CBI arrests two Chandigarh doctors for admissions racket

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Tuesday arrested two doctors of the prestigious Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here after the lid was blown off an organised admissions racket at the premier health institute.

CBI officials here said that the doctors, Amit Musale and Sujay Sonawane, were pursuing a post-graduation course at the PGIMER. The doctors had obtained admission to the course, one of the most sought after in the country, on the basis of impersonation and manipulation during the admission process.

PG seat for sale in Prestigious medical colleges

PG seats for sale in prestigious medical colleges like PGI chandigarh  and ??AIIMS,

read here

UPDATE- Pathology labs run by DMLT technicians banned by Gujarat Highcourt

Complete high court judgment now available at following link




High Court Judgement

Pathology labs run by DMLT technicians banned by Gujarat Highcourt

Gujarat high court has banned all pathology laboratories run by DMLT technicians.

For details in Gujarat Samachar pl. click below Gujarat Samachar

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Drinking water before meals helps dieting, says study

Drinking water before meals can help people to lose weight, says a US study.

Scientists from Virginia found that slimmers can lose an average of 5lb extra if they drink two glasses of water three times a day before meals.

They tested the theory on 48 older adults, split into two groups, over 12 weeks.

While drinking water can make you feel full on zero calories, say researchers, too much water can also lead to serious health problems.

The researchers presented their findings at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.

All adults who took part in the study were aged 55 to 75.

The first group followed a low-calorie diet but did not drink any extra water before meals.

The second group followed the low-calorie diet but also drank two glasses of water before each meal.

Biodisc - fraud of the century

Introduction:
One of the leading magazine from Gujarat, India (Chitralekha), has published cover story about Biodisc. According to them Water that come into contact with biodisc become structured and organised, which appear crystalised!!!! Wow now you can change the physical properties of water!!! This water can do miracle, and treat almost anything!!!

At last they say the cost of biodisc (Rs. 17,750 for 1, Rs. 31400 for 2), which can be purchased by phone number given by them or someone linked with qnet.

Analysis:
Being a doctor, thing like this is difficult to digest, so I did some googling. One of the pioneer of this energized water theory is Dr. Masaru Emoto. In 2003, James Randi publicly offered Emoto one million dollars if his results can be reproduced in a double-blind study. No need to say that no one has won one million dollar from James Randi till date.
Gary Greenberg commented on Emoto's work:

"As a scientist, I was astonished. It didn’t surprise me that I couldn’t find any scientific experiments [Emoto] has performed or any peer-reviewed journal articles that have been published describing controlled studies of Emoto’s work. A further search revealed that Emoto’s degree was from the Open International University in India, where an M.D. degree costs $500 and a Ph.D. costs $350, no classes or tests required."

Kristopher Setchfield has researched on Emoto's work and concluded, "After the lengthy review of Emoto’s research methods and results, I have come to believe that Dr. Emoto is offering pseudoscience to the masses in the guise of defensible research."

Here is the disclairmer by amezcua, the company selling biodisc,

"Disclaimer

Your use of this website constitutes your acceptance to the terms of this Disclaimer.

No Warranty to Accuracy The information provided by us on this website is on an "as is" basis and is for general, indicative purposes only. We do not give any express or implied warranty as to the accuracy of the information contained in this website. As such, we will not be liable for any errors in, omissions from, or mis-statements or misrepresentations concerning any such information and will not have or accept any liability, obligation or responsibility whatsoever for any loss or damage, including without limitation, consequential loss or damage arising from or in respect of any use or misuse of or reliance on the information delivered in this website. We expressly disclaim any guarantee or warranty of promised future income or earning. Any claim of earning or earning potential should be treated as an opinion only and you shall not rely on it unless you have verified its accuracy. We shall not be held liable to and shall not accept any liability, obligation or responsibility whatsoever for any loss or damage arising from your reliance on such claims. You do so at your own risk."

In the end, it's really an outright fraud! It's like selling hamburgers that can heal your stomach problem!

Compression-only CPR found effective

Chest compressions alone are as effective in rescuing victims of heart attacks as conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation that combines compressions with forced breathing, researchers said Wednesday.

Studies in Washington and Sweden confirm the growing idea that the breathing component of CPR is necessary only for children and those who have suffered drowning or who have respiratory problems. Recent guidelines based on these and earlier studies may overcome some of the fears of bystanders who are reluctant to initiate CPR because of the danger of infectious diseases.

"These studies reinforce the message that the American Heart Assn. has been promoting since 2008," said Dr. Michael Sayre, a professor of emergency medicine at Ohio State University in Columbus and a spokesman for the heart association. "When you encounter a person who has collapsed suddenly, the best thing to do is to call 911 and then push hard and fast on their chest. It's simple, and something anyone can do even if they don't have any training."

'People become immune to coffee boost', experts believe

Using coffee for a pick-me-up may be pointless if you drink it all the time, researchers believe.

Experts say they have discovered that people who drink a lot of caffeine develop a tolerance to its stimulatory effects.

While caffeine can give people a buzz, raising alertness, the effect only works in those unused to the drink, they tell Neuropsychopharmacology journal.

They base their assumptions on the results of an experiment that they carried out on 379 volunteers.

Cold turkey

To put coffee to the test, the scientists from the UK and Germany asked all of the trial participants to abstain from the beverage for 16 hours.

Blood group diets - a new way to fitness

After hitting the gym, doing yoga and jogging, people are now trying blood group-based diets as experts say the secret to a fit body may be hidden in the blood type.

These diets are popular in the West and they are finding a foothold in India where some fitness experts are recommending them.

Explaining how such diets work, Ekta Tandon, Delhi-based nutritionist and dietician at dailydiet.in, says a chemical reaction occurs between your blood and foods as they are digested.

"Lectins, a diverse and abundant protein found in food, may be incompatible with your blood group and adverse side effects may occur. So I would recommend that one can follow a blood group diet along with the normal food in order to give all the nutrients to the body," Tandon told IANS.

World's Smallest, Lightest Telemedicine Microscope

Researchers at The California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA (CNSI) have developed a tiny telemedicine microscope for imaging blood samples or other fluids, testing water quality or other public health need in resource-limited settings.

From the press release:

Slightly wider than a US quarter and weighing just 46 grams, the lensless microscope is a self-

Beware If your girlfriend loves chocolate

Research in Archives of Internal Medicine shows those who eat at least a bar every week are more glum than those who only eat chocolate now and again.

Many believe chocolate has the power to lift mood, and the US team say this may be true, although scientific proof for this is lacking.

But they say they cannot rule out that chocolate may be a cause rather than the cure for being depressed.

New Studies Eat Into Diet Math

How many calories must a dieter cut to lose a pound?

The answer most dietitians have long provided is 3,500. But recent studies indicate that calories can't be converted into weight through a simple formula.

The result is that the 3,500-calorie rule of thumb gets things very wrong over the long term, and has led health analysts astray. Much bigger dietary changes are needed to gain or shed pounds than the formula suggests.

Consider the chocolate-chip-cookie fan who adds one 60-calorie cookie to his daily diet. By the old math, that cookie would add up to six pounds in a year, 60 pounds in a decade and hundreds of pounds in a lifetime.

But new research—based on studies of volunteers whose calorie consumption is observed in laboratory settings, rather than often-unreliable food diaries—suggests that the body's self-regulatory mechanisms tamp down the effects of changes in diet or behavior.

Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome

At age 12, most kids are concerned with finding a ride to the movies and making it through middle school. Ashley Upchurch was younger -- 11 -- when she became addicted to inhaling air dusters as a way to get high. 

"It was a cheap high, it was instant, and it was intense," Upchurch, now 17 and sober for over two years, said today in a Washington D.C. seminar about the danger inhalants pose to children. 

New data released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) indicates that 12-year-old kids are more likely to get high from common, legal household substances including aerosol computer cleaners, air fresheners, hair spray or shoe polish than use cigarettes or marijuana. 

Stem Cells May Provide Vaccine For Colon Cancer

Immunology experts in the US and China have discovered human stem cells that "fool" the immune system may provide a vaccination for colon cancer.

The study was led by Dr. Bei Liu and Dr. Zihai Li in collaboration with stem cell expert Dr. Renhe Xu at the University of Connecticut Stem Cell Institute and is to be published in the journal Stem Cells.

The study builds on an old notion that immunizing with embryonic materials might produce anti-tumor responses, but this has only been shown in animal studies.

AIDS virus can hide in bone marrow

The virus that causes AIDS can hide in the bone marrow, avoiding drugs and later awakening to cause illness, according to new research that could point the way toward better treatments for the disease.

Finding that hide-out is a first step, but years of research lie ahead.

Dr. Kathleen Collins of the University of Michigan and her colleagues report in this week's edition of the journal Nature Medicine that the HIV virus can infect long-lived bone marrow cells that eventually convert into blood cells.

The virus is dormant in the bone marrow cells, she said, but when those progenitor cells develop into blood cells, it can be reactivated and cause renewed infection. The virus kills the new blood cells and then moves on to infect other cells, said.

Gut Bacteria May Spur Obesity, Research Suggests

Intestinal bacteria may contribute to obesity and metabolic syndrome, a new study in mice suggests.

"It has been assumed that the obesity epidemic in the developed world is driven by an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and the abundance of low-cost, high-calorie foods. However, our results suggest that excess caloric consumption is not only a result of undisciplined eating but that intestinal bacteria contribute to changes in appetite and metabolism," senior study author Andrew Gewirtz, an associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, said in a university news release.

Sternberg's Diagnostic Surgical Pathology

This is fourth edition of Sternberg's diagnostic surgical pathology, published in 2004. Does not require a introduction. Fifth edition has been published in last quarter of 2009.

Peanut allergies tackled in largest ever trial

Cambridge University researchers will give increasing doses of peanut flour to 104 British children, up to the equivalent of five nuts a day.

Twenty out of 23 sufferers in an earlier study became able to eat more than 30 peanuts safely.

The new £1m three-year trial could lead to a widely available treatment.

About one in 50 young people in the UK suffers from peanut allergies which can cause breathing problems, itching and, in severe cases, a potentially fatal inflammatory reaction called anaphylaxis.

A year later, woman told she's not HIV+

Till last January, 23-year-old Batashi and husband Tarak, 26, of Serampore were the quintessential happy couple. They had married for love and were expecting their first child. Then a routine blood test brought their world crashing down. Batashi was inexplicably diagnosed HIV positive at Kolkata's School of Tropical Medicine (STM). A test on Tarak proved negative.

What followed was worse than nightmare for Batashi. Her in-laws ostracized her and her husband accused her of straying. Tarak would have kicked her out had a little compassion for the woman he had once loved not lurked in one corner of his heart.

5,000 more post-grad medical seats

India will now produce 5,000 more specialized doctors every year. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday approved health ministry's proposal to add more postgraduate seats in 148 state government medical colleges.

The Rs 1,350 crore scheme will see a cost sharing ratio of 75:25 between the Centre and states. Though still far short of the numbers needed, the decision is being viewed as a positive step for a country that has a shortfall of six lakh doctors, 10 lakh nurses and two lakh dental surgeons.

Ironically, Indian doctors who have migrated to the developed world form nearly 5% of the medical workforce of their respective countries.