Category Archives: Science & Technologies

Doctors put chip in brain to make deaf children hear

Science & Technologies

Chennai :

Parents of two-year-old Guhan and five-year-old Beninal had only one dream – to hear them talk in their lifetime. The children, hailing from two poor families, were born deaf, and hence couldn’t speak too. While Guhan’s father was a farmer in Thanjavur district, Beninal’s was a house painter in Aranthangi in Pudukottai. Both, struggling to make ends meet, couldn’t afford the huge treatment costs.

The state government’s health insurance scheme came to their rescue. A team of city doctors performed complex surgeries, which involved implanting the hearing device , on the children, who are now on the path to recovery. The surgeries that cost 18.25 lakh for each child were performed free of cost, making these the most expensive surgeries the government has ever paid for.

Guhan and Beninal were both deaf since birth. While 99% of children with deafness can be treated with a cochlear implant, these two fell in the 1% bracket as they were born without a cochlea. “So we had to perform a surgery and implant the hearing device directly in the brain, which makes this procedure complex ,” said Dr Mohan Kameshwaran of Madras ENT Research Foundation, who performed the surgery.

Explaining the procedure, Dr M C Vasudevan, a neurosurgeon from Voluntary Health Services, said, “It involves opening the skull and planting the chip in the brainstem. It is a critical procedure as the brainstem has the nerves responsible for all the vital activities of the body.” The chip bypasses the absent cochlea and directly stimulates the hearing nerves that are present in the brain. Once the wound heals, an external device is fitted three months after the surgery. The children would also be made to undergo rehabilitation to gain speech, the doctor said.

The procedure which took more than five hours was performed jointly by ENT and neurosurgery teams. “TN has the highest deafness rate with 6 in 1,000 children born with hearing loss. The main reason for this is consanguineous marriage.” said Dr Kameshwaran.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / TNN / December 03rd, 2014

After 15 Miscarriages, 40-year-old Neyveli Woman Gets Bundle of Joy

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technologies
S Abhirami along with her newborn baby girl | express
S Abhirami along with her newborn baby girl | express

Chennai :

After suffering 15 prior miscarriages, a 40-year-old mother delivered a healthy female baby at a private hospital in the city recently.

S Abhirami (40) and G Sridhar (44), hailing from Neyveli, were married in 1995. Abhirami became pregnant that very year. However, a miscarriage occurred when she met with an accident. The couple did not realize, at the time, that the accident was not the cause of the miscarriage but what doctors would call “cervical incompetence.”

During the years 1996, 1997 and 99 Abhirami conceived, with all pregnancies miscarrying.  Abhirami approached a private hospital in Cuddalore to help her deliver a healthy baby.  The Cuddalore doctors put a surgical suture at the mouth of the uterus in an attempt to avoid a miscarriage and make the uterus capable of holding the baby. Several attempts to deliver of a healthy child with the surgical suture failed and the mother lost four more foetuses to miscarriage.

“Then she approached a private hospital in Coimbatore, who followed the same procedure for four more pregnancies unsuccessfully. Without losing hope and with determination, Abhirami approached the Aakash Fertility centre for help in 2011.”

After a few more miscarriages while being treated by the Aakash Fertility clinic (now adding up to 15) Dr K S Jeyarani, director of Aakash Fertility Centre, said on Saturday, “16th time I did not want to make any mistakes and we wanted to save the baby of the mother. After much diagnostic assessment, I sutured just above the mouth of the uterus using laparoscopy procedures, during the pre-conception period. After Abhirami conceived on February 2014, she was kept under observation, delivering a healthy, girl child, by caesarean section, weighing 2.5 kg, on November 27. It all happened because of the sheer determination and the confidence of Abhirami.”

Abhirami, visibly elated with her baby in her arms said that she did not want to use the services of a surrogate mother or even adopt a baby as she had no problem conceiving naturally. “All my babies, I conceived naturally, and again I was worried about the words of the society. People talk about a woman negatively and do not treat them nicely, if a woman cannot deliver of a baby. I had to face all these throughout my ordeal of delivering a term baby. I took up the challenge and succeeded in it,” added the mother.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / November 30th, 2014

IIT-Madras shows the way in low-cost housing

Business & Economy, Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technologies

Chennai :

With real estate prices and cost of construction on the rise, owning a house in cities remains a dream for the middle class. But it might soon be a thing of the past, courtesy IIT Madras and its efforts to popularize the cost-effective, rapid and eco-friendly method of construction using Glass Fiber Reinforced Gypsum (GFRG) panels.

After the successful construction of a two-storey building at the IIT campus in June this year using GFRG panels, experts from the civil engineering department of the institute are close to an agreement with Tata Housing Development Corporation Ltd to build a housing project at Boisar, a suburb in Mumbai, for low-income groups.

The GFRG building method essentially uses glass fibres and specially calcined gypsum plaster to make the regular panel stronger and water resistant.

According to Shinto Paul, structural design engineer for the GFRG building at IIT-M and PhD scholar at the civil engineering department, the foundation for the building is laid in the regular manner and GFRG panels are used for erecting the remaining superstructure with minimum concrete usage except at the joints and cavities of the panel. Once the foundation is constructed and the panels are erected, the main structure can be built in a few days.

However, while using GFRG panels, all floors should ideally have the same floor plan. Curved structures and domes are best avoided or concrete can be used for such areas.

“The rapid low-cost housing project is headed in the right direction and we are in talks with Tata Housing to use the technology for mass housing projects. We are also collaborating with various state governments and housing structures are already being built in Kerala using this technique.” said Bhaskar Ramamurthi, director, IIT Madras.

A senior official with Tata Housing confirmed the development and said the pilot project discussions were under way. The pilot module of the Boisar project consists of nine buildings, each with five floors and eight apartments on each floor. After the construction of the pilot module, the project may be scaled up with more buildings. It is estimated that the total cost of construction will be limited to less than 1,200 per sqft.

“We have been getting numerous enquiries about the project after the completion of the demo building at our campus,” said A Meher Prasad, head of the department of civil engineering, IIT Madras. The 1,981sqft two-storeyed building at the IIT campus, with two one-bedroom and two two-bedroom apartments, was completed in just a month at a cost of 24 lakh.

“We are constructing a 54-unit housing building for Kerala government at Chottanikara at a cost of 1,000 per sqft. The idea is to bring down the cost of constructing the structure and the customer can choose the remaining accessories and fittings,” said Shinto Paul.

As of now, the GFRG panels are being manufactured at FACT-RCF Building Products Ltd (FRBL) in Kochi, a joint venture between The Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd (FACT) and Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers, Mumbai. Proposals have been mooted to the Union government and more manufacturing units for GFRG panels are expected to be set up across the country to further scale down the transportation cost of the panels.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Binoy Valsan, TNN / November 24th, 2014

IIT-M Joins Hands With CERN To Explore Secrets of Universe

Education, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

Chennai :

Led by an expert who was part of the ATLAS experiment that helped find the God Particle, Higgs Boson, by the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the Indian Institute of Technology – Madras has become a full member of a collaboration with the Geneva-based organisation in search of the structure of the universe.

While reputed institutions including TIFR, BARC and a few others have been partnering with CERN, IIT-M is the first IIT to come on board of the prestigious LHC experiment.

According to Prafulla Kumar Behera, associate professor with the department of physics, this initiative will help the institute strengthen its capabilities in fundamental research. “CERN is home to a lot of innovations, including the world wide web. This collaboration is like a bridge that would connect us to the highest level of scientific research while offering them our talent and expertise,” Behera told The New Indian Express.

Besides him, another faculty, James Libby, and two PhD scholars have come on board on the CMS collaboration.

Behera was part of the ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC Apparatus), one of the many particle detector experiments at the LHC particle accelarator, for half a decade till 2011 before returning to India to take up the job at IIT-M.

The collaboration will be on CMS or Compact Muon Solenoid, a particle detector that is designed to see a wide range of particles and phenomena produced during high-energy collisions in the LHC. This information is believed to hold answers to questions like what the universe is really made of, what forces act within in and what gives everything substance.

Behera has previously worked on silicon pixel detector, a sophisticated technology used primarily in fundamental scientific research, which is not available in India. “We would like to collaborate and develop Indian expertise so that by the time the plant is upgraded by 2020 as has been planned, there will be substantial contribution from our country,” said Behera, who returned from CERN a week ago.

The silicon pixel detector has uses outside the limits of fundamental scientific research, including medical purposes like advanced imaging, he said, pointing out that Indian industries could manufacture the detector in the coming years.

While the team from Chennai will be placed at CERN during the summer, the idea is to collaborate from here by using grid computing to access data generated at the labs in Geneva. Grid computing facility has already been networked till TIFR, Mumbai, which will be expanded to south India, he added.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / November 23rd, 2014

MIOT Hospitals to launch hyperthermic chemotherapy to treat patients with abdominal cancers

Amazing Feats, Science & Technologies, World Opinion
Hyperthermic chemotherapy is done immediately after a surgeon performs a cytoreductive surgery.
Hyperthermic chemotherapy is done immediately after a surgeon performs a cytoreductive surgery.

Chennai :

In an attempt to reduce the risk of death and increase the life expectancy of a patient with abdominal cancer, MIOT Hospitals in Chennai has collaborated with its UK counterparts to launch a new treatment technique called the hyperthermic intraoperative peritoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) as part of its Indo-British Health Initiative.

HIPEC is done immediately after a surgeon performs a cytoreductive surgery in which, using standard surgical methods, he will dissect all visible tumors that can be removed throughout the peritoneal cavity.

Then the abdominal lining is removed, and the surgeon will continuously circulate a heated sterile solution containing a chemotherapeutic agent directly into the abdominal cavity for an hour to 90 minutes.

Dr C R Selvasekar, consultant colorectal surgeon at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust Hospital in Manchester, where more than 400 patients have benefited from HIPEC, said, “The term ‘hyperthermic chemotherapy’ means that the solution containing chemotherapy is heated to a temperature greater than normal body temperature. The idea is to destroy any microscopic cancer cells that may remain post surgery. Heating the drug improves the effectiveness several folds.”

Despite numerous recent advances in chemotherapy, the overall chance of chemotherapy being curative is still low, and the side effects are difficult for the patient to endure.

“However, when the cancers are confined to the peritoneal cavity, HIPEC boosts their life expectancy from three weeks to a year or more,” said Dr Prithvi Mohandoss, joint managing director of MIOT Hospitals.

The procedure also improves drug absorption and effect with minimal exposure to the rest of the body. In this way, the normal side effects of chemotherapy can be avoided.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / by Janani Sampath, TNN / November 21st, 2014

‘Smart’ Way to Hail an Autorickshaw

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Science & Technologies

Chennai :

Imagine hailing an auto-rickshaw through a smartphone app. While there are several apps that help one to book a taxi, a Chennai-based company has introduced a free mobile app that has the facility to book auto-rickshaw rides — a first of its kind in the city.

CallZila has tied up with Auto Raja and Namma Auto — two auto-rickshaw operators that have become popular among the city residents for offering rides at metre fare without having to haggle with the drivers. Apart from autos, the company has tied up with call taxi firms including Fast Track, NTL, Friends and a few others. In all, there will be about 2,000 cabs to chose from, said the company in a statement.

According to Magesh Kumar, the founder and managing director, CallZila gives an option to check out the availability of rides of multiple providers, which would ensure a ride round the clock.

The rides can be booked even when the person does not have data connectivity, he added.

The app can be downloaded from google play.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Express News Service / November 22nd, 2014

T.N. partners with MIT

Business & Economy, Education, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

5 projects have been identified for evaluation

Leading development economists and social scientists across the world are likely to take part in the formulation and evaluation of various schemes in the State in sectors such as school education, health, poverty alleviation and skill development.

To facilitate this, the State government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Abdul Latif Jameel–Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), the U.S., and the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR), Chennai, the host institute for J-PAL in India, according to an official release issued on Wednesday.

The J-PAL, headquartered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has more than 100 affiliated professors from top universities, including MIT, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Princeton, London School of Economics and IIM- Ahmedabad.

Initially, five projects have been identified for evaluation — primary school education interventions, youth labour market outcomes, healthy habits to reduce the burden on non-communicable diseases, engaging women to improve breastfeeding outcomes and weekly iron folic acid supplementation and school anaemia monitoring.

The J-PAL would assist the government in building internal capacity to carry out monitoring and evaluation of the ongoing or new schemes.

The MoU was signed by S. Krishnan, Principal Secretary (Planning, Development and Special Initiatives), and Shobini Mukherji, Executive Director, J-PAL, South Asia, in the presence of Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – November 20th, 2014

Rare Honour for Ex-CMC Professor

Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technologies

Vellore :

The Madras University has, for the first time, conferred the Doctor of Science (D Sc) research degree to a former Christian Medical College (CMC) scientist, Dr S Gunasekaran, for his lifetime contribution to research on insulin in the field of physiology. Governor K Rosaiah conferred the prestigious degree on him at the 157th convocation of Madras University held recently.

Gunasekaran received his Ph D in Physiology in the year 1981 from Madras University. With almost four decades in teaching at CMC, he devoted his research time to contributing to knowledge on primate pancreatic islets (insulin secreting cells) from monkeys, white pigs and to some extent human islets from brain dead persons.

Gunasekaran told Express that it was a big honour and recognition of his unique research work.

He recalled how he had teamed up with professor P Zachariah to study insulin. He established the first radioimmunoassay (to estimate hormones) technique in the country in 1973.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by V. NarayanaMurthi / November 19th, 2014

Tender coconut, fair and lovely

Business & Economy, Science & Technologies, World Opinion
Kaja Mohideen. PHOTO: GNANAVEL MURUGAN / The Hindu
Kaja Mohideen. PHOTO: GNANAVEL MURUGAN / The Hindu

The strong pith is removed using a machine and weight is reduced to 800 gm.

Innovation in marketing tender coconut has been his watchword. He has designed special machinery for peeling off the strong pith before despatching them to market.

The new shape of the tender coconut appears white all around – a value-addition with a new look. Its weight gets reduced from about 2 kg to less than 800 grams or so.

“The value addition mainly aims at attracting the consumers besides ensuring environment-friendly ambience at the retail sales outlets,” says Kaja Mohideen (50), referring to the growing demand for the produce in the city in the last one week since he introduced his sales.

With lightweight, it could be stocked at commercial complexes and medical shops. Using his experience of three decades in the trade, he had devised the plan of using a machinery for ‘clean coconut’.

Mr. Mohideen procures about 6,000 coconuts a week from Pollachi and a group of six workers work on the machinery peeling off the pith. Explaining the functioning of the machinery designed at Pollachi, he says adequate training had been imparted to all the workers on the task.

At the retail outlets on the pavements, the pavement vendors would be spared of the problem of collecting and disposing the waste pith.

White tender coconuts kept ready for sale. PHOTO: GNANAVEL MURUGAN / The Hindu
White tender coconuts kept ready for sale. PHOTO: GNANAVEL MURUGAN / The Hindu

Export-oriented

Apart from local market, he has explored the possibility of exporting it the tender coconut to Australia. “There has been a growing demand for coconut in Australia. The container with a capacity for 6,000 tender coconuts would reach Australia by sea within 20 days from Chennai,” he says.

To attract customers, he has fixed the price per coconut at Rs. 20. “My investment on the machinery is Rs. 90,000 and I have to incur a huge expenditure for purchasing the coconut from Pollachi,” Mr. Mohideen added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Special Correspondent / Tiruchi – November 10th, 2014

Where faith matches medicine

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Nature, Science & Technologies
Free mental health camp in progress at Sivakasi.
Free mental health camp in progress at Sivakasi.

Plan to extend model to Puliyampatti where people throng St. Antony’s Church

Treatment of mental illness has witnessed a paradigm shift with community involvement in the southern districts in a big way. The ‘Sivakasi model,’ experimented since 2002, has inspired psychiatrists to replicate it in other districts.

This model is the most viable to treat psychiatric illness as it involves the community, a service organisation and the government. It has also successfully got rid of the stigma associated with mental illness by taking treatment away from medical institutions to the doorstep of patients, says C. Ramasubramanian, State Nodal Officer, District Mental Health Programme.

It all began in 2002 when a group of psychiatrists, led by Dr. Ramasubramanian, began the free mental health camp, with the involvement of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisations (SSSSO), Tamil Nadu, M. S. Chellamuthu Trust and Research Foundation, Madurai, and local philanthropists. It is organised on the fourth Sunday of every month.

In the beginning, patients from Virudhunagar district attended the camp where free consultation, medicines for one month and food are provided. Now, patients from seven southern districts benefit from it. The added feature is the presence of District Differently Abled Rehabilitation Officer to sanction maintenance grant, identity card and bus pass to persons with mental illness. The all-India president of SSSSO, V. Srinivasan, said at the 150th camp that similar camps would be organised in all districts of Tamil Nadu. The M. S. Chellamuthu Trust will train volunteers for the camps.

Problems of follow up, absence of local psychiatrists, after-effects of medicine and expenditure are addressed in the Sivakasi model. Volunteers of the service organisation are trained as lay counsellors by exposing them to causes, symptoms and myths of mental illness; medicines and their side-effects and how to identify relapse, says K. S. P. Janardhan Babu of M. S. Chellamuthu Trust. A reliable monitoring mechanism has been put in place by entrusting 10 families of mentally ill persons to each of the trained volunteers, who make periodic home visits. Efforts are on to provide vocational rehabilitation locally for those cured of their illness.

An amalgam of the Sivakasi model and the ‘Dava Duva’ model of Mira Datar Dargah of Ahmedabad is the ‘Margamum Maruthuvamum’ model, a marriage of faith and medicine.

The trust plans to extend this model to Puliyampatti in Tuticorin district where people throng the St. Antony’s Church to get their mental illness cured, says Mr. Babu.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by S. Annamalai / Madurai – November 13th, 2014