Healthy living switches off genes that promote cancer

That a healthy way of life can prevent cancer is well known. It is also becoming clear living can help those who already have tumours to survive, and may even prevent the disease from coming back. A number of studies have shown these effects in breast cancer and colon cancer. But how they work at a molecualr level remains a mystery.

For examply, prostate cancer, it is slow-growing. When such a cancer has been diagnosed early, doing nothing is a reasonable alternative to the trauma of surgery, radiation or hormone therapy. Dr Ornish of the University of California, San Francisco enrolled 30 such early-stage patients into a programme of “comprehensive lifestyle changes”. These included a low-fat, whole-food, plant-based diet, stress management, moderate exercise and plenty of “psychosocial group support”. Patients’ prostates were sampled at the start of the study, and then three months later to see what had changed.

For a gene to do its work, it has to be transcribed into a molecular messenger. This messenger, a molecule of a substance called RNA, carries instructions to the protein-making parts of a cell, telling them what to make. The more RNA messengers that have been transcribed from a gene, the more active that gene is assumed to be. Count the shifting number of messengers, then, and you can see the effects on the genes of a course of treatment. And that, using so-called gene-chip technology, is what Dr Ornish did.

He and his colleagues found that after three months, the activity of more than 500 genes was altered in the prostate in a way that might be expected to help fight cancer. The good life turned off tumour-promoting genes (known as oncogenes)—including several that are the target of efforts to develop anti-cancer drugs. Meanwhile, disease-preventing genes, including one for a protein that may help the immune system to recognise tumour cells, were switched on. Exactly how changes in lifestyle have this effect on the genes is unclear. But the study suggests the process reaches deep into the body’s molecular biology.

Before anyone rushes out for a quick glass of wheatgrass juice, though, there are a few caveats. First, 30 patients is quite a small sample, so the results should be treated cautiously. Second, there was no control group. Though a “before and after” comparison like this does have some value, it is better to conduct a study in which half the participants do not receive the treatment under test, and then compare the two halves.

Nevertheless, the results are intriguing. As far as Dr Ornish is concerned, the message is that it is wrong to be nihilistic about cancer and assume that nothing can be done because “it is in the genes”. As for how much prevention is necessary, he says his earlier work showed a correlation between the degree to which patients adhere to the kind of changes he proposes and the level of improvement they make.

Experts suggests following eating goals in order to prevent the cancer risk.

Eating goals:

Decrease the total amount of fat you eat to 20%-35% or less of your total daily calories. For a person eating 2,000 calories a day, this would be about 44-77 grams of fat or less per day.

• Limit cholesterol intake to 300 milligrams (mg) or less per day.
• Decrease saturated fat (animal fat, butter, coconut, and palm oils) to less than 10% of your total calories per day. For a person eating 2,000 calories a day, this would be 22 grams of saturated fat or less per day.
• Eliminate trans fats from your diet. Trans fats are in foods like margarine, packaged baked goods, fast food, some frozen prepared foods, chips, and crackers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that the trans fat content of foods is now listed on the food label along with saturated fat and dietary cholesterol.

Fiber is thought to be a powerful weapon against cancer. Though there is conflicting research as to whether or not fiber has protective effects against colorectal cancer, there is evidence that fiber intake improves overall health by moving wastes through the digestive tract faster. This may give potentially toxic wastes less time to come into contact with intestinal cells.

It is also believed that some types of fiber help detoxify potential cancer-causing substances as well as prevent these substances from being absorbed by the cells of the intestines. Good sources of fibers include: whole-grain cereals and breads, prunes, berries, kidney beans and other legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, and brown rice.

The bottom line

The way to improve your health and reduce your cancer risk is to eat a plant-based diet, maintain a healthy bodyweight, exercise regularly, and avoid tobacco (smoking and chewing). Ideally, the whole diet needs to be based around vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and legumes (beans). For true health benefit, no more than one-quarter of the plate should be covered by meat or other animal foods. This means that three-quarters of the plate should contain vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and legumes (beans). This style of eating will help you to eat at least 9 servings of vegetables and fruit each day. This type of diet will be naturally low in fat too.

The recent low-fat diet study confirms that very small changes in diet probably will make very small changes in health. Furthermore, studies in cancer survivors do tell us that eating a true low-fat diet and eating plenty of vegetables and fruit can lower cancer risk

Whatever may be the nomenclature, every CEO is hired to deliver results-be it for a company, an NGO, a government, or a project. “CEOs have the ultimate responsibility for the work of everybody else in their institution. But they also have work of their own. In any organization, regardlesss of its mission, the CEO is the link between the Inside, i.e. the organization, and the Outside - society, the economy, technology, markets, customers, the media and public option. Inside, there are only costs. Results are only on the outside,” observed the legendary management guru.

One columbia University Graduate School of Business Professor, drawing upon his extensive research on Peter Drucker’s works, aptly captures the eight lessons of an effective executive. The journey from an executive to a manager to a leader is quite a phenomenal one. The same person learns, unlearns and relearns. What is intriguing is, many presume that they would wear the grab of CEO when it is ‘given’. That is not to be; since, everyone is a CEO in his own right and scope.

Fundamentally, when someone joins a company at the bottom of the hierarchy, he is the CEO of specific task. Later, when he is promoted to be a team leader, he becomes the CEO of a team. Upon his next promotion, he becomes the CEO of a division. He becomes the CEO of particular staff next. And, finally, he becomes the CEO of the company. When observed very minutely the organizational life of a nexecutive is a metamorphosis from managing onelsef to managing many. As an executive climbs the corporate ladder his resposibilities get widened-first, he is responsible for a task, then for  department, then for a major functional area, and finally for the company- with similar qualities in exhibition all through. What is important, therefore, is not to belive that you shall be ‘Crowned’ one day and wait for that eventful day. It amy or may not come through. However, it is very important to belive that you are a CEO from the day one when you join any company and start nurturing yourself, growing steadfastly to don the mantle.

Reuters:

Livemint:

Pharma company Piramal Healthcare Ltd said on Tuesday that it has signed a deal to buy US based inhalation anaesthetics maker Minrad International Inc for about US $40 million in cash and debt.

TYPES OF ESSAYS ASKED IN XAT:

There are basically two broad categories of essays which are asked in XAT they are ABSTRACT topics e.g.”There is a no right way of doing a wrong thing.” and the other type is KNOWLEDGE BASED topics e.g. “India has one of the largest pools of talented manpower, but few innovations and patented products.”

In case of abstract topics the logical power and creative thinking of the candidate is tested while in case of knowledge-based topics one requires in depth knowledge about the topics and had to back his argument with reasonable data and quotes. This requires in-depth reading on variety of topics and understanding of the subject matter. I would suggest regular reading of business magazines and business dailies for preparing such topics. Also reading magazines like TIME, INDIA TODAY etc. and listening BBC NEWS will benefit a lot to the candidate not only for the essay writing but also for GD-PI preparation.

WHY ESSAY WRITING IN XAT:

As such XLRI selects a candidate for short listing for PI on the basis of scores of written exams only and essay has no role to play for getting a call from XLRI, but it is definitely given importance to shortlist a candidate in the interview. Basically essay is used to know the logical power and depth of understanding of candidate about his surrounding world. The interviewer can ask questions based on the essay and it is also used to measure how well a candidate can convince his/her point. So make sure that you refer the key points of the essay before facing the interview.

Another suggestion is that be as simple and crisp in your points as possible and never provide wrong data, facts or quotes on the basis of your intuition. One should also make sure that the starting part and conclusion part should be most effective as it creates very good impression. The body of essay should cover all important points and explain them in a reasonable length.

What is looked for?

• Subject knowledge
• Clarity of thought
• Flow of ideas
• Examples
• Facts
• Correct usage of grammar
• Correct usage of words
• A neat hand-writing

How should you write?

• Always write in paragraphs
• It’s not a natural but learned skill
• Different paragraphs express different ideas that contribute to the main idea
• A paragraph should ideally contain :

(i) Topic Sentence: it is the 1st sentence expressing the main idea of the paragraph- Say what you are going to say

(ii) Supporting Sentences: they expand the main idea expressed in the topic sentence- Say it

(iii) Concluding Sentence: rounding off what has been said or a logical conclusion of the idea in the topic sentence- Say it again!!!

How should you write?

• Follow a flow of paragraphs
• Always let the first paragraph be an introduction to the subject matter
• Expansion/ support/ refutation of the idea must follow in subsequent paragraphs
• The last paragraph must have a conclusion of the main idea
• There could be two forms of writing- Deductive and Inductive
• You should have good knowledge of the topic to write about
• Read the directions carefully
• Recognize action words- discuss, evaluate, argue, comment etc.
• Focus on the issue rather than peripheries
• Choose words with precise meanings; avoid ambiguity
• Do not use Jargon
• Do not use Slang
• Do not use Cliché
• Do not use Abbreviations
• Do not use Quotations without acknowledgments
• Make tentative statements; avoid definitive statements- it leaves a scope for further discussion

How to prepare?

• Regular reading of:-

(i) Newspaper editorials

(ii) News papers

(iii) News websites

(iv) Non-fiction

• Discussions with friends and family
• Informational thinking

XAT PREVIOUS YEARS ESSAY TOPICS

XAT essay 1996
“There is no right way of doing a wrong thing.”

XAT essay 1997
“By the third or fourth week of the term, business school had succeeded in afflicting me with a variation of the Stockholm syndrome, named after the incident in which a hostage in a Stockholm bank robbery fell in love with one of her captors.”

XAT essay 1998
Max Weber, a German Sociologist, defined state as an entity that has a monopoly over legal violence. India proves that the converse is also true; if criminals cannot be punished by the law, its effect they become the state.

XAT essay 1999
That is what a Television really is; it is another eye so you can see anywhere; another part of your heart so you can feel and care about things you never felt and cared about before; another ear to hear strange music … the first and only International language.

XAT essay 2000
Ships in harbor are safe; but that is not what they are built for.

XAT essay 2001
“Economic Growth without distributive justice can only lead to violence”

XAT essay 2002
“Indian Economy in the Post WTO Era.”

XAT essay 2003
“To give real service, one needs to add something that cannot be bought or measured, like sincerity and integrity.”

XAT essay 2004
Asked at the age of 83, as to which of his project would he choose as his master piece, Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect answered, “The next one”

XAT essay 2005
“More than one billion Indians: A gigantic problem or a sea of opportunities.”

XAT essay 2006
“India has one of the largest pools of talented manpower, but few innovations and patented products.”

XAT essay 2007
“Economic Growth without environmental damage - a mirage or a reality”

XAT essay 2008
“Gender imbalance will lead to Third world war.”

The XAT is one of the premier Management Entrance Tests being conducted in India. In terms of toughness, it can be equated with the CAT; in fact many students feel that the XAT is even tougher than the CAT.

The XAT pattern has undergone a complete metamorphosis over the past three to four years and today it resembles the CAT in many aspects.

XAT 2008 had 120 questions (objective type, multiple choice) to be attempted in 2hours along with an essay for which the students were given an additional 20 minutes. The XAT is currently the only examination that imposes a progressive negative marking. Progressive negative marking means that the first six incorrect answers in a section carry a penalty of -0.25 and every subsequent incorrect answer in this section carries a negative mark of -0.5.

Needless to say, the objective behind and the implication of such a marking scheme should be clear to the students!

How should you approach the paper?

Given the nature of marking and the toughness level of the paper, it is evident that question selection will be of primary importance. The students have to consciously devote quality time to a proper selection of questions from the XAT paper. We recommend the tried, tested and proven S-S-S-S strategy, where the 4 S’s stand for Scan, Search, Select and Solve. The first 3 S’s comprise, what is popularly known as ‘Strategy’, which when properly done, will result in effective ‘Solving’ of the questions.

Last year, the required score for a call from the prestigious XLRI Jamshedpur for their BM program was around 40 (out of a total of 120). The implication for the student is that he/she should try and pick up questions from strength areas and avoid random guesses. The individual sectional cut-offs should not be very high and students should look at a minimum score of 7-9 per section to clear the sectional cut-offs

Sectional Strategies:

Verbal and Logical Ability: Normally, this section is graded as ‘Tough’ by most analysts. Questions in this section normally involve complex reasoning and drawing inferences. You can expect to find questions from areas like Critical Reasoning, Paragraph formation, and fill in the blanks, apart from Reading Comprehension. The RC passages in the XAT are typically abstruse and last year we had passages from Consumer Moods and Emotions, Jung and Psychology, Karma, and the claims and experiments of Deborah Mayo, philosopher of science. None of these were ‘easy to read’ passages and this year too we expect no different. Students wishing to locate scoring opportunities should target the questions from the non-RC portion in this section.

Analytical Reasoning and Decision Making: This section would be the ‘easiest’ among all sections - the word ‘easy’ being used in strict relative terms! Last year there were many scoring options from questions on Data Arrangement and if once again this year, you find DA questions, jump at them. Decision Making questions were a novelty and involved making simple ‘business decisions’ on the basis of a situation provided. They should not prove to be too difficult, provided the student can think in a rational manner.

Data Interpretation and Quantitative Ability:

This section can be classified as moderately tough, but there would be an adequate number of questions for everybody to attempt. The questions in QA would primarily be from Algebra (number theory, quadratics, polynomials, progressions) and Geometry whereas DI would have questions that could be answered by observation and some calculations. The key in this section would be how quickly once is able to choose questions from his “strong” areas and leave the “weak” areas.

Overall: with the individual sectional cut-offs mentioned previously, the students desirous of calls from XLRI would additionally have to “max” at least one of the three sections. The primary target of the student should be to achieve a score (net of negatives) of 40+ (out of the expected total of 120 marks)

Finally, do not forget the Essay Writing - that one thing that is the signature mark of the XAT! The focus will clearly be on the content and how you present that, but you need to focus on the Grammar and Language part also. Topics can be from any background - but expect more on Social Issues.

All the Best for XAT

MadeITsimple Team

Ghajini Review

Anupama Chopra, Consulting Editor, Films, NDTV

At the recently held Indian Screenwriters’ Conference in Mumbai writer-director Abbas Tyrewala lamented the lack of villains in Bollywood. He said that clearly defined villains used to be our staple diet.

This was true until sometime in the mid-1990s, when happy smiling families and yuppies in designer clothes took over. Well, I’m happy to report that the villain is back.

Ghajini, played ferociously by Pradeep Singh Rawat, is the kind of villain who wears thick gold chains and rings on every finger. He is defiantly brutal - he runs a pharmaceutical company but for reasons never explained, he likes to smash iron rods into human heads and forces young girls into both prostitution and organ trade.

He has one gold tooth, wears shiny white shoes and keeps a posse of henchmen so ugly that they look like they were airlifted from Ram Gopal Varma’s last film. And of course Ghajini routinely drops lines like: aise marenge ki uska nakhun bhi nahi milega and my personal favourite: short-term memory loss patient mujhe kya yaad dilaayega.

Ghajini, director A R Murugadoss’s remake of his Tamil blockbuster, is a throw back to what Hindi films used to be: a three hour-extravaganza of romance, comedy, action, set-piece songs and drama.

It’s a standard-issue revenge film given a fresh twist with a dash of Christopher Nolan’s critically-acclaimed Memento. Like that film, the protagonist here, Sanjay Singhania played by Aamir Khan, was hit on the head and suffers from short-term memory loss. He cannot remember anything for more than 15 minutes.

So, he tattoos his body with instructions: the most important one being that his girlfriend Kalpana was murdered and he must find the murderer and kill him. The film is riddled with logical loopholes but Murugadoss, who also wrote it, doesn’t give you enough time to think about them.

So, you never ask how Sanjay, the fabulously wealthy owner of a cellphone company, conducts a lengthy romance with Kalpana, played by debutant Asin, pretending to be an ordinary man. Or why Ghajini, a master-thug and expert killer, doesn’t have a gun when he needs it most. Or why the key conflict, which leads to Kalpana’s death, is such a random imposition on the script.

Instead, you are caught up in the mystery of how a superbly stylish businessman becomes a killing machine who routinely cracks necks and in his introduction scene, plunges a broken tap into a man’s stomach. Ghajini isn’t for the faint-hearted. The violence is gory and elemental-the climax is pure man-on-man combat with lots of crunching bones.

For Aamir, Ghajini is a 360 degree turn from the sensitive teacher he played in Taare Zameen Par. With a buffed up, eight-pack body, here he is a brutal killer in a murderous rage. Watch him as he explodes with grief and then just as quickly, forgets. It’s a memorable performance.

Thankfully Asin is less animated than she was in the Tamil version. Some of their romantic scenes and particularly her death are nicely done.

Ghajini isn’t a great film or even a very good one but I recommend that you see it. It is, as we used to say in the old days, paisa vasool.

If you are suffering a hir loss may be because of some itchy shampoo or reaction, you can opt for using these following Essestial Oils that can help you prevent hair loss and retain your charm.

Bay, Cedarwood, Grapefruit, Jojoba oil, Lavender, Lemon, Rosemary, Roman Chamomile

How To Use Essential Oils for Hair Loss:

Add 2 drops of the essential oil either to the rinse water or to a good vegetable oil. Massage it well into the scalp. Wrap the hair in plastic wrap; place a warm towel around it. Leave it for 2 to 3 hours, or overnight. Shampoo the hair as usual, using a mild shampoo (avoid medicated shampoo), so that you do not damage the sebum balance.

Essential Oils for Improving the Hair Health

A blend of bay and lavender essential oils stimulates the scalp and helps hair health. Add six drops of each oil to four ounces of a warm carrier oil such as almond, soybean or sesame oil. Massage the mixture into the scalp and allow it to absorb for 20 minutes. Add three drops of bay essential oil to the shampoo you regularly uses and wash the hair with this shampoo.

Essential Oil Blend for Hair Growth

1. Thyme essential oil - 2 drops
2. Atlas cedarwood essential oil - 2 drops
3. Lavender essential oil -3 drops
4. Rosemary essential oil -3 drops
5. Jojoba oil - ½ teaspoon
6. Grapeseed oil - 4 teaspoons

Add the first four ingredients into a small glass jar. Mix well. Now add the remaining two ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

Massage this mixture into your scalp for at least two minutes every night. Wrap your head in a warm towel after treatment.

Oils of arnica, lavender, rosemary or calamus stimulate healthy hair growth. Rub into hair before washing.

If you are suffering from the danduff problem, you will surely get some good positive results after using some of these Essesntial Oils.

Cedarwood, Lavender, Patchouli, Rosemary, Tea tree oil

These oils can be used as it is or mixed with your shampoo, but if you are having a problem with oily hair rather look at using tea tree oil, and with dry hair rosemary.

Caution:

Avoid rosemary oil if you have high blood pressure. Keep lemon and grapefruit doses low if you have sensitive skin, as they may be slightly irritating.

Panasonic to acquire Sanyo

Panasonic has begun a 800 billion yen ($9 billion) takeover of Japanese rival Sanyo, hoping that transforming into one of the world’s biggest electronics companies will help it weather the toughest business conditions in a century.

The deal is the first major realignment of Japan’s electronics industry since the start of the economic crisis, which has led companies to suspend production as consumer demand dries up. Top shareholders, including Goldman Sachs, had been haggling over the price with Panasonic Corp. since it expressed interest in Sanyo last month, but Friday revealed they’d settled on a tender offer price of 131 yen ($1.47) a share. The deal would also allow Panasonic, which makes Viera TVs and Diga Blu-ray disc players, to take advantage of struggling Sanyo’s green businesses in solar panels and rechargeable batteries.

Sanyo, which started off making bicycle lamps after World War II, has cut thousands of jobs as it attempts to return to profit. Sanyo’s July-September profit dwindled to about a third of what it was a year earlier to 4.4 billion yen ($49 million) as a stronger Japanese currency, rising raw material costs and declining gadget prices hurt earnings. Panasonic’s quarterly profit slumped 16 percent to 55.5 billion yen ($624 million).

“I think it is very positive for Panasonic. They will probably buy this company at a bargain price and they will have an entry into solar and become the leader of lithium-ion batteries. It’s exactly what they needed,” the analyst said.

Panasonic should not have any problems financing an acquisition given it is sitting on Rs.50,036.39 crore ($10 billion) of cash.

The two companies would together have revenues of 11.2 trillion yen, based on forecasts for the year to March 2009, surpassing projected 10.9 trillion yen at Hitachi Ltd, currently Japan’s top electronics firm in sales.

This Session - SNAP GK Power Capsule, consist of 150 GK questions. It will cover almost every part of GK sections like economy, events and much more. Also if you have not taken the Free Mock SNAP yet, then take it right now. If you have missed any of the GK sessions and do not want to navigate more in search of questions then you can visit them right here. We, on behalf on MadeITsimple Team wish you very all the best for SNAP and we hope our efforts and tests help you in cracking the SNAP this year. All the best and please do not forget to visit this site on Sunday Evening i.e. 21st Dec for SNAP Analysis.

Today’s SNAP Power Capsule

Session one

Session two

Session three

Test-1

Test-2