Indian
Cancer Congress calls for change in narcotic regulations in India
The 1st Indian Cancer Congress (ICC), which was held in New
Delhi recently, discussed the need for changing the narcotic regulations in
India, which is preventing easy access to pain relieving medications to
thousands of cancer patients.
The Indian Cancer Congress and the Indian Association of
Palliative Care felt strongly about the NDPS Act Bill (Amendment), which is
waiting for the clearance from Parliament. It urged all political parties to
help pass the bill, which addresses the unresolved issue of poor access to
medications to treat cancer pain.
India is one of the largest producers of morphine in the
world. But the big irony is that the country exports the medicine to other
parts of the world, especially the developed countries for the benefit of
patients there, but availability to patients here is restricted.
As per the national policy on Narcotic Drugs and
Psychotropic Substances released on February 6, 2012, the medical use of
morphine has been extremely low, with the result that thousands of patients in
India suffer from pain, which can be avoided, says ICC.
Source: www.indianexpress.com
14.12.2013
Meat, egg and dairy nutrient vital for brain
development
An amino acid, found in foods such as meat, eggs and dairy
products, is essential for normal brain development, scientists have found.
Asparagine was until now considered non-essential because it
is produced naturally by the body.
Researchers at the University of Montreal and its affiliated
CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital found that brain cells depend on the local
synthesis of asparagine to function properly.
"The cells of the body can do without it because they
use asparagine provided through diet. Asparagine, however, is not well
transported to the brain via the blood-brain barrier," said senior
co-author of the study Dr Jacques Michaud.
In April 2009, a Quebec family lost their son, before the
age of one, to a rare genetic disease causing congenital microcephaly, intellectual
disability, cerebral atrophy, and refractory seizures. It was the third infant
to die in this family from the disease.
This led Michaud to discover the genetic abnormality
responsible for this developmental disorder.
The team identified the gene affected by the mutation code
for asparagine synthetase, the enzyme responsible for synthesising the amino
acid asparagine.
The study is the first to associate a specific genetic
variant with a deficiency of this enzyme.
"In healthy subjects, it seems that the level of
asparagine synthetase in the brain is sufficient to supply neurons,"
Michaud said.
"In individuals with the disability, the enzyme is not
produced in sufficient quantity, and the resulting asparagine depletion affects
the proliferation and survival of cells during brain development," Michaud
said.
Source: www.indianexpress.com
14.12.2013
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