Aizawl District of Mizoram Has Maximum Number Of Cancer Cases In India

At present, Aizawl district of Mizoram has the maximum number of cancer cases in the country at 249.5 per 100,000 in males and 210 per 100,000 in females.

By Sonal Matharu

Cancer kills 400,000 each year, but screening for the disease yet to take off

Lack of trained manpower main hurdle, says health secretary. More than a year after rolling out the national programme for prevention and control of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and stroke, the Union Ministry of health and family welfare is still struggling to kick-start cancer screening in the district hospitals in the country.

Health secretary P K Pradhan says lack of trained manpower is the biggest hurdle in starting the screening for different types of cancers, which is required under the programme.

“Screening for cancer will be done at district level. We are facing problems of shortage of trained manpower at these hospitals,” he says.

If detected early, most of the cancer cases are curable, say doctors. This is the reason why screening is included in the national programme so that the disease is diagnosed early and patients can start treatment at the earliest. “Chances of curing cancer cases if detected early is 80 per cent,” says G K Rath, professor and head, department of radiation oncology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Cancer cases set to rise

• Each year, India adds 980,000 cancer cases
• By 2016 this figure will increase to over 1.2 million when an estimated 631,899 women and 587,750 men will suffer from different kinds of cancers
• Breast cancer will affect 140,000 women by 2016 as against 89,914 in 2001
• Cancer of the cervix will affect over 125,000 women as against 79,827 in 2001
• Cancer of the pharynx and larynx would affect 75,901 men in 2016 as against 49,331 in 2001
• Oral cancer is projected to affect 65,205 men by 2016 as against 42,725 in 2001

The health ministry is now planning to introduce short-term six-month courses where medical graduates will be trained to handle chemotherapy, conduct biopsy and handle other related tasks that are needed to screen patients. “The plan to introduce such diploma courses is being discussed. We also want to involve medical colleges so that students who are interested can participate,” says Pradhan. He was speaking to the press during a press meet in Delhi  on Thursday.

With changing lifestyle, non-communicable diseases are rising in the country. By 2020, more than 60 per cent of disease burden in the country will be of these diseases. Each year, India adds 980,000 cancer cases, according to the health ministry figures released recently. It is projected that by 2016, this figure will increase to over 1.2 million when an estimated 631,899 women and 587,750 men will suffer from different kinds of cancers. These figures were released by professor G K Rath who is also the chairman of committee working on the national cancer registry programme in India.

In women, breast cancer overtakes cancer of cervix

In women, breast cancer remains the most common cancer which will affect over 140,000 women by 2016 followed by cancer of the cervix, which will affect over 125,000 women. The incidence these cancers was significantly lower in 2001 when 89,914 women were reported suffering from breast cancer and 79,827 women suffering from cancer of the cervix.

While the cause of rising number of breast cancer cases in women cannot be established, doctors say that late childbirth could be one of the reasons why more women develop tumour of the breast. “Late marriage and late child birth could be one of the causes as women start breast feeding late, which may lead to complications,” says Rath.

Cervix cancer, on the other hand, is commonly seen in women who marry early and give birth frequently. Unhygienic conditions can also lead to cervix cancer. “About a decade ago, maximum number of cancer cases among women were that of the cervix, now breast cancer has taken over,” he says.

In men, cancer of  neck most common

In men, cancer of the pharynx and larynx is the most common. This type of cancer would affect 75,901 men in 2016 as against 49,331 in 2001. The second common cancer among men is oral cancer which is projected to affect 65,205 men by 2016 as against 42,725 in 2001.

In men, the primary reason for rising number of cancers of head and neck region and lung is tobacco consumption.

"This number is just going to rise with the rise in consumption of all forms of tobacco,” Rath explains.

According to the cancer registry, Aizawl district of Mizoram has the maximum number of cancer cases in the country at 249.5 per 100,000 in males and 210 per 100,000 in females. Least cases of cancers in men are in Barshi district of Maharashtra where incidence is 40.8 cases per 100,000; rural Ahmedabad in Gujarat records the lowest number of cancer cases among women at 49 per 100,000.

• “More than 80 per cent cancer patients seek medical help after the disease reaches the last stage,” said Sushma Bhatnagar, professor and head in unit of pain and palliative care at AIIMS. Treating the disease at the late stage decreases chances of survival to 20 per cent, which is why it is important that people go for regular screenings so that the disease can be detected early and treated, she adds.
  
  At any given time, India has over 30 lakh cancer patients. Tobacco is solely responsible for 40 per cent cancer cases in India. Each year, four lakh cancer patients die.

Medicinal Plants Face Extinction in Northeast

Medicinal plants on display at an expo organised in connection with the Indian Biodiversity Congress in Thiruvananthapuram. (file photo)

Guwahati, Nov 18 :  The country’s north eastern region is rich in medicinal plants, but indiscriminate and unscientific collection is forcing many of the species into the verge of extinction, according to experts.

This matter was raised in a recent seminar organised by the apex funding institution of the region, the North Eastern Development Financial Corporation (NEDFI).

Many of the pharmaceutical companies collect their requirement from wild sources through casual and unskilled collectors and due to indiscriminate collection, many of the species disappear from their original habitats, the experts, who participated in the programme, said.

Many important species are either on the verge of extinction from the region or being threatened because of unawareness of the local people and lack of sustainable utilisation strategies.

The Northeast is rich in plant resources, ethnobiocultures and ranks sixth among the 25 mega diversity hot spot regions of the world.

More than 70 per cent of the area is predominantly hilly and having climatic heterogeneity with diverse agro climatic zones.

The region is full of plant genetic resources with a total of about 8,000 species of flowering plants from the Himalayas of which about 5,000 species are reported from the N-E region.

Till date, more than 1,400 medicinal plants have been reported by different workers and many of them belong to rare, endangered and threatened category and some are even endemic.

Many medicinal plants are unscientifically collected and among them are the “Durik Ada” variety the root of which is used as spice and condiments.

Another is the Zingiberaceae species, which is explored heavily from the forest and these are being collected from wild sources without any programme of regeneration.

Experts said that if this continues unabated, in the near future the region is bound to loose many of them for ever.

The region is considered as one of the richest in biological diversity and medicinal plants constitute a major component.

It is a significant zone and represents the transition zone between India, Indo-Malayam and Indo-Chinese biogeographic region as well as meeting place of the Himalayan mountains with that of Peninsular India and acts as biogeographic gateway of plant migration.

NSCN Status Sparks Row in Northeast India

Guwahati, Nov 18 : Governments of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh have urged New Delhi to clarify plans to offer a 'supra-state body' to the National Socialist Council of Nagaland ( NSCN Isak-Muivah faction) to enable Nagas outside Nagaland to preserve their identity.

Reports in the local media about plans by the central government to grant Nagaland a special federal status by creating a 'supra-state mechanism' for the Nagas to preserve, protect and promote their cultural, social and customary practices has led to angry reactions in the three states.

"The question of allowing governing Nagas settled in Manipur simply does not arise. We don't know about any such plans by the central government," Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh said.

Similar views were echoed by the governments in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, the two other states that have Naga tribals residing for decades.

The NSCN-IM and New Delhi entered into a ceasefire in August 1997. They have held more than 50 rounds of peace talks to end one of South Asia's longest-running insurgencies.

The NSCN-IM, led by guerrilla leaders Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah, had proposed 'a special federal arrangement' which enables the Nagas to govern themselves.

The NSCN-IM wants a special federal relationship with India, with a separate Naga Constitution, and would like the Naga guerrillas to jointly guard the international borders alongside Indian security forces.

The NSCN-IM has been struggling for nearly six decades to have a 'Greater Nagaland' by getting parts of three neighbouring states sliced off to unite 1.2 million Nagas. The demand is strongly opposed by the states of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

Conceding their demands would be a tough proposition as any move to merge Naga-inhabited areas in the northeast or grant special status allowing Nagas settled outside Nagaland to be governed by a separate administrative structure could lead to a rebellion in the neighbouring states.

"There is no question of allowing people residing in our state to be governed by a separate council or structure. There can be no compromise on this," Assam government spokesperson and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The NSCN-IM is on a sticky wicket, Having climbed down from its demand for an independent Naga state outside the Indian union, the rebel leadership now harps on a Greater Nagaland and a special federal relationship.

"It seems the central government is now trying to re-phrase the concept of Greater Nagaland and talking of something called the 'supra-state' mechanism to please the NSCN. Under no circumstances will the people of Arunachal accept such a proposal," said a senior state minister who didn't want to be named.

Media reports said New Delhi was contemplating granting a special federal status to the NSCN-IM on the eve of Christmas - in an attempt to seal an accord with the rebel leadership.

"If a state government, in whose territory the Nagas live, loses control and a neighbouring state government interferes and governs their lives, it would surely lead to chaos and disorder," said Sarma.

US To Open Dialogue With Myanmar

Secretary of State Clinton to visit next month

BALI, Indonesia, Nov 18 : Detecting "flickers of progress" in the long-shunned nation of Myanmar, President Barack Obama announced Friday that he will send Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to the repressed country next month, the first official in her position to visit in more than 50 years.

"We want to seize what could be an historic opportunity for progress and make it clear that if Burma continues to travel down the road of democratic reform, it can forge a new relationship with the United States of America," Obama said Friday during his diplomatic mission to southeast Asia.

In deepening his engagement with Myanmar, also known as Burma, the president first sought assurances from democracy leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. She spent 15 years on house arrest by the nation's former military dictators but is now in talks with the new civilian government about reforming the country.

The two spoke by phone on Thursday night while Obama was flying to Bali on Air Force One, a senior administration official said.

The administration sees Clinton's visit as a sign of success for Obama's policy on Myanmar, which was outlined in 2009 and focused on punishments and incentives to get the country's former military rulers to improve dire human rights conditions. The U.S. imposed new sanctions on Myanmar but made clear it was open to better relations if the situation changed.

"After years of darkness, we've seen flickers of progress in these last several weeks," Obama declared Friday.

Human rights record
Still, Obama said he has deep concerns about Myanmar's human rights record, treatment of ethnic minorities and closed nature of its society. Clinton's mission is to explore what the United States can do to support progress on political reform, individual rights and national reconciliation, the official said.

Obama's move came as he deepened ties with Asia, appealing to nations large and small for help with the American security agenda, and anxious to build some regional political balance to the rising might of China. He was trying to prod for some progress over the hotly contested South China Sea, one of the most vital shipping channels in the world.

A U.S. opening with Myanmar would also contribute to Obama's rebalancing goals, as Burma's military leaders for long had close ties to China. Beijing has poured billions of dollars of investment into Myanmar to operate mines, extract timber and build oil and gas pipelines. China has also been a staunch supporter of the country's politically isolated government and is Myanmar's second-biggest trading partner after Thailand.

But Myanmar has shown wariness of its imposing neighbor in recent months. In late September, the government of Myanmar president Thein Sein suspended a controversial $3.6 billion China-built hydropower dam project in northern Kachin State because it was "against the will of the people." The dam had been denounced by ethnic activists and environmentalists

Initial reaction to Obama's announcement from human rights and democracy movement officials was welcoming.

"The visit clearly demonstrates that United States is stepping up its engagement policy. It is better to see Myanmar's political situation on the ground rather than watch from a distance, We welcome the visit," said Aung Thein, a prominent lawyer and a member of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party.

Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International's Southeast Asia researcher, welcomed the news of Clinton's visit as an opportunity to turn up the pressure on the government to address human rights abuses.

"We've been arguing a long time that political engagement and political pressure are not mutually exclusive," Zawacki told The Associated Press, adding that Clinton "should not miss the opportunity in this historic visit to pressure the government and speak very clearly that the human rights violations taking place there need to stop."

Myanmar, a former breadbasket of Southeast Asia, has suffered not just repressive government but poor economic management during nearly 50 years of military rule.

It is subject to wide-ranging trade, economic and political sanctions from the U.S. and other Western nations, enforced in response to brutal crackdowns on pro-democracy protesters in 1988 and 2007 and its refusal to hand power to pro-democracy leader Suu Kyi's party after the 1990 elections.

Fledgling steps
Now Myanmar's nominally civilian government, which took power in March, has declared its intention to liberalize the hard-line policies of the junta that preceded it.

It has taken some fledgling steps, such as easing censorship, legalizing labor unions, suspending an unpopular, China-backed dam project and working with Suu Kyi.

Obama will see Burma's president, Thein Sein, on Friday during a summit of Southeast Asian nations.

The announcement was the capstone to a day of diplomatic meetings on the sidelines of summits with Asian leaders, including India, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Promoting American trade, President Barack Obama on Friday presided over a deal that will send Boeing planes to an Indonesian company and create jobs back home, underscoring the value of the lucrative Asia-Pacific market to a president needing some good economic news.

Obama stood watch as executives of Boeing and Lion Air, a private carrier in Indonesia, signed a deal that amounts to Boeing's largest commercial plane order. Lion Air ordered 230 airplanes, and the White House said it would support tens of thousands of jobs in the U.S.

The U.S. president, eager for results to show for his diplomacy here, called the move "a remarkable example of the trade, commercial and investment opportunities that exist in the Asia Pacific." Jobs and the state of the economy are defining Obama's re-election bid.

Obama met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, with whom Obama has developed a close relationship. He later met with Philippine President Benigno Aquino III and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

. Obama made a point of meeting with Singh in Bali as part of his mission to devote attention to India, which the administration wants to play a larger role in Asia as the world's largest democracy. In brief remarks to reporters, Obama and Singh hailed the importance of their nations' work together in such areas as maritime security and the effort to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Obama arrived in this resort island late Thursday from Australia, where he announced a new military presence and sent Beijing a message that America "is all in" across the Asia-Pacific. The White House is determined to show that American leadership here, far from home, is wanted after a decade in which wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dominated attention.

Obama's Asia-Pacific tour has now brought him home twice — first to Hawaii, where he was born, and now to the Indonesia, a nation of thousands of islands where he spent years as a boy. His stop in Bali is driven by his promise to be the first American president to take part in the East Asian Summit, a forum he wants to elevate as a force friendly to American interests.

He will attend a meeting with the heads of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations, or ASEAN, whose 10 members include host Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. The group will expand for the East Asia Summit, a forum that also counts China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, Russia and the U.S. as members.

Thousands Beg in Petition: No More Kardashians!

Sick of the reality TV family? Sign the petition!

Khloe Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Kris Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, and Kendall Jenner pose together at the Kardashian Kollection launch party in Los Angeles, Aug. 17, 2011.

Perhaps you just can’t bring yourself to Occupy Wall Street, but we think we’ve found a cause everyone can finally get behind.

A new online petition, titled “No More Kardashian,” calls for E! to boot the family from the airwaves, and ABC News reports that as of yesterday, 70,601 had signed (it's up to 111,000 as of this posting).

It’s also worth mentioning that a “Boycott the Kardashians” Facebook page has more than 50,000 fans.

The organizer of the petition tells Yahoo! TV, “It is a sad truth that many young people are looking up to this family and are modeling their appearance and behavior after them."

More here.

Motorola Launches Defy+ in India for Rs 17,990

Motorola today officially announced the Defy+ in India at a best buy of Rs 17,990. The Defy+ still features the same ruggedness as its predecessor but sports a faster processor (1GHz processor) and Android 2.3 operating system.

Other features remain the same – a 5.0 MP camera, 3.7-inch display with Gorilla Glass, 512MB RAM, 1GB ROM and 2GB of internal storage and the usual connectivity options.

The Defy+ will compete with Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA Active, which is available for Rs 19,990. Motorola is also expected to launch the Android version of the RAZR in India later this month.

APB - Reloaded - Nun's Bun's Gun's & Schoolgirls

APB stands for (All Points Bulletin) and it's on online pretty hot videogame that recently was renamed APB: Reloaded. Well here is a general idea of what's what in the game just incase you've missed out or if your into guns & chicks & blowin shit up.

 

Japanese Hottie: YURI Too Hot (NSFW)

This Jap Girl is scorching hot...See it to believe it