July 9, 2012 Clippings

Organ donation will allow her to live on

M. Sharanya had always wanted to make a difference. So when she passed away on Saturday, her grief stricken parents put their sorrow aside to make sure that their daughter’s wish was fulfilled. The 21-year-old engineer’s organs were harvested after she was declared brain dead at the Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital where she was under treatment for over a week for injuries sustained in an accident near Bhavani in Erode district. A lorry collided with the car she was travelling in and thought the docs tried to save her life, even performing a brain surgery but the girl passed away.

“Two days prior to the accident, Sharanya got her results. She had passed electronics and communication engineering with 94 per cent,” said her father, K. Manean who is an electrical engineer from Rathinapuri, Coimbatore. As soon the doctors told them that she was brain-dead, they knew what should be done. “We requested the doctors to harvest her organs. It was not only her wish, but also ours. My wife, Kalamani, readily agreed.”

The doctors at KMCH harvested her eyes, heart valves, liver and kidneys. The eyes were sent to Aravind Eye Hospital, Coimbatore, heart valves to Frontier Lifeline Hospital, Chennai, liver to Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, and the kidneys were retained at the Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital, said V. Ramesh, vice president, KMCH.

Her parents believe that their action would do Sharanya proud as the girl was always in the forefront of social causes. Organ donation is a major issue in India. There’s no proper mechanism to deal with the demand for organs. The issue can be dealt with by people getting themselves registered when they are alive. If experts are to be believed one healthy human could provide organs for up to 50 people who are in dire need of them.

Source: http://health.india.com

09.07.2012

Standing long hours affects babies' growth

Pregnant women who work more than 25 hours a week and those who stand "often" in jobs more likely to have smaller children, a study has found.

They weigh up to half a pound (200g) less than average at birth.

One explanation is that more physically demanding work may reduce the flow of blood to the placenta, limiting the amount of nutrients and oxygen going to the foetus.

Experts do not know why working long hours in an office job would have a similar effect, but it may be due to stress, Daily Mail reported Thursday.

Although smaller babies are not necessarily unhealthier, they are at higher risk from breathing problems, heart defects and conditions affecting their digestion.

There is also evidence that they are at higher risk of learning difficulties and developmental problems later on.

The researchers from the University Medical Centre in Rotterdam in the Netherlands surveyed 4,680 expectant mothers, who were 30 weeks pregnant

Source: www.dnaindia.com

09.07.2012

The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides

Henri Frederic Amiel.