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HEALTHWATCH
Will The Kit Pass The Test?
A new AIDS test developed to suit Indian conditions
will be much cheaper
 How
does one test for HIV? So far, it's been through imported and expensive
tests which are not always accurate in Indian conditions. Things will
soon change. For the first time, an indigenous confirmatory test for HIV
has been developed for the Indian market by the Cancer Research Institute
in Mumbai and J. Mitra and Company in Delhi. India, which has the world's
second largest HIV-positive population-an estimated 5 million, the need
for cheap, accurate diagnosis has never been greater.
Initial screening for HIV comprised either elisa
tests for specific antibodies to the virus, or, more recently, for viral
DNA through a technique called PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). Both are
rapid and provide results in a matter of hours. The problem with elisa
is that the proteins may not be detected for two-10 weeks after infection,
called the "window period", so the test may give false results.
PCR, on the other hand, can detect HIV from the moment of infection, says
Dr Nimrat Bawa of Aeroprobes Labs, associated with HIV diagnostic development
for the past 10 years . But PCR is twice as expensive as elisa, although
prices are coming down now.
A confirmatory test, using a technique called
Western Blot, is used to overcome the drawbacks of the initial screening
test. This is a more sensitive technique to detect specific HIV proteins
though some differ according to the strain of the virus. Indians are usually
infected with a strain called hiv-1c, while Europe and the US shows a
prevalence of hiv-1b. Imported kits manufactured in those countries are
therefore optimal only for the "b-subtypes", and may not be
able to detect the c-subtypes, providing wrong results.
"The new kit will be much cheaper as well
as more specific for Indian strains," says Pradeep Sehgal, product
executive, J. Mitra and Co. "This version will cost around Rs 500
as against the imported ones which come for around Rs 1,500."
Will the new kit transform HIV diagnosis in
India? Doctors are more cautious. "We will first have to test the
efficacy of the kit to decide," says Dr Nalin Nag, consultant immunologist
at Delhi's Apollo Hospital, "but provided quality is not affected
we are always happier if the cost comes down." So will be millions
of patients at risk of the dreaded virus.
-Supriya Bezbaruah
IN SMALL DOSES
Fruits For
Cancer
 Which
option would any man prefer: eating fruits or castration? That could be
the future choices for treating prostate cancer, a leading cause of cancer
death in men, according to a new study by Mayo Hospital in the US. Quercetin,
a substance found abundantly in apples, onions, tea, leafy green vegetables
and oranges and lemons, has revealed male hormone-blocking properties
in prostate cancer cells in the laboratory. The hormone receptor determines
prostrate activity, and the current treatment is to suppress it surgically.
It seems an apple a day does more than keep the doctor away.
Work It Off
 Down
with depression? Fight it with aerobics, says the British Medical Association.
Regular exercise works faster than drugs. Twelve patients with severe
depression for more than nine months were substantially better after regular
work-outs for 10 days which included walking on a treadmill for 30 minutes.
Anti-depressants, on the other hand, normally take two to four weeks to
act. Although the study is small, the results are significant. The message
is clear: work out and smile.
Brushing Off Malaria
 For
most of us brushing our teeth in the morning and night is just another
daily ritual. Toothpaste may appear quite benign to us, but for the malaria
parasite, P. falciparum, it's a different story. Indian scientists at
Bangalore's Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research,
have discovered that the anti-microbial biocide called triclosan, commonly
found in toothpastes and body sprays, make mosquitoes genetically sterile.
Triclosan blocks a fatty acid essential for the parasite's growth and
development. Human trials will soon predict if we are finally in for a
bite-free future.
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