Health – Page 54 – Take off with Natarajan

One Doctor’s Fight Against a System Where Cancer Patients Die for Lack of Money …

October 31, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

“Aai, I will become a doctor when I grow up and cure people without money,” promised 8-year-old Swapnil Mane to his mother, as he helplessly watched his poor neighbour die of cancer. Twenty years later, this oncosurgeon and his wife have helped thousands of cancer sufferers in 52 villages in Maharashtra and have operated on 550 patients for free.

Twenty years ago, an 8-year-old boy tugged at his mother:

“Aai (Mother), I want to help Godse Kaka!”

“But how can we help Swapnil? Baba (Father) does not earn so much that we can help him monetarily, or else we would have.”

“But Aai…Why don’t the doctors help him and cure him?”

“Doctors cure only those who have money, Swapnil.”

The last line uttered by Swapnil Mane’s mother gave him his mission in life.

Dr. Mane Medical Foundation and Research Centre, Rahuri, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra

He was watching Godse Kaka die every day. He was watching Godse Kaku cry every day. Godse Kaka was Swapnil’s neighbour. He was a daily-wage worker at a farm. He earned about Rs. 50 to Rs. 60 per day. And now, not even that, due to his disease.

“Aai, I will become a doctor when I grow up and cure people without money too!” Swapnil promised his mother.

Swapnil eventually came to know that Godse Kaka was suffering from lung cancer, and just because he did not have Rs. 50, 000, he had to die. So now, Swapnil was determined to become a cancer specialist and fight against cancer.

According to data from the National Cancer Registry Programme of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the estimated mortality rate due to cancer saw an increase of approximately 6 percent between 2012 and 2014. There were close to 5 lakh deaths due to cancer in the country in 2014. Every year, 50,000 women die due to cervical cancer. Every day, 1300 people die due to cancer in India.

On May 1, 2011, Dr. Swapnil Mane (MBBS, MD, DGO, FCPS, MD—Oncosurgeon) started the journey towards fulfilling his dream of making cancer treatment affordable and even free if necessary for the needy in India. He inaugurated the Dr. Mane Medical Foundation and Research Centre, a national, social, secular NGO which stands committed to cancer control, at village Rahuri, district Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. The Foundation is one of the few medical foundations in India, which has been recognized by the Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO), Department of Science and Technology.

Doctor Mane, along with his team of 13 doctors and 6 paramedical staff, has so far conducted free cancer check-ups and medicine distribution camps in 52 villages of Maharashtra, under a community-based cancer project. –

Dr. Swapnil Mane with his team. (From left to right: Dr. Pramod Nishigandha, Dr. Yele, Dr. Anant Shekokar, Dr. Bharat Temak, Dr. Swapnil Mane, Dr. Mahesh Kadam, Mr. Yogesh Sajgure)

The Foundation adopted two remote villages, Mhaisgaon and Taharabad, for this community-based cervical cancer project, and made them free of cervical cancer in just two years. The team has operated on 550 patients free of cost and has undertaken 106 cancer awareness sessions.

“Prevention is an essential part of our mission. Through public education, clinical preventive services and research, we strive to reduce the incidence of cancer and serve people who may never be our patients,” says Dr. Mane

However, all that glitters today was not gold always. Not being financially very sound, Dr. Swapnil Mane joined the Tata Memorial Hospital at Mumbai (the same place from where he had graduated), as a fellow in gynaecological oncology. He started his career with a vision to just cure the patients without looking at their financial status. But, one day, Dr. Swapnil met a patient in the lobby of the hospital. He looked pale and worried. When Dr. Swapnil asked him the reason for his sadness, he said that he was a cancer patient and only had money to come to Mumbai. Now he did not know how he would be able to pay the hospital bills and go back to his village.

“I gave the patient some money and also found an NGO to sponsor his fees. Once his treatment was done I gave him money to go back home. He was happy; however this was the moment when I decided to practice in a village rather than in a metropolis like Mumbai,” recalls Dr. Mane.

He was pained to see patients who came from villages sleeping on the footpaths of Mumbai just because they did not have money to rent a place in the city till their treatment was done. –

He then started his research and found out that his own town, Rahuri, had no tertiary health centre available in and around 50 km. He was shocked to know that the doctor ratio in this area is 1:50,00 (the national average doctor-population ratio is 1:1,700). Also, there was no medical institution or health centre that had a diagnostic facility for cervical cancer, in spite of the fact that one in every 100 women in the area was affected by cervical cancer.

The main occupation of people in Rahuri tehsil is farming. Most of the population is landless and survives on daily wages by working on the farms. They generally live hand to mouth. Treating one of the family members for cancer or even going for an early diagnosis is, financially, next to impossible for them.

After his initial research, Dr. Mane decided to start practising in Rahuri, and that too at half the cost compared to other doctors. As a result, patients started flooding into Dr. Mane’s clinic. This became, however, a matter of worry for other doctors at Rahuri. The doctors association there generated a notice against Dr. Mane to stop his charitable work. But, in spite of all the objections, Dr. Mane was determined to help the people in this area. His wife, Dr. Sonali Mane, stood steadily by his side in this difficult time and they both continued to diagnose and treat patients, taking negligible fees. Slowly, even the few doctors who were opposing the couple, joined them instead. These doctors then started their project in a rented building, and thus the Dr. Mane Medical Foundation and Research Centre was formed.

I was not sure, when I got married to him, if what my husband was doing was right. But his dedication and selfless work were a motivation for me to join him in this noble journey. I still remember one of our cancer detection camps at Wambori. A lady was trying to come forward for a check-up. But she was stinking so badly that people did not let her come near the camp. When we came to know about her, we checked her immediately and found out that there was pus secretion from her vagina that had been going on for months. The pus had a pungent smell and she was in deep pain. Due to financial constraints, she never went to a doctor for all these years. We operated her on a priority basis and removed her uterus, which was affected by fourth stage cancer. She visits us regularly now and keeps thanking us on each visit. These thank yous cannot match any amount of money in the world,” says Dr. Sonali Mane.

The Dr. Mane Medical Foundation and Research Centre is constantly researching and innovating to help cancer patients (Read more about their research here).

On extreme left, Dr. Sonali Mane and on extreme right, Dr. Swapnil Mane with a patient’s family

Novel instrument belt to lift patient from operation table to shifting trolley CBR No17524 dated 22/11/2013 (One of the patents filed by Dr. Mane) –

However, carrying on all this work in a rented place was difficult and hence, on August 8, 2015, the Dr. Mane Medical Foundation and Research Centre started its own charitable hospital called Saidham.

Through their research, Dr. Mane’s team also recognized that there are some remedies that can help reduce the pain of cancer patients without any side effects. In this regard, they worked with one of the trustees of the foundation, Mr. Shishir Mandya, who has done extensive research on mucco-polysaccharides present in aloe vera and is a business development professional with 40 years of experience in Ayurveda.

He helps patients with aloe vera treatment. He also accompanies the team in the camps and spreads awareness about the importance of aloe vera in cancer treatment.

Mr. Shishir Mandya, delivering a lecture on the role of aloe vera in cancer management, at Larsen & Toubro Infotech, Ahmednagar. –

“There is clear scientific evidence that, in vitro, aloe vera will suppress cancer tumour growth, stimulate immune system response, raise tumour necrosis levels, and promote healthy tissue growth. Studies have been published on this subject. For the past thirty years, researchers have known that there is significant evidence that aloe vera is highly effective in fighting cancer. Some experts have used aloe vera in the treatment of benign and malignant tumours also,” says Shishir Mandya.

The next big challenge in the case of cancer patients is ‘depression and negativity’. Cancer and cancer treatment can impact patient’s physical abilities, posture, balance, speech, and/or bodily and reproductive functions. It can be difficult to adjust to changes in the way one’s body looks, feels, and performs. Hence, it becomes essential to help the patients maintain their mental and emotional well-being too.

Mr. Ashish Kalawar, another trustee of the Dr. Mane Medical Foundation and Research Centre, who is an electronics engineer and meditation trainer, takes care of this aspect of the treatment.

“As human beings, we are a mixture of physical body and subtle (aura) body. Subtle body is the energy field in terms of thoughts. More negative thoughts deposit negative energy from the subtle body to the physical body. In meditation, we clear our subtle body, that is, we clear our negativity by taking cosmic energy. This aura protects our physical body from every disease. Meditate and get rid of every problem,” suggests Ashish Kalawar.

According to the World Health Organization, cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers among women worldwide. However, early detection, appropriate intervention, and adequate follow-up treatment make cervical cancer one of the most preventable diseases. Therefore, Dr. Mane Medical Foundation and Research Centre’s main objective is early detection and prevention of this disease, which is done through a unique holistic program that includes diagnosis, yoga and Ayurveda.

A 15-year-old unmarried girl, Sonali Kolpe from Kolpewadi village (25 km from Rahuri), came with an enlarged abdomen to Dr. Mane’s OPD. She seemed to be 8 months pregnant. Dr. Mane examined her and found that she had ovarian tumour. He was really angry at the father and asked him for the reason for this delay in her treatment. The father told him that he could not afford the cost of operation. He had been going to various hospitals in Pune and Ahmednagar district for the past four months. Every hospital demanded Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh to treat her.

“I was shocked to hear this. I investigated her and carried out the operation free of cost. It was a 5 kg ovarian tumour. Malignancy of ovary was found on pathological examination. I fail to understand how doctors can be so blind towards the pain of a patient? After all, we are not money making machines, we are not trained to earn money; we doctors are trained to treat a wound,” says Dr. Mane

His hospital, Saidham, will be the leading regional cancer centre and will provide world-class research in prevention, detection and treatment of cancer patients in rural India.

“We need your support to conduct free medical camps in rural areas and mobilize poor and needy patients for free surgeries at Saidham hospital; to increase the use of health services by hard-to-reach populations in those communities; to reduce the number of women who, after learning about their abnormal Papanicolaou test (PAP) results, do not return for follow up; to increase sensitivity toward the problem of cancer and to encourage participation in project Saidham. We appeal to likeminded people to join us in this noble cause with a positive and humanitarian outlook toward a ‘Cancer Free India Mission.’”

To know more about the Dr. Mane Medical Foundation and Research Centre, or to donate for the charitable hospital, Saidham, you can visit here.

Source…..Manabi Katoch ….www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

29 வருடங்களாக சம்பளம் வாங்காமல் சேவை செய்த சென்னை டாக்டர் டி.வி.தேவராஜன்…

October 31, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

டாக்டர் டி.வி.தேவராஜன் MBBS, MD, FRCP(G), D.Sc.,

நாட்டின் உயர்ந்த விருதான பத்மஸ்ரீ விருது பெற்றவர்
அப்துல்கலாம் கையால் பிசிராய் விருது வாங்கியவர்.

சமீபத்தில் கூட எப்ஐசிபி எனப்படும் மருத்துவர்களுக்கு தரப்படும் மிக உயர்ந்த விருதை பெற்றவர்.
சென்னையில் உள்ள அப்பல்லோ மருத்துவகுழுமத்தில் அட்வான்ஸ் பீவர் கிளினிக் பிரிவின் தலைவராக இருப்பவர்.

பத்திற்கும் அதிகமான மருத்துவ புத்தகங்கள் எழுதியவர் இவர் எழுதிய புத்தகங்கள் ஆங்கிலத்தில் மட்டுமின்றி தமிழ் கன்னடம் தெலுங்கு ஆகிய மொழிகளிலும் அதிகம் விற்பனையாகிக்கொண்டு இருக்கிறது.
இவர் நாற்பது வருடமாக சம்பளம் வாங்காமல் மருத்துவக்கல்லுாரி பேராசிரியராக வேலை பார்த்தார் என்று ஒரு தகவல் கிடைத்தது.

இந்த தகவலை உறுதிப்படுத்திக்கொள்ளவதற்காக எங்கெங்கோ தேடி அவரது மொபைல் எண்ணைக்கண்டு பிடித்தேன். அவரிடம் இதுவரை அறிமுகம் இல்லை என்பதால் நான் உங்களிடம் பேசவேண்டும் என குறுஞ்செய்தி(sms) கொடுத்தேன்.சிறிது நேரத்தில் அவரே போன் செய்தார்.மிகவும் அன்புடனும் நட்புடனும் தனக்கான தகவலை பகிர்ந்து கொண்டார்.
நாற்பது வருடம் என்பது தவறு, சரியாக சொல்வதானால் 29 வருடம் நான் சம்பளம் வாங்காமல் பணியாற்றினேன்.சம்பளம் வாங்காமல் பணியாற்றியதால் நான் பணக்காரனோ என எண்ணிவிடவேண்டாம் நடுத்தர குடும்பத்தில் பிறந்து சிரமப்பட்டு படித்தவன்தான்.

வெறுமனே எம்பிபிஎஸ் மட்டும் படிக்காமல் எவ்வளவு படிக்க முடியுமோ அவ்வளவு படித்துவிடுவது என படித்தேன் அதனால்தான் என் பெயருக்கு பின்னால் அத்தனை ஆங்கில எழுத்துக்கள்.
படித்த படிப்புக்கு உடனடியாக சென்னை மருத்துவக்கல்லுாரியில் உதவி பேராசிரியர் வேலை கிடைத்தது.காலையில் பேராசிரியர் மாலையில் சொந்த கிளினிக்கில் மருத்துவம்.

மாணவர்களுக்கு பாடம் சொல்லிக்கொடுப்பது எனக்கு பிடித்துப்போனது எந்த வகுப்பை மிஸ் பண்ணினாலும் என்னுடைய வகுப்பை மிஸ் பண்ணமாட்டார்கள் நானும் எதை வேண்டுமானாலும் விட்டுவிடுவேன் ஆனால் கல்லுாரிக்கு சென்று பாடம் நடத்துவதை விடமாட்டேன்.
சென்னை மருத்துவக்கல்லுாரியும் அதன் மாணவர்களும் எனக்கு மிகவும் பிடித்துப்போன காலகட்டத்தில்தான் ஒரு சிக்கல் எழுந்தது.சம்பளம் வாங்கக்கூடிய உதவி பேராசிரியர்களுக்கு இடமாற்றம் உண்டு, சம்பளம் வேண்டாம் கவுரவ பேராசிரியராக இருந்து கொள்கிறேன் என்றால் இடமாற்றம் கிடையாது என்று ஒரு விதி இருந்தது, எனக்கு கிளினிக் வருமானமே போதுமானதாக இருந்ததது என்பதைவிட என் மாணவர்களைவிட்டு வேறு இடத்திற்கு செல்ல விருப்பம் இல்லை என்பதுதான் உண்மை என்பதால் சம்பளம் வேண்டாம் என்று எழுதிக்கொடுத்துவிட்டேன்.
நான் எழுதிக்கொடுக்கும் போதே பல ஆயிரம் ரூபாய் சம்பளம் அதன்பிறகு 29 வருடங்களில் எத்தனை எத்தனை ஆயிரமோ உயர்ந்தது அதை எல்லாம் கணக்கு பார்த்தால் பல லட்சம் இருக்கும் ஆனால் அதை எப்போதுமே நினைத்ததும் இல்லை வருத்தப்பட்டதும் இல்லை. நான் எடுத்த முடிவும் எடுத்துக்கொண்ட காரியமும் சரியானதே என்பதை இப்போதும் என் மனதும் சொல்கிறது. என்னிடம் படித்ததை பெருமையாக என் மாணவர்களும் சொல்கிறார்கள் எனக்கு அது போதும். இன்று பல மருத்துவர்கள் என் பெயரை சொல்லி என் ஆசிரியர் என்று சொல்லும்போது எனக்கு மிகவும் சந்தோசமாக இருக்கிறது.

ஒய்வு பெற்ற பிறகு பல பல்கலைக்கழகங்களுக்கு கெளரவப் பேராசிரியராக இருந்துள்ளார். இதே போல் பல கல்லூரிகளுக்கு எக்சாமினராக சென்று வந்துள்ளார். இந்திய மருத்துவரில் சிறந்தவர் யார் என்ற பிஎம்ஜே விருதுக் குழுவில் ஒரு நீதிபதியாகவும் இருந்துள்ளார்.

இப்போது 71 வயதாகிறது கொஞ்சமும் சுறுசுறுப்பு குறையாமல் ஒரு பக்கம் மருத்துவத்தையும், இன்னோரு பக்கம் ‘டெக்ஸ்ட் புக் ஆப் மெடிசின்’ என்ற தலைப்பில் ஒரு புத்தகமும் எழுதி முடித்துள்ளார். நவீன மருத்துவத்தினை அடிப்படையாகக் கொண்ட இந்த புத்தகம் மருத்துவம் படிக்கும் மாணவர்களுக்கு மகத்தான பொக்கிஷமாக விளங்கப்போகிறது.

இது ஒரு பிரம்மாண்டமான புத்தகம்தான் இருந்தாலும் இதில் இருந்து ஒரு பைசா கூட தனக்கு வேண்டாம் என்று சொல்லிவிட்டு முழுக்க முழுக்க அதன் பலன் அனைத்தும் வாங்கும் மாணவர்களுக்கு போய் சேரட்டும் என்றும் சொல்லியிருக்கிறார்.

சந்தேகம் இல்லாம் டாக்டர் டி.வி.தேவராஜன் மகத்தான மருத்துவர்தான்.

இவரது மெயில் முகவரி:drtvd1944@gmail.com

Source….
—எல்.முருகராஜ்
murugaraj@dinamalar.in

Message For the Day…” How to Remove the Barrier of ‘ego’ From our Mind …” ?

October 30, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

The means of getting Divine grace are: Bhakti (devotion),Prapathi (surrender), Niyama (ethical discipline), Vicharana(enquiry) and Deeksha (determination). When you succeed in these tests, you will experience the grace of the Divine. Devotion should manifest itself in every action. Everything done out of love for God and as an offering to God becomes devotion. The devotee is filled with love and shares the love with all the others. The nine different forms of worship are only means to cultivate devotion. But the goal of all of them is to experience oneness with the Divine.Prapathi means total surrender – offering everything to the Divine. The sense of ego separates the individual from the Divine. When the individual offers everything to God, the barrier of ego is removed. Of all diseases to which man is prone, the disease arising from ahamkara (ego) is the most deadly. The only panacea for this disease is surrender to the Will of the Divine.

Sathya Sai Baba

Image for the Day… Spacewalk Selfie …!!!

October 30, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Expedition 45 Commander Scott Kelly took this photograph during a spacewalk on Oct. 28, 2015. Sharing the image on social media, Kelly wrote, “#SpaceWalkSelfie Back on the grid! Great first spacewalk yesterday. Now on to the next one next week. #YearInSpace”

This was the first spacewalk for both Kelly and Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren; the two will venture outside the International Space Station for the second time on Friday, Nov. 6. The two spacewalks were scheduled around milestones in space. Today, Oct. 29, Kelly becomes the U.S. astronaut who has lived in space the longest during a single U.S. spaceflight, and on Monday, Nov. 2, the crew celebrates the 15th year of a continuous human presence in space aboard the station.

During the 7-hour and 16-minute spacewalk, Kelly and Lindgren applied a thermal cover on the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer; applied grease to a number of components in one of the latching ends of the Canadarm2 robotic arm; and began work to rig power and data system cables for the future installation of a docking port to the station that will be used for the arrival of the Boeing Starliner CST-100 and SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Image Credit: NASA

Source…..www.nasa.gov

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A RED-BELLIED WOOPECKER’S TONGUE IS ALMOST THREE TIMES THE LENGTH OF ITS BEAK AND WRAPS AROUND ITS SKULL WHEN RETRACTED….

October 30, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Today I found out that the tongue on a Red-Bellied woodpecker, along with some other species of woodpecker, is so long that it can extend at least three times the bill length and, when retracted, wraps around its skull.

According to a study conducted by the Dalian University of Technology in China, Grey-Faced woodpeckers have a tongue that measures around 171mm (6.73 inches), which is about 2.8 times the length of their beaks (~60mm or 2.36 inches) and typically even longer than their body length (~165mm or 6.5 inches, measured from the mouth tip to the buttock).

In this species of woodpecker, and some others, the tongue is so long that it forks in the throat, goes below the base of the jaw and wraps behind and over the top of the head, where the forked section rejoins and inserts in the bird’s right nostril or around the eye socket.

This bizarre tongue structure is possible because of a linear series of tiny bones sheathed in muscles and soft tissue known as “hyoid apparatus” that extends the entire length of the woodpecker’s tongue. This cartilage-bone like skeleton of its tongue is sheathed in muscle and soft tissue and the ultra-thin hyoid bones fold up like an accordion when not outstretched. Contraction of the muscles pulls the tips of the hyoid bone around the back of the head and back down toward the mouth, and in doing so, pushes the tongue out the mouth.

So what does our small feathered friend do with the talented tongue? After he has slammed his head against a piece of dead wood, or tree at the rate of around 15 miles per hour, repeatedly and several times over, (see bonus factoids as to why the little guy doesn’t get brain damage), he shoves his elongated tongue deep into the hole, searching for small bugs or insects. He’ll feel around the insects thin tunnels, and, when he finds one, he pierces it with his tongue , which is covered in sharp barbs like a spear, and then pulls it back in for eating. The woodpecker’s tongue also contains paired longitudinal muscles that allow it to move side to side as the bird probes for food. A woodpecker’s tongue is especially sensitive to touch, an adaptation that aids in detecting unseen insects within dead wood.

Not all species of woodpeckers have barbed tongues or feeding behaviors like that of the Red-bellied woodpecker. Take for example the Yellow-bellied Woodpecker {A.K.A. Sapsucker}. It burrows 1/4 inch holes and uses it’s tongue to lap up the sap, not unlike a hummingbirds tongue (except a hummingbird’s tongue is split and rolls into a shallow spoon like shape). Oddly enough though, a baby woodpecker’s tongue is actually quite short, making it much easier for a parent bird to stick food items into their hungry little mouths.

Bonus Facts:

A woodpeckers brain is protected by a spongy elastic material between their bill and their skull that holds their brain so tight that it can’t move around, which is what keeps it from getting injured while they bang away at at tree, which produced incredible G-forces.
Woodpeckers have small feathers over their nostrils that help keep wood particles from being inhaled.
A pair of stiff, centrally placed tail feathers allow the woodpecker to “tripod” itself on trees. This allows them to peck away at a tree, or whatever surface, for long periods of time without getting tired from holding themselves on the side of the tree. These particular tail feathers are not molted until their replacement feathers have already grown in.
Downy woodpeckers are the most common backyard woodpecker. Pileated woodpeckers are almost as big as American crows, making them the largest member of the woodpecker family.

Source….www.today i found out .com

Natarajan

The world’s most polluted city is a ‘toxic pollutant punchbowl with myriad ingredients’….Delhi…

October 30, 2015October 30, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Delhi is the world’s most polluted city because it is a “toxic pollutant punchbowl” with a wide variety of factors giving it its notorious title, a study has found.

By assessing the megacity’s landscape, weather, growing population and energy consumption, scientists were able to work out how and why Delhi is so polluted.

The team, from the University of Surrey, found a combination of factors combined to cause elevated levels of air pollutants – leading to the death of thousands of people every year.

A man carries goods in New Delhi, India.

Study author Prashant Kumar said: “Whilst it might be easy to blame this on increased use of vehicles, industrial production or a growing population, the truth is that Delhi is a toxic pollutant punchbowl with myriad ingredients, all which need addressing in the round.”

“Air pollution has been placed in the top ten health risks faced by human beings globally. Delhi has the dubious accolade of being regularly cited as the most polluted city in the world, with air pollution causing thousands of excess deaths in a year in this growing megacity.”

In the study, which has been accepted for publication in the journal Atmospheric Environment, the researchers note that Delhi has a population of around 25.8 million – a figure that is continuing to grow. Energy consumption in the city rose by 57% between 2001 and 2011.

Vendors selling drinks stand beside vehicles near the India Gate war memorial on a smoggy day in New Delhi

The growing population is expected to bring with it an increase in road vehicles – experts are predicting it will rise from 4.7 million seen in 2010 to 26 million in the next 15 years.

But it is not just cars that is causing the rise. Chennai has 10-times more cars, but pollution rates are 10-times lower. Other factors at play cause the extreme pollution, the authors say.

Because the city is landlocked, there are few ways to get rid of polluted air. For example, coastal cities like Mumbai are refreshed by sea breezes. But Delhi’s surrounding industrial regions are often more polluted by the city itself.

Its densely packed architecture, varying building heights and weather conditions also affect its ability to get fresh air – decreasing temperatures draws outside polluted air into the city, while hot windy and dusty summer conditions worsen the problem. Add to this the use of low-quality fuels like raw wood, diesel generators and cow dung, air pollution becomes inevitable.

“The picture of Delhi’s pollution problem is complicated and is aggravated by some factors that are out of human control,” Kumar said. “However, in this growing city it is important that the population is protected in whatever ways they can be from health-endangering pollutants.”

He said putting artificial or natural grass on unpaved roadsides might help to limit the course of dust particles during windy seasons, while investment in wetlands and trees would also go some way to limiting pollution.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has made a number of commitments to tackle air pollution in the country. In April he launched the country’s first air quality index and environment minister Prakash Javadekar said the move “may prove to be a major impetus to improving air quality in urban areas, as it will improve public awareness in cities to take steps for air pollution mitigation”.

Kumar said the cultural context is vital to reduce air pollution: “Even the best science and technology will not succeed in reducing emissions and improving air quality if it is not considered in a broader framework of economic development of the country, rising awareness of public health risks and a change in attitudes and regulation towards poor quality fuels.

It is a complicated, pick-and-mix of problems that will prove difficult to combat without innovative, encompassing and quick action.”

Source…..

Hannah Osborne, IB Times UK………www.business insider.com.au

Natarajan

Message for the Day…Woman ‘Lakshmi of the Home ‘ often Lead Men on the Godward Path and the Practice of Holy Virtues …”

October 29, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Sathya Sai Baba

Heaping respect and honour upon a person who does not followAtmic dharma (righteousness driven by the Self) is like heaping decorations on a body that has no life in it. The soul that left the body cannot enjoy the respect shown to the corpse. So too is the case with the person who is unaware of the Reality and the purpose of life but is crowned with fame and glory. A modest woman will not care for such meaningless trash and tinsel. This characteristic is what confers on her the title ‘The Lakshmi of the home’. The woman is the prop of the home as well as of the practice of religion. She plants and fosters religious faith. Women have natural aptitude for faith and spiritual endeavour. Women with devotion, faith, and humility often lead men on the Godward path and the practice of holy virtues.

Thought for the Day….Bright Side of Our Life….

October 29, 2015Natarajan1 Comment

We all know that life is too short to squander on negativity. And yet, most of us find the time for it anyway! Sure, life is challenging and often unfair, but it makes up for it in a thousand myriad little ways, you just have to notice them…

Source…..www.ba-bamail.com

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The story behind this picture of a lion getting a CAT scan….!!!

October 29, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine Samson the lion.

Earlier this year, I came across a striking image of a lion undergoing a Computerised Axial Tomography scan (or CAT scan).

I tweeted out the image, and it got over 2,000 retweets.

People were intrigued, and so was I, so I dug into the back-story of how the lion ended up there.

The photo, taken in 2005, depicts a then-2-year-old baby Barbary lion named Samson.

Barbary lions, also referred to as Atlas lions, are the largest lion subspecies known to populate large portions of North Africa.

Zoo keepers noticed that Samson, who lived in the Hai-Kef zoo near Tel Aviv with his sister Delilah, had suddenly stopped being able to walk.

At the time, Samson was suffering from what would later be diagnosed as a rare and life-threatening problem.

After the zoo had veterinary neurological specialist Dr. Merav Shamir from Israel’s Koret School of Veterinary Medicine examine Samson, Shamir observed that the lion “stood on his legs with difficulty.”

“When he tried to walk, he fell after a few steps,” noted Shamir. “He also had no appetite and appeared generally to be in poor condition.”

So Shamir decided to do a neurological exam, which included a thorough study of Samson’s nervous system. It was then that she diagnosed the lion as suffering from “damage to the posterior portion of his skull, which applied pressure on his cerebellum and the upper sector of the spinal cord.”

In other words, the cause of Samson’s trouble was in his skull. It had grown abnormally, putting unnecessary stress on the part of his brain which is vital to carrying out motor functions.

The images below, from a study Shamir coauthored, show a healthy lion skull (A) and an abnormal lion skull (B). The abnormal skull shows a malformation that’s very similar to the one Samson had. As you can see, the foramen magnum — the hole in the base of the skull through which the spinal cord passes — is unobstructed in image A. Image B shows an abnormal bone growth (identified with an asterisk) protruding down from the roof of the foramen magnum.

Comparative Skull Analysis Suggests Species-Specific Captivity-Related Malformation in Lions

After a CAT scan confirmed Samson’s diagnosis, Shamir’s team prepared for surgery.

“We decided to carry out this operation that had never before been performed anywhere,” Shamir told Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The six-hour operation began after Samson was temporarily put to sleep with an anaesthetic.

According to The Telegraph, Shamir’s team shaved part of Samson’s mane and then used a drill to “remove part of the thickened skull tissue, some of which had become deeply embedded in the animal’s brain.”

The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine Samson undergoing a scan

“We were working in the dark really,” Shamir told The Telegraph. “It is difficult when you are not really sure of the anatomy and in this case the anatomy was abnormal.”
The impressive operation was successful. Within 10 days, Samson was reunited with his sister Delilah at the zoo and was walking without stumbling. Shamir thinks malformations like the one that caused Samson’s symptoms could be caused by a poor diet or other factors from captivity.

“Samson is walking around as a fully healthy lion, and our final worry is that the impressive mane which covered his head before the operation will return and cover any traces of our surgical work,” Shamir said.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Samson and his haircut.

Business Insider reached out to Dr. Merav Shamir and her colleague Dr. Rona Nadler Valency and will update this story if and when we hear back.

Source….AMANDA MACIAS….. http://www.businessinsider.com.au

Natarajan

Image of the Day… ” Dooms Day Vault…”

October 29, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

View larger. | Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

Researchers have been adding seeds to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault – or Doomsday Vault – since 2008. Now, for the first time, they’ve taken seeds out.

Earlier this month (October 19, 2015), seeds deposited in 2012 from war-torn Syria became the Svalbard Global Seed Vault’s first-ever withdrawal. The seed vault – located in Norway, sometimes called the Doomsday Vault – was built in 2008. Since then, researchers there have been storing containers of seeds from all parts of the globe in the vault, and this is the first time they’ve removed seeds.

According to the seed vault’s website, all seed samples in the vault remain the property of the gene banks that deposit them. A nonprofit organization in Syria had originally stored the seeds in the Arctic vault. The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas – which promotes agriculture in developing countries – ran a major seed bank near Aleppo, Syria until 2012, when rebel forces took over that area.

Before the nonprofit shut down its Aleppo operation, researchers there were able to transfer thousands of seed samples from Syria. Some were stored in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

Now, researchers have taken 38,000 seeds back out of the vault. On October 19, the seeds were delivered to Lebanon and Morocco, where the nonprofit will continue the research started in Syria.

This was the first of what they say will be “several shipments” over the next few years.

PBSNewsHour reported on October 19, 2015:

The 138 black boxes stacked on trolley carts and transported out of the vault contained a precious resource — seeds, that researchers hope will restore some of the genetic diversity lost during the Syrian conflict.

Visit the website of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

By the way, earlier this year, a new documentary film about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault opened in theaters. It tracks the history and mission of the vault and its founder Cary Fowler. It’s available on iTunes and Netflix

Bottom line: The Svalbard Global Seed Vault – sometimes called the Doomsday Vault – opened in 2008 for the purpose of storing seeds. Researchers have been adding seeds to the vault since then, but this month – October, 2015 – for the first time, they withdrew seeds from Syria that had been placed there in 2012.

Visit the documentary’s website to learn more. …….http://www.seedsoftimemovie.com/

Source….www.earthsky.org

Natarajan