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Effective treatment is available for epilepsy, but doctors had found out that epilepsy drugs don’t work in some women. Now scientists have figured out why some women suffer from recurrent seizures despite medication. Scientists at the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) and Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), both in New Delhi, have found that a variation in a gene called Cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) is responsible for some women to suffer from frequent epileptic seizures despite taking one or a combination of known anti-epileptic drugs. The study results have been published in The Pharmacogenomics Journal. CYP1A1 gene, known to make an enzyme that regulates the levels of female hormone estrogen in the blood, is also important in controlling drug response in epilepsy. “Since this gene is involved in dispersal of estrogen, we thought that perhaps an altered expression of it is contributing to higher levels of estradiol, which, in turn, was incre...

On the occasion of completion of two years of Smart Cities Mission (SCM) and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) announced the new batch of smart cities at a National Workshop on Urban Transformation. The Minister of Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, M Venkaiah Naidu, said that 45 cities contested for 40 available smart city slots but only 30 were selected to ensure feasible and workable plans that match the aspirations of the citizens. “The mission is an echo of urban revival,” the minister said. The government had launched its flagship “100 Smart Cities Mission" in 2015. As of now, 90 cities (10 in the first round, 13 in the fast track round, 27 in the second round and 30 in the third round) have been selected as smart cities. In the third round of the Smart Cities selection, the Centre had shortlisted 45 cities, out of which, 30 have been selected Creating smart cities would e...

Excess human activities leading to soil pollution took centre stage at the fifth Global Soil Partnership Plenary Assembly held at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome. Excessive amount of nitrogen and trace metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury can impair plant metabolism and reduce crop productivity. When they enter the food chain, these pollutants pose risk to food security, water resources, rural livelihoods and human health. “Soil pollution is an emerging problem, but, because it comes in so many forms, the only way we can reduce knowledge gaps and promote sustainable soil management is to intensify global collaboration and build reliable scientific evidence,” Ronald Vargas, a FAO soils officer, said. “Combating soil pollution and pursuing sustainable soil management is essential for addressing climate change,” Rattan Lal, president of the International Union of Soil Sciences, said. Combating soil degradation Around one-third of th...

Many countries have become more efficient in using natural resources and the services provided by the environment, generating more economic output per unit of carbon emitted and of energy or raw materials consumed. Yet progress is too slow, and if emissions embodied in international trade are included, advances in environmental productivity are more modest, a new OECD report shows. Green Growth Indicators 2017 uses a range of indicators covering everything from land use to CO2 productivity and innovation to show where 46 countries rank on balancing economic growth with environmental pressures over 1990 to 2015. It finds that Denmark, Estonia, the United Kingdom, Italy and the Slovak Republic have made the most progress on green growth since 2000. The report shows that no country is performing well on all green growth dimensions and most of the countries studied are yet to fully disconnect economic growth from fossil fuel use and pollutant emissions. Progress has often been insuffi...

Global population will touch 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100, a revised 2017 forecast by the United Nations published recently says. The revision raises previous predictions of 8.5 billion in 2030 and 9.7 billion in 2050. The main reason behind the revision is the growing population rate in India and Africa. India’s population, currently at 1.3 billion, is expected to surpass China’s in the next seven years. Nigeria, with the world’s fastest growing population, is projected to overtake the United States to become the third most populous country before 2050. Africa’s baby boom Africa is experiencing continued high rates of population growth. The report predicts between 2017 and 2050, the populations of 26 African countries will expand to at least double their current size. In an interview given to Down To Earth earlier via mail, John F May, visiting scholar of the US-based Population Reference Bureau, pointed out three reasons behind Africa’s (...

The case for India-U.S. partnership has been always strong, but the romanticism accompanying it is on test When Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump shake hands and perhaps embrace each other next week, the mandatory encomiums about India and U.S. being the world’s largest and oldest democracies, respectively, would have a sombre undertone to them. Both these democracies are passing through testing times. Two nations in churning Powerful political forces are trying to re-litigate principles that have held for decades in India, and have evolved over centuries in America. This ongoing re-litigation involves, at the functional level, some fundamental questions about citizenship, individual and collective rights, particularly religious rights, the terms of engagement between the state and citizens, the balance of power between various branches of the government, the role of the media, etc. At the conceptual level, what is being debated is the question of national i...

Q1 - FCRA has been seen in the news recently, it is related to which of the following? A. Health Indicators B. Malnutrition C. NGO's D. Security Q2 - Which of the following country has not signed an open sky offer with India? A. Sri Lanka B. Jamaica C. Nepal D. Cech Republic Q3 - West Bank area mostly seen in news, is related to which of the following parts of the world? A. Central Asia B. South East Asia C. Southern America D. Middle east. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Answer  1-C,  2-C,  3-D

Q1 - Which of the following is not a missile under integrated guided missile development programme? A. Agni B. Dhanush C. Prithvi D. Nag Q2 - Polavaram does not run through which of the following state? A. Odisha B. Chhattisgarh C. Telangana D. Andhra Pradesh Q3 - FC-31 stealth fighter is manufactured by which of the following countries? A. China B. USA C. France D. Russia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Answer  1-B,  2-C,  3-A

Q- Which of the following is correct regarding International day of yoga? 1. Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India 2. On 11 December 2014, the United Nations adopted resolution for international day of yoga A. 1 only B. 2 only C. Both D. None Q- Which of the following is not a function of SEBI? A. regulating the business in stock exchanges and any other securities markets; B. Registering and regulating the working of venture capital funds and collective investment schemes,including mutual funds; C. promoting and regulating self-regulatory Organizations D. All of the above are functions of SEBI Q- Arrange these water bodies from west to east 1. Timur sea 2. Arafura sea 3. Gulf of carpentaria 4. Coral sea A. 4-2-3-1 B. 1-2-3-4 C. 2-4-3-1 D. 1-3-2-4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Answer 1-C, ...

It took the tragic death of six farmers in Madhya Pradesh for the national media to report on the deep-rooted agricultural crisis. The farmers who were killed in police firing during protests were demanding that the government pay a higher minimum support price (MSP) for their crops. But it is not only in Madhya Pradesh that farmers are out in the streets. Agricultural unrest is worse in the more prosperous and productive regions, where the input cost of farming is higher and so is the debt. Farmers are bleeding. Enough is enough, they are saying. The current crisis is about the problem of aplenty. The crop production this year has been good, but the farmers are in trouble because the glut means that the value of the crop has gone down. After seasons of bad yield (caused by rain failure or variable and extreme weather), this is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. The bumper crop could have helped them make good their losses and pay their loans. Their despair should make us act. ...

Many countries have become more efficient in using natural resources and the services provided by the environment, generating more economic output per unit of carbon emitted and of energy or raw materials consumed. Yet progress is too slow, and if emissions embodied in international trade are included, advances in environmental productivity are more modest, a new OECD report shows. Green Growth Indicators 2017 uses a range of indicators covering everything from land use to CO2 productivity and innovation to show where 46 countries rank on balancing economic growth with environmental pressures over 1990 to 2015. It finds that Denmark, Estonia, the United Kingdom, Italy and the Slovak Republic have made the most progress on green growth since 2000. The report shows that no country is performing well on all green growth dimensions and most of the countries studied are yet to fully disconnect economic growth from fossil fuel use and pollutant emissions. Progress has often been insuffi...

Going against the Supreme Court’s order to not make Aadhar compulsory for public welfare schemes, the Centre has decided to make the 12-digit UID number mandatory for tuberculosis patients who want to avail benefits of its scheme. In a notification dated June 16, 2017, the government said that anyone seeking benefit under Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) will have to either furnish Aadhar or apply for it. And this is for patients who are already fighting a deadly disease. Under this scheme, the government provides medicine to patients for free. The notification reads: “An individual eligible to receive the benefit under the scheme is, hereby, required to furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar number or undergo Aadhaar authentication.” The deadline given to apply under Aadhar is August 31, 2017. The RNTCP is a public welfare scheme under which, conditional cash assistance is also offered to the eligible TB patients, private health care providers and treatment support...

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has issued a warning that at least 750,000 children are at imminent risk of water-borne diseases in Eastern Ukraine following a threat to cut off water supplies as the conflict between the government and the Russia-backed separatists surges. UNICEF reports that recent escalation in the fighting has damaged vital water infrastructure which has affected approximately 400,000 people, which includes 104,000 children. Their drinking water supply was cut off for four days last week. A surge in fighting will put more lives at risk in the rebel-held territory. Urgent repairs to damaged pipes have been completed, but the water infrastructure, which three million people rely on, is now on the line of fire. "We expect more families will be cut off from safe drinking water, putting children at severe risk of disease and other dangers," said Afshan Khan, UNICEF’s Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. Children cut off from clean...

In the 1950s, a drug called thalidomide was given to pregnant women to control morning sickness. The drug, a teratogen — an agent or factor which causes malformation of an embryo — was responsible for the birth of thousands of disabled babies who had reduced or missing arms and legs. As a rule, birth defects such as these are rare and sporadic events. Thalidomide was different as it caused an epidemic of birth defects. As case after case was reported, the human tragedy became evident from the plight of disabled babies and their helpless parents. There was a realisation that preventing birth defects and providing care to newborns with severe disability is a public health responsibility, requiring a range of specialised services. Parents required information on the disabling condition as well as access to rehabilitation services. This included guidance on home management of the baby. Contact with other parents was needed to overcome stigmatisation and guilt and receive further advice on...

A national registry of primary immunodeficiency disorders offers hope for early diagnosis and treatment When he was three years old, R. Sai Monesh, now seven, was diagnosed with a rare condition: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis or HLH, a life-threatening condition, in which the body’s immune system cells attack healthy tissue. “He was constantly ill: he had loose motions, fever and vomiting and at one point was hospitalised for a month with a 108°F temperature,” says his mother, R. Rajeshwari, who works as a domestic help. Six months ago, Sai Monesh underwent a bone marrow transplant at a private hospital in Chennai — his father, a construction worker, was the donor — and is now recovering. What are PIDs Sai Monesh’s condition is one of the over 300 types of primary immunodeficiency disorders (PIDs) — conditions that weaken the immune system, leaving patients susceptible to infections and health complications. Many people with PIDs are born with some of the body’s immune de...