Hi and welcome to network round table, a site offering articles on Biotechnology, the Environment, the Finance world and Food, everyone’s favourite!

For the more studious we have topics on Medicine, Science and Technology to round off with.

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Butterflies are providing us with vital clues about the environment and the state of our ecosystem. These fragile insects are proving to be useful in allowing environmentalists and scientists worldwide to understand the effects of global warming on these tiny creatures. Conservation projects thus far have been based primarily on larger animals such as birds and mammals, but with insects making up almost three-quarters of animal species, they are vital to the well-being of our ecosystem. (more…)

Researchers in Britain fear the death of many of the trees native to the country. Trees have been struggling with various diseases after a host of microbes have attacked them. The new diseases are not indigenous to Britain, but are thought to have originated from warmer countries. Global warming has contributed to enhancing the ability of the microbes to survive in Britain’s cold wet weather. (more…)

Scientists have discovered that the algae in the ocean could play a vital role in stopping global warming. Marine algae capture huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and when they die they would take the carbon stores to the bottom with them. Researchers have been given the go-ahead to drop quantities of iron into the seas, as the growth of the algae is often limited by the lack of iron. (more…)

The Conficker Virus is proving to be an ‘unusually clever’ worm, and experts are trying hard to disable the virus before it spreads further. The virus has so far attacked over nine million computers, including those of the Ministry of Defence, and is proving to be a very worthy opponent. Once the computer is infected with the virus, the worm masquerades as a normal-looking folder that needs to be opened, and when the user clicks on it they unwittingly install the worm. (more…)

There is a thin line of difference between eating good food and eating healthy food. Good food is the one, which suit our tongue but healthy food enhances our longevity. The primary objective of eating is to sustain our life contrary to popular perception. Food provides our body with nutrients, which helps us to grow. Your body needs 40 different varieties of nutrients which can’t be provided by a single food.

Our daily food selection should include bread and other whole-grain products like fruits, green vegetables, dairy products, meat, poultry, fish and other kinds of protein foods and we should intake these according to the requirement of calorie in our body. Surveys show that most people don’t eat all these foods in right proportion; instead they eat lots of fatty food, which causes an increase of weight and as a result people become quite prone to diabetes and other heart related problems. But that doesn’t mean that one should totally leave eating spicy food but a proportion & balance is important. For example Japanese food has proper balance while American and sub-continental food lacks that balance. So everyone without a hurry should sit down and enjoy the food and then he or she should think whether he or she is eating the right proportion of food or not. This the key is to build a healthy eating habit. So finally you should eat ‘proper food’ in ‘proper proportion’ so that you can stay healthy; afterall health is wealth.

The best way to reduce the numbers of smokers is only by stopping them when they start. Most of the youngsters who start smoking at a tender age of 13-14 years are not even aware of the ill-effects and risks of smoking. Young smokers face problems like addiction to nicotine, getting linked with other drugs and often suffers from respiratory and non-respiratory problems. Most people who start smoking in their young age, keep this habit for the rest of their lives.

According to several studies, physical activities of the youngsters are inversely related to their smoking habits. People who have never smoked are healthy and have a proper lung function as the growth rate of lung is reduced due to smoking. Another study of US high schools shows that students who participate in one outdoor game are less likely to be a regular smoker by 40%. Lack of self confidence is often considered as the reason for the growth of smoking habits, especially among the youngsters. Proper counseling should be provided to youngsters who are hooked onto smoking so that it helps them to reduce the peer influences. People who have never smoked always have a healthy body and mind unlike regular smokers.Teenagers who smoke suffer from shortness of breadth almost three times than the non-smokers. Smoking is often associated with risky behaviors like fighting and indulging in unprotected sex. The youngsters need to be informed about the addictiveness of nicotine and professional assistance should be provided, if required.

India currently stands 3^rd as far as HIV population go. The number is roughly 2.4 million at the moment and it can only mount if proper care is not taken. The factors, which influence the Indian scenario, are the size, behavior & disease burden of high risk groups, their interaction with bridge population, sexual network & migration and mobility of a large section of population. Beside these factors the geographical diversity and high rate of illiteracy also enhanced the growth of HIV here.

In the year 1987 a National AIDS Control Program was started to co-ordinate national responses regarding Aids. Its activities covered surveillance, blood screening and health education. During the earlier part of the 90’s, the infection started rising at an alarming rate and as a result Government set up NACO (National Aids Control Organization) to supervise the formulation of policies, prevention work and control, programs related to HIV & AIDS. This plan established the technical basis for program management and also set up State Aids bodies in India. In 2001 national Aids Prevention & Control policies were adopted and the then Indian Prime Minister Mr. Vajpayee also addressed the parliament by referring about HIV/Aids as one of the biggest danger in the country.

But inspite of all these steps, India is still a hugely HIV prone country, as 2006 UNAIDS estimated that there were 5.6 million people living with HIV in India. Moreover majority of state shows a poor picture regarding HIV, which is not a positive sign. So immediately a huge consciousness is required among the people of India to protect them from this grave danger of HIV/Aids.

Scientists have developed a bio-degradable material that may end the need for heart donors. The non-living material can act as a scaffold on which heart muscle can be grown from stem cells. Although the long-term goal has been to build organs from scratch to eliminate the need of donors, the new development will be able to mend hearts and help with heart defects in both younger and older patients. (more…)

Researchers at Manchester and Oxford Universities have discovered a protein which may ease the pain for millions of people who suffer from bone disease. A protein molecule that can protect the body against inflammation as well as stop the erosion of bone has been found to exist naturally. (more…)

HIV has long been a dreaded infection that has plagued people all over the world. Until recently, the virus could only be put on hold with medication, but researchers have now found a way to keep a step ahead. Scientists have found 295 cellular proteins that help the HIV virus to establish the infection. Knowing this, they may now be able to develop a therapy to prevent the virus from infecting new cells, enabling patients to keep a step ahead of the dreaded virus. (more…)

The next time you need a tablet to relieve your hypertension problems, you may want to try out the new Ramipril tablets instead of the Altace tablets. Lupin limited, a well known pharmaceuticals based in Bombay has managed to get the final go ahead to introduce their version of the Altace tablets to the American markets. Lupin decided to come out with their own generic version of the age old Altace and in spite of legal hurdles initiated by King pharmaceuticals they have managed to prevail.

The new version of the Altace tablets offers the American consumers a much better alternative when it comes alleviating their hypertension problems. For one, it is alleged to be quicker than the old version and is priced competitively. The US Food and Drug administration has granted its approval of the Ramipril capsules in the 1.25 mg, 2.5mg, 5mg and the 10 mg varieties.

Lupin has become the very first company to successfully challenge the hold that Altace tablets have had on the American consumer market and win it. The new and the generic form of the old meds forbears interesting times ahead with more generic forms of old formulas due to hit the markets in the near future. The patients as well as the American markets are set to benefit as a result of new entrants like Ramipril on account of their effectiveness as well as the range of prices they offer. With effective medicine being made available, one can hope that the burden on the American healthcare would decrease with time.

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Biotechnology is a foreign world to many, so much so that all that most of us can relate to this particular field is the range of controversies than the actual subject matter itself. Biotechnology seeks to harness modern technology in the quest of a ‘better life’ for all of us from the genome alteration to cloning.

It is no wonder that most of the religious institutions today are firmly set against this field in particular, because they see it as an example of man trying to build ‘Babel’ all over again. But to some, their fixed positions has more to do with the fact that religious institutions are fast losing their hold on mankind as a whole as technological advances are made in all the fields including that of Biotech.

One can say that Biotechnology got a new life with the creation of ‘Dolly’ the first cloned sheep. That particular experiment took place in Edinburgh, Scotland on the 22nd of February 1997. It was a total success and dolly lived on for about 6 years after that.

That experiment alone sent shock waves through all the religious institutions with each of them claiming that Man has crossed a boundary he was never meant to cross. But religious statements aside, that experiment in particular proved to the world the efficacy of Biotechnology and today it continues to play a very important role in all of our lives. From developing the latest strain of disease resistant rice to utilizing stem cells to further medical research, Biotechnology has come a long way, from the dark corridors and dingy rooms. It has evolved to become a very lucrative field for many a scientist and one that the rest of the world is counting on to come to its aid. The modern era has more to do with Biotechnology than it has to do with any other field of science, with the sole exception being that of information technology.