50 new ambulances flagged off in Himachal Pradesh

Shimla: Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday flagged off 50 new ambulances under the 'Free 108 National Ambulance Service' raising the strength of the fleet to 162 in the state.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh flagged off 50 ambulances, equipped and fabricated to provide emergency medical aid to patients, from the historic Ridge Maidan here.

125 more small ambulances would be purchased shortly to facilitate expectant mothers to reach hospitals and return back to their homes after delivery with new-borns, he said.

The National Ambulance Service has proved a boon for the people and benefited more than three lakh patients besides being used in 2,500 fire and 10,000 police related cases since its inception three years ago, Singh said.

The free ambulance project was a Centrally sponsored scheme but the previous BJP government claimed it as its own scheme for deriving political mileage, he said.

The state government was pursuing the matter regarding increasing 50 MBBS seats each in IGMC and Government Medical college at Tanda (Kangra) with the Union government and hoping for early nod from the Centre, the Chief Minister said.

An approval has been granted to fill 475 vacant posts of various categories in Health department to provide best health care services to the people at their door-steps, he said.

The Chief Minister also launched National Rural Health Mission website (www.Nrhmhp.Gov.In), which would provide all updated health related information to the people.


Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said 200 posts of doctors would be filled up during 2013-14 and 2014-15 and the IGMC would be developed as a Super Speciality Hospital.

He said that ECG machine and snake bite serum had also been made available besides other life saving medicines and equipments in the 108 Ambulance.

PTI

Despite stunted growth, Joby Mathews wins gold at World Arm Wrestling Championship

Navin Nair CNN-IBN

New Delhi: Joby Mathew, a man who did not allowed severe disabilities to come in the way of his ambitions, has won a gold medal at the World Arm Wrestling Championship. Despite having 60 per cent disability since birth, Mathew has also won 10 world medals in the last one decade.

The 36-year-old man, who suffers from Bilateral Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency or in simpler terms stunted growth of the legs since birth, has been a World Arm Wrestling champion twice. What his legs could not, he has achieved with his arms and a bundle of raw courage and grit.

"I don't have legs, so I cannot play football or basketball. Hence I focused on my arm power and started arm wrestling in school days. Soon, I was defeating every one," Mathew said.

In March 2008 at Leon in Spain, Mathew became a World Arm Wrestling champion in the normal category. The same year he also won the championship in the disabled category. Mathew even drives a specially modified car and also hits the gymnasium regularly.

"There is so much to learn for all of us from Joby. It's just his determination that keeps him going," Mathew's trainer Shaji said.

"When Joby Mathew addressed us for the first time, he motivated us with his challenges and achievements. He is an inspiration to us," Krishnan R Menon said.

When Mathew isn't thinking of sports, he dons the role of a husband, and a father to his three-year-old son. And with a supportive wife by his side, he has converted his disability into his biggest strength.

"One ambition which remains is to scale the Mount Everest. I want to achieve that in eight years from now after having undergone proper training," Mathew said.

But as the world champion goes on breaking every possible barrier in sports, there is one thing that he is still waiting for and that is recognition because he too has done his nation proud in whatever way he could.

Food inspectors to check mid-day meal in Goa schools

Panaji: Goa Government has decided to recruit food inspectors to check the mid-day meal at schools before it is served to students.

The decision comes in the backdrop of food poisoning incident in a school at Canacona, where 100 students had taken ill after partaking mid-day meal a few weeks ago.

"We will recruit 10-15 food inspectors who will inspect the mid-day meal which is served to students," Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said. They would be recruited by Education Department, he added.

To a query, Parrikar said it is not possible for the food, s

erved under a Government-sponsored scheme, to be transported to Food and Drugs Administration lab in Panaji for checking from schools located in rural areas.

The Chief Minister said process was on to empanel new self-help groups to supply mid-day meal in schools.

PTI 

Maharashtra govt to sell 30% cheaper veggies at 10 city centres

MUMBAI: Unable to prevent prices of vegetables and fruits from going through the roof, the state government is now promising their supply to Mumbaikars at reduced rates, a promise observers say needs to be taken with a pile of salt. Starting Monday, the government will—for the first time since 1999—sell vegetables and fruits at a price 30% lower than the current retail rate at select co-operative outlets across the city.

The announcement comes a day after the Union Cabinet approved the ordinance on the food security bill and amid speculation that the government is preparing for elections.

"Vegetable prices in the city are high despite a good monsoon. While it is not the government's job to procure and sell vegetables, market intervention is a tool it is forced to use when prices are artificially inflated," state agriculture minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil told TOI.

TOI had reported on June 29 how retailers in the city have hiked vegetable prices to four times their wholesale value despite a good harvest.

How the new scheme works on the ground, given the logistics, quality-control issues and fears of dumping of sub-standard veggies, remains to be seen. There are also concerns over why the rates are pegged 30% lower than already inflated rates.

But the state government is confident about its implementation. It says it will initially stock supplies at 10 ten outlets; if the programme takes off, 90 more stores would be added. Of the 10 outlets, seven would be at Apna Bazar stores at Andheri, Ghatkopar, Sion and Dadar, among other places; the other three will be at stores of the Sahakari Bhandar and Supari Baug.

The stocks would be procured by the Agriculture Mahasangh, a body of wholesale traders, from collection centres of the state-run Agriculture Produce Markets Committee (APMC). They will be cleaned, graded, packed and transported to outlets of the co-operative stores which are members of the state-run Maharashtra State Consumer Federation, an umbrella body of more than 100 co-operatives.

State officials said a daily MRP list will be displayed at the stores, and the arrangement would continue for a month, by which time they expect fresh stock arriving in the market to help rein in prices. This programme was first implemented for a month in 1999 when retailers had similarly hiked rates, officials said.

The traders would be exempted from paying state cess (currently charged at 0.85 paisa per kg), and transportation and labour charges would be relaxed as well. This would save the traders Rs 6-7 per kg, officials said.

The government says retail rates per kg should be just Re 3-4 more than the wholesale rates, inclusive of transportation, loading charges and spoilage.

"We have agreed to provide space in the stores as the government has assured full support in logistics and pricing," said Anil Ganger, chairman of Apna Bazar. Managers of co-operative stores, however, fear that their outlets may become dumping grounds for poor-quality vegetables.

"The government continues to have a hold over co-operative stores. We are forced to buy sacks of vegetables weighing 50kg when the requirement is not even a fraction of that amount. Certain favoured suppliers at the APMC market are chosen to carry out this scheme, and often, they make a killing at the expense of cooperatives," a manager at one of the outlets said. "Why not buy directly from farmers and sell at a fraction of the market rate, or why not allow us to choose our own suppliers?" he asked.

"This is an election gimmick. We have been suffering losses running into lakhs of rupees every time the government comes up with a so-called subsidy on vegetables. The appointed suppliers provide fresh, good-quality produce for the first day or two until the photo-ops are over. On the third or fourth day, co-operative stores become a dumping ground for vegetables that no consumer will touch. Moreover, the rate remains unchanged. Why will consumers purchase wilted, smelly vegetables for Rs 60-65 a kg when they can get fresh produce at the neighbourhood greengrocer for a few rupees more?" the manager added.

The manager of a suburban co-operative store said: "Several cooperative stores are not air-conditioned, so we literally throw out vegetables worth lakhs of rupees every evening at the close of business. The government does not provide storage facilities or take back spoiled goods. The next morning, sacks of bad vegetables arrive and remain unsold through the day."

Kerala to strengthen disaster management system

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala will strengthen its disaster management system to tackle crisis arising from natural calamities and outbreak of epidemics, taking the cue from havoc wrought by cloudburst in Uttarakhand.

Health Minister V S Shivakumar said on Thursday that the government was working out plans in this regard in view of the Uttarakhand calamity which claimed thousands of lives in cloudburst and the following flood.

"We are taking steps to strengthen the disaster management system. Doctors and paramedical staff will be given special training to tackle unexpected calamities and outbreak of

epidemics," he said at a function organised to congratulate a medical team from Kerala sent to Uttarakhand as part of emergency response initiatives.

The government, in co-operation with National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), had sent a 10-member team comprising doctors, nurses, health inspectors and other paramedical staff, to the calamity-stricken state last month.

Showering praise on the services rendered by the team, the minister said its members would be given good service entry in appreciation of the help they lent to the affected people.

"They managed to reach the flood-hit area with great difficulty and rendered services in Haridwar and Uttara Kashi and surrounding areas. They also conducted medical camps in six flood-hit villages. They did all these risking their own lives," he added.

The team was led by Dr S Sajith, Associate Professor, Alappuzha Medical College.

PTI

World`s first `human liver` created from stem cells

London: Scientists in Japan have used stem cells to grow tiny functioning livers in the laboratory.

The team at the Yokohama City University is hoping that liver failure could be reversed by transplanting thousands of liver buds.

They were trying to reproduce the earliest stages of liver development, which is similar to that in an embryo and for that they mixed 3 types of cells - two types of stem cells and material taken from the umbilical cord.

However, to their surprise the cells started to organise themselves and started curling to form a liver bud.

And when these buds were transplanted into mice, they hooked themselves up with the blood supply and began functioning as little livers, the BBC reported.

The transplants raided the lifespan of mice with liver failure.

However, turning this process into a treatment is still a distant thought, as the buds are 4-5mm long, however, researchers say that they will need to develop buds which are much minuscule and could be injected into the blood.

Though the buds will not grow into a whole new liver, but will embed themselves in the one which is failing and help restore it.

The findings have been published in Nature.

ANI

Govt to supply milk in schools to check malnutrition

BANGALORE: Karnataka is set to launch another ambitious scheme to prevent malnutrition and its resultant health problems among pre-school children aged between three and six years.

The children will be provided with milk in addition to supplementary nutrition at anganwadi centres to help them fight malnutrition and grow healthy,'' chief minister Siddaramaiah said. Siddaramaiah will announce the new scheme in his budget speech.

The woman and child welfare department, which has been entrusted with the task to implement the scheme, is gearing up to implement it. The children enrolled in Integrated Child Development Scheme and attend Anganwadi centres will be provided with 200 ml boiled milk supplied by KMF every two days.

The milk scheme is being implemented mainly tackle the problem of malnutrition and ensuring that extra milk available with the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) promoters of Nandini brand milk is consumed by those in need rather than converting it into milk powder.

Though the government had taken the steps to implement the scheme last month, it was delayed because of technical reasons.

But things have been sorted out now and we are egaring to implement the scheme,'' said women and child welfare minister Umashree.

Animal husbandry Officials said the government may need about Rs 400 to Rs 500 crore for the scheme and it will possibly be earmarked in the budget to be presented on July 12.

At present, they said 50 lakh litres of milk is produced daily in the state, and this may go up to 60 lakh litres soon. The new scheme will facilitate in utilizing the excess 30 lakh liters milk produced.

But the major reason why the government has taken initiative is to check child malnutrition in the state, which is growing by the day specifically in Raichur district. Quite alarmingly, date collected by women and child welfare department suggest that between April 2009 to August 2011, 2689 malnourished children have died in the district of Raichur alone, and 4531 children are suffering from severe malnutrition.

Malnutrition has been the underlying cause of deaths of children under five years in the state since 2008. Even if it does not lead to death, malnutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies, often leads to permanent damage, including impairment of physical growth and mental development, '' G R Hiremath, a social activist fighting for the cause in Raichur.

Doctor claims breakthrough in race for spinal 'cure'

HONG KONG: A leading researcher into severe spinal cord injuries today said trials for stem-cell therapy showed groundbreaking results in giving immobile patients the ability to walk again.


After progress in a second round of tests using stem cells to regrow nerve fibres, the China Spinal Cord Injury Network (ChinaSCINet) has applied for regulatory approval in China for a third and final phase, which it hopes to start in the autumn.

Mobile clinic for kidney ailments

KOZHIKODE: The mobile clinic launched under the Snehasparsham project of the Kidney Welfare Society of the district panchayat will tour all the schools in the district to detect kidney ailments.

The society decided to conduct school-level check-up considering the growing instances of renal diseases among students.

The society will provide Rs 50,000 per month to conduct check-up at the schools.

In the initial phase, the mobile van will tour all the higher secondary and high schools in its limit.

The project will cover the upper primary and lower primary schools in the second phase.

The doctors from Iqra hospital will conduct check-up among students to detect kidney ailments. The society will bring the students under the Snehasparsham project who are in need of monthly dialysis.

Those who have been detecting with symptoms of renal diseases will be asked to begin early treatment. The mobile van worth Rs 65 lakh was donated by one of the sponsors in the district.

District panchayat president and chairperson of the Kidney Welfare Society K Jameela said, "The growing number of kidney ailments among students forced us to think of conducting a camp for the early detection of renal diseases among them. Experts will check the blood pressure, ECG and renal disease in the schools. A total of 22 children belonging to the age of 12 to 20 years have been receiving benefits of the Snehasparsham Project. We hope to eliminate renal diseases in a phased manner from the district,'' said the chairperson.

Snehasparsham Project launched in the district aims at providing financial aid to beneficiaries to conduct dialysis.

At present, the society has been helping 635 patients to carry out dialysis.

The society is providing Rs 2,500 in cash and Rs 600 worth dialyser to each of the beneficiaries every month.

K Jameela said that the society will set up a dialysis centre at Kuttiyadi soon.

"The new centre will cater to the requirements of patients from Wayanad, Nadappuram, Kunnummal and Perambra. People have been approaching the dialysis centre set up at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital to carry out free dialysis,'' said the chairperson.

I am free from cancer: Manisha Koirala

Actress Manisha Koirala, who has successfully battled ovarian cancer, maintained a vibrant and cheerful demeanour as she stepped out for a public function in New York recently.

The 42-year-old was seen wearing trousers, a white shirt, a casual white coat and a red hat. Manisha covered her head with a tied-up stole, and then further concealed it with the bright red hat. She not only looked elegant, she was also happier and healthier. Even her face and her smile reflected a unique glow as she interacted with several women in a green, open space.

"I am free from cancer," Manisha said at the event, thanking all those who wished her recovery during her tough time, according to Nepalese channel White Himal TV, which operates from New York.

Manisha, who carved her own niche in the Hindi film industry with films like 'Bombay', '1942: A Love Story' and 'Dil Se', was initially admitted to Mumbai's Jaslok Hospital on November 28 last year, after which she flew down to the US for further treatment. She is expected to return to India towards June end, her manager Subroto Ghosh said, adding, "She is now fine, all hale and hearty."

The actor is missing the Mumbai monsoons. She took to her Facebook page to share her thoughts, and posted, "Got to know (about) lovely rains in Mumbai. Can't wait to be on my terrace!"

Mumbai fights for Bijlee, age 58, weight five tonnes

Agence France-Presse

Mumbai: An overworked and overweight Indian elephant called Bijlee is fighting for her life in Mumbai after collapsing in the street, sparking anguish among animal activists and Bollywood stars.

Bijlee, aged 58 and weighing five tonnes, was found lying in pain in a northeastern suburb last week after decades of alleged overwork and neglect.

Local reports said she was used by her owners to beg on the streets and entertain at weddings without a break for more than 50 years.

On Tuesday, elephant specialist K.K. Sharma was flown in to Mumbai to treat Bijlee, and who now has helpers caring for her around the clock and a crane to help her stand up.

"Everybody shows their concerns but unfortunately the prospects are very bad," Sharma told AFP. He said Bijlee is 1.5 tonnes overweight and suffering degenerative joint disease, but even a strict diet many not help much.

Vets say Bijlee's owners have been feeding her junk food for years, such as "vada pav". Indian elephants' usually live off grass and tree bark.

"The damage has been done already. We're trying to control the pain and supplement the vitamin deficiency, give fluid and strengthen her nerves and muscles."

On Tuesday, #savebijlee began trending on Twitter and she appeared on the the front page of Wednesday's Mumbai Mirror.

Bollywood's superstar Amitabh Bachchan is among those moved by her plight, posting pictures and appealing for help on his blog.

"A compassionate appeal to all animal lovers," he wrote on Twitter, asking them to support the "Animals Matter To Me" charity that is caring for Bijlee.

Elephants are a common sight on the streets of many Indian cities although their movements are officially restricted in Mumbai

Man survives 15th floor fall in New Zealand

PTI

Melbourne: In a miraculous save, a young British man, who was slightly "tipsy", has survived a fall from the 15th floor of a building in New Zealand. Twenty-year-old

Tom Stilwell fell from his neighbours' balcony in his apartment block in Auckland yesterday, while trying to lower himself onto his balcony, which was directly below his neighbours'.

According to his friends, Stilwell had bone fractures and internal injuries, but was "fine" and "a very lucky man". Stilwell is said to be in New Zealand on a working holiday. Stilwell found himself locked out of his flat early yesterday, and asked a neighbour if he could climb from her balcony into his flat, his friends said.

The neighbour, Geraldine Bautista, told the New Zealand Herald that Stilwell was "a little tipsy" but polite. "I wasn't scared of him - he just requested 'Can you please let me jump off from the balcony? I will not bother you, just let me use your balcony,'" said Bautista.

"I never thought he would really do that. In my mind I thought 'Okay, I'll just let you see that it's really impossible. I didn't think he'd jump, because it's really scary," she said. However, he quickly pulled himself over the balcony railing before she could stop him, Bautista said.

Stilwell's fall was broken by the roof of an adjacent building some 13 floors below. Tony Smith, a medical director at St John, an emergency health-care organisation, said that a person's chances of survival were increased if they were able to break their fall on something. Smith, however, said that "survival from falls of that height are extraordinarily unusual".

Aadhaar coverage in Chandigarh above 95 per cent: UT official

Chandigarh: Chandigarh has achieved enrolment of 95 per cent of its population for the Aadhaar scheme and clocked the highest number of direct cash transfers to beneficiaries through use of the unique identity card, officials here said On Thursday.

Out of 43 pilot districts in India, Chandigarh has recorded highest number of transactions under the Centre's Direct Benefit Transfer scheme with an amount of Rs 3 crore distributed amongst around 17,000 beneficiaries, UT adviser KK Sharma said in a release here.

These include funds from both the central government and the

UT administration, the release added.

IT secretary Prerna Puri, meanwhile, said that a sum of Rs 4.62 crore has been approved for integrating Aadhaar with schemes under the three departments of Social Welfare, Education and Chandigarh Housing Board.

She also stated that with a view to utilising the demographic data collected as part of the Aadhaar scheme, a data hub would be set up in Chandigarh to enable various departments to verify and tally the records.

In due course, the schemes of the departments of Food and Civil Supplies, Registering and Licensing Authority and Property Registration, too, would be integrated with Aadhaar, she added.

PTI

Gurgaon doctors perform innovative knee surgery

GURGAON: A 67-year-old patient with severe osteoarthritis from Oman has undergone a knee-replacement surgery using computer navigation technique at a private hospital in Gurgaon. Both the knees were replaced in one sitting itself.

Doctors at the Artemis Hospital claim that the knee replacement surgery was performed with the help of computer navigation is the first in Gurgaon. In this technique, specially designed trackers are fixed on the patient bones which send signals to the cameras mounted on the machine with computer and the surgeon maps the patient bone anatomy on the computer.

This provides a patient-specific anatomical map of the bone on the screen. It is different from the robotic surgery as here the surgeon remains in control of the procedure.

"In conventional technique, a lot of eyeballing is required to fix the cutting instruments on the patient's bone. This leads to mal-alignment of the implant in approximately 17 to 28% of cases (quoted in various studies published in medical literature). This will lead to persistent pain or instability in the knee even after surgery and the implant will fail much quicker as compared to well aligned and balanced knee," said Subhash Jangid, senior consultant, department of orthopaedics.

A perfectly aligned knee joint will last longer compared to the mal-aligned knee. Thus, the patient will require a revision surgery after 20-25 years (if the joint is perfectly aligned) as compared to 10-15 years (if the joint is mal-aligned). This will reduce both the physical and financial burden on the patient and our health care system. The revision surgery usually costs two times as compared to primary surgery, said the doctor.

"In conventional technique, we put instruments and cutting zigs in a fixed angle for all the patients, but the individual anatomic variations are not considered," added Jangid. With computer navigation the hip, knee and ankle center are calculated accurately for that individual patient. It then guides surgeon to determine the spatial location of instruments for that particular patient and to provide positional feedback regarding their use. This leads to zero degree error in alignment of the artificial prosthesis in all three planes, claim doctors.

The other advantage of computer navigation is that the artificial knee is perfectly balanced with this technique and it helps in early recovery. The patients are more confident and pain-free because the knee is stable and axial loading is perfect. The patients even climb stairs in a week's time after the surgery.

Besides this, the canal of the thigh bone is not opened in this technique and that avoids any chance of fat embolism in these patients. The blood loss is significantly less with the computer navigation technique as compared to conventional technique. We don't transfuse any blood for our unilateral knee replacements and usually require no more than one unit in bilateral knee replacement cases.

HIV positive couples give birth to healthy babies

AHMEDABAD: Around 200 HIV positive couples in Ahmedabad have kicked the dreaded infection in the womb with medical intervention. These families have children who don't carry the burden of their parents' disease.

Savita, a nurse and her builder Rajesh have not allowed HIV infection to derail their lives. The two met in the waiting room of their doctor after being infected, liked each other and got married.

The balance tipped in their favor when they gave birth to a daughter who tested HIV negative. "We are elated. A healthy child has made me forget all the wrongs that happened to me," Savita said.

For thousands struggling with HIV, hope is being delivered through the 'Gujarat Mother to Child HIV Prevention' programme run by a group of doctors in Ahmedabad. Of the 200 babies of HIV-positive couples they have delivered, 198 are negative and healthy.

Gynecologist Dr Riddhi Shukla says that with HIV gaining acceptability, some partners have chosen to stay with their spouses despite the infection. Artificial insemination methods like intra uterine insemination where the sperm is laboratory washed is used. IVF can also be done but is still not very popular.

"The sperm itself does not carry the virus but is present in the seminal fluid. Once it is washed, it becomes safe. Moreover, the mother is put on Anti Retroviral Therapy from the fourth month till the child is delivered. If the CD 4 count, which is an indicator for high infection, is low ART is started before conception as well," Shukla said.

Infectious diseases consultant Dr Atul Patel and paediatrician Dr Rakesh Sharma are also part of the programme. "Once the child is born, he or she is given ART syrup for one-and-half months," Sharma said. "A few years ago, couples would come to us stealthily but now we see parents and in-laws tagging along. The stigma is diminishing," Sharma added.

3-week-old baby's bleeding in brain stopped by using superglue

New York: Surgeons at the University of Kansas Hospital sealed a 3-week-old baby's life-threatening brain aneurysm with a dollop of superglue.

Ashlyn Julian was born on May 16. Her parents, Gina and Jared Julian, said she was a healthy newborn.

However, in a matter of days, Ashlyn went from being a quiet but tired baby to one who was screaming and vomiting.

Doctors discovered an aneurysm the size of an almond on little baby's brain.

Doctors at the University of Kansas Hospital discovered the she had an almond-sized aneurysm in the middle of her brain.

Surgeons used the smallest adult catheter they could find and a strand of microwire to put super glue on baby Ashlyn's aneurysm, the New York Daily News reported.

The unconventional method of using super glue to repair Ashlyn's aneurysm worked, and the 3-week-old is on the road to recovery.

PAGES

Ambulance on Jaipur NH soon just a phone call away

NEW DELHI: If you spot an accident or meet with one on Delhi-Jaipur highway, you just need to call 1033 to get an ambulance. The service scheduled to start in the next fortnight will be managed by a call centre which will be linked to 11 life support ambulances on this 260-km stretch.

A top road transport and highways ministry official said that at least 390 signage on this stretch will be placed mentioning the toll-free telephone number. "The department of telecom has allotted this number for emergency calls across the all national highways. We are now pursuing the plan to see that people can use this number all over the country. The beginning would be made on Delhi-Jaipur highway where we are trying to ensure quick arrival of ambulances on spot. If people don't get ambulances in time, the toll-free number has no use," he added.

The official added that once the call centre receives information of any accident, it would immediately inform the ambulance deployed close to the mishap site and ask it to reach there immediately. The call centre executives will also inform the local police for immediate action. The highway stretch between Delhi and Haryana-Rajasthan border is perhaps the deadliest highway corridor in the country. At least 250 lives were lost in 2011 only in the Haryana portion.

The provisions to have a centralized call centre and deployment of more ambulances are a part of the ministry's pilot project to provide free and cashless immediate medical care to accident victims. The scheme, likely to be launched by this month-end, aims to rush ambulances with trained staff within 10 minutes of any accident. A private insurance major, which has is implementing the project, has roped in hospitals along to the highway stretch to provide immediate care under the cashless scheme.

Source : TNN

Kerala tourism to set up waste treatment plants

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Tourism Development Corporation has said it will install its own waste treatment plants in all their hotels including 'Tamarind Easy Hotels'.

Biogas plants had already been set up in all major hotels owned by KTDC, while works were being completed at the Mascot and Chitram Hotels in the capital and Bolgatty palace in

Kochi, a KTDC release said.

The initiative was part of the state government's Green Kerala Initiative. The 'Tamarind' KTDC hotels in Alappuzha and Kayamkulam already have waste treatment facility.

Besides KTDC hotels, the corporation had also installed a biogas plant at Thiruvananthapuram museum with the assistance of the Museums and Zoos department.

With the completion of the work, KTDC would set an example of becoming green with biogas treatment plants. Waste generated from the hotels would be recycled and used for gardening.

PTI

India's state-of-the-art air ambulance

New Delhi: India's first state-of-the art Air Ambulance, Flying Doctors India, was today launched in the national capital.

The new aircraft is tailor-made and equipped with a state-of-the-art Intensive Care Unit on a dedicated chartered aircraft. The goal is to provide critical care even when a patient is in transit. The air ambulance is being run by the same team of doctors who flew the Delhi gangrape victim to Singapore in December and brought back VC Shukla from Chhattisgarh last month.

"Earlier whenever we got a call, we would take a private aircraft, tape off the chairs and fit our equipment in. It was basically a 'jugaad' (temporary fix) of sorts. Now we have a dedicated air-ambulance ready for all emergency services," Dr Naresh Trehan of Medanta Medicity told.

With the air ambulance, flying doctors has taken a leap. The response time now is just 20 to a maximum of 90 minutes. Doctors say earlier it would take three hours just to prepare the aircraft.

Another timesaver is the aircraft's longer endurance level of upto seven-and-a-half hours unlike earlier when the aircraft would have to stop after 3 hours for refueling.

"This could perhaps mean a matter of life or death for a patient," Dr Trehan says.

However, Dr Trehan says hiring the aircraft it still not cheap. It can cost at least Rs. 50,000 per hour

The aircraft can cater to patients even in smaller cities with the air ambulance having rough field capability which means it can land even on unprepared air strips.

Test that accurately detects down syndrome in a baby as early as within 3 months of pregnancy

LONDON: A simple blood test can now accurately tell a pregnant mother, as early as three months into her pregnancy, whether her child suffers from Down's syndrome.

Researchers on Friday announced the first ever non-invasive first trimester blood test to reliably detect the syndrome that affects thousands of children annually.

The routine screening uses a non-invasive test that analyzes fetal DNA in a pregnant woman's blood.

It can accurately detect Down's syndrome and other genetic fetal abnormalities in the first trimester.

Every year between 23,000 and 29,000 children are born in India with Down Syndrome, which is the highest in the world.

Current screening for the syndrome or trisomy 21 includes a combined test done between the 11th and 13th weeks of pregnancy, which involves an ultrasound screen and a hormonal analysis of the pregnant woman's blood.

The results suggest that the test is superior to currently available screening strategies and could reshape standards in prenatal testing.

Researchers from King's college London carried out the new test on 1005 pregnancies at 10 weeks and found a lower false positive rate and higher sensitivity for fetal trisomy than the combined test done at 12 weeks.

Two other tests - chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis can definitely detect or rule out fetal genetic abnormalities.

But these are invasive to the pregnancy and carry a high risk of ending up in miscarriage.

Several studies have shown that non-invasive prenatal diagnosis for trisomy syndromes using fetal cell free (cf) DNA from a pregnant woman's blood is highly sensitive and specific, making it a potentially reliable alternative that can be done earlier in pregnancy.

The study by Kypros Nicolaides from King's College London is the first to prospectively demonstrate the feasibility of routine screening for trisomies 21, 18, and 13 by cfDNA testing.

In the new test, both cfDNA and combined testing detected all trisomies but the estimated false-positive rates were 0.1% and 3.4%, respectively.

The authors said, "This study has shown that the main advantage of cfDNA testing, compared with the combined test, is the substantial reduction in false positive rate. Another major advantage of cfDNA testing is the reporting of results as very high or very low risk, which makes it easier for parents to decide in favor of or against invasive testing."

A second study by the same group, which included pregnancies undergoing screening at three UK hospitals between March 2006 and May 2012, found that effective first-trimester screening for Down's syndrome could be achieved by cfDNA testing contingent on the results of the combined test done at 11 to 13 weeks.

The strategy detected 98% of cases, and invasive testing was needed for confirmation in less than 0.5% of cases.

"Screening for trisomy 21 by cfDNA testing contingent on the results of an expanded combined test would retain the advantages of the current method of screening, but with a simultaneous major increase in detection rate and decrease in the rate of invasive testing," the authors concluded.

Down's Syndrome Foundation of India says chromosomes are thread-like structures composed of DNA and other proteins. They are present in every cell of the body and carry the genetic information needed for that cell to develop. Human cells normally have 46 chromosomes that can be arranged in 23 pairs. Of these 23, 22 are alike in males and females; these are called the "autosomes".

The 23rd pair is the sex chromosome.

Human cells divide in two ways. The first is ordinary cell division by which the body grows. In this method, one cell becomes two cells that have the exact same number and type of chromosomes as the parent cell. The second method of cell division occurs in the ovaries and testicles and consists of one cell splitting into two, with the resulting cells having half the number of chromosomes of the parent cell. So, normal eggs and sperm cells only have 23 chromosomes instead of 46.

The test in which blood or skin samples are checked for the number and type of chromosomes is called a karyotype. The most common cause of Down syndrome occurs when an infant is born with three, rather than two, copies of the 21st chromosome (known medically as trisomy 21).

Some investigators reported that older fathers might also be at an increased risk of having a child with Down syndrome.

Source : TNN