Skin bank for burns victims at Delhi hospital - India

13  feb 2012

Skin bank for burns victims at Delhi hospital

You can even donate your skin for the benefit of patients now.

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The Safdarjung Hospital is working towards setting up a skin bank for patients with severe burns.

To this end, the hospital's department of burns, plastics and maxillofacial surgery will kickstart an awareness campaign for cadaver skin donation.

The hospital has already been saving the leftover grafts of skin used in research and experiments.

"The health ministry has recently approved the idea. The most important thing is to have awareness about cadaver skin donations in India. It's only seldom that someone turns up for skin donation," professor Dr V.K. Tiwari said on the first day of the 20th annual national conference of the National Academy of Burns (Nabicon) on Friday.

"Earlier, we could save the skin for use within three weeks. But now we will use special techniques to store it for up to a few years. Special gloves are needed to handle the skin... It's very delicate and mishandling can damage it," he added.

The conference focussed on raising awareness about skin donation in India. The three-day Nabicon 2012, besides discussing the global trends in burn care, had sessions on chemical, biological, radiation and nuclear disasters (CBRN) for the first time in India.

The hospital has also started the artificial skin transplantation procedures, but it is beyond the reach of poor patients.

"If a patient has suffered 60-70 per cent burns, they require skin implantation. The procedure to be followed is excision, that is cutting off the wound and covering it either with the patient's own skin or donated skin or artificial skin. The artificial skin available here is manufactured and patented by a US-based company and is quite expensive. So the best option is to store and transplant the donated skin. The concept of skin banking will help people who lack resources," Adiva Hospital consultant for plastic and aesthetic surgery Dr Monisha Kapoor said.

The skin bank would be established under the ministry's pilot project for burns, called the National Burns Prevention Programme.

Doctors say lives of many burn victims can be saved if a barrier is created by grafting new skin, taken from the cadaver donors. The donated skin is processed and stored in a skin bank before transplantation.

"People have a lot of misconceptions regarding skin donation. They think that the body is disfigured and spoilt after the donation, but it is not true. Only the outermost layer of skin from the thighs and the back is removed from the cadaver. We will kickstart the promotion and tell people that many lives can be saved by skin donation," Dr Tiwari said.

"According to the national burn registry, around seven million people suffer burns every year and one out of 100 requires hospitalisation. This programme will benefit many people and, most importantly, can provide skin to other cities as well in liquid nitrogen flasks," he added.

There are 43 burn centres in India with only 726 beds. As many as 64 of these beds are at Safdarjung Hospital.

indiatoday

Bin Laden told children 'live in peace in the West' - India

12  feb 2012

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

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Slain Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden urged his children to go live peacefully in the West and get a university education, his brother-in-law said in an interview published Sunday.

Zakaria al-Sadah, the brother of bin Laden's Yemeni fifth wife Amal, told Britain's Sunday Times newspaper that the Saudi-born extremist believed his children "should not follow him down the road to jihad."
"He told his own children and grandchildren, 'Go to Europe and America and get a good education,'" al-Sadah told the Sunday Times.
Al-Sadah said bin Laden told them: "You have to study, live in peace and don't do what I am doing or what I have done."
Bin Laden was killed in a commando raid in May 2011 by US Navy SEALS at a house in the garrison town of Abbottabad, northwest Pakistan, where he had been living for several years.
Al-Sadah said that in November he had seen his sister for the first time since she was shot in the knee during the raid, and had since been allowed to have a number of meetings with her in the presence of guards.
He said the three wives and nine children who were in the compound -- some are bin Laden's children and others are his grandchildren -- have been held for months in a three-room flat in Islamabad.
They are guarded by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency, he said.
The Sunday Times published what it said was the first photograph to show some of the young children from the compound: two sons and a daughter, and two grandsons and a granddaughter.
The children were still traumatised after seeing the raid in which bin Laden died, al-Sadah said.
"These children have seen their father killed and they need a caring environment, not a prison -- whatever you think of their father and what he has done," he said.
A Pakistani commission investigating the raid said in October that it had lifted travel restrictions on Bin Laden's family and al-Sadah flew to Islamabad in November to take Amal and her children home.
But he said Pakistani officials had refused to let him take them.
There was no immediate response to the claims from Pakistani officials.

Greece approves austerity to stay in eurozone - India

12  feb 2012

Greece approves austerity to stay in eurozone

Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said that measures were vital to the country's very economic survival.

Greece's parliament has approved an austerity and debt-relief bill, crucial for the country to avoid bankruptcy and remain in the eurozone. Lawmakers voted early Monday in favor of the bill that imposes harsh new austerity measures in return for a euro 130 billion ($171 billion) new bailout agreement and related deal with private creditors to shave euro100 billion ($132 billion) off the country's national debt.

The vote occurred after extensive rioting and looting swept through the Greek capital.

Demonstrators set buildings ablaze and fireballs lit up the night sky in Greece's capital on Sunday amid widespread rioting before a historic parliamentary vote on harsh austerity measures designed to prevent the country from going bankrupt.

The clashes erupted after more than 100,000 protesters marched to the parliament to rally against the drastic cuts, which will ax one in five civil service jobs and slash the minimum wage by more than a fifth.

At least 10 buildings were on fire, including a movie theater, bank and cafeteria, and looters smashed dozens of shops in the worst riot damage in years. Dozens of police officers and at least 37 protesters were injured, and more than 20 suspected rioters were detained.

As the vote got under way early Monday, Prime Minister Lucas Papademos urged calm, pointing to the country's dire financial straits.

Since May 2010, Greece has survived on a $145 billion (euro110 billion) bailout from its European partners and the International Monetary Fund. When that proved insufficient, a new rescue package worth a further $171 billion (euro130 billion) was approved — combined with a massive bond swap deal that will write off half the country's privately held debt.
But for both deals to materialize, Greece has to persuade its deeply skeptical creditors that it has the will to implement spending cuts and public sector reforms that will end years of fiscal profligacy and tame gaping budget deficits.

As protests raged Sunday, demonstrators set bonfires in front of parliament and dozens of riot police formed lines to keep them from making a run on the building. Security forces fired dozens of tear gas volleys at rioters, who attacked them with firebombs and chunks of marble broken off the fronts of luxury hotels, banks and department stores.
Clouds of tear gas drifted across the square, and many in the crowd wore gas masks or had their faces covered, while others carried Greek flags and banners.

Papademos' government — an unlikely coalition of the majority Socialists and their main foes, New Democracy — was expected to carry the austerity vote, even by a narrow margin. Combined, they control 236 of Parliament's 300 seats, although at least 20 lawmakers from both main parties said they would not back the private sector wage cuts, pension reductions and civil service layoffs dictated by the draft austerity program.

Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the measures were vital to the country's very economic survival.
"The question is not whether some salaries and pensions will be curtailed, but whether we will be able to pay even these reduced wages and pensions," he said. "When you have to choose between bad and worse, you will pick what is bad to avoid what is worse."

The new cutbacks, which follow two years of harsh income losses and tax hikes amid a deep recession and record high unemployment have been demanded by Greece's bailout creditors in return for a new batch of vital rescue loans.
"By Wednesday, finance ministers from eurozone countries must finally approve the financing and support program for Greece," Venizelos said. "If that doesn't happen, the country will go bankrupt."

Asked whether Greece has a long-term future in the eurozone, Germany's Vice Chancellor Philip Roesler said "that is now in the hands of the Greeks alone."

"We want ... the Greek parliament also to approve laws and, as far as possible, take the first steps to implement what has been agreed," he told ARD television

"Only when that happens, only then can there be new aid — and Greece urgently needs that," said Roesler, who is also Germany's economy minister.

Roesler acknowledged that Greece faces "difficult decisions" but stressed that Germany wants it to be able to get out of trouble.

Five pains you should never ignore - India

11  feb 2012

Five pains you should never ignore

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

As a cardiac surgeon, I've encountered people with all kinds of aches and pains. And I can say with certainty that pain is one of our bodies' most complex, misunderstood warning systems. Sometimes it means that we simply overdid it at the gym, while other times it can be a sign of something much more serious-even deadly. In fact, knowing how to recognize these five most dangerous pains might just save your life.

1. Thunder and lightning headache
Headaches can range from annoying to downright debilitating. But there's one type that really worries me. This headache comes without warning, feels like an intense explosion and can have devastating consequences. People almost always describe it as "the worst headache of my life," and it's usually the result of an aneurysm (an abnormal balloon that grows out of the wall of a weakened blood vessel) bursting in the brain. It can lead to stroke or even death if not treated quickly. Fortunately, recognizing this headache and getting to the hospital quickly can improve your odds of survival. While some people are born with aneurysms, most of us aren't. And good lifestyle habits-like not smoking and controlling your blood pressure-go a long way in preventing them from rupturing or even happening in the first place.

RELATED: Dr. Oz's two-step plan to outsmart weight gain

2. Vise grip around your chest
If you experience progressively worsening tightness in the centre of your chest that radiates down your left arm or up to your neck and jaw, it may signal a heart attack. I worry because many women wait too long to seek help, perhaps thinking the pressure is too mild to be a real heart attack. Be aware of that. And if you also experience nausea, heartburn, shortness of breath, sweating, back pain, sleep disturbance or weakness, seek help immediately. Proper treatment within an hour hugely improves your chances for a full recovery.



3. Severe abdominal pain
Major discomfort in your right upper abdomen may be caused by gallstones blocking your gallbladder. The gallbladder is a small sac attached to the liver that stores a fat-digesting fluid called bile. Too much cholesterol in the bile can lead to stones, which are usually harmless but can cause the gallbladder to become inflamed. If the inflammation progresses, the gallbladder can rupture and require an immediate operation. Prevent gallstones by keeping a healthy weight, exercising and avoiding foods high in saturated and trans fats.



4. Stabbing pelvic pain
Sharp, severe pain in the lower abdomen or pelvis, often accompanied by vaginal bleeding, could point to a life-threatening ruptured ectopic pregnancy. This occurs when a fertilized egg implants somewhere other than the uterus. While you can't prevent ectopic pregnancy, recognizing it early can help avoid rupture. So if you think you're pregnant and you've had a previous ectopic pregnancy or STDs, or you smoke, make sure your doctor rules this out, generally through a pelvic exam.



5. Swollen, tender leg
We all have occasional soreness in our legs, but when the pain is in only one calf and accompanied by swelling, take it seriously. This could be the sign of a clot in the veins of your leg called a deep-vein thrombosis (DVT). The big problem with a DVT is that a piece of the clot can break off, travel to your lungs and cut off your oxygen supply. To help prevent a DVT, stay well hydrated and stretch often during long trips.

droz

Smart chimp solves memory puzzle at unbelievable speed - India

11 feb 2012

Smart chimp solves memory puzzle at unbelievable speed

Ayumu the chimp is called "the world's greatest animal mind." The primate can solve a complex memory test faster than you can blink, really.

In just 60 milliseconds, the 11-year-old can remember the location and order of a set of numbers.
Watch the chimp below:


"In this case, that information is the position of Arabic numerals on a touch-sensitive screen. Ayumu is shown the numbers 1—9 on the computer screen, and given just a fraction of a second to commit their randomized location to memory. Once that fraction of a second is up, the numbers are covered with white squares, at which point Ayumu must select them in numerical order."
How does he do it? There are two theories.
The first theory says that Ayumu is able to commit a complete picture of an intricate scale or pattern to memory, something called "eidetic imagery."
The second theory suggests the chimp is subitizing, which means he can "look at a small number of items and automatically know how many of each are present," 

Ayumu lives and trains at the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University. He's the son of super-smart chimpanzee Ai, "whose intelligence has been studied for over 30 years by Professor Tetsuro Matsuzawa," the BBC reports.

Obama to pitch lower corporate tax - India

10 feb 2012

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

WASHINGTON (Reuters) President Barack Obama will call for cutting the top 35 percent corporate tax rate as early as this month, according to two sources close to the administration.
The president is likely to propose a rate closer to an average of that seen in peer nations, the sources said.
This would jibe with remarks made last year by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who suggested the United States should be moving to a rate more in line with its major trading partners in the high 20-percent range.
Obama outlined tax measures - including closing tax loopholes for companies that move facilities and jobs overseas - in his State of the Union speech in January, and will lay out principles for revamping corporate taxes by the end of February, a senior administration official said.
"We will talk more before the end of the month on what corporate tax reform would look like," the official said on Friday, confirming that it would include a call for "lower rates."
Facing a potentially tough presidential re-election challenge this November, Obama will propose cutting the rate following the release of his 2013 budget plan on Monday, February 13, according to the sources, who were not authorized to speak on the record.
While he spent a big part of his January speech to Congress criticizing businesses for moving jobs overseas, Obama said that "companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world."
Only Japan has a steeper corporate tax rate than the United States among industrialized countries, though other countries make up the revenue with a value-added tax, he said. The United States does not have a VAT.
An overhaul of the corporate tax system is extremely unlikely in an election year, but the president's proposal could be an olive branch to the business community to show that he agrees with them on one key aspect of tax reform.
"I think what he will end up doing is saying, 'For years folks have been asking for a lower corporate rate, and here it is - what do you think?,'" said Jared Bernstein, a former economic advisor to Vice President Joe Biden.
Obama's Treasury Department was close to releasing a revamp of corporate taxes last year, but pulled back after business opposition, according to a former official.
Republican Rep. Dave Camp, the chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives' tax-law writing Ways and Means committee, has set a goal of trimming the top 35 percent corporate rate to 25 percent.
Gene Sperling, director of Obama's National Economic Council, has told reporters that the president will be laying out "principles" for corporate tax reform close to the budget release.
Obama's corporate plan will also include a new minimum tax on foreign profits earned in low tax countries - an unpopular idea in the corporate community.

Woman in China gives birth to 15-pound baby - India

09 feb 2012

Woman in China gives birth to 15-pound baby

Dr Sanjay Kumar Cardiac Cardiothoracic Heart Surgeon India

Beijing:  A mother in central China has given birth to a 15.52 pound (7.04 kilogram) baby, possibly the largest newborn on record since the country's founding in 1949.

The state-run Tianjin Post said Tuesday that the 29-year-old mother in Henan province gave birth to the boy Saturday by cesarean section. It said delivery took just 20 minutes and both mother and the baby, named Chun Chun, are doing fine.

The paper said Chun Chun's parents are average size and there was nothing unusual about his mother's pregnancy or diet.

The paper said it wasn't immediately clear whether Chun Chun made China's record books.

Guinness World Records says the heaviest newborn ever recorded was born to an Ohio woman in 1879 and weighed 23.7 pounds (10.77 kilograms).