Fortis launches India’s very first
‘hospital mall’
On
Monday, the Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI) was officially
inaugurated in Gurgaon. Billed as a ‘next-generation concept hospital’, the
facility is a unique combination of multi-specialty hospital and shopping mall
with eighteen retail and food outlets on the premises.
‘This
is a comprehensive institute, aimed at delivering cutting-edge medicine, in
line with the best that is available in the West,’ said Malvinder Singh,
executive chairman, Fortis Healthcare Limited (FHL). At present, the FMRI has
25 operating rooms and 450 beds. Fortis representatives say that this institute
will look to provide ‘advanced multi-clinical treatments for complex medical
problems.’
The
next phase will also see an expansion in space and facilities. The number of
beds is set to go up to 1000 and the place will also have a health club, spa
and movie lounge. ‘The facility has been designed with great sensitivity, keeping
in mind the anxiety and stress that patients and their families undergo,’ said
Shivinder Singh, executive vice chairman, FHL.
Currently
the hospital staff comprises of 400 docs and 1,000 nurses. ‘It is the first
hospital in its category to have a full-fledged stem-cell lab. We will also
offer robotic surgery and organ transplant facilities,’ said an FMRI
representative.
Source: http://health.india.com
30.10.2012
Now a super sensitive test kit that
can detect HIV, cancer faster!
Scientists
have developed a super sensitive test kit — 10 times more accurate than the
gold standard methods currently available — to detect prostate cancer and viral
infections at the earliest stages. Gold standard is any standardised reliable
clinical assessment, which is generally taken to be the best available.
Researchers
from the Imperial College London also report that their visual sensor
technology is more sensitive for measuring biomarkers, (specific biochemical
indicating disease progression), which indicate the onset of prostate cancer
and HIV.Their sensor would benefit developing countries where sophisticated
detection equipment is scarce, enabling cheaper and simpler detection and
treatments for large numbers of patients, the journal Nature Nanotechnology
reports.
The
team tested the sensor’s effectiveness by detecting a biomarker called p24 in
blood samples, which indicates HIV infection, according to an Imperial College
statement. The sensor works by analysing serum, derived from blood, in a
disposable container. If the result is positive for p24 or PSA, there is a
reaction that generates irregular clumps of nanoparticles, which give off a
distinctive blue hue in a solution inside the container. If the results are
negative the nanoparticles separate into ball-like shapes, creating a reddish
hue. Both reactions can be easily seen by the naked eye.
Molly
Stevens, professor of materials and bioengineering at Imperial College London,
says: ‘It is vital that patients get periodically tested in order to assess the
success of retroviral therapies and check for new cases of infection.’
‘Unfortunately,
the existing gold standard detection methods can be too expensive to be
implemented in parts of the world where resources are scarce. Our approach
affords for improved sensitivity, does not require sophisticated
instrumentation and it is 10 times cheaper, which could allow more tests to be
performed for better screening of many diseases.’
The
team also reported that the sensor was so sensitive that it was able to detect
minute levels of p24 in samples where patients had low viral loads, which could
not be diagnosed using existing tests such as the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent
Assay (ELISA) test and the gold standard nucleic acid based test.‘We also
believe that this test could be significantly cheaper to administer, which
could pave the way for more widespread use of HIV testing in poorer parts of
the world,’ says Roberto de la Rica, study co-author from Imperial College.
A
new research suggests that watching a scary movie could help burn as much as
113 calories, which is almost equivalent to the amount burned during a
half-hour walk. The University of Westminster study also found that the 1980
psychological thriller, ‘The Shining’ was the most calorie burning movie, with
the average viewer losing as much as 184 calories!
Cult
classic Jaws (161 calories) took second spot while the Exorcist (158 calories)
came third. The research also found that movies with scenes that make viewers
jump in terror are the best calorie-burners, as they cause heart rates to soar.
‘Each of the ten films tested set pulses racing, sparking an increase in the
heart rate of the case studies,’ the paper quoted Dr Richard Mackenzie, senior
lecturer and specialist in cell metabolism and physiology at the University of
Westminster, as saying. ‘As the pulse quickens and blood pumps around the body
faster, the body experiences a surge in adrenaline.’
‘It
is this release of fast acting adrenaline, produced during short bursts of
intense stress (or in this case, brought on by fear), which is known to lower
the appetite, increase the Basal Metabolic Rate and ultimately burn a higher
level of calories,’ he explained.
Helen
Cowley, editor of the movie rental company LOVEFiLM – which commissioned the University
of Westminster study – said: ‘We all know the feeling of wanting to hide behind
the sofa or grab a pillow when watching scary or hair raising scenes, but this
research suggests that maybe those seeking to burn some calories should keep
their eyes on the screen.’
Source: http://health.india.com
30.10.2012
Never
leave till tomorrow, which you can do today
Benjmin
Franklin
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