Cervical cancer is one of the most common malignant diseases affecting women worldwide. Studies on loss of heterozygosity have been made for PTEN gene specific microsatellite markers in malignancies like breast, ovary and lungs and the results have shown a significant association. However the role of this gene is not clearly understood in cervical cancer from Indian population. A total of 135 cervical carcinoma tissues samples were analyzed for loss of heterozygosity. DNA was isolated from the samples and their matched control specimens. Polymerase chain reaction was performed using primer specific for two intragenic markers and one marker in flanking region and further electrophoresed on 8% denaturing polyacrylamide gel. Overall, 31 out of 133(23%) informative cases showed loss of heterozygosity in at least one locus in the region examined. The percentage of loss of heterozygosity for these markers ranged from 8% to 13%. Loss of heterozygosity was more frequently detected in intragenic region than in flanking region.

Water is essential to all known life forms and is required for hydration to sustain health, sanitation needs, as a solvent to wash everday items, for industrial applications and as a thermal transfer agent, among others. Inadequate water treatment has a significant and devastating impact on public on health. Worldwide, lack access to safe drinking water, and twice that many lack adequate sanitation.

Gloriosa superba offers the possibility of using both seed as well as tuber for medicinal purposes, but the advantage of using seed is that it can be procured annually without disturbing the plant which is more eco-friendly, whereas the use of tuber involves destructive harvesting.It was found that the seed also possess the colchicine.Seed and tubers are also used for treating gout, rheumatism, cholera, typhus, Bright's disease, piles, gonorrhoea and chronic ulcers in Indian system of medicines. The medicinal properties of the drug prepared from it, are due to the presence of alkaloids, chiefly colchicine (C22H26O6H), present in its tubers and seed. Colchicine is used for treating gout, cancer control and for inducing polyploidy in plants.Moreover, the species also have anticoagulant properties and found effective for controlling the larvae of various livestock parasites viz. Rhipicephalus microplus, Paramphistomum cervi, Anopheles subpictus and Culex tritaeniorhynchus. The flowers are used as cut flowers due to their colour and shape.