Sunday, 29 April 2012

Leukemia


Leukemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases. In turn, it is part of the even broader group of diseases affecting the blood, bone marrow and lymphoid system, which are all known as hematological neoplasms.





 Classification:

Clinically and pathologically, leukemia is subdivided into a variety of large groups. The first division is between its acute and chronic forms
  • Acute leukemia is characterized by a rapid increase in the numbers of immature blood cells. Crowding due to such cells makes the bone marrow unable to produce healthy blood cells. Immediate treatment is required in acute leukemia due to the rapid progression and accumulation of the malignant cells, which then spill over into the bloodstream and spread to other organs of the body. Acute forms of leukemia are the most common forms of leukemia in children. 
  • Chronic Leukemia is characterized by the excessive build up of relatively mature, but still abnormal, white blood cells. Typically taking months or years to progress, the cells are produced at a much higher rate than normal cells, resulting in many abnormal white blood cells in the blood. Whereas acute leukemia must be treated immediately, chronic forms are sometimes monitored for some time before treatment to ensure maximum effectiveness of therapy. Chronic leukemia mostly occurs in older people, but can theoretically occur in any age group.

Causes:

o single known cause for any of the different types of leukemia exists. The known causes, which are not generally factors within the control of the average person, account for relatively few cases. The different leukemias likely have different causes.
Leukemia, like other cancers, results from mutation in the DNA. Certain mutations can trigger leukemia by activating oncogenes or deactivating tumor suppressor genes, and thereby disrupting the regulation of cell death, differentiation or division. These mutations may occur spontaneously or as a result of exposure to radiation or carcinogenic substances.
Among adults, the known causes are natural and artificial ionising radiation, a few viruses such as Human T-lymphotropic virus, and some chemicals, notably benzene and alkylating chemotherapy agents for previous malignancies. Use of tobacco is associated with a small increase in the risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia in adults. Cohort and case-control studies have linked exposure to some petrochemicals and hair dyes to the development of some forms of leukemia. A few cases of maternal fetal-transmition have been reported. Diet has very limited or no effect, although eating more vegetables may confer a small protective benefit.
Viruses have also been linked to some forms of leukemia. Experiments on mice and other mammals have demonstrated the relevance of retroviruses in leukemia, and human retroviruses have also been identified. The first human retrovirus identified was human T-lymohotropic virus, or HTLV-1, which is known to cause adult T-cell leukemia.
Some people have a genetic predisposition towards developing leukemia. This predisposition is demonstrated by family histories and twin studies. The affected people may have a single gene or multiple genes in common. In some cases, families tend to develop the same kind of leukemia as other members; in other families, affected people may develop different forms of leukemia.
In addition to these genetic issues, people with chromosomal abnormalities or certain other genetic conditions have a greater risk of leukemia. For example, people with Down syndrome have a significantly increased risk of developing forms of acute leukemia and Fanconi Anemia is a risk factor for developing acute myeloid leukemia.
Whether non-ionizing radiation causes leukemia has been studied for several decades. The IARC expert working group undertook a detailed review of all data on static and extremely low frequency electromagnetic energy, which occurs naturally and in association with the generation, transmission, and use of electrical power. They concluded that there is limited evidence that high levels of ELF magnetic (but not electric) fields might cause childhood leukemia. Exposure to significant ELF magnetic fields might result in twofold excess risk for leukemia for children exposed to these high levels of magnetic fields. However, the report also says that methodological weaknesses and biases in these studies have likely caused the risk to be overstated. No evidence for a relationship to leukemia or another form of malignancy in adults has been demonstrated. Since exposure to such levels of ELFs is relatively uncommon, the W.H.O. concludes that ELF exposure, if later proven to be causative, would account for just 100 to 2400 cases worldwide each year, representing 0.2 to 4.9% of the total incidence of childhood leukemia for that year (about 0.03 to 0.9% of all leukemias).



Celebrity Curly Hairstyles

These celebs all know that cascading curls don't have to be prim and proper. If you already have naturally curly hair but want to eliminate frizz and add smoothness, New York City hairstylist Nathaniel Hawkins recommends letting hair air-dry, then wrapping your natural waves around the barrel of an iron to "seal the cuticle and perfect the curls." If your hair is straight, wash and deep condition so you get a healthy shine. Dry hair with a round brush, then use a large curling iron and, alternating sections, roll hair around the barrel in one direction and then again in the other to create a ripple effect.More great hairstyle ideas: half up,  half down,layers, ponytails, and beachy waves.


Andie MacDowell, Curly....


TOP 10 B SCHOOLS OF ALL TIME IN INDIA.....

Top Indian Management Institutes for MBA, PGDM

List of the best business schools in India offering PGP and Doctoral programs
CAT Classroom Program @ Chennai Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM A)
Ranked amongst the top most business schools in India and Asia. The institute offers four programmes in Management. The PGP - Post Graduate Program (equivalent to MBA), the FPM - Fellowship Program in Management(equivalent to Ph.D), the FDP - Faculty Development Program for Management teachers and Trainers and the MDP - Management Development Program - a refresher for middle and top level managers. Admission process for PGP and FPM of IIM Ahemedabad involves taking the Common Admission Test (CAT) followed by group discussion and interviews for short listed candidates.

Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM C) @ Kolkatta
Ranked amongst the most prestigious business schools in India and Asia. The institute offers three full time programs. The PGDM - Post Graduate Program in Management (equivalent to MBA), the FPM - Fellowship Program in Management, the PGDCM - Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Aided Management. All three programs require the candidate to take CAT. The institute also offer part time PGDBM - Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management for managers with relevant work experience. In addition, MDP - Management Development Programs are held in regular intervals for middle and top level managers.

Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM B)
IIM Bangalore offers two year full time PGP - Post Graduate Program in Management (equivalent to MBA) and a FPM - Fellowship Program in Management. Both these programs require the candidate to take CAT. The institute also offers part time non residential PGSM - Post Graduate Program in Software Enterprise Management. There is a separate entrance test for this program. This business school is ranked amongst the top three business schools in the country.

Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIM L)
IIM Lucknow offers a two year full time residential PGP - Post Graduate Program in Management and a four year FPM program. Both these programs require a candidate to take CAT. The institute also has an interesting student exchange program where students of this B-School go to premier B-Schools the world over and do part of their education. Students and faculty from these internationally reputed B-Schools in turn visit IIM Lucknow. It is ranked amongst the top five B-Schools in India.

XLRI - Xavier Labour Research Institute, Jamshedpur
Xavier Labour Research Institute, popularly known as XLRI was established in 1949 at Jamshedpur. The institute offers two courses at the post graduation level in management - a post graduate diploma in Business administration and a post graduate diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations (PMIR). Online version of the brochure is also available. In 2001, the average salary (including foreign offers) soared by 70% (over last year) to a whopping Rs.8.06 lakhs per annum. The offers in the Business Management program averaged at an awe-inspiring Rs.9.71 lakhs and in the Personnel Management program at Rs. 6.5 lakhs. And these exclude ESOPs and other means of compensation.

ISB - Indian School of Business, Hyderabad
Indian School of Business, Hyderabad is emerging as a preferred choice for MBA aspirants who want to pack in the program into a one year course. As it gradually builds up its permanent faculty base, the ISB has created a unique and sustainable visiting faculty model with some of the world's leading academicians from Wharton, Kellogg, Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, Duke and Texas among others. The school offers a one year Post Graduate Program in Management.

FMS - Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi
FMS is amongst the top 10 B-Schools in the country and probably one of the two attached to a university amongst the top ten. The full time program of FMS started in 1967. The whole outgoing batch of 2002 was placed within a span of 2 days. There were 8 foreign offers including British American Tobacco (BAT), OLAM and QAI among others.

Indian Institute of Management, Indore (IIM I)
The Indian Institute of Management, Indore (IIMI) is the latest addition to the IIM community. IIMI has a two-year post graduate programme emphasizing on Experiential learning, IT orientation, and Social Sensitivity. The construction of the new campus is progressing at a rapid pace and IIMI plans to operate out of the new campus from June 2003. IIM-I offers the following programs viz., (a) The Post Graduate Programme (PGP), a two year programme (b) Management Development Programme. These are held throughout the year. (c) Faculty Development Programme (FDP) is designed to assist in the development of teachers, researchers, and trainers for management education and (d) Executive Post-Graduate Programme (Exe-PGP) a 18-months programme, designed for working executives.

Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIM K - Calicut)
Established in 1996, The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, IIMK is the fifth Indian Institute of Management. Its academic programmes encompass a range of long term full time diploma programmes such as the Post Graduate Programme in Management, and a number of short duration executive education programmes. The institute also offers an "Interactive Distance Learning Programme"