Date 18.11.2013 Funding for science grossly inadequate, says C.N.R. Rao subcritical funding t e disci!

line recei"es Funding for science #as $%arginal, at an a"erage &ust $20 !er cent of # at #as needed for s!ecific !ro&ects, and $it ne"er co%es on ti%e, for t e %oney it recie"es t e country as done #ell. 'ndia(s ran)ing in inno"ation #as !oor, at ** a%ong 1+0 countries. , e future of 'ndia is secure if it in"ests in basic science and science education. -Re.engineer ealt care to tac)le antibiotic resistance( , e entire structure of ealt care deli"ery for effecti"e antibiotics / fro% researc and de"elo!%ent, to distribution and rational use / needs to be re.engineered to address t e loo%ing global t reat of antibiotic resistance Recent decades a"e seen "ast increases in t e use of antibiotics across %edicine and agriculture, , e !roble% is co%!ounded by a des!erate s ortage of ne# drugs to treat %ulti.drug resistant bacterial infections. real and un!recedented global coordinated actions to i%!ro"e sur"eillance and transfor% t e #ay antibiotics are regulated and de"elo!ed are ta)en i%%ediately. ne# #ays of financing drug de"elo!%ent. 'n"est%ent in ne# drugs is based on e0!ectations of large "olu%e sales. 'n t e case of antibiotics, t is can lead to aggressi"e %ar)eting and sales acti"ity, # ic in turn results in o"er.!rescri!tion, es!ecially # en in %any countries, financial incenti"es for doctors and ealt care syste%s %ean t at o"er.!rescri!tion of antibiotics %a)es sound financial sense. Academic research institutes and SMEs need to play a greater role Non-prescription sales of antibiotics must be banned to reduce overuse 1ac) of controls, treat%ent nor%s 2 !atient a#areness are contributory factors Date 20.11.2013 '%!act of 3'4 treat%ent and !re"ention slo#ing do#n, re"eals re!ort 1ac)of focus in ig ris) i" burden areas ,of t e antiretro"iral t era!y Ne# 'ndian study !oints to carcinogenic !otential of roundu! erbicide Roundu! erbicide, # ic is %eant to )ill far% #eeds, $!oses t e ris) of serious u%an ealt

a5ards including cancer, says a ne# study by t e 'ndian 'nstitute of ,o0icology Researc 6'',R7. , e researc as serious ra%ification for t e introduction of 8enetically 9odified 3erbicide ,olerant cro!s in 'ndia #it 9a yco.9onsanto :iotec )noc)ing at t e go"ern%ent(s door for !er%ission to release 3, :, cotton and %ai5e. ;tte%!ts are on in 'ndia to !ro%ote 8enetically 9odified 3erbicide ,olerant 6Roundu! Ready7 cro!s as an ans#er to s ortage of far% labour, follo#ing introduction of t e 9a at%a 8and i Rural <%!loy%ent 8uarantee !rogra%%e and !roliferation of building or construction acti"ity in t e country. Noted scientist 9.=. =#a%inat an, # o eaded a ,as) Force on ;!!lication of :iotec nology in 200+, as said a big $no to erbicides. $:iotec nological a!!lications, # ic can reduce e%!loy%ent and i%!inge on t e li"eli ood of rural fa%ilies, s ould be a"oided. :reeding for erbicide tolerance, for e0a%!le, %ay a"e lo# !riority on t is account in se"eral !arts of 'ndia # ere t ere are large nu%bers of landless labour fa%ilies, 9r. =#a%inat an said. Roundup Ready Crops 6RR Cro!s7 are genetically engineered cro!s> t at a"e ad t eir DN; altered to allo# t e% to #it stand t e erbicide gly! osate> 6t e acti"e ingredient of 9onsanto>?s erbicide Roundu!>7. Date 21.11.2013

Very few children in India are diagnosed, treated for MDR-TB

$; c ild #it ,: @isA as li)ely as an adult #it ,: to a"e 9DR.,: @%ulti.drug resistant ,:A, notes t e B3C 8lobal ,uberculosis Re!ort 2013. $'t is t erefore essential t at t e identification of 9DR.,: in c ildren be strengt ened. B3C did not sto! at t at. $<fforts s ould be %ade to syste%atically conduct ouse old contact in"estigation of all !atients #it 9DR.,:, including c ildren, it underlined. , e reason for t e e%! asis on 9DR.,: detection is not difficult to fat o%. Datients #it 9DR. ,: do not res!ond to, or res!ond e0tre%ely !oorly to standard first.line anti.,: drugs. ; !erson is said to a"e 9DR.,: # en e is resistant to at least isonia5id and rifa%!icin, t#o of t e first.line anti.,: drugs. , is %a)es it all t e %ore i%!ortant to trace t e "ulnerable grou!s #ell before t ey beco%e diseased #it drug.resistant ,:. ;nd c ildren younger t an fi"e years fro% t e sa%e ouse old as an adult 6inde0 case7 # o a"e been recently diagnosed #it 9DR.,: disease are one suc "ulnerable !o!ulation. ; 2002 study !ublis ed in Pediatrics &ournal suggested t#o c ild contacts for e"ery adult 9DR.,: source !atient in a ig .burden setting. $;s %any as a %illion c ildren could be e0!osed to 9DR tuberculosis globally eac year, %any of # o%, in t e absence of effecti"e !re"enti"e t era!y, #ill go on to de"elo! 9DR.,: disease, t e 2002 !a!er notes.

$Dre"enti"e c e%ot era!y for c ildren #it second.line drugs is debated. 3ence !re"enti"e c e%ot era!y for 9DR.,: a%ong contacts of 9DR.,: !atients is not a !olicy globally as enoug scientific e"idence is not a"ailable, Dr. E.=. =ac de"a, ;dditional De!uty Director 8eneral at Central ,: Di"ision, 9inistry of 3ealt 2 Fa%ily Belfare said in an e%ail to t is Corres!ondent. :ut t ere is a gradual s ift in !olicy outside 'ndia. 'ncidentally, e"en t e i%!le%entation of t e B3C.reco%%ended, RN,CD.a!!ro"ed contact screening and !re"enti"e t era!y using t e first.line drug isonia5id for si0 %ont s in c ildren younger t an fi"e years # o are asy%!to%atic or infected #it drug.sensiti"e ,: as a ,:. diseased adult in t e sa%e ouse old is $sub.o!ti%al, as a fe# studies a"e re"ealed. <"en t e diagnosis and treat%ent of c ildren #it 9DR.,: disease is far belo# !ar. $4ery fe# c ildren are diagnosed and treated for 9DR.,:, said Dr. =ou%ya =#a%inat an, Director of t e C ennai.based National 'nstitute for Researc in ,uberculosis 6for%erly ,RC7. $;#areness is itself lo#. Doctors t in) c ildren can(t get infected #it 9DR.,:. 6Dodcast lin)Ft ne.#sG1aFBH8 >7 , is is des!ite t e fact t at 'ndia and C ina toget er carry nearly I0 !er cent of t e global 9DR. ,: burden. , e !re"alence of 9DR.,: in 'ndia is esti%ated to be *+,000. , e nu%ber of 9DR. ,: cases diagnosed in 2012 #as about 1*,I00J it #as about +,200 in 2011. $'ndia as been offering all t e four B3C reco%%ended diagnostic tests for t e diagnosis of 9DR.,:. , ere are I1 laboratories # ic offer t e Drug =ensiti"ity ,est @D=,A, said Dr. =ac de"a. $=o%e labs offer %ore t an one D=, facility. 'n addition to t e labs offering D=,, $t ere are 38 8ene K!ert %ac ines in 30 locations. 8ene K!ert can only re"eal resistance to rifa%!icin drug. ; "ast %a&ority of !eo!le # o are resistant to rifa%!icin are also resistant to isonia5id. $'f K!ert s o#s rifa%!icin resistance in a !atient #it ris) factors for 9DR, one can begin second.line t era!y # ile #aiting for culture and full.drug susce!tibility !rofile. =o, one does not need to #ait to act, but all K!ert Rif resistance results %ust be follo#ed u! #it culture and D=,, Dr. 9ad u)ar Dai, ;ssociate Drofessor, 9c8ill Lni"ersity, 9ontreal clarified in an e%ail to t is Corres!ondent. :ut all t e four tec niques M solidGliquid culture, 1D; and K!ert M require s!utu% sa%!les. ;nd c ildren aged under fi"e years "ery often are unable to !roduce a s!utu% sa%!le. 3ence ot er tec niques need to be used to get a s!utu% sa%!le. :esides t e difficulty in getting s!utu% sa%!les fro% young c ildren, t e nu%ber of ,: bacilli !resent #ould be fe#er e"en # en s!utu% sa%!les beco%e a"ailable. $Diagnosing is difficult in c ildren, Dr. =#a%inat an said. $'t is difficult to confir% t e diagnosis bacteriologically e"en by culture. , e !roble% gets co%!ounded in t e case of e0tra.!ul%onary ,:. $Noung c ildren a"e nearly 30 !er cent c ances of a"ing e0tra.!ul%onary ,:, s e said. $, e younger t e c ild, t e %ore t e c ances of seeing disse%inated ,:. , is e0!lains # y #e see %ore instances of ,: %eningitis in young c ildren. $:ut getting C=F @cerebros!inal fluidA and !ositi"e culture is so "ery rare. 9aybe 10 to 1I !er cent, not %ore t an t at, s e said. $=o in a "ast %a&ority of t e cases #on(t get bacteriologically confir%ed diagnosis for 9DR.,: in e0tra.!ul%onary cases.

, e irony is t at in suc situations, t ere is no !ro"ision in t e national ,: control !rogra%%e to treat t e c ildren. $, e drug.resistant ,: !rogra%%e is loo)ing for a confir%ed bacteriological re!ort fro% an RN,CD.accredited lab, s e e0!lained. $Lnless t ey go #it t at re!ort, t ey #ill not be started on 9DR.,: regi%en. @:utA it is "ery rare for a young c ild to !roduce suc a re!ort. 6 The Correspondent is a recipient of the 2013 REACH Lilly MDR-T Partnership !ational Media "ello#ship for Reportin$ on T 7

Indian chosen for glo al panel to address Internet go!ernance issues

; di"erse grou! of e%inent sta)e olders #orld#ide M Dresidents, 9inisters and C<Cs fro% %ulti.sta)e older grou!s M is on a !anel t at #ill address $t e future of global 'nternet coo!eration. , e !anel(s first %eeting as been sc eduled for %id.Dece%ber in 1ondon. , e list of !anellists, announced in =ao Daulo, :ra5il, # ere a %eeting of t e 'nternet Cor!oration for ;ssigned Na%es and Nu%bers 6'C;NN7 is being eld, includes an 'ndian. Nitin Desai, an econo%ist and for%er di!lo%at, # o ser"ed as L.N. Lndersecretary 8eneral, is t e con"ener of t e Bor)ing 8rou! on 'nternet 8o"ernance and first c air%an of t e 9ulti.sta)e older ;d"isory 8rou! 69;87, # ic organises t e L.N. 'nternet 8o"ernance Foru%. For t e first ti%e in 201+, t e Borld <cono%ic Foru%(s annual %eeting in Da"os #ill discuss issues of 'nternet go"ernance. , e 'C;NN #as an early catalyst for t e !anel, recognising t e need for a globally di"erse grou! to inde!endently address co%!le0 issues. , e 'C;NN, # ic cited $gro#ing !ressures to address issues outside its s! ere of res!onsibility as a %oti"ating factor for for%ing a ig .le"el !anel, #ill organise t e secretariat and !ro"ide logistics su!!ort. , e !anel re!resents sta)e olders fro% nearly all continents, de"elo!ed and de"elo!ing countries, and all i%!ortant sta)e older grou!s, including ci"il society. 'ts ob&ecti"e is to engage in a dialogue on critical 'nternet go"ernance issues and $to infor% t e global discussion on t e need for a %ultista)e older a!!roac to 'nternet go"ernance. 9r. Desai told The Hind% t at t e goal of t e grou! $is to gi"e an inde!endent assess%ent of o# t e %anage%ent of t e global 'nternet s ould e"ol"e. , e !anel #ill release a ig .le"el re!ort for !ublic co%%ent and discourse in early 201+. , e re!ort #ill include $!rinci!les for global 'nternet coo!eration and !ro!osed fra%e#or)s for it and a road%a! for future c allenges in 'nternet go"ernance. , e ti%ing of t e announce%ent is !ro!elled by t e contro"ersy ste%%ing fro% t e c arges of illegal sur"eillance by t e L.=. National =ecurity ;gency 6N=;7, cou!led #it t e need for a co erent a!!roac to 'nternet !olicy de"elo!%ent, # ic as failed to address s!a%, c ild !ornogra! y, cyberterroris%, lea"ing $indi"idual or intergo"ern%ental organisations to de"elo! t eir o#n solutions.

Indian scientists identify genes cancer

ehind oral

Overall, tumour suppressor genes are predominantly involved in oral cancer, says paper Study finds ! significantly mutated genes associated "ith OS##-$%

Railways yet to co"e up with technology to eat fog

't contains data of all t e stations and t e rail traffic signals on a !articular route. 't gi"es a bu55 # ene"er a train is a!!roac ing a signal. 't %ainly alerts t e loco !ilot t at t e train is a!!roac ing a signal, # ic ot er#ise re%ains in"isible #it na)ed eye in foggy condition, e de"ice su!!le%ents t e traditional #ay of infor%ing t e loco !ilot about an a!!roac ing signal by bursting crac)ers on t e rail#ay trac)s, 9r. = ar%a added. <"en tec nological inter"ention as a li%it. Des!ite s!ending crores in installing C;, ''' tec nology