Haryana's Sirsa sets record with 545 blood donation camps |  |
- Haryana's Sirsa sets record with 545 blood donation camps
- Delhi blood banks to get advanced testing technique soon
- Community groups meet for AIDS control in north India
- Mental health check-up not to be compulsory in China
- West Bengal to increase seats in medical colleges by 700
- Bihar to check corruption in anganwadi centres
- Pune firm slashes pentavalent vaccine prices 60 percent
- 10 fall ill after eating adulterated food
- Sleep type predicts day and night batting averages of Major League Baseball players
- The association of alcohol drinking with migraine headache
| Haryana's Sirsa sets record with 545 blood donation camps Posted: 14 Jun 2011 06:53 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Chandigarh, June 14 - Haryana's Sirsa district has found place in the Limca Book of Records for blood collection. As many as 545 blood donation camps were organised in the district during the last one year, an official spokesman said here Tuesday. He said that nearly 81,000 units of blood were collected during the year. 'Several organisations which have contributed to this pious work in the district include the Indian Society of Blood Transfusion, the Shiv Shakti Blood Bank, district Red Cross Society and many more,' the spokesman said. He said that eight blood donation camps were organised and over 1,556 blood units were collected in Sirsa district on the occasion of World Blood Donation Day - Tuesday. Sirsa made record achievement in blood collection as a result of which the city has come to be popularly known as the city of blood donors, the spokesman said. Voluntary blood donors, many of them students, have been donating blood in all towns and nearby areas of the district. He said two websites, bravoblooddonor.org and ISBTI.org, had been prepared and a list of over 123,000 donors has been uploaded with complete details. 'The list includes 80 percent men and 20 percent women donors. As compared to the demand of 17,000 blood units per annum, the district succeeded in collecting 80,000 blood units. The district also meets the demand of other areas like Delhi, Chandigarh, Rajasthan and Punjab,' the spokesman added. http://www.rxpgnews.com    |
| Delhi blood banks to get advanced testing technique soon Posted: 14 Jun 2011 06:50 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, June 14 - The Delhi government will soon introduce the nucleic acid testing -, an advanced method of testing blood to detect the AIDS virus, in all blood banks by the end of this year, Health and Family Welfare Minister A.K. Walia said Tuesday. 'Our focus will be on providing quality blood to the needy people. For the purpose, the NAT method will be implemented by the end of this year,' he said at a seminar on promotion of blood donation at Apollo Hospital here. 'The government is also keen on pitching in with more suggestions for the committee focusing on improving quality in blood banks,' added Walia. NAT technology is currently only available with three state-run blood banks in the capital - the the All India Institute of Medical Sciences -, the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital -, and the Army Research and Referral Hospital. The seminar saw participation from around 200 representatives from State Blood Transfusion Council of the Delhi government, and blood bank officials from other government and private institutions. 'There is a need to increase the number of suppliers for safe blood supply. Awareness can help people overcome the myth that blood donation is unhealthy,' said R.N. Makroo, director of transfusion medicine at Apollo Hospital. http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Community groups meet for AIDS control in north India Posted: 14 Jun 2011 06:14 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) New Delhi, June 14 - Community-based organisations from the north Indian states began a two-day consultation here Tuesday to discuss suggestions for the fourth phase of the National AIDS Control Programme -. NACP Phase IV will define the national policy for HIV/AIDS control over the next five years. Organisations from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana are taking part in the ongoing discussions. 'The inputs of community groups into the design of the programme will create a timely understanding of the complex socio-cultural ground realities related to HIV/AIDS in the northern region,' said Sunil Mehra, director of NGO Mamta. 'The aim is to bring out challenges and provide inputs to NACP to fill the gaps and strengthen the process,' he added. Over 200 organisations have gathered in the capital for consultation on issues for sex workers, men who have sex with men -, and people living with HIV. 'In the NACP IV, north India can take a clue from the tragic trajectory that southern India witnessed in terms of HIV,' said S. Sundarraman, a civil society representative. 'Unlike southern India, this region can prevent the evolution of the epidemic by working with communities that are most affected by HIV and reducing their vulnerability to it,' he added. The consultations started in Guwahati for the northeast region, currently in Delhi for north India, to be followed by Pune for western India, Kolkata for eastern India and Bangalore for southern India. http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Mental health check-up not to be compulsory in China Posted: 14 Jun 2011 05:51 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Beijing, June 14 - Mental health examination of Chinese people would not be compulsory and could be done at the discretion of the patient's guardians, says a new draft mental health law. The legislative affairs office of the government has published the full text of the draft law on its official website to seek public feedback, the People's Daily reported. According to the draft law, mental disease diagnosis should be conducted on a voluntary basis. It also states that it was the responsibility of authorities to send homeless people suspected of suffering from mental disorders to mental health institutions. They can be discharged from hospitals at any time at the discretion of their guardians. The draft law also provides rights of mental health patients, including the right to education, work, medical insurance, privacy and social assistance. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has said there were over 100 million people affected by mental illness in China, with 16 million listed as severely ill. http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| West Bengal to increase seats in medical colleges by 700 Posted: 14 Jun 2011 05:03 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday said a three-phase developmental system will be taken up to improve the state's ailing health services sector. 'We have to go through three systems for health service development. A three-phase developmental system will be taken up to improve the heath infrastructure and service. 'First, how to develop within this infrastructure. Second phase will be short-term planning, what we can do in one year to three-four years, and another is long-term vision plan what we can do in 10 years,' Banerjee said while addressing an event of state health officials and doctors. 'While selecting doctors and nurses for the hospitals, the local boys and girls... should be given preference so that he or she can concentrate fully in his work,' she added. Banerjee said the senior health officials should spend time in field work rather than just sitting in their offices. 'The senior health officials should not work by sitting in cabins. The state-level health officials should go to the district-level, the district-level health officials should go to the block-level and sub-divisional levels and take report of everything,' said Banerjee. The chief minister asserted that coordination between health officials and the government was necessary for the implementation of the government policies. Banerjee also announced that 3,000 hospital beds will be added in the state. 'We will increase 3,000 beds across various hospitals in the state within this infrastructure through various programmes. We have decided that seven hospitals situated in various districts of West Bengal will be turned into district hospitals and this process will increase 700 beds. 'We are also conducting a inspection and after this inspection is over, we are hopeful of increasing 700 seats in medical colleges,' she said. http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Bihar to check corruption in anganwadi centres Posted: 14 Jun 2011 04:18 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Patna, June 14 - Bihar plans to conduct a social audit of the government-run anganwadi centres - to check complaints about corruption and to bring transparency in the functioning of the child-care and mother-care centres. 'In view of reports of irregularities at different centres, the department - has decided to make its functioning transparent by conducting a social audit,' Bihar Social Welfare Minister Parween Amanullah said Tuesday. It will take a month's time for the department to start a social audit of AWCs, she said. As a first step, the department has decided to map all panchayats in the state. The anganwadis are government-sponsored child-care and mother-care centres catering to children in the 0-6 age group. They were started by the Indian government in 1975 as part of the Integrated Child Development Services programme to combat child hunger and malnutrition. The minister said a meeting of the villagers of the panchayat where an anganwadi centre is situated will be held to make public everything related to the centre. It will be named as 'Labhuk Sabha'. Besides, information related to performance of the centre would be taken from the villagers. The BSWD officials and social activists will be special invitees in the meeting to give a hearing to villagers' grievances or corruption complaints, if any, about the performance of the centre, officials said. Parents of the children going to the centre will be asked to give their suggestions for the smooth and successful running of the centre. 'This will be a unique attempt by the department to make a welfare scheme transparent,' a BSWD official said. Amanullah admitted that there were reports of irregularities at the time of distribution of take-home rations and other things at the centre. Last year and in 2009, the department had suspended over two dozen Child Development Project Officers - and instituted departmental inquiries against them over charges of dereliction... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Pune firm slashes pentavalent vaccine prices 60 percent Posted: 13 Jun 2011 10:36 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Pune, June 13 - India's vaccine major, the Serum Institute, has pledged support to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation - programme by announcing a 60 percent cut in the prices of pentavalent vaccine, a company statement said here Monday. The announcement was made by Serum Institute's chairman and managing director Cyrus Poonawalla at a gathering of international healthcare agencies and global donors in London Monday. Reiterating his company's commitment to slash the prices of pentavalent - which helps protect children against five potential killers - diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B and haemophilus influenza type B - he said the vassine would be now available at the lowest possible cost of Rs.100 - only. The price cut would be in line with Serum Institute's philanthropic philosophy in the field of children's health in developing countries and would help GAVI's mission by making vaccines available at the lowest affordable price to Unicef and Pan American Health Organisation. Poonawalla emphasized the Serum Institute's commitment and moral responsibility to keep these vaccines as affordable as possible. Addressing GAVI's fund-raising conference for global immunization programs, Poonawalla said: 'The very genesis of Serum Institute was a quest to make vaccines more affordable for the common man.' 'The partnership with GAVI serves as a good platform for us to reach out to those poor nations and bring comfort to the millions of underprivileged across the globe,' Poonawalla remarked at the conference, which plans to raise $3.7 billion and immunise 243 million children around the world. Poonawalla expressed the hope that other pharmaceutical giants would follow in its steps to make vaccines available at more affordable prices, 'otherwise our effort to offer vaccines at lower prices will be defeated'. He also urged global donors to ensure long-term funding beyond 2015, and consider the boon of vaccination... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| 10 fall ill after eating adulterated food Posted: 13 Jun 2011 09:10 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Karnal -, June 13 - Ten people, from two different families, fell ill and had to be admitted to hospital in this Haryana district after consuming chapatis made of 'kuttu atta' -, officials said Monday. 'Ten people, of them eight women, were admitted at the civil hospital here. They had eaten rotis made of kuttu ka atta in dinner yesterday -. Late night, they complained of severe pain in stomach and vomiting,' said a police official. He said it was learnt both the families had bought the flour from the same shop. The district administration has ordered an inquiry into the incident. 'We have ordered an inquiry. Health officials have collected the samples of this flour from the shop from where it was bought. We would check whether it was adulterated or the flour was stored in the shop for a long time,' said district health officer Vandana Bhatia. A few months back, several people had fallen ill in different parts of Haryana after consuming buckwheat flour rotis, usually consumed during religious fasts. http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Sleep type predicts day and night batting averages of Major League Baseball players Posted: 13 Jun 2011 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) DARIEN, IL - A Major League Baseball player's natural sleep preference might affect his batting average in day and night games, according to a research abstract that will be presented Monday, June 13, in Minneapolis, Minn., at SLEEP 2011, the 25th Anniversary Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC (APSS). Results indicate that players who were morning types had a higher batting average (.267) than players who were evening types (.259) in early games that started before 2 p.m. However, evening types had a higher batting average (.261) than morning types (.252) in mid-day games that started between 2 p.m. and 7:59 p.m. This advantage for evening types persisted and was strongest in late games that began at 8 p.m. or later, when evening types had a .306 batting average and morning types maintained a .252 average. Our data, though not statistically significant due to low subject numbers, clearly shows a trend toward morning-type batters hitting progressively worse as the day becomes later, and the evening-types showing the opposite trend, said principal investigator and lead author Dr. W. Christopher Winter, medical director of the Martha Jefferson Hospital Sleep Medicine Center in Charlottesville, Va. The study involved 16 players from seven MLB teams: the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays. Sleep preference was determined using a modified version of the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). It identifies a person's tendency to be either a morning type who prefers to go to bed and wake up early, or an evening type who prefers to stay up late at night and wake up late in the day. Nine participants were found to be evening types, and seven were morning types. Both groups had a mean age of 29 years. The study used the players' statistics from the 2009 and 2010 seasons, which allowed for the analysis... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| The association of alcohol drinking with migraine headache Posted: 13 Jun 2011 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Migraine is a neurovascular disease that affects about 15% of the western population. Compounds in foods and beverages (chocolate, wine, citrus, etc) considered as migraine triggers include tyramine, phenylethylamine and possibly histamine and phenolic compounds. Avoiding those triggers may significantly reduce the frequency of migraines in some patients. However, only a small percentage of patients in one study became headache-free simply by excluding those foods, epidemiological studies are pointing out that genetic factors may be an underlying cause. Discrepancies in the way people are reacting to wine intake, and whether or not it triggers migraine, may be potentially explained by genetic polymorphisms in specific enzymes related to metabolism Alcoholic drinks are a migraine trigger in about one third of patients with migraine in retrospective studies on trigger factors. Many population studies show that patients with migraine consume alcohol in a smaller percentage than the general population. Research has shown a decreased prevalence of headache with increasing number of alcohol units consumed. The classification criteria of alcohol-related headaches remain problematic. An excellent paper from The Headache Center in Empoli, Italy by Panconesi A et al (Curr Pain Headache Rep (2011) )15:177-184 summarizes the scientific data relating to alcohol and migraine headaches. The factors that trigger an attack of migraine, or of other headaches as well, are poorly understood. While retrospective studies tend to include alcohol as a trigger for an attack, the authors describe that in a recent prospective study (in which information on the factors that could potentially trigger an attack were collected prior to the migraine attack), menstruation, stress, and fatigue were found most commonly to relate to a subsequent attack, In the present paper, the authors reviewed the role and mechanism of the action of alcohol or other... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
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