Top Scientists Awarded

Wang Zhenyi (left) and Chen Zhu (XINHUA)

Chinese scientists Wang Zhenyi and Chen Zhu were granted the Seventh Szent Gyorgyi Prize, a top U.S. award established by the U.S. National Foundation for Cancer Research, on March 6 for their innovative research that led to a new therapeutic approach to acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL).

Since the 1990s, the two scientists have worked together to conduct clinical trials combining all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic trioxide to treat APL patients. By combining traditional Chinese medicine with Western medicine, they have increased the survival rate of APL patients from approximately 25 percent to 95 percent during their "five-year disease-free" period. Their therapy is now a standard for APL treatment throughout the world and has turned one of the most fatal diseases into a highly curable one.

Wang, 88, graduated from the former Aurora University in Shanghai in 1948 with a doctoral degree. His specialties are hematology and the treatment of cancer. Wang is the first scientist to transform cancer cells into normal cells. In 1994, he was elected a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Chen, 58, Wang's former student, made major contributions to the identification of the molecular mechanisms of both ATRA and arsenic trioxide in APL. He was elected a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1995 and was its vice president from 2000 to 2007. Chen has been the minister of health since 2007.

AIDS Plan

China aims to reduce AIDS fatalities and the number of new HIV/AIDS cases by 30 percent and 25 percent, respectively, in 2015 as compared to 2010, according to a national action plan issued on February 29.

The plan sets a target of 1.2 million people in China living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2015. At present, China has an estimated number of 780,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, including 154,000 AIDS patients.

The target awareness rate among urban and rural residents aged 15 to 60 is over 85 percent and 80 percent, respectively. It should reach over 90 percent among high-risk groups and adolescents, over 85 percent for people traveling in and out of China, migrants, and over 95 percent for prisoners, the plan says.

The coverage of high-risk group interventions should reach over 90 percent, according to the plan. Over 80 percent of pregnant women are expected to receive HIV tests, and in high-prevalence regions the ratio would top 90 percent.

The plan also says that officials' knowledge of HIV/AIDS and their record in its prevention and control will be factored into their annual performance evaluations.

Earth Monitoring

China completed a system designed to monitor the movement of Earth's crust and predict earthquakes on March 2, said the China Earthquake Administration.

Based on satellite navigation, it involves a network of 260 constant observing sta-tions and 2,000 part-time observing stations equipped with advanced data-processing technology. The network will also be used for weather forecasting and scientific research.

The new network is one of the most advanced means of observing the movement of Earth's crust, along with the U.S. Plate Boundary Observation system and Japanese GEONE .

China started the project in December 2007, with a total investment of 524 million yuan ($83.2 million).

Aging Population

China's population of people aged 60 or above had hit 185 million by the end of 2011, or 13.7 percent of the nation's total population, according to official figures released on March 1.

The number is 4 percent higher than in 2010, when it stood at 177.6 million.

It is predicted that, by the end of 2015, the elderly population will have increased by 43 million, taking the total number of over-60s to 221 million, said Li Liguo, Minister of Civil Affairs.

At that time, China will have 24 million people aged 80 or above, and more than 51 million people aged 65 or above will be empty- nesters, without children living at home to support them, according to Li.

Uygur Micro-blogging

Authorities in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have launched a micro-blogging service in the Uygur language, the mother tongue of more than 9.65 million inhabitants in the region.

The micro-blogging service, www.barmu.cn, which is currently in trial operation is operated by Tianshannet.com, the regional government's official website.

"The service is the first online platform which allows Uygur-speaking people to communicate with their government in their language," said Eliti Sali, deputy head of the Information Office of the Xinjiang Regional Government.

The Uygur language, based on the Arabic alphabet, is part of the Tujue (Turks) branch of the Altaic language family.

Antibiotic Curbs

China's health authorities announced on March 6 plans to further curb the overuse of antibiotics, including setting caps for the varieties and use ratio of antibiotics, and antibiotics.

The Ministry of Health has taken steps to limit the varieties of antibiotics a hospital can stock according to the institution's grade and function.

The use ratio, the share of antibiotics among all prescription drugs, has also been capped, which is 60 percent for general hospitals.

Moreover, if doctors are found to be using antibiotics inappropriately, they will be subjected to penalties ranging from warnings, and the suspension or cancellation of their prescription-writing rights, to having their licenses withdrawn.

Doctors' clinical prescription performances will be factored into their overall performance evaluations, according to the plans.

Land Violations

Supervisory departments at multiple levels of the government dealt with 1,480 cases of forced demolition and land appropriation in 2011, the Ministry of Supervision said on March 2.

Of the 1,480 cases, 11 forced demolition cases that resulted in fatalities were handled by the Ministry of Supervision and the State Council Office for Rectifying Malpractices, with 57 officials being punished in line with administrative regulations and 31 people transferred to judicial departments.

A total of 307 cases of low-rent housing regulation violations were also handled in 2011, involving 26,000 housing projects, according to the ministry.

Grand Museum

The National Museum of China, located to the east of the Tiananmen Square in central Beijing, officially opened to the public on March 1 after a one-year trial period.

More than 4.1 million people visited themuseum during its soft-opening, which took place after the completion of nearly four years of renovation.

The museum was expanded to nearly 200,000 square meters during the renovation, making it the largest museum in the world, according to the museum's official website.

The museum houses more than 1.2 million cultural relics.