Singareni Collieries - Iron rod pierces through the stomach: It was a miraculous escape for Rajendra Prasad

2010

By Syed Akbar

It was nothing short of a rebirth for assistant foreman P Rajendra Prasad when doctors at  Singareni area hospital in Godavarikhani surgically removed a six-foot thick iron rod  that had pierced through his abdomen.

Like on any other day, Rajendra Prasad on June 28 got into a trolley with 60 other  Singareni workers to go to 10A underground coal mine for duty. But fate had willed  otherwise and the trolley fell with a thud 350 metres down after the ropes supporting it  snapped. Two workers died on the spot and an iron rod pierced through the abdomen of Rajendra Prasad.
Doctors credit Rajendra Prasad for the success of the surgery. The victim was fully awake  and aware and even told the doctors that his blood group was A positive. Rarely do doctors come across such people with a strong will power. “It was his will power that saved him,” admits Dr B Srinivas, one of the surgeons attending him.
“For a moment I thought I would die. But I mustered enough courage and did not give in  till I reached the hospital, 20 km away. My co-workers kept on reassuring me to ensure that I do not slip into shock. I felt fainted for a few seconds as soon I entered the ambulance but the support I got from my friends and doctors save me from what would have been an imminent death,” says Rajendra Prasad, who is now recuperating after a four-hour surgical procedure.
Doctors at Singareni hospital had never come across such an accident victim.  It was really a challenging task for Dr Srinivas and his colleague Dr V Srikanth. The operation was a tough one, but luckily the victim did not have common health problems like diabetes and hypertension.
According to Dr Srikanth, 30 cms of the rod was inside the body. There was no damage to important body organs as the rod had slipped through the abdomen, a few cm away from the liver, spleen and intestines.
“The surgery was no miracle, but the way the rod had pierced through his body leaving vital visceral organs untouched is indeed a miracle. Had these organs been injured, there would have been lot of bleeding and the surgical procedure would have been quite complicated,” observed Dr Srikanth.
About a decade ago, an iron rod pierced through the head of a Singareni worker and doctors at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, successfully removed it. Luckily, the victim had survived.
Doctors do have a difficult task when accident victims, with iron roads or sharp wooden logs pierced through their bodies, are brought to them for surgery. The foreign body cannot be removed with a force. The area around the rod or log is cut to remove it. Then the body is cleaned of rust and other particles to prevent infection.
In the case of Rajendra Prasad, four inches of the body around the rod was surgically cut. “Since it was an iron rod, there’s danger of rust and consequent infection. We cleaned the body and then sutured it,” says Sri Srinivas.

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Some Recent Incidents
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March, 2010:  Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, removed
an iron rod from the leg of an auto rickshaw driver in what is termed a rare surgical
procedure. The rod pierced through the ankle of 30-year-old Amrik after his auto hit with
a lorry carrying iron roads.

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February, 2010:  A 12-year-old boy from Malegaon survived luckily after a 95 cm rod went
through his body, from near the anus to the shoulder, damaging vital visceral organs
including liver.

The mishap occurred while Karim Ali was playing at a construction site near his house.

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March, 2009:  Mehul Kumar, 6, was rushed to a hospital in Ranchi after a six feet rod
speared his body. Doctors removed the rod after four hours of surgery. Luckily the body
had no major internal injuries. He fell down from the terrace of his house.
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December, 2008: Doctors at a hospital in Pune successfully operated on Santosh Kumar, 21,
a construction worker, after six feet rod pierced through his shoulder. He fell down from
the 10th floor of an under-construction building. Doctors described it as a miracle.

Air pollution kills phytoplankton in Bay of Bengal: Major change in phytoplankton composition off the coast of Visakhapatnam

2010

By Syed Akbar

Hyderabad, July 9: Increasing vehicular pollution has triggered changes in phytoplankton populations in the Bay of Bengal, upsetting the delicate composition of the surface sea waters.
Phytoplanktons are a major source of oxygen on the earth and serve as feed for aquatic animals. Any disturbance in phytoplankton community will have severe environmental consequences including death of sea animals and drastic fall in the oxygen levels on the earth.

Experiments conducted by the National Institute of Oceanography, Visakhapatnam regional centre, showed that the Bay of Bengal phytoplankton are quite sensitive to increasing carbon dioxide from vehicular and industrial emissions.
"Future change in surface sea water carbonate chemistry might significantly affect the eco-physiology of the natural phytoplankton, which can have a significant impact on the biogeochemistry of this part of the tropical ocean," the NIO has warned.
The NIO group comprising H Biswas, T Acharyya, V Venkat Ramana and D Bandyopadhyay and Alexander Cros from France, noticed that the diatom dominated population was found to be replaced by cyanobacteria under high carbon dioxide and nutrient limited condition. The results were released at the ongoing Asia Oceanic Geosciences Society meeting in the city.
Particulate organic matter, dissolved oxygen, dissolved organic carbon was found to be increased with increasing carbon dioxide. Almost 2.7 times higher total bacterial count was observed in the highest carbon dioxide treated cells.
The surface ocean absorbs carbon dioxide released by vehicles and industries. This changes the surface ocean carbonate chemistry by lowering the pH, through a process called ocean acidification.
"The surface sea water pH is going to be affected in such a level which has not been experienced in last hundred million years by the world ocean. Marine and estuarine phytoplankton are the key group responsible for ocean primary production and therefore, has a great control on the global carbon sink of atmospheric carbon dioxide," said Biswas.
The NIO team conducted what is called bottle experiment with the natural phytoplankton population of Bay of Bengal to test the effect of increasing carbon dioxide on them. This is the first-ever major study on the carbon dioxide effect on a tropical ocean.

The power of Ayurveda Rasayana: Herbal formulation increases Drosophila lifespan by 100 per cent

2010
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, July 10: Rasyanas, mentioned in the ancient Ayurvedic texts, Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita, are capable of fighting ageing and increasing longevity, according to a pioneering experiment on the common fruit fly, Drosophila.

Drosophila and human beings share 13,601 common genes and most of the experimental results obtained from the fruit fly can be extrapolated on man. Ayurveda doctors at the Government Ayurveda Medical College, Mysore, have proved that the life span of Drosophila can be extended by almost half through administration of Ayurvedic rasayana. Doctors from Uppsala University, Sweden, also collaborated in the work.
The life span of Drosophila melanogaster increased between 51 and 55 per cent when it was fed with a standard rasayana preparation, suitably adapted for insects.
A Drosophila fly normal lives for minimum of 40 days to maximum of 53 days. In the experiment, the life span of the fruit fly shot up to 81 days to 91 days. Every fruit fly fed with Ayurveda rasayana had an increased life span of minimum 28 days.
"Rasayana forms the seventh of eight subdivisions of Ayurveda's earliest extant text, Charaka Samhita. Sushruta also describes rasayanas as "reversing naturally occurring senility" (swabhava vyadhi nivarana) and so "preventing death" (marana nivarana), further indicating that rasayanas are considered "special herbal formulations" (vishishtaoushadhi chintaka) conceived through  prolonged consideration of their components' detailed properties," Dr S Priyadarshini pointed out.
Drosophila is one of a small number of organisms favoured for human-related ageing research. Few chromosomes in a small genome, with large numbers of spontaneous and induced mutations, make it well-suited to such work. Interestingly, the human Xist gene and the analogous Drosophila Sxl gene both control sex determination, and may both be involved in regulating life span.

Ayurveda Rasayana tantra describes techniques providing multidimensional solutions to ageing, premature ageing, and their complications. Its rasayana division, also known as jarachikitsa, has been practised as long as Ayurveda has been recorded.
"We reason that if it could extend D. melanogaster's life span, the same formula with insect changes reversed out would be of similar benefit to humans. In reality, the experiment constitutes an in principle test of the whole
subject of rasayana, in particular the validity of applying it to animal models like D. melanogaster," Dr Priyadarshini said.
The pioneering study has also revealed that Ayurvedic formulations can be tested on Drosophila before they are extrapolated on human beings. It has also opened new avenues to investigate Ayurvedic complex issues like synergy between components, and overall mechanisms of complex formulations.

Swine flu: No takers for novel human influenza vaccine

Syed Akbar

Hyderabad, June 21: Several lakh doses of novel human influenza vaccine are available in the Indian market, but there are no takers for fear of side effects.

The novel human influenza vaccine including the recently launched Indian variety may cause adverse reactions in people allergic to certain ingredients present in them. The side effects are more severe if the person has previous history of allergy to protein present in eggs and chicken.

If statistics are any indication, even health workers, who are supposedly to be vaccinated before the swine flu vaccine is used for the general public, are not inclined to take the dose. The vaccine did not go well in major cities including Hyderabad, Delhi and Pune.

Many health workers in Andhra Pradesh are not willing to take the vaccine, forcing the State government to seek permission from the Centre for immunisation of the general public. The Centre had sent about 80,000 doses of swine flu vaccine to the State. Only 550 persons had undergone vaccination in Hyderabad thus far. In Pune, where swine flu created havoc last year, the response was poor. Even free vaccination camps were reported to be empty.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has admitted that the signs of allergic reaction to human influenza vaccine may include itchy skin rash, shortness of breath and swelling of the face or tongue. In rare cases it may lead to shock. "Doctors are aware of this possibility and need to have emergency treatment available for use in such cases," according to MoHFW guidelines on the vaccine use.

One in every 10 persons vaccinated will have side effects like headache, muscular pain and pain at the injection site, while one to 10 users in 100 will complain of shivering, fever, and redness and swelling at the site of injection.

"These side effects usually disappear without treatment within 1 to 3 days after onset. But those suffering from asthma should be extra careful about the vaccine. They may have severe reaction to the vaccination," admits Dr Ch Jaya Kumari, Hyderabad district medical and health officer.

In severe cases of reaction to the vaccine, the patient may suffer from neugalgia (pain in nerve route), convulsions with fever and differences in the perception of touch, pain, heat and cold (paraesthesia). The neurological disorders may result in stiff neck, confusion, numbness, pain and weakness of the limbs, loss of balance, loss of reflexes, paralysis of part or all the body.

The MoHFW has noted with caution that "as with all injectable vaccines, appropriate medical treatment and supervision should always be readily available in case of a rare anaphylactic event following the administration of the vaccine". However, Dr K Subhakar Rao, State coordinator for swine flu, refused to comment on the adverse reactions the vaccine may cause.

With fresh bouts of swine flu cases being reported from different parts of the country including Hyderabad, the Central government has made it mandatory for all health officials to send report on the adverse events following immunisation.

The first information report is to be furnished to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare within 48 hours. Preliminary investigation report for the serious adverse event is to be reported within seven days by district AEFI (adverse events following immunisation) Committee to the State and the Central governments.

Monsoons went erratic 18,000 years ago

2010

Syed Akbar

Hyderabad, April 30: Erratic rainfall during present day monsoons is not a new phenomenon, but a result of climatic changes that occurred in the Arabian sea some 18,000 years ago.

The Arabian sea, from which emerge the monsoons bringing in rainfall to the Indian sub-continent, turned warmer by 4 degrees Celsius about 18 millennia ago, leading to reduced rainfall in the region. The phenomenon continues till day causing erratic monsoons.

Researchers at the National Institute of Oceanography and the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research have reconstructed the rainfall viability over thousands of years to study what went wrong with the monsoon system, since the Indian sub-continent largely depends on the monsoon for rainfall.

The joint research team of NIO-NCAOR has found that the Arabian sea was 4 degrees C cooler during 18,000 years ago, while the general belief is that the sea was cooler by just 2 degrees C. "In our study we have demonstrated that Arabian sea was 4 degrees C cooler during 18 kilo annum (18,000 years), which had a strong bearing in the initiation of monsoon rainfall in the Asian sub-continent," Dr Pothuri Divakar Naidu of NIO, Goa.

He told this reporter that the reconstruction of rainfall viability over thousands of years reveal that from 10.5 to 3.5 ka (10,500 years to 3,500 years ago) there was good amount of rainfall in the subcontinent. "But from about 3,500 years onwards descending phase of monsoon rainfall started due to arid climatic conditions in the Indian  subcontinent," Dr Divakar pointed out.

The team studied variations in sea surface temperature, sea water and salinity in the Arabian sea. They reconstructed the atmospheric model for the past 68,000 years using a sediment core from the Eastern Arabian Sea to understand the changes in evaporation and precipitation associated with the monsoon system.

The southwest monsoon emanates from the temperature and pressure gradients that occur between the Indian Ocean and Tibet Plateau during summer. The upper ocean heat supplies the necessary evaporation and atmospheric moisture transport during this phenomenon. Thus, a strong link exists between ocean dynamics and the atmospheric heat and moisture transfer behind the monsoon

"The socio-economic and agriculture development of southeast Asia depend on the monsoon precipitation from June through September,

which contributes about 70 to 90 per cent of the annual precipitation in the region. Therefore, an understanding of the monsoon system beyond historical records is desired," he said.

Tiny nanotubes to deliver biomaterials like DNA and RNA for effective gene therapy

2010

Syed Akbar

Hyderabad, April 23: A group of city scientists has developed tiny nanotubes that could serve as next generation micro pills to deliver biomaterials like DNA and RNA for effective gene therapy.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology have already patented this unique technology. The nanotubes developed from organic material, for the first time in the world, could be useful not only to deliver small regulatory RNA and DNA as therapeutic materials but also to optimise pill-like properties for orally ingested materials.

"This beautiful technology may help in making the next-generation micro pills to deliver biomaterials for effective gene therapy and novel cargoes for molecular diagnostics. It can also be used for mass delivery of therapeutic biomolecules via food in various animal populations for the improvement of animal husbandry," Dr Utpal Bhadra of CCMB told this correspondent.

The IICT-CCMB team comprising JS Yadav, MP Lavanya, PP Das,

Manika Pal Bhadra and Utpal Bhadra zeroed in on a special material for construction of nano tubes. They selected p-aminobenzoic acid

or PABA in short. This is a natural material that forms part of folic acid and the vitamin B complex present in the human liver. Since it is a natural non-protein amino acid, it has little side effects on animals or human beings. Moreover, PABA is also known to support folic acid production by intestinal bacteria.

The PABA nano tubes will also help in increase of PABA concentration in the intestine during oral ingestion, which might help intestinal bacteria to convert it into folic acids, and protect against strokes, cardiovascular diseases and even certain cancers. Therefore, ingestion of PABA nano tubes plays a dual role, directly as a delivery vehicle of therapeutic agents and indirectly by preventing different diseases as a therapeutic agent itself.

"These nano structures minimise many obstacles including absorption in body fluids, systemic spreading and the reduction of immunogenetic symptoms. The tubes also maintain their fluorescent activity for a long period of time and do not suffer from dissociation or decay of fluorescence," Dr Bhadra said.

The advantage of nano tubes is that they spontaneously adsorb onto the membrane and later accumulate within intracellular compartments.

Referring to the safety of the new technology, the team points out that in drosophila studies no difference in size or any abnormalities in their sexual behaviour were observed. The egg laying capacity of adult females for six consecutive days after hatching and the sex of hatched flies were counted. No significant difference was detected in egg laying capacity and male/female ratios in nano tube-fed females as compared to the wild type.