Drug for arthritis in dogs can fight cancer in people

Drugs for diabetes, inflammation, alcoholism -- and even for treating arthritis in dogs -- can also kill cancer cells in the lab, according to a new study.

New York: Drugs for diabetes, inflammation, alcoholism, and even for treating arthritis in dogs can also kill cancer cells in the lab, according to a new study.

The researchers systematically analysed thousands of already developed drug compounds and found nearly 50 that have previously unrecognised anti-cancer activity....read more

Killer Coronavirus now in the US, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan: Will it hit India or other Asian countries?

The Coronavirus has now spread to five countries. Is India or other Asian countries ready for this?

1.Coronavirus is still not being declared to be a notifiable disease.

2.Anyone returning from China to India, if has symptoms, will not declare, take anti-histaminic and paracetamol and rush back to India. No one will tell that he or she is suffering from flu....read more

Can a mantra or sound be used as a medicine?

The answer is yes. The difference between a Mantra and a sound is that the Mantra sound is an energized sound with medicinal values. There are many aspects of Mantra as a sound:

1.The type of sound matters. It is well-known that chanting of vowel sounds produces interleukin-2 in the body, which has the same action as that of aspirin and works like a natural painkiller. Chanting of nasal consonants produces delta activity in the EEG and has similar action like tranquilizers. Chanting of other consonants has different actions in the body, for example chanting of LUM reduces fear, VUM reduces attachments, RUM reduces doubt, YUM increases love, HUM increases truthfulness and AUM non-judgmental activities....read more

Health Sutras By Dr K K Aggarwal

Keep your pulse rate, lower blood pressure, fasting sugar, abdominal circumference and bad cholesterol levels all below 80.

Healthcare News Monitor

DoP in talks with environment ministry to notify environment clearances at state level to boost API parks

Pharmabiz India - Shardul Nautiyal

The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) is in talks with Union environment ministry to notify a policy which stipulates approval of environment clearances at state level to boost active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) industry in the country. “Once the policy comes through, which is currently being worked out, the state government will give environmental clearance following which investors can set up API parks without further delay in a plug and play mode,” informed DoP Secretary Dr P D Vaghela. This comes close on the heels of a high level meet in October last year of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) and the pharma industry under the chairmanship of SP Singh Parihar, chairman, CPCB regarding development of API centric states like Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh. In the meet, CPCB made a presentation to the Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA) and Bulk Drugs Manufacturers Association (BDMA). After detailed deliberations, certain actions were recommended by the CPCB Chairman among others like to issue an advisory to all SPCBs to grant product change approvals within one month’s time. Chairman CPCB also recommended DoP to suggest simplification of format of application form which currently asks for confidential process information unrelated to effluent treatment and SPCBs to set up fast track mechanism for zero liquid discharge (ZLD) units.

Hyderabad in Telangana and Vizag in AP to become two major hubs for bulk drug manufacturing in south India

Pharmabiz India - A Raju

With the initiation of Pharma City project in Hyderabad and establishment of two more clusters in addition to the existing Jawaharlal Pharma City in Vishakhapatnam (Vizag), Hyderabad in Telangana and Vizag in Andhra Pradesh have become two major hubs for bulk drug manufacturing in south India. In Telangana state, Hyderabad is already known as the bulk drug manufacturing zone of India. However, recently the state government of Telangana has decided to establish a mega integrated pharmaceutical cluster on the outskirts of Hyderabad. With a spread of 19,000 acres, the Mega Pharma City project on the outskirts of Hyderabad is going to give a new boost to the already well established bulk drug sector in the state. “Through this Pharma City project, we are expecting an overall investment of more than Rs.64,000 crores in the coming days, in addition to creation of nearly 2 lakh jobs. The main objective of this new Phama City cluster is to facilitate the drug manufacturers to have a plug and play sort of platform and thereby drastically reduce the cost of manufacturing and ensure affordable medicines to the public,” says K Taraka Rama Rao, minister for industries, commerce and information Technology, government of Telangana.

Breast cancer cases in TN rising by 4% yearly: Data

The Times of India

Coimbatore: A recent data presented by the Union health minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, in reply to a question in Parliament on December 13 shows that the estimated number of breast cancer cases in Tamil Nadu has been steadily increasing by 4% every year. As per the data, taken from the National Cancer Registry Programme, Tamil Nadu is estimated to have the fifth highest number of breast cancer cases in the country. It is the only state in South India to feature in the top five list. Oncologists say that there seems to be no specific reason for Tamil Nadu’s numbers to be high. But attribute the increase to multiple factors - increasing obesity rates, increasing infertility rates among women and mutations of BRCA genes affecting more Indians. They say better reporting and diagnosis of cases could also lead to the number. Dr R Swaminathan, who heads the Madras Metropolitan Cancer Registry in Adyar Cancer Institute and contributed to the National Cancer Registry’s data, confirms the data. “In Chennai alone, the incidence of breast cancer in every 1 lakh women is increasing by 2%. Breast cancer has been increasing every year,” he says. Tamil Nadu’s numbers are only lower than Uttar Pradesh, which had the highest number of estimated cases at 24,181, Maharashtra 16,358 cases, West Bengal 12,234 cases and Bihar 11,378 cases. While Karnataka’s figures are at least 10% lower than Tamil Nadu’s figures, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala’s estimates in 2018 are at least 40% lower. “The Globocan 2018 data also found breast cancer to be the most common form of cancer in Tamil Nadu, and we think multiple factors contribute to this largely hormone driven cancer,” says consultant oncologist and associate professor at PSG Hospitals, Dr Kiruba Shankar. “There are studies that show Tamil Nadu has high rates of obesity due to the growing affinity towards fast food and junk food. This eventually affects your hormones,” Dr Shankar says. Growing rates of infertility and more people opting for hormone replacement therapy are also among the reasons for high breast cancer cases, say doctors. “Breast cancer is of three types and mainly hormone driven. We believe that increased exposure to estrogen in a woman’s lifestyle can increase risks. This happens due to too many menstrual cycles. Not having children or not breast feeding, and late menopause could also lead to increase in breast cancer,” says director of Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Oncology and Research, Coimbatore, Dr P Guhan.

13 out of 15 doctors at hospital set up for Bhopal gas leak survivors resign over lack of infrastructure

India Today-PTI

Thirteen out of the 15 doctors at the Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC), set up for survivors of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, resigned on Wednesday alleging lack of infrastructure among other things, a hospital source claimed. They had submitted resignations to the hospital director, said one of the doctors. "We will email resignations to the Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research tomorrow morning," said the doctor who did not wish to be named. BMHRC Director Dr Prabha Desikan could not be contacted for comment. Their grievance was that they were being denied promotions despite repeated pleas, the doctor said. "Besides, many times we do not have necessary medicines or surgical appliances to treat patients or carry out operations," Prabha Desikan alleged. "The situation has come to such a pass that we have to wait for months before conducting a surgery (as medicines or appliances are not readily available)," Prabha Desikan further claimed. On average 4,000 patients visit the hospital daily. The BMHRC was built, on the Supreme Courts direction, to treat the survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide gas leak incident which is considered to be the worlds worst industrial disaster.