Tripura to punish use of tobacco, drug in public places |  |
- Tripura to punish use of tobacco, drug in public places
- Over 2,000 poor beneficiaries of Kerala's 'health' lottery
- Kolkata to host global conference of sex workers
- A new summary of guidance for wellbeing by Dr Lynne Drummond
- Cell research opens new avenues in combating neurodegenerative diseases
- Dead Amarnath pilgrims fudged health certificates: report
- Coriander-fortified bread is long-lasting and nutritious: Kolkata research
- Kenyan man gets 'second life' after Delhi treatment
- Blood condition is highly predictive of graft failure in pediatric kidney transplant
- Crossing the gap: Civil engineers develop improved method for detecting, measuring bridge damage
| Tripura to punish use of tobacco, drug in public places Posted: 20 Jul 2012 07:15 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Agartala, July 20 - Alarmed at the high incidence of cancer and tobacco and drug-related diseases in the state, the Tripura government has decided to punish those using tobacco in public places, officials said here Friday. The government will also continue its drive against excessive use of tobacco products for their ill-effects and to curb drug abuse, officials said. The state government has authorised all drug, food and school inspectors, officers-in-charge of all police stations and health officials to impose an on-the-spot fine of at least Rs.200 against users of tobacco in open places, an official of the state health department told IANS. He said: A high-level meeting was held here Friday to undertake a massive campaign against the ill-effects of tobacco and drugs and punitive measures across the state. Senior officials of health, drug control, police and education departments, elected representatives and NGO delegates attended the meeting. Tripura state tobacco control cell nodal officer Gautam Majumder said that tobacco causes 50 percent of cancer cases in India. According to Majumder, the union government had launched National Project for Tobacco Control Programme in 21 states in India in 1988 to check the dreadful use of tobacco. In the northeastern states, out of every 1,000 people, 55 people are heart patients, 160 people suffering from diabetes, and one person has cancer due to heavy use of tobacco and tobacco products, the official added. http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| Over 2,000 poor beneficiaries of Kerala's 'health' lottery Posted: 20 Jul 2012 06:24 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Thiruvananthapuram, July 20 - A total of 2,042 poor patients, suffering from serious ailments, have received funds for their treatment from the revenues earned by the Kerala government-run lottery Karunya, Finance Minister K.M. Mani said Friday. Since being launched last August, the scheme has helped 2,042 poor patients to the tune of Rs.16.56 crore, he told reporters here. The income from the sale of lottery tickets is exclusively set apart in a fund for extending financial assistance to patients from deprived sections of society suffering from kidney, cancer, cardiac, neurological or liver complaints, besides haemophilia patients. The lottery has an attractive prize structure offering Rs.1 crore as first prize. Each ticket costs Rs.50. Mani said the government has decided to expand this scheme to 32 private sector hospitals in the state, where the poor and weaker sections of the society can avail this health scheme. Hitherto, this scheme was available only in the state-run hospitals and now since we want speedier health attention to the poor, we decided to bring in the private sector too. All checks and balances will be in place to see that private sector hospitals do not make any undue advantage of this scheme, he said. Mani's brainchild, the Karunya scheme provides assistance of a maximum of Rs.2 lakh to a single family hailing from the weaker and poorer sections of society. Today the available corpus in the Karunya Benevolent Fund has crossed Rs.57 crore, from which we have given out Rs.16.56 crore for treating the poor, said Mani. State-owned Kerala lotteries has never made a loss since its inception and has various lottery tickets which have a weekly draw. In 1967, the total revenue from lottery sales was only Rs.20 lakh which has witnessed a whopping increase to reach a stupendous Rs.557.69 crore in 2010-2011. There are more than 35,000 authorised agents and over 100,000 retail sellers in the state selling the... http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| Kolkata to host global conference of sex workers Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:56 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kolkata, July 20 - With US imposing travel restrictions on overseas sex workers from attending the International AIDS Conference in Washington from Sunday, a week-long meet is being held here to enable them to be part of the event through video-conferencing. The International AIDS Conference - is a bi-annual congregation of global organisations and agencies engaged in controlling AIDS. This year, the conference is being held July 22-27. Held for the past 25 years in the US, the IAC has been an effective three-way dialogue between the scientists/planners, the people living with HIV, and the communities most at risk, such as sex workers. However, with the US travel restrictions, the organisers have decided to hold the first-ever Global Hub of the International AIDS Conference at the Swabhumi here, to be attended by 550 representatives of sex workers from across the globe and India. Pegged as the sex workers' Freedom Festival, its central theme will be the seven freedoms that sex workers are entitled to - freedom of movement and to migrate; access to quality health services; freedom to work and choose occupation; associate and unionise; to be protected by the law; freedom from abuse and violence; and from stigma and discrimination. With the US now leading the fight for Lesbian, Gay and Transgender equality, we are extremely disappointed that they refuse to revise their restrictions on sex workers and refuse to recognise that we are human beings with basic rights, said Andrew Hunter, president, Global Network of Sex Work Project -. The conference in Kolkata will facilitate the sharing of experiences and evaluation, and dialogue over issues and priorities. It will also aim to generate new directions and dimensions needed for regional and global AIDS control programs. http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| A new summary of guidance for wellbeing by Dr Lynne Drummond Posted: 20 Jul 2012 08:29 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) In the past you may have tried 'quick intense fixes, diets and de-tox' for a particular health concern, finding them helpful but not sustainable. This is not a failing within you; it is because most of these heavily promoted programs are indeed NOT sustainable by most people. This guide is for those seeking incremental, sustainable improvement. Your current concern might be weight gain; poor sleep pattern; lack of energy or stress & anxiety. For most though, this guide is just the opportunity to have a thorough review and overhaul in the knowledge that the better your general health is, the better you will feel and the stronger you will be in tackling your general life and career challenges. There are templates to complete and follow, enabling you to measure your progress to a new lifestyle! http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| Cell research opens new avenues in combating neurodegenerative diseases Posted: 20 Jul 2012 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Scientists at the University of Manchester have uncovered how the internal mechanisms in nerve cells wire the brain. The findings open up new avenues in the investigation of neurodegenerative diseases by analysing the cellular processes underlying these conditions. Dr Andreas Prokop and his team at the Faculty of Life Sciences have been studying the growth of axons, the thin cable-like extensions of nerve cells that wire the brain. If axons don't develop properly this can lead to birth disorders, mental and physical impairments and the gradual decay of brain capacity during aging. Axon growth is directed by the hand shaped growth cone which sits in the tip of the axon. It is well documented how growth cones perceive signals from the outside to follow pathways to specific targets, but very little is known about the internal machinery that dictates their behaviour. Dr Prokop has been studying the key driver of growth cone movements, the cytoskeleton. The cytoskeleton helps to maintain a cell's shape and is made up of the protein filaments, actin and microtubules. Microtubules are the key driving force of axon growth whilst actin helps to regulate the direction the axon grows. Dr Prokop and his team used fruit flies to analyse how actin and microtubule proteins combine in the cytoskeleton to coordinate axon growth. They focussed on the multifunctional proteins called spectraplakins which are essential for axonal growth and have known roles in neurodegeneration and wound healing of the skin. What the team demonstrate in this recent paper is that spectraplakins link microtubules to actin to help them extend in the direction the axon is growing. If this link is missing then microtubule networks show disorganised criss-crossed arrangements instead of parallel bundles and axon growth is hampered. By understanding the molecular detail of these interactions the team made a second important finding. Spectraplakins collect not only at the... http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| Dead Amarnath pilgrims fudged health certificates: report Posted: 19 Jul 2012 11:54 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Jammu, July 19 - A group of doctors tasked to find the reasons for large number of Amarnath pilgrims' death have reported to the Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra that most of the victims were unfit and fudged their medical certificates. Vohra, who is also chairman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board - responsible for conduct of the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, has yet again asked to strictly follow the dos and don'ts and the health advisory for the yatris issued by the shrine board, a statement issued by the board said. The release stated that according to the doctors' report, most of deceased had come ill prepared for the pilgrimage in terms of proper clothing. Some of the pilgrims believed in a dip in the ice cold water before offering prayers at the cave shrine and some in fasting for three days before - both of which could be fatal, the report said. Fasting caused low blood sugar which is especially fatal for diabetics, it said. The report said registered medical practitioners from outside the state had issued medical certificates to unfit pilgrims. The doctors said that a majority of deaths could be due to high altitude pulmonary oedema - which occurs due to ascent to more than 10,000 feet over a very short period of time. The victims could also have died of hypothermia - a condition in which core body temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism. Meghna Gupta, 24, of Chandigarh and Rajinder Patidar, 30, of Madhya Pradesh lost their lives probably because of hypothermia after having holy dip in the ice cold water, doctors reported. Shakuntala Prasad, 59, of Bihar, was a patient of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a very high risk ailment for travel, but unfortunately she also had clearance from a registered medical practitioner, the report said. Vohra, who chaired a meeting here, to review the progress of the yatra directed doctors to focus on the medical problems of the pilgrims. http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| Coriander-fortified bread is long-lasting and nutritious: Kolkata research Posted: 19 Jul 2012 02:28 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kolkata, July 19 - The common breakfast bread has been elevated to a nutrient-packed wheat product by scientists at Jadavpur University, who decided to go green and fortify it with coriander. We have studied the effects of supplementing the general bread flour with herbs such as coriander which has had a substantial effect in improving shelf life and nutrient levels, Utpal Raychaudhuri, a senior scientist at the university's Department of Food Technology and Biochemical Engineering, told IANS. Lipi Das and Runu Chakraborty were the other members of the research team whose findings - published in the Journal of Food Science and Biotechnology - showed that coriander remarkably delayed the bread's going stale, while the microbicidal - property of the herb added to its shelf life. Coriander - is considered both a herb and a spice, since both its leaves and seeds are used for seasoning. In India, it is known as 'dhania'. The leaves, stem, roots, and seeds of natural herbs are rich in minerals, micronutrients, antioxidants, dietary fibres and essential oils which may have microbial properties against food-borne pathogens such as the Salmonella species. The shelf life of bread is influenced by mainly two factors - going stale and microbial deterioration. In this novel study, dried and powdered coriander leaves were incorporated into raw materials for baking bread such as wheat flour, sugar, shortenings -, salt and compressed baker's yeast, Raychaudhuri explained. For comparison, a control was also baked which had no coriander supplement. The final product, which had an attractive light green hue and powder leaf content between 3-5 percent of the weight of wheat flour was found to be the optimum supplementation level. Moreover, the coriander supplement helped retain moisture and improved the quality of the bread. In terms of nutrients, antioxidants, which delay ageing and fight cancer, shot up by 50 percent in coriander-fortified... http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| Kenyan man gets 'second life' after Delhi treatment Posted: 19 Jul 2012 11:32 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, July 19 - Wracked by uncertainty and struggling to find a bride after white patches appeared on his face, the 33-year-old Indian-origin businessman flew down from his home in Kenya to India for treatment. A few months later, the garment trader is back home, fully treated and all set to tie the knot. And he credits his Delhi doctor for the dramatic turnaround in life. Thank you for giving me a second life! the garment trader, who is planning to honeymoon in Switzerland, said in a heartfelt email thanking his Delhi-based doctor, Munish Paul. He was suffering from vitiligo, a skin disorder that rock star Michael Jackson suffered from. In India, around one percent of the population is believed to be suffering from the disease. The Gujarati-origin Kenyan, who prefers not to be identified, had white patches on his face, medically also known as leucoderma. But a chance discovery on internet about laser treatment for the disease brought him to the Indian capital. And gave him a fresh lease of life. He appeared low on confidence when he came to me first. But within a few weeks of laser-assisted melanocyte cell transplant therapy in April, his personality changed dramatically, said Paul, director of Dr Paul's Skin Laser Centre in west Delhi. Like many others, the now groom-to-be had heard of myths that the disease was contagious, rooted in consumption of white food and passed on to the patient's third generation, added Paul, who has helped several patients from Russia, France and the Gulf regain their body's natural pigment in skin areas with white spots. There is tremendous social stigma attached to the disease. People still believe it is incurable, Paul told IANS. The laser technique involves removing a very thin skin sample of a normal pigment area, preparation of a pigment cell suspension, removal of a thin layer of skin from the patches and spreading the suspension on the scraped white spots. The dressing is removed... http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| Blood condition is highly predictive of graft failure in pediatric kidney transplant Posted: 19 Jul 2012 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) For children receiving kidney transplants, a potentially correctable blood condition present in about one in four recipients is associated with a moderately increased risk of the graft's later failure, suggesting that clinicians should weigh whether transplant is advisable when the condition is present, according to UC Davis research presented today at the 24th International Congress of the Transplantation Society in Berlin. Children with chronic kidney disease often have the condition, called low serum albumin, as a result of inflammation or malnutrition, among other causes. The research found that low serum albumin is an independent risk factor for higher rates of morbidity and mortality among pediatric kidney transplant recipients. Roughly one in 65,000 children develop end-stage renal disease each year, and kidney transplant is the primary method for treating the condition in the pediatric population. The research was conducted by Lavjay Butani, professor and chief of the Division of Pediatric Nephrology, and Daniel Tancredi, a biostatistician and assistant professor in the UC Davis School of Medicine. Even a single low serum albumin measurement at the time of listing the patient on a transplant registry is clearly a risk factor for graft failure in the future, Butani said. Transplant centers should very carefully consider proceeding with the transplant in children with very low serum albumin, because of its association with a moderately higher risk of graft failure. The transplant team, including the family and the patient, should be very cautious, he added. During the past 30 years, the numbers of children and adolescents with end-stage renal disease has grown dramatically, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 1980 there were 738 persons with kidney failure under 20 years old in the United States. In 2008, the number had grown to 7,216, a 1,000 percent increase, CDC data... http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| Crossing the gap: Civil engineers develop improved method for detecting, measuring bridge damage Posted: 19 Jul 2012 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) MANHATTAN, KAN. -- A ratings system developed by a group of Kansas State University researchers could keep bridges safer and help prevent catastrophic collapses. Hayder Rasheed, associate professor of civil engineering, and Yacoub Najjar, professor of civil engineering, are collaborating to better detect and measure damage in concrete bridges. Ahmed Al-Rahmani, doctoral student in civil engineering, United Arab Emirates, has also been involved in the project. The researchers have created a bridge health index, which is a rating system that more accurately describes the amount of damage in a bridge. Additionally, the health index can extend beyond bridges and apply to other structures, such as gas pipelines, dams, buildings and airplanes. The engineers have developed ways to take bridge measurements and use finite element analysis and neural network modeling to back-calculate and detect bridge damage. The researchers combined this process of inverse problem solving with Najjar's expertise in neural networks to create the bridge health index. Current methods of inspecting bridges are very subjective, Rasheed said. Experienced inspectors from the Federal Highway Administration in the U.S. Department of Transportation visually inspect bridges and determine damage amounts. Problems can arise because one inspector may determine a bridge to be 70 percent damaged, while another inspector maybe determine the same bridge to be 80 percent damaged. It varies from inspector to inspector, Rasheed said. They measure the cracks in the bridge, but they have no objective way to calculate how much it is damaged. Because the inspectors decide which bridges are repaired first, it's very important to make the process objective across the board. The bridge health index provides a more objective way to determine and compare bridge damage to decide which bridges most need repairs. The network allows inspectors to input parameters, such width, depth... http://www.rxpgnews.com |
| You are subscribed to email updates from RxPG News : Latest Medical, Healthcare and Research News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
Post a Comment