A consultant-nephrologist attached to the Sri Narayani Hospital and Research Centre here has received a medal from the President of India Pranab Mukherjee at a function held recently in Delhi.
According to Dr K Venkatraman, the consultant- nephrologist and transplant physician, the award was conferred on him for topping the DM (Nephrology) course at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGMER) of the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi affiliated to the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi. Pranab Mukherjee, who was the chief guest during the Founder’s Day celebrations at the institute, awarded the medal to Venkatraman for his performance in the three-year DM super specialty course where he studied before joining the Narayani Hospital here.
Thirtytwo-year-old Venkatraman, a native of Vellore, studied MBBS in Stanley Medical College, Chennai; was MD in Tanjavur Medical College before joining the PGMER.
He is heading the Nephrology Department in Narayani Hospital which is the second private hospital in the city to have a full-fledged kidney care and dialysis facility, other than the CMC Hospital.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service – Vellore / March 04th, 2014
Cochin Shipyard Limited today delivered ‘Abhiraj’, the fourth of the series of 20 Fast Patrol Vessels being built for the Indian Coast Guard.
The vessel will be operated by the Coast Guard station at Tuticorin.
It can move at a speed of 33 knots and will be very effective in supporting the Coast Guard in its anti smuggling, anti piracy operations, fisheries protection and monitoring, a CSL press release said.
Cochin Shipyard had signed the contract for construction of the 20 Fast Patrol Vessels for the Indian Coast Guard on October 20, 2010. The yard had earlier delivered three vessels — ‘Abheek’, ‘Aadesh’ and ‘Abhinav’.
The first protocol of delivery was signed by Ravi Kumar Roddam, Director (Finance), on behalf of CSL and commandant designate of Coast Guard Commander Ashok Kumar.
Apart from the 20 Fast Patrol Vessels for the Coast Guard, the yard is also constructing the country’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier, a Offshore Support Vessel for Norwegian owner and Buoy Tender Vessel for Directorate of Light Houses and Light Ships.
source: htttp://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> PTI Stories / by Press Trust of India / Kochi – March 04th, 2014
Women from the city who had carved a niche for themselves in their own fields were honoured by the Women Empowerment (WE) Forum of the Tamil NaduChamber Foundation on Friday to mark the International Women’s day.
The Chief Guest for the event, U.S. Consul General, Jennifer Mcintyre spoke on how entrepreneurship was a key area of partnership between the US and Indiaand detailed the efforts made by her U.S Consulate team to promote women’s entrepreneurship in southern India.
“As the Consul General in south India, I have met extraordinary women across different careers and from civil society and many of them have been successful entrepreneurs,” she said, lauding the efforts made by women to succeed as entrepreneurs.
The ‘WE’ forum honoured seven women from the city under the title of ‘Sapthaswarangal’ and recognised them for having cemented their position in their own fields. Rohini Sridhar, Medical Director of Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Mamta Fomra, a fashion designer from the city, and Chitra Ganapathy, Managing Director, Kadambavanam Trust for Culture and Heritage, were among the seven women honoured.
The forum also honoured eighteen women from the city under the banner of ‘Amazing Women’ awards.
A.S. Meenalochani, Joint commissioner of Customs and Central Excise, Madurai, Jacintha Martin, Sub-Judge from the district court, and Mercy Pushpalatha, Principal of the Lady Doak College were among those honoured.
Soma Basu, a senior journalist of The Hindu Metroplus, was also honoured for her contribution to the field of journalism.
Speaking on the ‘WE’ forum, Chairman Rajkumari Jeevagan said that the forum was set up to facilitate entrepreneurial development among women in the district.
“We focus on development through training, discussions and mentoring and focus on shaping astructured thought process through the same. Several women who have the potential to succeed as anentrepreneur and the right focus and strategy will take it to great heights”, she said.
Actor Kuttypadmini, Supreme Court advocate Anita Sumanth and others were present at the event.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by Staff Reporter / Madurai – March 09th, 2014
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Thursday declared open a memorial for “Marshal” A. Nesamony (1895-1968) in Nagercoil through video-conferencing from the Secretariat. The memorial had been constructed at a cost of about Rs.48.7 lakh, according to an official release.
Hailed for his role in integrating the district of Kanyakumari [which was originally with the erstwhile Travancore princely state] with Tamil Nadu, Nesamony was an advocate by profession.
He held various positions including the post of chairperson of the Nagercoil municipality (1943-47); Member of Travancore Legislative Assembly (1943-47) and that of Travancore-Cochin State (1948-52). As leader of Travancore Tamil Nad Congress Party, he won from the Nagercoil parliamentary constituency in 1951 and later, as a nominee of the Indian National Congress, he was re-elected from the constituency in 1962 and 1967.
Nesamony was declared unopposed from the Killiyoor Assembly constituency in 1957.
As a mark of tribute to him, the Chief Minister has given a direction that on November 1 [the day on which Kanyakumari was transferred to Tamil Nadu], floral homage should be paid to the statue of Nesamony in Nagercoil.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – February 28th, 2014
“It’s a great Indian success story,” said Dr. Jacob John, a former virologist of the Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore. He was referring to MenAfriVac, a meningitis A vaccine manufactured by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India. The vaccine passed the litmus test during a large-scale vaccine campaign in Banikoara district in the Republic of Benin, West Africa.
In the first-ever use in a developing country, the vaccine remained stable outside the cold chain at temperatures not exceeding 40 degree C for not more than four days. The vaccine should normally be kept in a cold chain at 2-8 degree C. The results of the vaccination programme funded by GAVI and WHO/PATH (which also provided training, supervision, evaluation) were published recently in theVaccine journal.
An independent body under the guidance of the Ministry of Health in Benin conducted active monitoring for adverse events following immunization (AEFI) by comparing the rate and severity of AEFIs in the study area and a control area. “The results of the study, which have been submitted for publication, indicated there was no increase in AEFIs with the CTC practice, and no serious AEFIs reported at all,” Dr. Simona Zipursky, first author of the paper from OPTIMIZE, a WHO/PATH Collaboration, Switzerland noted in an email to this Correspondent.
The fact that controlled temperature chain (CTC) would increase the efficiency of the vaccination campaign was amply demonstrated in Banikoara district, Benin — about 1,50,000 people aged 1-29 years were vaccinated for meningitis A from November 15-25, 2012.
The CTC vaccine greatly helped in increasing vaccination coverage in a few areas where access was a problem and electricity was unreliable. According to the paper, the health workers stayed in the villages for three consecutive days before returning for a refill.
“100 per cent of the vaccinators surveyed felt CTC was either ‘extremely’ useful or ‘relatively useful’. They reported that the biggest benefit from the CTC practice was the fact that it enabled them to vaccinate more people. Other key benefits included: no need to return to health centre every night (hence, able to reach more remote areas), reduced logistic burden (no need to worry about cold chain or ice packs) and reduced wastage,” said Dr. Zipursky.
Another big advantage is the huge savings in cost. “A study published in the WHO bulletin showed that using a CTC approach can reduce the cold chain related campaign costs by 50 per cent. To put it in perspective, for the remaining MenAfriVac campaigns between 2014 and 2016, [the savings would translate] to over $12 million dollars,” Dr. Zipursky noted.
The vaccine was originally meant to be kept at 2-8 degree C at all times. But WHO approved the CTC use after Serum Institute successfully demonstrated its stability and potency even when exposed to higher temperatures. According to the paper, this was the first time WHO had approved a vaccine to be used at ambient temperature in developing countries
“Even prior to the request, we had done trials of up to 40 degree C,” said Dr. Suresh Jadhav, Executive Director of Serum Institute. “As it is a heat-stable vaccine, we wanted to see if it remains potent even when exposed to 40 degree C.”
But the test period was restricted to one week. “We conducted this study even when it was not required,” he said. But the duration of test was extended to one month when the company was requested to test its stability and potency when exposed to 40 degree C.
“We found the potency was getting reduced after three weeks [of exposure to 40 degree C],” Dr. Jadhav said. “But there was a clear indication that the concept worked.”
The reason why the vaccine remains stable even at 40 degree C is because the freeze drying of the vaccine makes it heat stable or thermostable.
The 40 degree C upper temperature limit has come as a boon to people in the sub-Saharan African belt where about 200,000 people suffer from meningitis every year during the dry season when wind spreads the bacterial spores. Mortality is about 10-15 per cent and morbidity is very high.
“The ambient temperature reached [during the campaign] was 39 degree C,” Dr. Zipursky noted. “Luckily in the African meningitis belt, temperatures during the MenAfriVac campaign season are usually below 40 degree C.”
The dry season during January to June throughout the sub-Saharan belt is when meningitis outbreaks occur. “MenAfrivac has been introduced in 12 countries just before the dry season (November/December since 2010) to protect populations before the meningitis season,” Dr. Olivier Ronveaux, from the Meningitis Focal Point, Control of Epidemic Diseases Team, WHO, Geneva noted in an email.
Besides other huge gains, the cost of the vaccine per se is incredibly low. According to Dr. Jadhav, the cost of one dose is just $0.60 cents (Rs.36). A polysaccharide vaccine, on the other hand, cost about $5 dollars and is not effective as the polysaccharide provides only short-term immunity and hence given during an epidemic. MenAfriVac vaccine is a polysaccharide conjugate vaccine.
“There is a great sense of satisfaction… there is a great sense of achievement,” said Dr. Jadhav “as you can not only save lives but also avoid morbidity.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> S & T> Health> Medicine / by R. Prasad / March 05th, 2014
The students created 2,493 handmade pollution masks in 30 minutes
Students of the Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology have created a record for making 2,493 handmade pollution masks in 30 minutes, says a release from the college. Elite World Records has recognised the feat and issued a certificate.
Attempt
The release said that the students made the attempt as part of the Entrepreneurship Week 2014 celebrations, which the National Entrepreneurship Network promoted. Santikar Young, Designated Adjudicator, South Asia, Elite World Records, was present to judge the attempt.
The students created 2,493 masks between 11 a.m. to 11.30 a.m.
The release quoting S. Malarvizhi, Chairperson and Managing Trustee, said that the objective was creation of awareness in the people that pollution prevention masks could be easily made.
The college principal and the vice-principal received the record certificate from the designated adjudicator, the release added .
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Staff Reporter / Coimbatore – March 04th, 2014
Members of the Krishnagiri-based Indian Rivers Knit Movement (IRKM), an NGO creating awareness about the need for inter-linking and networking of rivers, who are on a ‘paadayatra’ from Hosur to Chennai to meet Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, passed through Vellore on Tuesday evening.
They were received by the members of the National Waterways Development Technologies, another Vellore-based NGO, led by president K K Sridhar and secretary Venkatesan.
The paadayatra has been undertaken to highlight the importance of the inter-linking of rivers and the protection of farmers, said Sardhar, director of the IRKM who organized the event.
Floods and droughts plaguing India, drive farmers to commit suicide and the only solution, to ensure protection to the farmers, is to link all the rivers, he said.
The NGO would appeal to the CM to come up with a policy to set up waterways by linking the rivers in the country.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service – Vellore / February 20th, 2014
The intercollegiate book review competition organised by the GC Pattabiraman Book Club of Urumu Dhanalakshmi College here on Friday brought to the fore the fact that given an opportunity, students can do anything in style.
The 24 book-reviewers from 12 colleges reviewed Robin Sharma’s ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’, Chetan Bhagat ’s ‘Revolution 2020’, and Shiv Khera’s ‘You Can Win’.
It was evident that the students had closely read the texts and proved their mettle by enthusing the listeners to read the books , said Prof. R. Panchanadhan, Director, Talent Consultancy, chief guest-cum-judge. He congratulated the college for organising the event and gave away the prizes to winners.
A.J. Rufina Amreen of Cauvery College for Women secured the first place winning the cash award of Rs.1,000. The second prize of Rs.750 went to Josephin Shamini of St. Joseph’s College, and the third prize Rs.500 was bagged by A. Vinodhini of Cauvery College for Women.
Cauvery College for Women won the over-all team championship, followed by St. Joseph’s College, and Holy Cross College.
A convict had killed the judge of the erstwhile Trichinopoli district on the court premises on February 22 in 1916
February 22 was an important day for the judicial officers and advocates of Tiruchi district. It was on this day in 1916 that H.O.D. Harding, the District and Sessions Judge of the erstwhile Trichinopoli, was murdered by a convict for a judgement he delivered, minutes before boarding a chariot on the court campus. The English judge from London had assumed office in October 1913.
The judge, known for his uprightness, had convicted an accused to life sentence in a murder case. The accused, who was subsequently granted bail by the High Court, reached Trichinopoli court with a deadly weapon and attacked Harding. The judge died on the spot.
Later, his body was flown to London. A monument was erected on the court premises in recognition of his service and every year on February 22 judicial officers and lawyers assemble at the memorial to pay their respects to the slain judge. This year too, P.Velmurugan, Principal District and Sessions Judge, along with Poornima, First Additional District Judge, A.R. Rahman, Second Additional District Judge, Balachandar, Chief Judicial Magistrate, and members of the Bar, placed a wreath at the memorial.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by M. Balaganessin / Tiruchi – February 23rd, 2014
After ‘Kancheepuram Silk’, ‘Madurai Malli’, and Coimbatore wet grinders, makers of “Tirunelveli Halwa”, famous for its taste and long shelf life, and Tuticorin macaroons, an Indianised dish of European macaroons, are trying to get Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
With the GI tag helping the producers in better marketing, especially overseas, more and more producers are seeking to get the registration conferred on products definite to a geographical territory. Speaking at a meeting attended by 20 halwa manufacturers from Tirunelveli and three macaroon manufacturers from Tuticorin to discuss the possibility of getting the GI tags, officials said whether it was ‘Madurai Malli’ (jasmine) or wet grinder of Coimbatore, the tag had made them more famous and helped farmers and manufacturers to get a better price both in the country and abroad.
Additional Public Prosecutor Sanjay Gandhi said GI tag for the halwa or macaroon was possible only if the makers come together and apply for the tag as an association. The officials said there was a problem in getting GI tag for halwa since it was doubtful whether the owners of “Iruttukadai”, whose halwa is the most famous, would join others to get the recognition.
Assistant Registrar of Trade Chinnaraja G.Naidu said 21 products from Tamil Nadu had so far received GI tag while an equal number of others, including makers of ‘Srivilliputhur Palgova’ (milk sweet) have applied for it.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by PTI / Tirunelveli – March 01st, 2014