Babies far more dangerous for
drivers than mobile phones!
Children
are 12 times more distracting to a driver than talking on a mobile phone while
at the wheel, a new first-of-its-kind study has found. Researchers from the
Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) found the average parent
takes their eyes off the road for three minutes and 22 seconds during a
16-minute trip. Associate Professor Judith Charlton and Dr Sjaan Koppel
at MUARC used cars fitted with a discrete recording system which monitored the
driving behaviour of 12 families over three weeks. The families had an average
of two children, between 1-8 years of age.
The study
analysed 92 trips for any potentially distracting activities undertaken by the
driver. This included all activities that distracted the driver or
competed for their attention while driving; including looking away from the
forward roadway for more than two seconds while the vehicle was in
motion. Charlton said while the risks of distraction during driving are
becoming increasingly well known – drivers often don’t consider their own
children to be a distraction and this highlights the need for education about
the risks of focusing on their children rather than the road.
‘Previous
research has shown that, compared with driving alone, dialling a mobile phone
while driving is associated with 2.8 times the crash risk, and talking or
listening while driving is associated with 1.3 times the crash risk,’ Charlton
said. ‘The costs of distracted driving are undeniable. One major and
previously unrecognised distraction is kids in the backseat,’ she said.
In the
study, drivers were observed engaging in potentially distracting activities in
90 of the 92 trips. The most frequent types of distractions included
turning to look at the child in the rear seat or watching the rear-view mirror
(76.4 per cent), engaging in conversation with the child (16 per cent),
assisting the child (7 per cent) and playing with the child (1 per cent).
The study
found that the presence of a front seat passenger did not significantly affect
the way in which drivers engaged in potentially distracting child
occupant-related activities, both in terms of frequency and duration.
Source: http://health.india.com
07.10.2013
Now, latest cord blood processing
technology comes to India
Covering
new grounds in stem cell processing from cord blood, India’s leading stem cell
bank has extended its storage facilities to 25 years for long-term benefits to
clients, its top official said.The standard industry practice is to store the
cells for a span of 18 years, but Cordlife India has become the first such
healthcare establishment to lengthen the tenure to 25 years. Cord blood – blood
that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta following the birth of a baby –
is a rich source of type of stem cells that gives rise to other blood cells and
regenerates immune cells.
The cells
can be applied therapeutically to cancer patients; post chemotherapy and
radiotherapy – that leads to a deficit in the number of crucial blood cells. An
infusion of stem cells can reconstitute the destroyed blood cells.
Other
areas include spinal cord injuries and heart attacks. Cordlife has also
upgraded their cord blood processing technology that culls the necessary stem
cells from the cord blood milieu.
The bank
has scaled up the first generation Sepax device to the Sepax 2 model. The
state-of-the art equipment is recognised globally and has numerous advantages
over its predecessor.
‘The
system is one of the most efficient and consistent platforms that can recover
as much as 99.46 percent of cells from a cord blood unit and provides
exceptional post-thaw cell viability count. This is a critical factor in
ensuring a successful stem cell transplant,’ said CordLife managing director
Meghnath Roy Chowdhury.
Besides,
it reduces risk of cross-contamination and sample mix-up.
‘As a
leading healthcare company in Asia, we are committed to delivering the highest
of quality standards in our service and product offerings. We firmly believe
that our upgrade to Sepax 2 will help provide our clients with world-class
quality cord blood stem cells in the event when a transplant becomes
necessary,’ he added.
CordLife
is the country’s only stem cell bank where the advanced technology is
available.
Source: http://health.india.com
07.10.2013
A weak man has
doubts before a decision; a strong man has them afterwards
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