Joshua’s World

Will the fat cells in blood vessels help to control obesity and diabetic? In a new finding by the Researchers in USA, fat cells are found in the blood vessels at or before a person’s birth. The baby fat cells, as called by the Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre in Dallas, who carried out the above research, help nourish fat deposits in the blood path. The fat cells, which are said to be an integral part of the blood vessels, reach to compounds in the blood, including nutrients like glucose. These cells also produce signals that could control blood sugar, say Researchers. They are also hopeful that immature fat cells would be an ideal source for reconstruction of the tissue, where needed after surgery, cancer. This finding is expected to pave the way for controlling the diabetic and also obesity, with better understanding of the fat cells’ growth and measures to control its over growth.

Gruesome murders are taking place in the guise of age-old customs in some parts of the world. The girl children are not allowed to marry someone according to their wishes and if the children resist or oppose their parents on the issue, the children are murdered and even buried alive. It is more sickening to note that the parents themselves involve in such murders along with the villagers, in keeping with their own traditions and customs. In the past three months alone about ninety such murders have been reported in Pakistan and it is understood that there were more such unreported murders. Though there is greater awareness among the urban people and even in rural areas about consequences of indulging in such heinous crimes, there continues such crimes in may tribal areas in the Pakistan. While suppression of women in whatsoever manner is not justified in any part of the world, violence against women in any form, and that too under the cover of religion, culture and tradition, cannot be justified.

It is a worldwide phenomenon that adulteration has become part and parcel of any business. Of all the adulterations, the burgeoning food adulteration has had wider ramifications, with the result the people are put into serious health hazards. This has grown to such a level that even the baby food are not left out. A recent case in China is evident that baby food adulteration has resulted in the death of two infants with scores of other babies falling seriously ill, after they were given milk made from milk powder manufactured by a reputed firm in that country. Investigation revealed that the milk powder was adulterated with melamine, an industrial chemical used in manufacturing fabrics, plastics, etc. China, which is one of the countries known for its stringent regulatory norms, is now seriously probing the matter to find the lapses, so as to tighten the inspection and clearance norms, to avoid further such incidence. Will other countries wake up now and tighten their regulatory norms on the food adulteration issue?

The increasing tilt towards the USA’s policies and action by the United Nations Security Council, which is supposed to maintain neutrality among its member countries, does not augur well for the peace and tranquility of the world as a whole. The UN’s failure to decisively act against the decision of USA’s invasion into Iraq proved catastrophe. The USA not only failed in its ill-conceived mission on the Iraq issue, but also suffered a huge blow on its economy, as it is finding it difficult to wriggle out of the situation, which is going bad to worse. Making the things worse, the UN is considering imposing more sanctions against Iran, at the behest of USA, citing Iran’s uranium enrichment plan, though the IAEA have already given a clean chit to the Iran on the issue. Any further economic blockade against Iran, which is already facing three economic sanctions by the UN, will certainly result in serious sufferings by the millions of people there. The UN should given up its negative attitude towards Iran and initiate immediate dialogue with the Iran to ensure peace in that country, bearing in mind the lives of millions of people living there.

The continued financial mismanagement in the Unites States of America (USA) has sent shock waves throughout the world. The entire financial market in the world is now reeling under pressure, with the latest debacle of the Lehman Brothers, one of the leading financial institutions in the USA, which served bankruptcy notice recently and another leading insurance firm AIG on the verge of collapse. The sub-prime crisis, which started in the later part of 2007, due to bad housing loan, has already taken the toll of many financial institutions not only in USA but in many other countries too. No one in the financial market will forget that a few months back, the American Govt came to the rescue of three financial institutions, viz. Black Stearns, Freddi Mac and Funni Mae, which fell deep in the red, in the on going mortgage crisis, by taking over these institutions. Now, the question that lingers in minds of many people, will the American Govt take over the Lehman Brothers too and come forward to bring back to life other financial institutions that are in doldrums and how long the Govt will extend such support? Only time will give answers to these questions.

With the rise in prices of food articles coupled with the decrease in agricultural production, every country, big or small, is facing serious difficulties to feed their growing population. In an effort to tide over the situation, efforts are being made by the Scientists to sequence the genome of the Potato so as to explore the ways to increase its production. Potato, which has its origin of 8000 years old, is the third largest food crop, consumed by the population world wide, after wheat and rice, and considered to be the cheapest food crop available in the world to meet the hungry of millions of people. The scientists who are expected to unravel the genetic mysteries of potato, which has about 5000 varieties in its basket, would pave the way of more efficient and effective development of seed. Although, the potato is not the primary food article of the people, if grown in large numbers, it would certainly off set the food shortage, particularly in countries where population is largely concentrated.

It is a known fact that obesity is the source for many causes in human life. Life threatening diseases like heart attack, hypertension are the major causes apart from over weight induced fatigue, physical deformation, etc. Now another disease is added to the above list, that is liver damage or even liver cancer. The American Liver Foundation, which carried out a research on the consequences of obesity, has come out with this startling revelation of severe lever damage particularly in the teenage group, in many developed and developing countries. The obesity is seen in about two to five percent of children aged above five years, who are now prone to this dangerous disease. The research reveals that the build up of fat in the body, causes inflammation and then scarred over time, resulting in cirrhosis, which ultimately leads to lever cancer. This calls for an urgent need to stem the obesity with the change of food habits and save the people from disaster.

The practical enacting of big bang theory has caught majority of the people in the world unaware, especially the youth. The quest to unravel the deepest mysteries in the formation of universe by an army of Scientists, Engineers, and Technicians drafted from more than thirty countries, by conducting the most ever complex tests involved so far, is really an amazing job. The test conducted in a tunnel running 27 km, under a hundred meters depth, involves a large Hadron Collider, which is expected to accelerate sub atomic particles to the speed of light, generating temperatures one lakh times hotter than the sun in a microscopic space. It can smash protons or ions together at a whopping 14 tera-electron volts. While the anticipated results involve analyzing huge data generated over the days to come, the laudable effort will give a feast to the people in general and the younger generation in particular the mystery behind the creation of universe.

The much-awaited result of the Nuclear Suppliers cartel’s meeting in Vienna has gone in favour of India, after protracted discussions whether to agree or not to the India’s demand of exemption for getting nuclear fuel. Some of the NSG countries, which were reluctant to give exemption to India, which is a non-signatory to the non-proliferation treaty, later towed the American way which spearheaded in getting clearance for India on the issue. The energy starved India can now import nuclear reactors, nuclear fuel, including transfer of nuclear technology from countries such USA, Russia, France, etc., and use them for peaceful purposes, mainly for generation of electricity, as the country as a whole is facing acute power crisis. However, all these transfer of nuclear technology, fuel, etc., is subject to unilateral moratorium declared by the India on the conductance further nuclear tests. This will keep India on the close watch list of the countries, which intend transfer of technology and fuel, for retaliatory action.

With the official announcement of candidates by both the Republican and Democratic parties, the next edition of Presidential election in USA is set for intense competition, in the coming days. The Republican Party has declared Mr McCain as its Presidential Candidate, while Mr Barak Obama is the Democratic Party’s candidate. While the election campaign is hotting up, Mr Obama seems to be an edge over his rival in the backdrop of all round failure by the incumbent President of USA Mr George Bush. The foreign policy adopted by Mr George Bush, especially the invasion to Iraq and the continued civil unrest in that country is one of the set back to his foreign policies. The American citizens are up against the present president, whose ill-advised policy led to killing of thousands of American Soldiers which largely resulted in wide spread animosity between the citizens and government. Only time will tell how the new president, whichever party he belongs, will fair in the midst of widening crisis in USA.