Prelims Facts Corner – 12 September 2023

The second part of the survey was conducted with shingles patients aged 50 or older to understand the level of awareness and impact of this condition on patients.

Shingles (Herpes Zoster) –

  • A painful condition caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus that resides in 90% of adults aged 50 years or older.

Gresham’s law came into play recently during the economic crisis in Sri Lanka last year.

Gresham’s law –

  • Refers to “bad money drives out good.”
  • It is a situation when the exchange rate between two moneys or currencies is fixed by the government at a certain ratio that is different from the market exchange rate.
  • Impacts –
    • Undervalued currency (currency whose price is fixed at a level below the market rate) goes out of circulation.
    • Overvalued currency – Remains in circulation but it does not find enough buyers.

Thiers’ law –

  • Refers to “good money drives out bad”.
  • It is a situation when the exchange rate between currencies is not fixed and people have the choice to freely choose between currencies.
  • Impacts – People gradually stop using currencies that they consider to be of poor quality and adopt currencies that are found to be of better quality.
  • Example – Rise of private cryptocurrencies (good money) issued by private money producers driving out bad money issued by governments.

Morocco has experienced an earthquake of 6.8 magnitude with its epicentre near Marrakesh.

Marrakesh –

  • Situated west of the foothills of Atlas Mountains.
  • Ancient section of Marrakesh – Medina – designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) flagged safety alerts against falsified versions of Defitalio and Adcetris drugs in 4 countries including India.

Defitalio and Adcetris drugs –

  • Defitalio – Used for treatment of a serious condition where vessels in the liver are blocked.
  • Adcetris – Used for treatment of a type of blood cancer.

Himachal Pradesh government has proposed to legalise cannabis (hemp) cultivation in the State.

Cannabis (Hemp) –

  • Illegal under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
  • Effects –
    • Causes psychotropic symptoms in the users which may be temporary.
    • Amotivational syndrome is known to occur with its use, in which user loses interest as well as strength to do any chores.
  • Uses – Phytoremediation, fibre cloth manufacturing, pulp and paper industry.

Uttarakhand –

  • 1st state in the country to legalise cannabis cultivation in 2017.
  • Used only for industrial purposes like in the manufacturing of fibre.

Paleontologists discovered the new species of Titanosaur in Egypt.

Igai semkhu –

  • A diverse group of long-necked plant-eating dinosaurs called Titanosauria.

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