By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, May 9: Illiterate tribes like Chenchus, Yerukulas and Yanadis living deep in the jungles possess a mine of ethno-medicinal knowledge, most of which is not known to traditional Indian systems of
medicine like Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani.
A research study by teams from the city-based National Institute of Indian Medicinal History and Sri Venkateswara University in the Rapur forest division of Nellore district, has revealed that traditional
ethno-medicine is still practised by groups of tribals, who have no access to modern medicine.
The medicinal properties of plants claimed by tribals are quite different from the medicinal properties mentioned in traditional Indian systems of medicine. With forest wealth fast depleting, there's danger of losing
ethno-medicinal wealth of the country. Proper scientific evaluation of the claims of tribal communities will give a new meaning to the country's medicinal plants.
"Many of the claims revealed by the tribes are new in comparison to Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani. We have documented the herbs being used by the tribes and their medicinal properties as claimed by them. This will help us to study further on individual plants to find out whether they are of real medicinal value, and if so, in what dosage and in what form it should be taken," said GP Prasad, one of the researchers.
The teams, comprising M Neelima, G Sundarsanam, G Penchala Pratap and B Jyothi, found that the tribals living deep in the Rapur forest division have authentic information on medicinal values of the plant parts like leaves, fruits, flowers, seeds, stem bark, tubers and roots. They use as many as 61 species of plants as medicine in the form of paste, powder, juice, decoction and infusion in crude form with additives like ghee, sesame oil, cow urine, infant urine, cow milk and lemon.
The health issues for which these herbs are used include skin troubles, jaundice, rheumatism, burning micturation, fevers, intestinal worms, menstrual problems, cough, diabetes, asthma, dandruff, insomnia,
indigestion, constipation, cuts, wounds, sexual problems, fractures, ear-ache, eye diseases and scorpion and snake bites. Some of the plants are also used as antidote and as fish poison to kill fish in the ponds.
"Tribals have good therapeutically valuable information for different ailments. The study has brought to light of unknown utilisation of 61 species of plants," he added.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Nasa's lunabotics mining competition: American space agency in search of talent for mining technology on the moon
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: As many as seven Indian teams are participating in the final round of competition for the prestigious NASA mission aimed at mining precious elements on the moon and bringing them back to the earth.
Of the 12 international teams selected by the National Aeronautical and Space Administration, seven are from India, including one from Visakhapatnam. The Lunabotics mining competition will be held in the USA
from May 23. The team from Visakhapatnam comprising students of GITAM University has prepared a robot that will crawl on the hostile terrain of the moon, picking up regolith (moon dust) and depositing it in a container for shipment back to the earth.
But before selecting the robots for actual assignment on the moon, NASA will test their efficiency and durability in an artificial atmosphere resembling the lunar terrain. The task given to each of the teams is that their robots should collect and deposit a minimum of 10 kgs lunar simulant within 15 minutes
"The regolith of the moon is said to contain previous elements including uranium and thorium of high nuclear grade. About 10 grams of uranium and thorium mined from the moon is equivalent to about a kg of the nuclear material found on the earth. NASA is looking at new technology that works with high precision and great durability," said Raj Kumar, a third-year student of mechanical engineering, GITAM university. Raj Kumar is one of the five-member student team of the university which designed the robot, called lunabot.
NASA will directly benefit from the competition by encouraging the development of innovative lunar excavation concepts from universities which may result in clever ideas and solutions which could be applied to an actual lunar excavation device or payload. The challenge is for students to design and build a remote controlled or autonomous excavator.
"The challenge is quite complex. It is not an easy task. The lunar simulant is highly abrasive. There are also limitations to the weight and size of the lunabot. Also, it is very difficult to control the lunabot from a remote control centre," pointed out another student Sai Suraj.
Utilising the students' talent, particularly from India, which is fast emerging as a space giant, NASA plans to explore the mineral wealth of the moon, which is rich in oxygen, silicon, iron, calcium, aluminium, magnesium,
titanium, chromium, manganese, sodium, potassium, nitrogen, sulphur, carbon, hydrogen, helium 3, uranium and thorium.
The students said they had to cross many technical hurdles to design their robot as the lunar regolith has unique physical properties. The gravity is one- sixth of the earth's. The environment in the moon is a complete vacuum. Though NASA will immensely benefit from the students' technology and innovative ideas, it will offer just 5000 US dollars as the first prize.
Hyderabad: As many as seven Indian teams are participating in the final round of competition for the prestigious NASA mission aimed at mining precious elements on the moon and bringing them back to the earth.
Of the 12 international teams selected by the National Aeronautical and Space Administration, seven are from India, including one from Visakhapatnam. The Lunabotics mining competition will be held in the USA
from May 23. The team from Visakhapatnam comprising students of GITAM University has prepared a robot that will crawl on the hostile terrain of the moon, picking up regolith (moon dust) and depositing it in a container for shipment back to the earth.
But before selecting the robots for actual assignment on the moon, NASA will test their efficiency and durability in an artificial atmosphere resembling the lunar terrain. The task given to each of the teams is that their robots should collect and deposit a minimum of 10 kgs lunar simulant within 15 minutes
"The regolith of the moon is said to contain previous elements including uranium and thorium of high nuclear grade. About 10 grams of uranium and thorium mined from the moon is equivalent to about a kg of the nuclear material found on the earth. NASA is looking at new technology that works with high precision and great durability," said Raj Kumar, a third-year student of mechanical engineering, GITAM university. Raj Kumar is one of the five-member student team of the university which designed the robot, called lunabot.
NASA will directly benefit from the competition by encouraging the development of innovative lunar excavation concepts from universities which may result in clever ideas and solutions which could be applied to an actual lunar excavation device or payload. The challenge is for students to design and build a remote controlled or autonomous excavator.
"The challenge is quite complex. It is not an easy task. The lunar simulant is highly abrasive. There are also limitations to the weight and size of the lunabot. Also, it is very difficult to control the lunabot from a remote control centre," pointed out another student Sai Suraj.
Utilising the students' talent, particularly from India, which is fast emerging as a space giant, NASA plans to explore the mineral wealth of the moon, which is rich in oxygen, silicon, iron, calcium, aluminium, magnesium,
titanium, chromium, manganese, sodium, potassium, nitrogen, sulphur, carbon, hydrogen, helium 3, uranium and thorium.
The students said they had to cross many technical hurdles to design their robot as the lunar regolith has unique physical properties. The gravity is one- sixth of the earth's. The environment in the moon is a complete vacuum. Though NASA will immensely benefit from the students' technology and innovative ideas, it will offer just 5000 US dollars as the first prize.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Dangerous bacteria in toothbrush: Sanitize your toothbrush regularly to avoid diseases
Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: The toothbrush may clean the teeth and gums, but it can be a potential source of dangerous organisms including those that cause cholera, gastroenteritis, boils, infection of the ear, eye and skin and typhoid, if it is not sterilized regularly.
People, who have bathrooms with attached toilets, should be extra careful with their toothbrush as it can be contaminated by E coli, a bacterium that upsets the stomach leading to vomiting and diarrhoea. Even in bathrooms without attached toilet, several bacteria like Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas, Lactobacillus and Klebsiella, besides Candida can be present in sufficiently large numbers to create major health problems.
Dentists suggest that the toothbrush should not be kept in bathrooms for hygienic reasons. They should be kept separately in a clean place outside the bathroom. The toothbrush should be cleaned regularly with anti-septic lotions to kill the germs. Toothbrush sanitizers can also be used. They recommend change in toothbrush when a hard deposit is noticed on the toothbrush head, between the bristle tufts.
As part of a research study, a team of dentists, collected 40 toothbrushes from bathrooms of various households. Twenty of them were from bathrooms with attached toilets, and the rest from bathrooms without attached toilets. Of the 20 toothbrushes each, 10 were used for a month and the rest for a period of three months.
“Micro-organisms were found in isolated form in toothbrushes used for one month, whereas in toothbrushes used for three months they are found in clumps. Hard deposit on the toothbrush head between bristle tufts is the medium for growth of micro-organisms, which not only affects the oral health but also affects the general health of an individual,” pointed out Dr GN Karibasappa.
The contamination of toothbrush could prove to be dangerous for people who are on immuno-suppressant drugs, heart patients and those with compromised or low immunity.
Lactobacillus causes the progression of the dental caries while Candida causes candidiasis. Pseudomonas is responsible for infections of ear, eye and urinary tract.Klebsiella is capable of producing septicemia, pneumonia, diarrhoea, urinary tract infections.
Hyderabad: The toothbrush may clean the teeth and gums, but it can be a potential source of dangerous organisms including those that cause cholera, gastroenteritis, boils, infection of the ear, eye and skin and typhoid, if it is not sterilized regularly.
People, who have bathrooms with attached toilets, should be extra careful with their toothbrush as it can be contaminated by E coli, a bacterium that upsets the stomach leading to vomiting and diarrhoea. Even in bathrooms without attached toilet, several bacteria like Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas, Lactobacillus and Klebsiella, besides Candida can be present in sufficiently large numbers to create major health problems.
Dentists suggest that the toothbrush should not be kept in bathrooms for hygienic reasons. They should be kept separately in a clean place outside the bathroom. The toothbrush should be cleaned regularly with anti-septic lotions to kill the germs. Toothbrush sanitizers can also be used. They recommend change in toothbrush when a hard deposit is noticed on the toothbrush head, between the bristle tufts.
As part of a research study, a team of dentists, collected 40 toothbrushes from bathrooms of various households. Twenty of them were from bathrooms with attached toilets, and the rest from bathrooms without attached toilets. Of the 20 toothbrushes each, 10 were used for a month and the rest for a period of three months.
“Micro-organisms were found in isolated form in toothbrushes used for one month, whereas in toothbrushes used for three months they are found in clumps. Hard deposit on the toothbrush head between bristle tufts is the medium for growth of micro-organisms, which not only affects the oral health but also affects the general health of an individual,” pointed out Dr GN Karibasappa.
The contamination of toothbrush could prove to be dangerous for people who are on immuno-suppressant drugs, heart patients and those with compromised or low immunity.
Lactobacillus causes the progression of the dental caries while Candida causes candidiasis. Pseudomonas is responsible for infections of ear, eye and urinary tract.Klebsiella is capable of producing septicemia, pneumonia, diarrhoea, urinary tract infections.
Now your table salt comes with iron too: Double fortified salt to be available in market
Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: Nearly two decades after it was conceptualised, common salt containing iron will soon be available in the market for mass consumption.
The technology of fortifying common salt with both iodine and iron, developed by the city-based National Institution of Nutrition, has been successfully tested in tribal areas where the incidence of anaemia and malaria is quite high.
Backed by the successful results, the NIN has transferred the technology to salt manufacturers, who will soon introduce the product in the market. In Andhra Pradesh, AP Foods, a government-owned enterprise, will set up a plant at Visakhapatnam to produce double-fortified salt.
It will cost about Re 1 more. There's no change in taste or colour. As many as 20 dishes, both south and north Indian, have been prepared using double fortified salt to test whether there's any change in their taste.
"Developing salt with both iodine and iron has been a major challenging task before us. When iron is added to salt, the iodine leaves it, defeating the very purpose of double fortification. Lot of research has gone into it and we have developed stabiliser to ensure both iron and iodine stay in the common salt. Our studies have shown that the shelf life of double fortified common salt is more than one year," NIN director Dr B Sesikeran said. Double fortification of salt is possible only if it is 98 to 99 per cent pure. It does not work with crude salt.
Double fortification of common salt has been necessitated to fight iodine and iron deficiency in one go. Though iodised salt has been made mandatory by the Centre, it cleared the proposal of double fortification only last week. Iron deficiency leads to a major health problem called anaemia. Between 70 and 80 per cent of pregnant women, 50 to 70 per cent of children, and 50 per cent of the general public suffer from anaemia.
Anaemia or low iron content in the blood is responsible for reduced mental attention and learning capacity, and physical weakness.
"Vegetarian food is low in iron. High dietary fibre in food makes iron absorption in the body very low. Since we cannot ask vegetarians to shift to non-vegetarian food, double fortification of common salt will solve the problem. Studies on schoolchildren in Rampachodavaram in East Godavari district have shown that despite high incidence of malaria, the iron content in their blood has increased," Dr Sesikeran pointed out.
He said since NIN has transferred the technology free of cost, salt companies have agreed to supply 20 per cent of their produce to government at subsidised rates for distribution among poor people. Excess intake of iron will not cause any harm, as the body has inbuilt mechanism to throw away excess iron through excretion.
Hyderabad: Nearly two decades after it was conceptualised, common salt containing iron will soon be available in the market for mass consumption.
The technology of fortifying common salt with both iodine and iron, developed by the city-based National Institution of Nutrition, has been successfully tested in tribal areas where the incidence of anaemia and malaria is quite high.
Backed by the successful results, the NIN has transferred the technology to salt manufacturers, who will soon introduce the product in the market. In Andhra Pradesh, AP Foods, a government-owned enterprise, will set up a plant at Visakhapatnam to produce double-fortified salt.
It will cost about Re 1 more. There's no change in taste or colour. As many as 20 dishes, both south and north Indian, have been prepared using double fortified salt to test whether there's any change in their taste.
"Developing salt with both iodine and iron has been a major challenging task before us. When iron is added to salt, the iodine leaves it, defeating the very purpose of double fortification. Lot of research has gone into it and we have developed stabiliser to ensure both iron and iodine stay in the common salt. Our studies have shown that the shelf life of double fortified common salt is more than one year," NIN director Dr B Sesikeran said. Double fortification of salt is possible only if it is 98 to 99 per cent pure. It does not work with crude salt.
Double fortification of common salt has been necessitated to fight iodine and iron deficiency in one go. Though iodised salt has been made mandatory by the Centre, it cleared the proposal of double fortification only last week. Iron deficiency leads to a major health problem called anaemia. Between 70 and 80 per cent of pregnant women, 50 to 70 per cent of children, and 50 per cent of the general public suffer from anaemia.
Anaemia or low iron content in the blood is responsible for reduced mental attention and learning capacity, and physical weakness.
"Vegetarian food is low in iron. High dietary fibre in food makes iron absorption in the body very low. Since we cannot ask vegetarians to shift to non-vegetarian food, double fortification of common salt will solve the problem. Studies on schoolchildren in Rampachodavaram in East Godavari district have shown that despite high incidence of malaria, the iron content in their blood has increased," Dr Sesikeran pointed out.
He said since NIN has transferred the technology free of cost, salt companies have agreed to supply 20 per cent of their produce to government at subsidised rates for distribution among poor people. Excess intake of iron will not cause any harm, as the body has inbuilt mechanism to throw away excess iron through excretion.
Registration must for import/export of infectious human biological material from India
Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: Waking up from slumber in the wake of Lancet team illegally transferring contaminated water samples containing superbug to the UK for research, the Indian Council of Medical Research has come out with guidelines restricting transfer of infectious human biological material from the country.
The guidelines make it mandatory for those exporting or importing samples containing disease-causing organism to seek prior permission from the ICMR. Incidentally, the contaminated water samples collected from New Delhi were shipped to the UK without the knowledge of the Central government. Unauthorised shipping or airlifting of contaminated samples pose severe security risks as any leakage or spillage will spread the infection.
If the pathogen is a new mutant or dangerous, the medical consequences will be severe. The ICMR's guidelines are aimed at both curbing unauthorised lifting of infectious samples from the country for research or commercial purpose, and preventing spread of diseases through improper handling of samples. Now such material need to be "triple-packed", its contents disclosed and sent abroad only after ICMR's approval. A
committee has been formed to deal with such cases. Even blood samples contaminated with pathogens should not be transferred without prior permission
It has also been mandatory to disclose whether the samples involve any unusual risks like radioactivity, recombinant DNA/genetic engineering work, toxic compounds, communicable diseases for plants, animals and humans, chemicals with long half like accumulating in the environment and high explosive chemicals.
"The ICMR ethical guidelines for biomedical research on human subjects should have to be observed while sending out of or bringing infectious samples into the country. Issuance of import certificate issued by the relevant foreign regulatory authority to the foreign laboratory receiving the Indian biological samples is also a must now," an ICMR statement pointed out.
Hundreds of samples of infectious substances are shipped every year from the country for disease investigations, clinical trials, surveillance studies, antidoping testing and or routine analyses.
Biological materials like blood, blood components, dried blood spots and faecal occult blood, and medical or clinical wastes are covered under "infectious substance category". It should also be disclosed whether the samples pose threat to humans or animals, or to the health of both.
Hyderabad: Waking up from slumber in the wake of Lancet team illegally transferring contaminated water samples containing superbug to the UK for research, the Indian Council of Medical Research has come out with guidelines restricting transfer of infectious human biological material from the country.
The guidelines make it mandatory for those exporting or importing samples containing disease-causing organism to seek prior permission from the ICMR. Incidentally, the contaminated water samples collected from New Delhi were shipped to the UK without the knowledge of the Central government. Unauthorised shipping or airlifting of contaminated samples pose severe security risks as any leakage or spillage will spread the infection.
If the pathogen is a new mutant or dangerous, the medical consequences will be severe. The ICMR's guidelines are aimed at both curbing unauthorised lifting of infectious samples from the country for research or commercial purpose, and preventing spread of diseases through improper handling of samples. Now such material need to be "triple-packed", its contents disclosed and sent abroad only after ICMR's approval. A
committee has been formed to deal with such cases. Even blood samples contaminated with pathogens should not be transferred without prior permission
It has also been mandatory to disclose whether the samples involve any unusual risks like radioactivity, recombinant DNA/genetic engineering work, toxic compounds, communicable diseases for plants, animals and humans, chemicals with long half like accumulating in the environment and high explosive chemicals.
"The ICMR ethical guidelines for biomedical research on human subjects should have to be observed while sending out of or bringing infectious samples into the country. Issuance of import certificate issued by the relevant foreign regulatory authority to the foreign laboratory receiving the Indian biological samples is also a must now," an ICMR statement pointed out.
Hundreds of samples of infectious substances are shipped every year from the country for disease investigations, clinical trials, surveillance studies, antidoping testing and or routine analyses.
Biological materials like blood, blood components, dried blood spots and faecal occult blood, and medical or clinical wastes are covered under "infectious substance category". It should also be disclosed whether the samples pose threat to humans or animals, or to the health of both.
National Accreditation Board for Hospital and Healthcare Providers: Hospital management to be responsible for patients' safety
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: With medical errors being responsible for a large number of deaths in the country, the National Accreditation Board for Hospital and Healthcare Providers has called for patients' safety through reduction in nosocomial or hospital-acquired infections.
According to Dr Girdhar Gyani, chief executive officer of NABH, though there's no official data on the number of deaths due to medical errors in the country, hospital management should not be lax in enhancing patients' safety. Nosocomial infections have become a major health problem in India with many patients acquiring new diseases from hospitals. He said hospital management will be held accountable for patient's safety.
Incidentally, hospital-acquired infections formed the major chunk of research carried out by Lancet journal on superbugs in the country. Information gathered by NABH revealed that half of the preventable deaths were linked to medical errors in hospitals, be they on the surgical table, intensive care units or in medical wards.
Stating that most of the cases of medical errors even in developed nations are "not picked up or reported", Dr Gyani said even the United States of America had recognised medical errors as a public health issue. "No data in India does not mean there's no problem here," he pointed out in his presentation on inpatients' safety here.
He said the NABH national database contained information on hospital acquired infections, occupational exposure, pharmaco-vigilance, accidents and communicable diseases. A disease registry is also being prepared.
"In developed countries as many as one in 10 patients is harmed while receiving hospital care caused by a range of errors or adverse events.In developing countries, the probability is even higher as much as 20 times higher in some countries. At any given time, 14 lakh people worldwide suffer from infections spread
by hospitals," he pointed out.
He said the data being collected by NABH is in a "nascent stage". Dr Gyani blamed hospital infections on "human factors, unnatural work flow, lack of team work, inadequate policies/procedures, standardisation and bed occupancy rate and average length of stay".
The NABH data will reflect on percentage of medication errors, transfusion reactions, urinary tract infection rate, respiratory infection rate, intra-vascular device infection rate, surgical site infection rate, incidence of falls in hospitals, incidence of bed sores after admission and incidence of needle stick injuries.
Hyderabad: With medical errors being responsible for a large number of deaths in the country, the National Accreditation Board for Hospital and Healthcare Providers has called for patients' safety through reduction in nosocomial or hospital-acquired infections.
According to Dr Girdhar Gyani, chief executive officer of NABH, though there's no official data on the number of deaths due to medical errors in the country, hospital management should not be lax in enhancing patients' safety. Nosocomial infections have become a major health problem in India with many patients acquiring new diseases from hospitals. He said hospital management will be held accountable for patient's safety.
Incidentally, hospital-acquired infections formed the major chunk of research carried out by Lancet journal on superbugs in the country. Information gathered by NABH revealed that half of the preventable deaths were linked to medical errors in hospitals, be they on the surgical table, intensive care units or in medical wards.
Stating that most of the cases of medical errors even in developed nations are "not picked up or reported", Dr Gyani said even the United States of America had recognised medical errors as a public health issue. "No data in India does not mean there's no problem here," he pointed out in his presentation on inpatients' safety here.
He said the NABH national database contained information on hospital acquired infections, occupational exposure, pharmaco-vigilance, accidents and communicable diseases. A disease registry is also being prepared.
"In developed countries as many as one in 10 patients is harmed while receiving hospital care caused by a range of errors or adverse events.In developing countries, the probability is even higher as much as 20 times higher in some countries. At any given time, 14 lakh people worldwide suffer from infections spread
by hospitals," he pointed out.
He said the data being collected by NABH is in a "nascent stage". Dr Gyani blamed hospital infections on "human factors, unnatural work flow, lack of team work, inadequate policies/procedures, standardisation and bed occupancy rate and average length of stay".
The NABH data will reflect on percentage of medication errors, transfusion reactions, urinary tract infection rate, respiratory infection rate, intra-vascular device infection rate, surgical site infection rate, incidence of falls in hospitals, incidence of bed sores after admission and incidence of needle stick injuries.
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