Revisiting the Conflicts between ‘Environmental Taxes vs Standard’ in the Context of International Trade: The Role of Waste Recycling

The present paper throws light on the famous “tax versus standard” debate in the sphere of environmental economics by using general equilibrium framework and tries to examine which of the two, i.e., tax or standard is the better way to deal with pollution. The present paper has done so in the presence of a waste recycling sector which is the unique feature of it and has shown the impact of tax and standard separately on different polluting and non-polluting sectors of the economy. The paper has developed a unique as well as an interesting result that in the presence of a waste recycling sector in the economy, both pollution tax and environmental standard have the same impact

Revisiting the Conflicts between ‘Environmental Taxes vs Standard’ in the Context of International Trade: The Role of Waste Recycling

The present paper throws light on the famous “tax versus standard” debate in the sphere of environmental economics by using general equilibrium framework and tries to examine which of the two, i.e., tax or standard is the better way to deal with pollution. The present paper has done so in the presence of a waste recycling sector which is the unique feature of it and has shown the impact of tax and standard separately on different polluting and non-polluting sectors of the economy. The paper has developed a unique as well as an interesting result that in the presence of a waste recycling sector in the economy, both pollution tax and environmental standard have the same impact

Tropical diseases on insurgence: Clinician's perspective

Many known and unknown factors play a synergistic role in the emergence or re-emergence of some infections in a particular area or country. In recent years, India has seen a significant increase in the prevalence of many viral or bacterial diseases. Many are vector borne and are zoonotic disease while others have different source and mode of transmission. These diseases are often associated with high morbidity and mortality. Five important diseases such as leptospirosis, dengue, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, and leishmaniasis have been discussed in this article

Management of locally advanced primary mediastinal synovial sarcoma

Primary mediastinal synovial sarcoma (PMSS) is a relatively rare disease, and patients are treated predominantly with surgery for resectable disease. Management of locally advanced borderline resectable and unresectable PMSS is not only challenging but also lacks standard guidelines. We present three patients with PMSS, who were unresectable or borderline resectable at presentation and were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery and postoperative radiotherapy

Facial acanthosis nigricans: A morphological marker of metabolic syndrome

Introduction: Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is a frequently encountered entity. Facial AN (FAN) is a subset of AN which is being increasingly recognized. Recently, reports hypothesizing the association of FAN with features of metabolic syndrome have been published. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study was to study the clinicodemographic profile of patients with FAN, and to assess the correlation of hypertension, increased waist–hip ratio (WHR), increased body mass index (BMI), type 2 diabetes mellitus, deranged lipid profile, serum insulin, and impaired oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) (parameters of metabolic syndrome) in these patients, as well as to determine the most significant predictor (highest relative risk) of development of FAN. Methods: A multicentric case–control study was conducted (123 cases in each group) over a period of 2 years. Data were obtained on the basis of history, examination, and relevant laboratory investigations. Statistical analysis was done using Statistica version 6 (StatSoft Inc., 2001, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA), SPSS statistics version 17 (SPSS Inc., 2008, Illinois, Chicago, USA), and GraphPad Prism version 5 (GraphPad Software Inc., 2007, San Diego, California, USA). Results: Mean age of the patients with FAN was 38.83 ± 8.62 years. Mean age of onset of the disease was 30.93 ± 8.18 years. The most common site of face involved was the forehead and temporal region. The most common pigmentation was brown-black. Male sex, positive OGTT, increased WHR, and increased BMI were most significantly related to FAN. Smoking was found to have a protective effect against the development of FAN. Conclusion: Here, we document a significant association between male patients with positive OGTT, increased WHR, and BMI and FAN. Thus, we propose that FAN could be considered a morphological marker of metabolic syndrome

Arsenic Exposure through Drinking Water Leads to Senescence and Alteration of Telomere Length in Humans: A Case-Control Study in West Bengal, India

Arsenic (As) induces pre-malignant and malignant dermatological lesions, non-dermatological health effects and cancers in humans. Senescence involves telomere length changes and acquisition of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which promotes carcinogenesis. Though in vitro studies have shown that As induces senescence, population based studies are lacking. We investigated the arsenic-induced senescence, telomere length alteration and its contribution towards development of As-induced skin cancer. The study participants included 60 each of As-exposed individuals with skin lesion (WSL), without skin lesions (WOSL) and 60 unexposed controls. Exposure assessment of drinking water and urine was done. SA b-gal activity, ELISA, and quantification of senescence proteins, alternative lengthening of telomere (ALT) associated proteins and telomerase activity were performed. Relative telomere length (RTL) was determined by qPCR. A significantly higher number of senescent cells, over-expression of p53 and p21 were observed in the As-exposed individuals when compared to unexposed. SASP markers, MMP-1/MMP-3 were significantly higher in the WSL but not IL-6/IL-8. A significant increase of RTL was observed in the WSL group, which was telomerase-independent but exhibited an overexpression of ALT associated proteins TRF-1 and TRF-2 with higher increase in TRF-2. An increased risk for developing Asinduced skin lesions was found for individuals having RTL greater than 0.827 (odds ratio, 13.75; 95% CI: 5.66–33.41; P<0.0001). Arsenic induces senescence in vivo, but the SASP markers are not strictly over-expressed in the As-induced skin lesion group, whereas telomerase-independent elongation of telomere length might be useful for predicting the risk of development of As-induced skin lesion

Arsenic Exposure Through Drinking Water Increases the rRsk of Liver and Cardiovascular Diseases in the Population of West Bengal, India

Background: Arsenic is a natural drinking water contaminant affecting 26 million people in West Bengal, India. Chronic arsenic exposure causes cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, neuropathies and ocular diseases. The aims of the present study were to assess bioindicators of hepatocellular injury as indicated by the levels of liver enzymes, to determine the auto immune status, as indicated by the amounts of anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-dsDNA antibodies in their serum, and to predict cardiovascular risk in the arsenic exposed population. Methods: Effect of chronic arsenic exposure on liver was determined by liver function tests. Autoimmune status was measured by measuring ANA and anti-dsDNA in serum. Inflammatory cytokines associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk, IL6, IL8 and MCP-1 were determined. Results: Our results indicated that serum levels of bilirubin, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase and ANA were increased in the arsenic exposed population. Serum levels of IL6 and IL8 also increased in the arsenic exposed group. Conclusions: Chronic arsenic exposure causes liver injury, increases the serum levels of autoimmune markers and imparts increased cardiovascular risk. Keywords: Arsenic, Antinuclear antibody, Liver function tests, Cytokine

Arsenic exposure through drinking water increases the risk of liver and cardiovascular diseases in the population of West Bengal, India

Abstract Background Arsenic is a natural drinking water contaminant affecting 26 million people in West Bengal, India. Chronic arsenic exposure causes cancer, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, neuropathies and ocular diseases. The aims of the present study were to assess bioindicators of hepatocellular injury as indicated by the levels of liver enzymes, to determine the auto immune status, as indicated by the amounts of anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-dsDNA antibodies in their serum, and to predict cardiovascular risk in the arsenic exposed population. Methods Effect of chronic arsenic exposure on liver was determined by liver function tests. Autoimmune status was measured by measuring ANA and anti-dsDNA in serum. Inflammatory cytokines associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk, IL6, IL8 and MCP-1 were determined. Results Our results indicated that serum levels of bilirubin, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase and ANA were increased in the arsenic exposed population. Serum levels of IL6 and IL8 also increased in the arsenic exposed group. Conclusions Chronic arsenic exposure causes liver injury, increases the serum levels of autoimmune markers and imparts increased cardiovascular risk.</p