Uneasy calm in Bengal's biggest paediatric hospital |  |
- Uneasy calm in Bengal's biggest paediatric hospital
- Mamata accuses Left regime of neglecting medical infrastructure
- 18 children die in Kolkata hospital, Mamata orders probe
- Increased production of a microRNA resulted in better response to chemotherapy
- EHRA Europace and Cardiostim agree to develop common scientific programs
- Six die of cholera in Kerala
- European research effort improves understanding of impacts of aerosols on climate
- Studying solar wind
- AAAS Board: Attacks on climate researchers inhibit free exchange of scientific ideas
- ConocoPhillips donates $1 million to UH and its Energy Research Park
| Uneasy calm in Bengal's biggest paediatric hospital Posted: 30 Jun 2011 11:37 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kolkata, June 30 - An uneasy calm prevailed Thursday evening at the B.C. Roy Children's hospital here, which till late afternoon witnessed chaos and violence following the death of at least 18 infants in less than two days due to various causes. The unfortunate parents had left the hospital after authorities released the bodies of their babies. Only a cluster of relatives of the other admitted child patients, some media persons and police personnel could be found. The death of at least 50 children in the hospital in past 10 days has left the authorities red faced after protests from the victim's relatives and political parties alleging medical negligence on their part for the deaths. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already sought a detailed report from the state health secretary and set up a committee to probe into the death of the children. The hospital principal, superintendent and other senior doctors were found busy holding meetings and preparing reports. Two members of the inquiry committee visited the hospital late evening and spoke to the authorities. However, the relatives of the children undergoing treatment in the hospital alleged that even after the series of children deaths, the medical facilities have not improved while the doctors and other staffs continue to be uncooperative. 'My seven-year-old nephew has been undergoing treatment since past seven days. He was an epilepsy patient but his situation has not improved a little and now the authorities are requesting us to take him back,' said Sushanta Das of Sandeshkhali in South 24 Pargana district. He also alleged that even after repeated attempts they have failed to meet the attending doctor. Birbhum resident Bapi Laha, whose daughter has been undergoing treatment since Tuesday, also complained of the same, saying dearth of doctors and nurses was a major concern. 'The hospital is considered to be the largest referral paediatric hospital in the... http://www.rxpgnews.com    |
| Mamata accuses Left regime of neglecting medical infrastructure Posted: 30 Jun 2011 10:10 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kolkata, June 30 - Facing a public outcry over the death of 18 children in the state-run B.C. Roy Children's Hospital here, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday hit back at the erstwhile Left Front government and said the state lacked a proper medical infrastructure with 140 children dying daily. 'Infant mortality needs to be looked at very seriously. As per 2009 records, the infant mortality rate in the state is 40,000 per annum. Around 140 children die daily,' said Banerjee, who also holds the health portfolio. The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress-Congress government came to power in the state in May after routing the Left Front, that was in the saddle for 34 years since 1977. The deaths since Wednesday led to angry demonstrations by the dead childrens' parents and relatives who ransacked a part of the hospital and blocked a nearby arterial road. Drawing flak, hospital superintendent Dilip Pal has expressed a desire to quit office. The chief minister also said malnutrition was a major cause of infant mortality. 'There are many contributory social causes, one of which is malnutrition of the mother. We need to ensure that malnutrition is taken care of.' Issuing a stern warning to people neglecting duty, she said: 'Politics in hospitals is not acceptable. Those who try to neglect their duties because they owe allegiance to some political party will be dealt with strongly.' On the children's deaths at the B.C. Roy Hospital, she said: 'Several of the children died in the intensive care unit. Some of them had heart ailments while seven of them were brought in in critical conditions. One of the children taken to R.N. Tagore Hospital was brought in here as they had said that the baby wouldn't survive.' She also said several doctors have occupied hospitals and are using these as residences, which was not acceptable, and steps will be taken to move them out. http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| 18 children die in Kolkata hospital, Mamata orders probe Posted: 30 Jun 2011 07:05 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Kolkata, June 30 - At least 18 children have died of various causes in a state-run hospital in Kolkata since Wednesday, a hospital official said Thursday. Relatives of the dead children have alleged negligence on the part of doctors. 'Twelve children died Wednesday. Six died today -,' B.C. Roy Children's Hospital principal Mrinal Kanti Chatterjee told IANS over phone. Chatterjee said all the patients, aged between a few days and a few months, were admitted in critical condition to the hospital. 'These children were mostly underweight, some of them had septicaemia and breathing problems,' said a hospital official. Wailing and angry parents and relatives of the victims ransacked a portion of the hospital. A large police contingent was later posted at the hospital by the authorities. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has set up a committee to enquire into the deaths and said the guilty would not be spared. She confirmed 12 deaths till Wednesday night. 'I don't have the reports but till now 12 children have died. A committee has been formed to inquire into the matter. Those found guilty will not be spared,' said Banerjee at the state secretariat. 'I have called the head of department - and asked him to file a report explaining the deaths of so many children. It's a very unfortunate happening. Anybody found guilty will be given exemplary punishment,' said Banerjee. She also blamed the erstwhile Left Front regime of neglecting the medical infrastructure. 'There is no medical infrastructure. Incidents like this have happened earlier also. But the infrastructure cannot be overhauled so quickly. There are procedures to follow for procurement of new machines which are time consuming.' However, she assured that her government has chalked up short and mid-term plans to revamp the medical infrastructure. http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Increased production of a microRNA resulted in better response to chemotherapy Posted: 30 Jun 2011 06:27 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Researchers at the UC Davis Cancer Center have discovered a way of sensitizing muscle-invasive bladder cancer cells so that they succumb to the toxic effects of chemotherapy. The finding adds to mounting evidence that tiny strands of RNA — called microRNA — play key roles in some of the deadliest types of cancer. In the current study, published online June 28 in International Journal of Cancer, researchers boosted the production of a microRNA found in bladder cancer cell lines — encoded for by the gene miR-34a — and found that this resulted in more of the cells being killed by cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug used to treat many types of cancer. "When we took the bladder cancer cell lines and activated miR-34a, they were more responsive to chemotherapy," said Ralph deVere White, UC Davis Cancer Center director and professor of urology. The study establishes, for the first time, a link between sensitivity of bladder cancer cells to chemotherapy and the expression of miR-34a. It suggests that miR-34a may be used as a predictor of response to chemotherapy, as well as a target for new drugs. Currently, about 50 percent of patients with advanced bladder cancer will survive five years after diagnosis. Although clinical trials have demonstrated that chemotherapy before surgery can improve survival rates, it is rarely used because fewer than 50 percent of patients will respond favorably. Without knowing which patients will improve as a result of chemotherapy, physicians are generally reluctant to use a treatment that can cause their patients to suffer significant side effects. "So, now we have to prove that it works to predict chemotherapy response in patients," deVere White said. To that end, UC Davis has entered into a partnership with Israel-based Rosetta Genomics to develop a microRNA profile for muscle-invasive bladder cancer that may be used to predict response to chemotherapy. As part of the current study, deVere White... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| EHRA Europace and Cardiostim agree to develop common scientific programs Posted: 30 Jun 2011 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Madrid, 28 June 2011 - EHRA-Europace and Cardiostim, Europe's leading congresses in electrophysiology and the treatment of heart rhythm disorders (such as atrial fibrillation) have formed a strategic alliance to ensure the development from year to year of a homogeneous congress programme devised under the direction of a common scientific committee. The EHRA (European Heart Rhythm Association) and Cardiostim have had an agreement since 2006 whereby each organisation held their respective congresses in alternating years - Cardiostim in even years, and Europace in odd. That arrangement will continue under the new agreement, but now with further scope for consistency, integration and homogeneity. Both organisations share a wish to avoid fragmentation and create a common vision and objective - to promote the field of electrophysiology in terms of training and accreditation, research, the exchange of clinical skills and co-operation with allied professionals and manufacturers. Under today's agreement, both congresses will retain their independence in terms of brand, ownership and finance, but will join forces in the planning and preparation of scientific content. The agreement, therefore, which was signed by representatives of EHRA-Europace and Cardiostim on 26 June 2011, aims to reinforce the quality of each congress and provide a scientific continuum from one event to the next. Currently, each congress attracts almost 6000 participants. The agreement between the two organisations is for six years, from 2012 to 2017 inclusive; years 2012 and 2013 are seen as transition years in which EHRA-Europace and Cardiostim will retain their respective congress rules and structures. However, from 2014 a single common scientific committee, composed of and chaired by members of each organisation, will develop the scientific programme and the two congresses will aggregate their names. Each programme will be built around four main themes:... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Posted: 29 Jun 2011 02:52 PM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Thiruvananthapuram, June 29 - Six people have died of cholera while 56 have been hospitalised with diarrhoea in the tribal hamlets of Kerala's hilly Wayanad district, a legislator said Wednesday. The issue was raised in the Kerala assembly by A. Pradeep Kumar, a Communist Party of India-Marxist - legislator. 'The state government and the health department have miserably failed to contain the spread of cholera in the three tribal hamlets in Wayanad. The customary sanitation work that is done ahead of the monsoon season has not been done,' said Kumar. 'So far, six people have died and 56 people are admitted in various hospitals,' he added. Intervening in the debate, state Health Minister Adoor Prakash said: 'We have started supplying clean drinking water to these hamlets. And where vehicles cannot reach, we are supplying water in bottles. A medical team has already started conducting check-ups,' said Prakash. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that everything that needs to be done for the welfare of people will be done. 'Out of the 83 houses in the affected hamlets, only 31 homes have latrines. During the rainy season, the wells get contaminated. We have issued orders to the district authorities to see that latrines are built in all the homes and for that we have sanctioned Rs.15,000 each,' said Chandy. Health authorities say the tribals are affected with sickle cell anaemia and are prone to fall sick. Leader of Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan also criticised the district authorities for not attending a meeting to discuss this issue last week. http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| European research effort improves understanding of impacts of aerosols on climate Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Atmospheric aerosol particles (otherwise known as Particulate Matter) have been masking the true rate of greenhouse gas induced global warming during the industrial period. New investigations show that the aerosol cooling effect will be strongly reduced by 2030, as air pollution abatements are implemented worldwide and the presently available advanced control technologies are utilized. These actions would increase the global mean temperature by ca. 1 degree Celsius. This is one of the main research outcomes of the recently concluded EU EUCAARI (European Integrated project on Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality Interaction) project. The positive impacts of aerosols are partially off-setting global warming, but at the same time aerosol particles have a negative effect on public health, causing thousands on premature deaths in Europe annually. Identification of efficient strategies for air pollution control in Europe was another key outcome of EUCAARI. It was found that the reduction in ammonia emissions is one of the most effective ways to reduce aerosol mass concentrations and thus improve air quality in Europe. Reduction in nitric oxides is also effective, but might lead to higher ozone levels, thereby leading to another negative impact on air quality. Reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions will reduce particulate air pollution especially in the Eastern Mediterranean area. Reduction of organic aerosol concentrations is a lot more challenging and will require reductions of gas and aerosol emissions from transportation and biomass burning. Furthermore, it is now shown that a large fraction of organic aerosols in Europe is of modern origin (as opposed to fossil fuel origins), for which the main sources are biogenic secondary organic aerosol (boreal forests), biomass burning and primary biogenic aerosol particles. All these emission sources are expected to respond to climate change, although the exact magnitude and nature of these... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) NASA's Genesis mission crash-landed back on Earth in 2004. The spacecraft spent more than two years in orbit around the sun collecting solar wind, which consists of charged particles, on various ultra-pure collector materials. Fortunately, the collector with the greatest scientific value survived the crash almost intact. Its primary purpose was to measure the relative abundances of the three isotopes of oxygen: 16O, 17O and 18O. Despite the length of the mission, the solar wind is so rarefied that the small number of atoms collected required a dedicated mass spectrometer, the MegaSIMS, and years of technique development to measure the tiny quantities of implanted oxygen with sufficient precision. Dr Coath designed the ion-optics of this unique instrument. Oxygen isotopes have long posed a puzzle for scientists studying their distribution in the solar system. Inclusions in meteorites called CAIs, which are the earliest solids to have condensed in the solar system, and other refractory minerals in primitive meteorites, are found to be depleted (relative to the Earth) in the heaviest, and least abundant isotopes, 17O and 18O. One important question, which could not be answered by meteorite or even planetary studies, is what is the average oxygen isotope composition of the solar system as a whole? Knowing this would put constraints on the mechanisms which could have given rise to the observed distribution. Measuring the oxygen isotopic composition of the Sun, which Genesis has done, essentially answers this question because the Sun comprises 99.86 per cent of the entire mass of the solar system. The results show that the rocky (inner solar system) planets, which include the Earth, are enriched in 17O and 18O (relative to 16O) by about 6 per cent. Many believe that this is good supporting evidence for a mechanism called 'isotopic self-shielding' occurring in the early solar system. In 'isotopic self-shielding', photolysis... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| AAAS Board: Attacks on climate researchers inhibit free exchange of scientific ideas Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Reports of personal attacks on climate scientists, including harassment, legal challenges and even death threats, have created a hostile environment that inhibits the free exchange of scientific findings and makes it difficult for factual information to reach policymakers and the public, the Board of Directors of the American Association for the Advancement of Science says in a statement of concern. AAAS vigorously opposes attacks on researchers that question their personal and professional integrity or threaten their safety based on displeasure with their scientific conclusions, the Board says in the statement, which was approved on 28 June. Scientific progress depends on transparency, the Board says, but the sharing of research data is vastly different from unreasonable, excessive Freedom of Information Act requests for personal information and voluminous data that are then used to harass and intimidate scientists. The Board adds, Scientists and policymakers may disagree over the scientific conclusions on climate change and other policy-relevant topics. But the scientific community has proven and well-established methods for resolving disagreements about research results. It uses a self-correcting system in which research results are shared and critically evaluated by peers, and experiments are repeated when necessary. Leading U.S. scientists have complained about threatening communications and abusive e-mails as a result of their research on the climate impact of heat-trapping gases from human activity. In Australia, top climate scientists have been targeted by an unrelenting e-mail campaign that has resulted in police investigation of death threats, according to recent media reports. Lawmakers and activist groups also have sought detailed disclosure of records from climate researchers. The American Tradition Institute (ATI) has asked the University of Virginia to turn over thousands of e-mails and documents written by... http://www.rxpgnews.com   |
| ConocoPhillips donates $1 million to UH and its Energy Research Park Posted: 29 Jun 2011 05:00 AM PDT ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) ConocoPhillips is donating $1 million to the University of Houston and the emerging UH Energy Research Park, a collection of the university's preeminent energy research and education programs. The gift demonstrates ConocoPhillips' commitment to UH and President Renu Khator's vision of the Energy Research Park as a comprehensive research and education facility for the energy industry. ConocoPhillips is giving UH $1 million this year and intends to follow up with proposed future gifts of $1 million each year in 2012 and 2013. In recognition of the donation, the building formerly known as Building 9A in the UH Energy Research Park will be renamed the ConocoPhillips Petroleum Engineering Building. The building, which opened to students this semester, is the new home for UH's petroleum engineering program. It houses three teaching laboratories, three classrooms, a computer lab, faculty offices and a student lounge. We are extremely proud to make this gift in support of the University of Houston's new home for petroleum engineering study and research. We are excited to be able to contribute to the university's vision for a world -class petroleum engineering department as a cornerstone in its focus on energy, said Carin S. Knickel, vice president of human resources for ConocoPhillips. We view the new undergraduate engineering program as an excellent opportunity to expand the pool of top quality and diverse engineering graduates in support of our industry's needs for the future. The petroleum engineering program, which launched a bachelor's degree option in fall 2009 along with the existing master's degree, is designed to fill gaps in the industry's aging workforce and give graduates the skills they need in the evolving energy world. The undergraduate program already has grown to 100 students, the first of whom are expected to graduate in the spring of 2013. In recent years, UH has identified energy as a key strategic focus for faculty... 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