Letters

PDS for family planning

News 360° - Briefs

MINING ALARM IGNORED Some of the 33 Chilean miners trapped 700 metres underground for 69 days had informed the management about the risk of a cave-in three hours before it occurred. Their bosses told them not to stop the work.

Lead delays puberty

EARLY as well as late sexual maturation harms adolescents. Early onset leads to increased risk of obesity, diabetes and cancer in reproductive organs, while late maturation diminishes bone strength.

Mystery stricken

ALREADY battling with Japanese Encephalitis, eastern Uttar Pradesh is now under the grip of a mystery fever. Till September 16 this year, 277 children died in 12 districts of the region. The physicians and scientists remain clueless about the genesis of the disease.

Letters

Subsidy for a select few

Nemesis of killer drugs

On July 15, 1962, a Washington Post story, ‘Heroine of FDA keeps bad drug off market,’ shocked Americans. The heroine in question was Frances Oldham Kelsey. She had joined the US Food and Drug Administration two years earlier as a drug application investigator. With her expertise in pharmacology, she was the obvious choice to test the veracity of an application for a “harmless” sedative that was already being sold in 46 countries. The drug, Kevadon, was one of the trade names of thalidomide.

Gut factor

HUMAN gut is host to numerous species of bacteria that enhance metabolism, protect against pathogens and prime our immune system to fight diseases. Dietary habits determine the diversity of this bacterial flora. Understanding this interplay is important as it controls the abilities of our gastrointestinal tracts.

Hunt on for toxins in toys

AN 11-MEMBER committee, formed by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), is set to begin screening of toys made in India and abroad for toxicity.

Screen out the liar

IT IS difficult to escape advertisements. They are everywhere, on billboards, in mass media and on the Internet.

Burglar in the brain

LEAD poisoning is one of the oldest occupational and environmental hazards.