a heavy toll on human health and the environment in India unless immediate steps are taken to collect and recycle this waste.
By 2020, e-waste from old computers will have jumped by 500 per cent from 2007 levels in the country, a UN report released on Monday has warned.
The waste from old television sets and discarded refrigerators will double or triple during this period, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) stated in the report "Recycling — from E-Waste to Resources". The waste from mobile phones would rise 18 times by 2020.
Most e-waste in the country is improperly handled, much of it incinerated by backyard recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold. This type of recycling in the informal sector releases steady plumes of far-reaching toxic pollution and yield very low metal recovery rates compared to well equipped industrial recycling facilities.
Currently, India generates over 100,000 tons of waste from refrigerators, 2,75,000 tons from TVs, 56,300 tons from personal computers, 4,700 tons from printers and 1,700 tons from mobile phones. This data does not include waste imports, both legal and illegal, which are substantial in volume.
"India, Brazil, Mexico and others may also face rising By Mail Today Bureau in New Delhi environmental damage and health problems if e- waste recycling is left to the vagaries of the informal sector," said UN under-secretary general Achim Steiner, also the executive director of the UNEP. Sales of electronic products in countries such as China and India are set to rise sharply in the next 10 years. Unless action is stepped up to properly collect and recycle materials, these countries face the spectre of hazardous e- waste mountains with serious consequences for the environment and public health, the report said. The e-waste would include old and dilapidated desk and laptop computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, digital photo and music devices, refrigerators, toys and televisions.
Manufacturing mobile phones and personal computers consumes 3 per cent of the gold and silver mined worldwide each year, 13 per cent of palladium and 15 per cent of cobalt. Modern electronics contain up to 60 different elements — many valuable, some hazardous, and some both. Globally, more than 1 billion mobile phones were sold in 2007, up from 896 million in 2006.
The global e- waste generation is growing by about 40 million tons a year.
In addition to curbing health problems, proper recycling can boost employment, cut greenhouse gas emissions and recover a wide range of valuable metals including silver, gold, palladium, copper and indium, the report said.
RISK FACTOR
Global e- waste up 40mn tons a year
E-waste contains lead, mercury, cadmium, and polybrominated flame retardants. These are persistent, bio-accumulative toxins (PBTs) and create eco and health risks when computers are recycled
Incineration of e-wastes leads to release of mercury vapour, while burning of PVC plastic releases highly toxic dioxins and Furans
Released gases, acid solutions, toxic smoke and contaminated ashes endanger health of workers in backyard recycling
PBTs can enter food chain when released in ecosystem
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
New hope on cancer
The promise of new therapeutics
Rockstar molecules
New and exciting compounds that target pathways feeding cancer cells. They leave healthy cells unscathed, shrink tumours and cause fewer sideeffects than chemo.
New-age beamers
High-resolution scans and X-rays. Pinpoint cancers accurately, spare good cells. The latest are imageguided, can track patient movement, and work real-time.
Surgery by nature
Minimally invasive is the mantra. Focus is on preserving organs: breasts, voice box, jaws, limbs, etc. The latest is to mimic the body's own rhythm, antibodies, enzymes.
The smart aimer
Targeted chemo or making anti-cancer drugs more tumour-specific. Aims the drug by placing "tags" to cancer cells. Point is to avoid damage to healthy tissue.
Rush for trial
Clinical trials drive cancer research today.The investment is enormous, although cancer is not the top killer. Over 800 compounds in the pipeline in the US.
Pan and scan
PET CT and MRI scans help doctors to locate and stage cancers accurately and know how far it has spread. Has come to India in the last 2-3 years.
Generic hope
Indian generic drug-makers are releasing "biosimilars" in the market, at an affordable cost. Promises to be a boon to many more cancer patients.
Diagnosed in June last year, Ray decided to give people an insight into her life and the new developments in cancer treatment. Poignant, often heart-wrenching and always full of optimism and courage, the daily chronicling of her journey into the unknown, in a way, encapsulates the story of cancer.Is the glass half-empty or half-full on the cancer front? It's hard to tell where you stand in the war against the dreaded C-word.
Modern medicine has conquered many diseases and halted others, but cancer has proved to be too smart, too complex, too hostile and too quick at outsmarting therapies. It has doubled its grip over the world in the last 20 years and struck deep roots in India-from 0.8 million in 2001 to 2.5 million people diagnosed now, says the World Health Organization.
But there's a sunny side to this grim storyline: an explosion of new research, treatments, therapeutics and drugs that is changing the way cancer is perceived, understood and treated. "In cancer, some problems can be solved, some can't be and some can't be solved yet. But hope for a cure is definitely on the cards," sums up Dr G.K. Rath, chief of the Rotary Cancer Hospital at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.The idea of "cure" calls for a definition. "A majority of cancers recur in the first two-three years of diagnosis and hence a five-year survival has traditionally been equated with cure," says Dr R.A. Badwe, director of Tata Memorial Hospital & Cancer Research Institute (TMC), Mumbai.
Going by that, globally two-thirds of patients survive at least five years after diagnosis now, compared to just half of patients 40 years ago (J Clin Oncol, 2009). Since 1990, cancer mortality rates have declined by 15 per cent. The survival rate for all cancers has gone up from 50 per cent in 1975 to 66 per cent now, reports the American Cancer Society.
Topping the list are prostate (up from 69 to 100 per cent), breast (75 to 89), bladder (73 to 82), kidney (49 to 69), larynx (51 to 66) and so on. Childhood leukaemia, a disease that killed 75 per cent of the children it struck in the '70s, is now one where 73 per cent survive.
With uterine cervical cancer, radiation therapy has achieved long-term cure rates of 85-90 per cent. Some of the same percentages now prevail in India since most of the treatments in the US are now available in the country. The glass, however, remains stubbornly half-empty as some cancers still defy treatment: lung to pancreas, liver to oesophagus.It was a day like any other day. But try as he might, 40-year-old Ram Prakash (name changed) just couldn't get his arms through his shirt sleeves. Two days later, as he rammed his car into a tree for no apparent reason, he knew he was up against a major crisis. As a scientist cracking the IIT-ivy league echelons, he had faced his share of challenges. But this was an equation no algorithm or meta math could solve.
A fast-growing glioblastoma multiforme grade four tumour was spreading tentacles in his brain. As he entered the traumatic world of cancer, surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, he asked the doctors. "If 1,00,000 people had this, how many would be alive in one year?" "Believe in miracles," they said. And he did chance across one when they enlisted him for the clinical trial of an experimental drug, bevacizumab.
"Nothing was proven at that point, but I had nothing to lose," he says. Twenty-nine months later, with clear MRIs and no recurrences, he is facing life with a bit more confidence.Patients like him demonstrate how quickly cancer treatment is changing. That change is clear to veterans who have been in and out of cancer wards for long. As a student at AIIMS in the '70s, Rath remembers beaming X-rays mostly on paediatric tumours "to make those behave better". But those were high-energy electromagnetic waves that passed through the body, depositing energy all along, not just on the tumour.
"From 2004-05, the next wave of radiation technology-with focused beams, targeting a well-defined tumour-started coming in," says Rath. "They help doctors to locate the cancer, know how far it has spread and beat it down in a versatile, accurate and precise manner."
In his unit at AIIMS, Rath now has all the latest devices crammed under its roof: PET-CT scans to see changes in the activity of cells, state-of-the-art Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) machines to focus radiations on cancer-affected areas only, Image Guided Radio Therapy (IGRT) devices to deliver correct doses even if the tumour cells move during the treatment, stereotactic, proton and particle radio systems to shoot beams into tumours at the speed of light."A patient's quality of life has improved dramatically," points out Dr Harit Chaturvedi, chief consultant and director, surgical oncology, Max Healthcare, Delhi. That's because, all new developments-from high-end scanners and X-rays, immunohistochemistry (to analyse and identify cancer cell types), targeted chemotherapy, organ preservation to minimally invasive surgery-are focussed on power and precision to reduce patient trauma.
"The problem with radiation or chemotherapy is, while they prevent cancers from spreading, they also damage healthy cells, resulting in serious side effects," he says. Because cancer therapeutics are commonly delivered though the blood, only a small fraction reaches the target tumour. To obtain maximum benefit, a high dose of drug has to be administered. "A lot of effort is on to make the drugs more tumour-specific," says Chaturvedi.The god is in biology. Oncology is no longer a one-size-fits-all field. "We are now entering an era of personalised cancer medicines, in which treatment is tailored to the unique genetics of the individual or the tumour," says Dr Rakesh Jalali, neurooncologist with TMC.
Five reality checks
Chennai beware: The city has the highest cancer rate per 1,00,000.
Top slot: Lung cancers highest among men, breast in women.
Capital woes: At 11 per 1,00,000,Delhi women top global charts in gall bladder cancer.
Midlife crisis: Indian women between 45 and 55 are at a greater risk.
Up in smoke: Seven out of 10 tobaccorelated deaths occur between age 30 and 69 in India.
Even in the early-90s, when he was an MD at PGIMER in Chandigarh, cancer biology remained shrouded in mystery. "A breast cancer was just a breast cancer; a glioma just that. There was a blanket therapy."
Now researchers know that each cancer is different and the effort is to treat a tumour according to a whole set of personalised parameters-age of the patient, the stage, grade and type of the tumour, the pathology and possibility of recurrence and so on.Clinical trials are the engine driving cancer research today. They make it possible to demystify cancer biology. "Globally, the investment in cancer research is enormous," says Venkatesh V. Reddy, senior pharma analyst with PharmARC Analytic Solutions in Bangalore.
In the US, 800 compounds are in the pipeline, just on cancer, although its spread is much less than as cardiovascular diseases or diabetes. "Cancer cells are so smart that you need that kind of investment," says Reddy. Clinical trials establish the efficacy of some of the new and exciting compounds that attack cancers at the molecular level.
"They target growth signals that feed cancer cells, leave healthy cells unscathed, shrink tumours, help patients feel better and cause fewer side-effects than chemo," points out Reddy. Bevacizumab is the first in a decade to be approved in 2009 by the USFDA to treat the deadly glioblastoma.
India, however, lags behind in clinical research. "We must do our own original studies or become the clinical trial call centre of the world," says Jalali.The scope for innovation in surgery is often more limited. But new approaches are pouring out of the nation's OTs. Ask Badwe. He has managed to combine surgery with the body's natural rhythm.
In a study, he established that women undergoing breast cancer surgeries during the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle (when the presence of hormone progesterone is more) had higher survival rates and less chances of a recurrence.
TMC used this hypothesis on 1,000 women and found a 30 per cent reduction in mortality. "And all at just Rs 65 and no side-effects," says Badwe with a smile.Cost is really the killer in India. Namita Chauhan, 40, of Delhi credits her recovery from breast cancer to a new molecule drug, Herceptin. "Yes, you do get the new drugs here, but how many can afford it," she asks.
She needed 15 doses and had to shell out a prohibitive Rs 1 lakh for each dose. The good news is: the best centres for cancer in India are believed to be AIIMS in Delhi and TMC in Mumbai, both of which subsidise the rates.
The real-time radiation device, Tomotherapy, at TMC-the only such in South Asia-was bought at a cost of Rs 24 crore. TMC charges Rs 2,000 from 80 per cent of those who cannot afford to pay. "But doctors also push up costs," says Reddy. "Many are too eager to recommend high-end drugs and devices to patients, to stay ahead of the competition."
The cancer burden might just get lighter when generic drug-makers enter the market with a larger platter of made-in-India "biosimilars"."We will cure cancer," has been the mantra of scientists for the last five decades-from the rise of megavoltage radiotherapy in the '50s to the birth of artificial antibodies in the '90s.
There's a new excitement as treatments move toward targeted therapies, super molecules and evermore high-precision radiation. With exciting new therapeutics in the pipeline, can cancer finally be conquered? "I certainly think so," says Rath with infectious optimism.
"When I look back, I am struck by the progress we have made since the time I started my career at AIIMS 36 years ago." One of the senior-most consultants at AIIMS, Rath expects a cure for cancer over the next 15 years ("And certainly within my lifetime").That brings new hope to people like Subhash Mishra, a 50-something professor at IIT-Guwahati, who was diagnosed with a grade three brain cancer last year. Mishra never agonised over "why me", never went through the yoyo curve of denial and despair.
In fact, as a scientist he "rather enjoyed" being a part of the high-tech world of battling cancer. "I was curious to understand the real-time Trilogy radiation system at TMC," he says. "There was no time to get scared." He went to hospitals alone, always discouraged those who wanted to accompany him. And often took classes before checking in for a chemoradiation session. He knows that cancer kills, but refuses to take it seriously in an era of therapeutic promise: "Yes, I have cancer, So what?"
Anurag Basu, 35 - Leukaemia survivor
He was diagnosed with acute leukaemia in 2004 and was told by doctors that he had little chance of surviving."My wife was eight months pregnant and I was determined to live and see my child," he says. For the next one-and-a-half years, Basu battled cancer through chemotherapy and refused to let it take over his life. He began shooting for Gangster during his final dose of chemotherapy and penned Life in a... Metro. Looking back, he says the experience changed him a lot. "You learn the value of life when you see death closely. My first priority used to be work, but now it is my family," he says.
Namita Chauhan, 40 - Breast cancer survivor
"You are the most beautiful bald lady in the world"-that's what her husband had told her at the height of her cancer trauma. Five years later she is finally facing life with confidence. Yes, she took Herceptin-the original targeted therapy against cancer. "The new drugs might be available but are they affordable," she asks. She had to take 15 doses and each was for a lakh. She still winces at the memory. "The new drugs will make a difference only if they are within the common man's reach," she says.
Voices from the field
"Targeted therapy is the buzzword in the treatment of cancers, whether it is myeloid leukaemia, breast, colon or lung cancer." - Dr R.A. BadweDirector, Tata Memorial Hospital & Cancer Research Institute, Mumbai
"In cancer, some problems can be solved, some can't be solved yet. But hope for a cure is on the cards." - Dr G.K. Rath, Chief, DR. B.R.A.I. Rotary Cancer Hospital, AIIMS, Delhi
"A patient's quality of life, a much-ignored issue in our country, has improved dramatically as a result of the new innovations in cancer therapy." - Dr H. Chaturvedi, Chief Consultant & Director, Surgical Oncology, Max Healthcare, Delhi.
Rockstar molecules
New and exciting compounds that target pathways feeding cancer cells. They leave healthy cells unscathed, shrink tumours and cause fewer sideeffects than chemo.
New-age beamers
High-resolution scans and X-rays. Pinpoint cancers accurately, spare good cells. The latest are imageguided, can track patient movement, and work real-time.
Surgery by nature
Minimally invasive is the mantra. Focus is on preserving organs: breasts, voice box, jaws, limbs, etc. The latest is to mimic the body's own rhythm, antibodies, enzymes.
The smart aimer
Targeted chemo or making anti-cancer drugs more tumour-specific. Aims the drug by placing "tags" to cancer cells. Point is to avoid damage to healthy tissue.
Rush for trial
Clinical trials drive cancer research today.The investment is enormous, although cancer is not the top killer. Over 800 compounds in the pipeline in the US.
Pan and scan
PET CT and MRI scans help doctors to locate and stage cancers accurately and know how far it has spread. Has come to India in the last 2-3 years.
Generic hope
Indian generic drug-makers are releasing "biosimilars" in the market, at an affordable cost. Promises to be a boon to many more cancer patients.
Diagnosed in June last year, Ray decided to give people an insight into her life and the new developments in cancer treatment. Poignant, often heart-wrenching and always full of optimism and courage, the daily chronicling of her journey into the unknown, in a way, encapsulates the story of cancer.Is the glass half-empty or half-full on the cancer front? It's hard to tell where you stand in the war against the dreaded C-word.
Modern medicine has conquered many diseases and halted others, but cancer has proved to be too smart, too complex, too hostile and too quick at outsmarting therapies. It has doubled its grip over the world in the last 20 years and struck deep roots in India-from 0.8 million in 2001 to 2.5 million people diagnosed now, says the World Health Organization.
But there's a sunny side to this grim storyline: an explosion of new research, treatments, therapeutics and drugs that is changing the way cancer is perceived, understood and treated. "In cancer, some problems can be solved, some can't be and some can't be solved yet. But hope for a cure is definitely on the cards," sums up Dr G.K. Rath, chief of the Rotary Cancer Hospital at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi.The idea of "cure" calls for a definition. "A majority of cancers recur in the first two-three years of diagnosis and hence a five-year survival has traditionally been equated with cure," says Dr R.A. Badwe, director of Tata Memorial Hospital & Cancer Research Institute (TMC), Mumbai.
Going by that, globally two-thirds of patients survive at least five years after diagnosis now, compared to just half of patients 40 years ago (J Clin Oncol, 2009). Since 1990, cancer mortality rates have declined by 15 per cent. The survival rate for all cancers has gone up from 50 per cent in 1975 to 66 per cent now, reports the American Cancer Society.
Topping the list are prostate (up from 69 to 100 per cent), breast (75 to 89), bladder (73 to 82), kidney (49 to 69), larynx (51 to 66) and so on. Childhood leukaemia, a disease that killed 75 per cent of the children it struck in the '70s, is now one where 73 per cent survive.
With uterine cervical cancer, radiation therapy has achieved long-term cure rates of 85-90 per cent. Some of the same percentages now prevail in India since most of the treatments in the US are now available in the country. The glass, however, remains stubbornly half-empty as some cancers still defy treatment: lung to pancreas, liver to oesophagus.It was a day like any other day. But try as he might, 40-year-old Ram Prakash (name changed) just couldn't get his arms through his shirt sleeves. Two days later, as he rammed his car into a tree for no apparent reason, he knew he was up against a major crisis. As a scientist cracking the IIT-ivy league echelons, he had faced his share of challenges. But this was an equation no algorithm or meta math could solve.
A fast-growing glioblastoma multiforme grade four tumour was spreading tentacles in his brain. As he entered the traumatic world of cancer, surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, he asked the doctors. "If 1,00,000 people had this, how many would be alive in one year?" "Believe in miracles," they said. And he did chance across one when they enlisted him for the clinical trial of an experimental drug, bevacizumab.
"Nothing was proven at that point, but I had nothing to lose," he says. Twenty-nine months later, with clear MRIs and no recurrences, he is facing life with a bit more confidence.Patients like him demonstrate how quickly cancer treatment is changing. That change is clear to veterans who have been in and out of cancer wards for long. As a student at AIIMS in the '70s, Rath remembers beaming X-rays mostly on paediatric tumours "to make those behave better". But those were high-energy electromagnetic waves that passed through the body, depositing energy all along, not just on the tumour.
"From 2004-05, the next wave of radiation technology-with focused beams, targeting a well-defined tumour-started coming in," says Rath. "They help doctors to locate the cancer, know how far it has spread and beat it down in a versatile, accurate and precise manner."
In his unit at AIIMS, Rath now has all the latest devices crammed under its roof: PET-CT scans to see changes in the activity of cells, state-of-the-art Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) machines to focus radiations on cancer-affected areas only, Image Guided Radio Therapy (IGRT) devices to deliver correct doses even if the tumour cells move during the treatment, stereotactic, proton and particle radio systems to shoot beams into tumours at the speed of light."A patient's quality of life has improved dramatically," points out Dr Harit Chaturvedi, chief consultant and director, surgical oncology, Max Healthcare, Delhi. That's because, all new developments-from high-end scanners and X-rays, immunohistochemistry (to analyse and identify cancer cell types), targeted chemotherapy, organ preservation to minimally invasive surgery-are focussed on power and precision to reduce patient trauma.
"The problem with radiation or chemotherapy is, while they prevent cancers from spreading, they also damage healthy cells, resulting in serious side effects," he says. Because cancer therapeutics are commonly delivered though the blood, only a small fraction reaches the target tumour. To obtain maximum benefit, a high dose of drug has to be administered. "A lot of effort is on to make the drugs more tumour-specific," says Chaturvedi.The god is in biology. Oncology is no longer a one-size-fits-all field. "We are now entering an era of personalised cancer medicines, in which treatment is tailored to the unique genetics of the individual or the tumour," says Dr Rakesh Jalali, neurooncologist with TMC.
Five reality checks
Chennai beware: The city has the highest cancer rate per 1,00,000.
Top slot: Lung cancers highest among men, breast in women.
Capital woes: At 11 per 1,00,000,Delhi women top global charts in gall bladder cancer.
Midlife crisis: Indian women between 45 and 55 are at a greater risk.
Up in smoke: Seven out of 10 tobaccorelated deaths occur between age 30 and 69 in India.
Even in the early-90s, when he was an MD at PGIMER in Chandigarh, cancer biology remained shrouded in mystery. "A breast cancer was just a breast cancer; a glioma just that. There was a blanket therapy."
Now researchers know that each cancer is different and the effort is to treat a tumour according to a whole set of personalised parameters-age of the patient, the stage, grade and type of the tumour, the pathology and possibility of recurrence and so on.Clinical trials are the engine driving cancer research today. They make it possible to demystify cancer biology. "Globally, the investment in cancer research is enormous," says Venkatesh V. Reddy, senior pharma analyst with PharmARC Analytic Solutions in Bangalore.
In the US, 800 compounds are in the pipeline, just on cancer, although its spread is much less than as cardiovascular diseases or diabetes. "Cancer cells are so smart that you need that kind of investment," says Reddy. Clinical trials establish the efficacy of some of the new and exciting compounds that attack cancers at the molecular level.
"They target growth signals that feed cancer cells, leave healthy cells unscathed, shrink tumours, help patients feel better and cause fewer side-effects than chemo," points out Reddy. Bevacizumab is the first in a decade to be approved in 2009 by the USFDA to treat the deadly glioblastoma.
India, however, lags behind in clinical research. "We must do our own original studies or become the clinical trial call centre of the world," says Jalali.The scope for innovation in surgery is often more limited. But new approaches are pouring out of the nation's OTs. Ask Badwe. He has managed to combine surgery with the body's natural rhythm.
In a study, he established that women undergoing breast cancer surgeries during the luteal phase of their menstrual cycle (when the presence of hormone progesterone is more) had higher survival rates and less chances of a recurrence.
TMC used this hypothesis on 1,000 women and found a 30 per cent reduction in mortality. "And all at just Rs 65 and no side-effects," says Badwe with a smile.Cost is really the killer in India. Namita Chauhan, 40, of Delhi credits her recovery from breast cancer to a new molecule drug, Herceptin. "Yes, you do get the new drugs here, but how many can afford it," she asks.
She needed 15 doses and had to shell out a prohibitive Rs 1 lakh for each dose. The good news is: the best centres for cancer in India are believed to be AIIMS in Delhi and TMC in Mumbai, both of which subsidise the rates.
The real-time radiation device, Tomotherapy, at TMC-the only such in South Asia-was bought at a cost of Rs 24 crore. TMC charges Rs 2,000 from 80 per cent of those who cannot afford to pay. "But doctors also push up costs," says Reddy. "Many are too eager to recommend high-end drugs and devices to patients, to stay ahead of the competition."
The cancer burden might just get lighter when generic drug-makers enter the market with a larger platter of made-in-India "biosimilars"."We will cure cancer," has been the mantra of scientists for the last five decades-from the rise of megavoltage radiotherapy in the '50s to the birth of artificial antibodies in the '90s.
There's a new excitement as treatments move toward targeted therapies, super molecules and evermore high-precision radiation. With exciting new therapeutics in the pipeline, can cancer finally be conquered? "I certainly think so," says Rath with infectious optimism.
"When I look back, I am struck by the progress we have made since the time I started my career at AIIMS 36 years ago." One of the senior-most consultants at AIIMS, Rath expects a cure for cancer over the next 15 years ("And certainly within my lifetime").That brings new hope to people like Subhash Mishra, a 50-something professor at IIT-Guwahati, who was diagnosed with a grade three brain cancer last year. Mishra never agonised over "why me", never went through the yoyo curve of denial and despair.
In fact, as a scientist he "rather enjoyed" being a part of the high-tech world of battling cancer. "I was curious to understand the real-time Trilogy radiation system at TMC," he says. "There was no time to get scared." He went to hospitals alone, always discouraged those who wanted to accompany him. And often took classes before checking in for a chemoradiation session. He knows that cancer kills, but refuses to take it seriously in an era of therapeutic promise: "Yes, I have cancer, So what?"
Anurag Basu, 35 - Leukaemia survivor
He was diagnosed with acute leukaemia in 2004 and was told by doctors that he had little chance of surviving."My wife was eight months pregnant and I was determined to live and see my child," he says. For the next one-and-a-half years, Basu battled cancer through chemotherapy and refused to let it take over his life. He began shooting for Gangster during his final dose of chemotherapy and penned Life in a... Metro. Looking back, he says the experience changed him a lot. "You learn the value of life when you see death closely. My first priority used to be work, but now it is my family," he says.
Namita Chauhan, 40 - Breast cancer survivor
"You are the most beautiful bald lady in the world"-that's what her husband had told her at the height of her cancer trauma. Five years later she is finally facing life with confidence. Yes, she took Herceptin-the original targeted therapy against cancer. "The new drugs might be available but are they affordable," she asks. She had to take 15 doses and each was for a lakh. She still winces at the memory. "The new drugs will make a difference only if they are within the common man's reach," she says.
Voices from the field
"Targeted therapy is the buzzword in the treatment of cancers, whether it is myeloid leukaemia, breast, colon or lung cancer." - Dr R.A. BadweDirector, Tata Memorial Hospital & Cancer Research Institute, Mumbai
"In cancer, some problems can be solved, some can't be solved yet. But hope for a cure is on the cards." - Dr G.K. Rath, Chief, DR. B.R.A.I. Rotary Cancer Hospital, AIIMS, Delhi
"A patient's quality of life, a much-ignored issue in our country, has improved dramatically as a result of the new innovations in cancer therapy." - Dr H. Chaturvedi, Chief Consultant & Director, Surgical Oncology, Max Healthcare, Delhi.
Monday, February 22, 2010
why you should eat fish
Fish is a wonderful source of essential vitamins and minerals. Numerous studies have shown that it has multiple health benefits. It is high in protein and low in fat.
It is particularly rich in omega-3 fatty acids, or the 'good' fats, which the human body does not produce. It's no wonder that fish is seen by many as an essential part of one's daily balanced diet.
Here are some more reasons why doctors give a thumbs up to fish: Reduces the tendency of blood clotting. Repairs arteries damaged due to lack of oxygen owing to fatty deposits. Lowers blood pressure. Boosts body immunity. Lowers risk of oral and digestive track cancer. Helps reduce chances of breast cancer. Helps pre- and post-natal neurological development. Reduces tissue inflammation. Alleviates symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Regularises heartbeat. Reduces depression and halts mental decline in elderly people. Keeps the skin, nervous system and red blood cells healthy.
Fish types and benefits
Different types of fish have different health benefits. Fish can be classified into different groups, with each providing a slightly different nutritional value than the other.
Here are some advantages of having each:
White fish
Includes fish such as haddock, plaice, pollack, coley, whiting, sole and monkfish. It is protein rich. Has fewer toxins. Contains some omega-3 fatty acids, but at much lower levels than oily fish. Promotes healthy cells and helps eliminate toxins.
Shellfish
Includes prawns, mussels, shrimp, scallops, cuttlefish, squid, crab and langoustine. Provides selenium, zinc, iodine and copper.
Oily fish
Includes fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring, sardines and trout. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
CURRENT AFFAIRS 2009 - 10
1.In how many countries, there are more than 10 international airports in operation? Name the countries?
sol:Four countries:
USA, Russia, China and India
2.Ther were two flight crashes in a month ....
june 1st---> AIr france collapsed in Atlantic ocean
june 30th--> yemeni airlines collapses in COMOROS archipelago....!!
every body in the crashes died but to our surprise a teenage girl from FRANCE travelling in the YEMENI flight is alive , she was found swimming in the waters two hours aftr the incident ...!!
her name ::--->>BAHIA BAKARI
3.Which 2 states are chosen as sites for US Nuclear Reactors?
sol:Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh
4.Who is gangu bai hangal?
sol:Gangu bai hangal was a legendery hidustani classical vocalist.and she recently died.
she belonged from kirana gharana school of music
5.indo pak joint statement
Indo pak joint statement held in sharm-el-sheikh in Egypt
6.what is the name of the aircraft carrier which india is going to buy from russia?
sol:Gorshkov Aircraft
7.Common Admission Test is a competitive examination for
sol: Management studies
8.Corporate TDS is a
sol:Direct Tax
9.With which game the term birdies is associated?
sol:Golf
10.With which game Pranav Chopra is associated?
sol:Badminton
11.With which game is Kemar Roach associated?
sol: cricket
12.Who was the housing minister under which Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana was announced?
sol:Kumari Selja
13.Who was the formula one world champion in 2009?
sol: Lewis Hamilton
14.Who was awarded Indira Gandhi Price for Peace 2008?
sol:Bill Gates
15.Who is the Telecom Minister of India in the 15th Lok Sabha?
sol:A Raja
16. Who is the president of AIFF?
sol:Praful Patel
17.Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd is the refining subsidiary of
sol:ONGC
18.The public-private partnership appraisal committee granted approval to 15 highway projects in how many states?
SOL:11
19.What does FII stand for?
SOL:Foreign institutional investors
20.What does FPO stands for?
SOL:Follow on public offer
21.What is the full form of NHAI?
SOL:National Highway Authority of India
22.Which is the is only Indian project selected to represent Asia-Pacific region for ‘The World’s Best’ title at the International Property awards?
SOL:Spire Edge
23. Which city will host the World Badminton Championships in 2009?
SOL:Hyderabad
24.Which is the only cyclist to have won Tour De France 7 times?
sol:Lance Armstrong
25.Which Section of Indian Penial Court decriminalizes homosexuality?
sol:Section 377
26. Who is the first Indian driver to race in formula1 racing?
sol:Narain Karthikeyan
27.What is the full form of NASA?
sol:National Aeronautics Space Administration
28.Which company has been appointed as telecom service provider for Commonwealth Games, Delhi 2010?
sol:MTNL
29.With which sport is Manavjit Singh associated?
SOL:Shooting.
30. With which sport term "Spiker" associated?
SOL:Volleyball
31. Who is the co-founder of microblogging site Twitter?
SOL:Isaac Biz
32.The finance ministry agreed to give over Rs. 12000 crore to state-run fuel retailers to cover their losses in the current fiscal, against their demand of
SOL:Rs. 29405 crore
33.Who is the Chairman of Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE)?
SOL:SA Dave
34.Abhinav Bindra, famous sportsperson and only Olympic Gold medalist of the country is associated with?
SOL:shooting
35.Olafur Ragnar Grimsson who was on a visit to India is the President of………………
sol:Iceland
36. Name the batsman who has Completed his fifth consecutive test century in his last five test matches, He has become the first Indian Batsman to do so and is now just behind Don Bradman who has the record of six-in-six.
sol: Gautam Gambhir
37.Name the airline which is Asia’s largest airline by revenues and has now filed for bankruptcy protection owing more than $25 billion, and vowed to slash 15,700 jobs
sol:Japan Airlines
38.Who is the author of the famous novel “Invisible”?
sol: Paul Auster
39.Who has been conferred the Dada Saheb Phalke Award for the year 2008?
sol:VK Murthi
40.Sachin Tendulkar has recently completed 13000 runs in test cricket while playing against Bangladesh; in how many test matches he has achieved the feat?
sol:163
41.What is the target of wheat production set by the government for the current year 2010?
sol:82 million tonnes
42.Who has won the prestigious National Award for Best Actor in the 56th National Film Award for 2008?
sol:Upendra Limaye
43.Who has won the prestigious National Award for Best Actress in the 56th National Film Award for 2008?
sol: priyanka chopra
44.Who has been conferred the prestigious “Order of Merit of the Italian Republic”?
sol: Rata Tata
45.Which country has been declared as the world’s freest economy by the 16th annual Index of Economic Freedom, released by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal for the 16th straight year?
sol:Hong Kong
sol:Four countries:
USA, Russia, China and India
2.Ther were two flight crashes in a month ....
june 1st---> AIr france collapsed in Atlantic ocean
june 30th--> yemeni airlines collapses in COMOROS archipelago....!!
every body in the crashes died but to our surprise a teenage girl from FRANCE travelling in the YEMENI flight is alive , she was found swimming in the waters two hours aftr the incident ...!!
her name ::--->>BAHIA BAKARI
3.Which 2 states are chosen as sites for US Nuclear Reactors?
sol:Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh
4.Who is gangu bai hangal?
sol:Gangu bai hangal was a legendery hidustani classical vocalist.and she recently died.
she belonged from kirana gharana school of music
5.indo pak joint statement
Indo pak joint statement held in sharm-el-sheikh in Egypt
6.what is the name of the aircraft carrier which india is going to buy from russia?
sol:Gorshkov Aircraft
7.Common Admission Test is a competitive examination for
sol: Management studies
8.Corporate TDS is a
sol:Direct Tax
9.With which game the term birdies is associated?
sol:Golf
10.With which game Pranav Chopra is associated?
sol:Badminton
11.With which game is Kemar Roach associated?
sol: cricket
12.Who was the housing minister under which Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojana was announced?
sol:Kumari Selja
13.Who was the formula one world champion in 2009?
sol: Lewis Hamilton
14.Who was awarded Indira Gandhi Price for Peace 2008?
sol:Bill Gates
15.Who is the Telecom Minister of India in the 15th Lok Sabha?
sol:A Raja
16. Who is the president of AIFF?
sol:Praful Patel
17.Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd is the refining subsidiary of
sol:ONGC
18.The public-private partnership appraisal committee granted approval to 15 highway projects in how many states?
SOL:11
19.What does FII stand for?
SOL:Foreign institutional investors
20.What does FPO stands for?
SOL:Follow on public offer
21.What is the full form of NHAI?
SOL:National Highway Authority of India
22.Which is the is only Indian project selected to represent Asia-Pacific region for ‘The World’s Best’ title at the International Property awards?
SOL:Spire Edge
23. Which city will host the World Badminton Championships in 2009?
SOL:Hyderabad
24.Which is the only cyclist to have won Tour De France 7 times?
sol:Lance Armstrong
25.Which Section of Indian Penial Court decriminalizes homosexuality?
sol:Section 377
26. Who is the first Indian driver to race in formula1 racing?
sol:Narain Karthikeyan
27.What is the full form of NASA?
sol:National Aeronautics Space Administration
28.Which company has been appointed as telecom service provider for Commonwealth Games, Delhi 2010?
sol:MTNL
29.With which sport is Manavjit Singh associated?
SOL:Shooting.
30. With which sport term "Spiker" associated?
SOL:Volleyball
31. Who is the co-founder of microblogging site Twitter?
SOL:Isaac Biz
32.The finance ministry agreed to give over Rs. 12000 crore to state-run fuel retailers to cover their losses in the current fiscal, against their demand of
SOL:Rs. 29405 crore
33.Who is the Chairman of Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE)?
SOL:SA Dave
34.Abhinav Bindra, famous sportsperson and only Olympic Gold medalist of the country is associated with?
SOL:shooting
35.Olafur Ragnar Grimsson who was on a visit to India is the President of………………
sol:Iceland
36. Name the batsman who has Completed his fifth consecutive test century in his last five test matches, He has become the first Indian Batsman to do so and is now just behind Don Bradman who has the record of six-in-six.
sol: Gautam Gambhir
37.Name the airline which is Asia’s largest airline by revenues and has now filed for bankruptcy protection owing more than $25 billion, and vowed to slash 15,700 jobs
sol:Japan Airlines
38.Who is the author of the famous novel “Invisible”?
sol: Paul Auster
39.Who has been conferred the Dada Saheb Phalke Award for the year 2008?
sol:VK Murthi
40.Sachin Tendulkar has recently completed 13000 runs in test cricket while playing against Bangladesh; in how many test matches he has achieved the feat?
sol:163
41.What is the target of wheat production set by the government for the current year 2010?
sol:82 million tonnes
42.Who has won the prestigious National Award for Best Actor in the 56th National Film Award for 2008?
sol:Upendra Limaye
43.Who has won the prestigious National Award for Best Actress in the 56th National Film Award for 2008?
sol: priyanka chopra
44.Who has been conferred the prestigious “Order of Merit of the Italian Republic”?
sol: Rata Tata
45.Which country has been declared as the world’s freest economy by the 16th annual Index of Economic Freedom, released by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal for the 16th straight year?
sol:Hong Kong
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
A contraceptive jab for men?
Women may soon be liberated from the burden of family planning, thanks to scientists who claim to be working on a contraceptive jab for men.
In fact, 80 couples are taking part in the trial of the drug which the scientists say will be as effective as the Pill which is often linked to breast cancer and fatal blood clots, the 'Daily Mail' reported.
According to them, the contraceptive, given in two injections every two months, tricks the brain into shutting off sperm production in men.
It contains the male sex hormone testosterone and a man-made version of the female sex hormone progesterone and when the brain senses them, it reduces the levels of other hormones which control sperm production and maturation.
The scientists say it is effective in 99 per cent of cases and sperm counts should rapidly return to normal once the injections are stopped.
Prof Richard Anderson of Edinburgh University, who is heading one of two year-long trials, believes the jab will prove popular with both sexes. But because it will not protect against sexually-transmitted infections such as chlamydia, it is most likely to appeal to those in a committed relationship.
He said: "A lot of women may think it's time men took their turn. When we carried out surveys of women, they were enormously enthusiastic. The single most common reason was they wanted to share the responsibility for contraception."
Though no serious side-effects are expected from the jab, some men may experience hot flushes, mood swings or acne, the scientists say.
Dr Allan Pacey, a Sheffield University expert on male fertility, said male contraceptives had proved more difficult to develop than female ones but researchers were now "homing in" on the right combination of drugs.
He said: "Vasectomy is OK but although it is viewed as reversible it isn't really, so it would be useful to have an alternative. The big sticking point is acceptability. I think there is a lot of education needed to convince men that this jab doesn't make them less of a man."
In fact, 80 couples are taking part in the trial of the drug which the scientists say will be as effective as the Pill which is often linked to breast cancer and fatal blood clots, the 'Daily Mail' reported.
According to them, the contraceptive, given in two injections every two months, tricks the brain into shutting off sperm production in men.
It contains the male sex hormone testosterone and a man-made version of the female sex hormone progesterone and when the brain senses them, it reduces the levels of other hormones which control sperm production and maturation.
The scientists say it is effective in 99 per cent of cases and sperm counts should rapidly return to normal once the injections are stopped.
Prof Richard Anderson of Edinburgh University, who is heading one of two year-long trials, believes the jab will prove popular with both sexes. But because it will not protect against sexually-transmitted infections such as chlamydia, it is most likely to appeal to those in a committed relationship.
He said: "A lot of women may think it's time men took their turn. When we carried out surveys of women, they were enormously enthusiastic. The single most common reason was they wanted to share the responsibility for contraception."
Though no serious side-effects are expected from the jab, some men may experience hot flushes, mood swings or acne, the scientists say.
Dr Allan Pacey, a Sheffield University expert on male fertility, said male contraceptives had proved more difficult to develop than female ones but researchers were now "homing in" on the right combination of drugs.
He said: "Vasectomy is OK but although it is viewed as reversible it isn't really, so it would be useful to have an alternative. The big sticking point is acceptability. I think there is a lot of education needed to convince men that this jab doesn't make them less of a man."
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