August 4, 2012 Clippings

Now, deadly fumes to reverse heart diseases

Scientists may have hit upon a unique method to open up clogged arteries and reverse heart disease - using toxic chemicals in vehicle exhaust fumes for the purpose.

Ian Megson, 44, professor from the University of Highlands and Islands (UHI) and his team are working on the use of toxic chemicals carbon monoxide and nitric oxide to widen blood vessels and prevent blood clots.

Megson said releasing the normally poisonous toxins into the heart in miniscule amounts blocks the body's ability to clot and relaxes arteries, dilating them and permitting more blood to flow through.

The treatment is hoped to benefit patients suffering from heart attacks and strokes and was developed by fine-tuning machines used to measure car exhaust emissions in garages, the Daily Mail reported.

The experiments, which aim to successfully deliver the gases and measure their impact, are being carried out by chemists at St. Andrews University and Megson's team at the UHI using pig hearts.

Megson said: "We are the first to do this. We are using chemical amounts one million times smaller than that released in car exhaust fumes, so very tiny quantities, which when delivered to a specific area can have a beneficial impact on the patient. It is at a very early stage in development but has huge potential."

"Carbon monoxide and nitric oxide are found in car exhaust fumes but they are also found in the body in very small amounts. Each of the gases has a beneficial effect and we believe that delivering them all at the same time could have an even greater impact and we think the organic frameworks are a way to do that," added Megson.

Source: www.timesofindia.com

04.08.2012

Indian Olympians urge parents to get drops to keep India ‘polio-free’

With WHO declaring India a ‘polio-free’ nation, Indian Olympians have appealed to all parents to get their children vaccinated on time. This move is to wipe out the disease from the root. “This Close”, a polio eradication campaign by Rotary, involves more than a dozen Indian Olympic athletes including members of the boxing, weightlifting and wrestling teams.

As per Rotary, India is on the brink of wiping out polio, all that is needed is a “strong push” to root it out once and for all and Olympics is the apt platform to spread this message. Wrestler Sushil Kumar, in a message from London, appealed to parents to get their children vaccinated on time. “In 1988, 500 children were getting affected by polio in India every day. Today, our country is reaching steadily toward eradication of polio. We need your help to win this fight,” he said. “Polio vaccine can save a child from polio paralysis. Let us ensure that children are not paralysed by giving them the vital drops,” said boxer Vijender Singh in his message.

Rotary International is a partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative comprising of WHO, UNICEF and Rotary. India was removed from WHO’s polio endemic list on Feb 25 this year after completing over a year without reporting any case of polio. After achieving the milestone of non-polio endemic nation, India needs to maintain the status for another two years to be certified polio-free by the WHO.

India’s anti-polio drive has been lauded all over the world. From being one of the highest polio stricken countries in the 60s and 70s the country’s efforts involving personalities like Amitabh Bachchan has really helped wipe out the disease.

Source: http://health.india.com

04.08.2012

Failure is not the only punishment for laziness; there is also the success of others

Jules Renard