Lifesaver: Chennai doctors plan second heart in tummy

Records, All, Science & Technologies
LUBDUB : Surgeons have successfully placed a heart in the dog's tummy
LUBDUB : Surgeons have successfully placed a heart in the dog’s tummy

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HIGHLIGHTS

  • Heterotropic abdominal heart transplants or piggyback transplant uses discarded hearts of terminally ill patients
  • The new heart placed in the abdomen doesn’t replace the original heart, but supports it in performing its job
  • The technology can be a substitute for expensive heart assistive devices and pumps
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Chennai :

Soon, patients seeking a heart transplant could be left with two— including one in the tummy. City-based cardiac surgeons have put an extra heart in the tummy of two dogs to see if it could help those with a weak heart survive. The answer was yes.

A Frontier Lifeline team has sought the state transplant authority’s permission to retrieve ‘misfit’ hearts from donors for ‘piggyback transplants’ in patients not fit for a full-fledged heart transplant.

On Tuesday, when a few heart transplant surgeons presented their experiment to other heart surgeons and Transtan officials, they admitted they would have to do larger human trials to see if it will be successful. “We will be forwarding the recommendation to the government,” said Transtan member secretary Dr P Balaji.

Surgeons discard donor hearts if their pumping capacity is below 30%. On the contrary, many patients with heart failure may not be able to go in for transplants because of multi-organ failure or other complications, said Frontier Lifeline chief Dr K M Cherian. Such patients will require a left ventricular assist device, a mechanical pump implanted inside the s chest to help a weak heart pump blood. “That machine costs up to Rs 1 crore, he said.

Dr Cherian said, “Instead if we give them an additional heart that is marginally functioning, itcan save money and life,” Doctors call this ‘bio-left ventricular assist device.’ Earlier this year, doctors in Coimbatore did heterotropic heart transplants, where they left an additional smaller heart in the chest cavity of a patient. Doctors say by leaving the heart in the abdomen — and thereby avoiding cutting open the chest — they can reduce surgical risk by several times.
Heterotropic abdominal heart transplants,leave the patient’s existing organ in place unlike a heart transplant. The new heart doesn’t replace the heart but helps it do its job. “It can be a bridge to transplant until the patients get fit, or it can just be the treatment required,” said heart-and-lung transplant surgeon Dr Madhu Shankar of Frontier Lifeline.

During the animal experiment, doctors connected the donor heart to abdominal portion of the aorta and other major blood vessels in the abdomen. “In dogs, we found that thisheart worked as ‘assistant’ to the existing heart. While one of them died on the first day because it did not have adequate amount of donor blood, theother was alive for 48hours walking and taking feed,” said Dr Madhu Shankar. Tests and scans done on the animal showed that the second heart was pumping with efficient cardiac output.

Postmortem on the two dogs showed that their heart muscle was viable. “It indicates the success of the transplant,” said Dr Shankar. The hospital has now sought permission from the ethics committee for clinical trial. “It may take some time before it this becomes a bedside therapy, but we should make a beginning.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Chennai News / by Pushpa Narayan / TNN / December 11th, 2017

Nattuvangam exponent Seetharama Sharma no more

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Bhagavatula Seetharama Sharma
Bhagavatula Seetharama Sharma

He had mastered all the three aspects of sangeetham

Noted singer and nattuvangam exponent Bhagavatula Seetharama Sharma died on Sunday. He was 81, and is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.

The artiste was tuning his shruthi in preparation for an arangetram in Bengaluru, when he was said to have suffered a heart attack.

“He suffered a heart attack and died on his way to hospital. His body would be brought to Chennai and the cremation would be held on Tuesday,” said Deepa Ganesh, one of his disciples.

Born in Kuchipudi in Andhra Pradesh, Seetharama Sharma developed a profound knowledge in all the three aspects of sangeetham — geetam, vadyamand nrityam. Noted carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna is among his disciples.

He served in Kalakshetra, dedicated himself to the institution and became an integral part of the majority of Rukmini Devi’s Naatya productions.

His first public recognition came from the Dhananjayans Bharatakalanjali, Chennai, way back in the 1970s, and he was awarded the title ‘Sangeetagna’.

Last year, Bharat Kalachar honoured him with a special commemorative and lifetime achievement award. He was also a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for ‘Naatya’.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – December 11th, 2017

Chennai techies excel

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, Science & Technologies, World Opinion

Two former students of a college in Kodambakkam make it to a special list by Forbes, for their innovations in health care

While he and his team have developed a compact affordable device to treat pre-natal jaundice, she is working on a software platform to help addicts free themselves of substance abuse.

Meet Vivek Kopparthi and Akshaya Shanmugam, who now work in the United States.

A few years ago, they went to the same college.

Alumni of Meenakshi Sundararajan Engineering College in Kodambakkam, the two have made it to the “Forbes 30 Under 30” list, which recognises excellence in professionals aged under 30. Vivek is on the list released for 2017; and Akshaya, on the one for 2018.

Social impact

The son of Srinivasa Rao, a first-generation learner and Mangadevi, who believes employees in her small unit are family, Vivek says he hopes to make a social impact with the device, and is not interested in making money out of it.

“The World Health Organisation says that in South East Asia India, Myanmar and Africa, roughly 5.4 million infants go untreated for jaundice, every year. Nine percent of them either die or suffer permanent brain damage, every day. Our device, which uses light to treat jaundice, would be among the most affordable in the market, as it based on simple plug-and-play technology that can run on solar power or batteries. The device has just four pieces, no complicated machinery and not much training is required to use it,” explains Vivek, who is co-founder and CEO of NeoLight, a healthcare company that engineers and designs solutions for newborns in need of neonatal medical care.

Vivek is looking for organisations to tie up with him to supply the devices.

Akshaya Shanmugam, CEO, Lumme Labs, an alumni of Meenakshi Sundarajan Engineering College in Chennai. Photo: Special Arangement | Photo Credit: Special_Arrangement
Akshaya Shanmugam, CEO, Lumme Labs, an alumni of Meenakshi Sundarajan Engineering College in Chennai. Photo: Special Arangement | Photo Credit: Special_Arrangement

Overcoming addiction

His senior at college, Akshaya was part of team that was recognised for its work on creating a software platform to help addicts shake off their dependence.

“What we have is a software platform that is capable of collecting data from wearable sensors like smartphones and watches, basically Android devices that help us understand the behaviour of addicts and the triggers associated with the behaviour. Finally, we also give them personalised interventions to help them recover,” explains Akshaya, who has co-founded Lumme Labs and whose first target are smokers.

“This work is an outcome of research conducted at the University of Massachusetts and the Yale School of Medicine. Our work is funded and overseen by the National Institutes of Health. We have conducted two national-scale clinical trials in which we demonstrated that we can automatically detect smoking with an accuracy of 95% and predict smoking events six minutes in advance,” she explains.

Their college secretary K.S. Babai, says that she is very proud of the achievements of her students.

“Both of them did very well in academics when they were with us. We recognise leadership qualities in students and encourage them to organise events where they can showcase their capabilities,” she says.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Deepa H. Ramakrishnan / December 08th, 2017

Violin exponent honoured

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

SubrahmanyamCF10dec2017

V.V. Subrahmanyam’s passion for music celebrated

The passion, perseverance and love of music of violinist V.V. Subrahmanyam is unmatched, musician T.V. Gopalakrishnan said here on Friday. Mr. Subrahmanyam was awarded the Mudhra Award of Excellence during Mudhra’s 23rd Fine Arts Festival. On the occasion, Sangeetha Mudra Awards were given to vocalist Aditya Madhavan, violinist Vaibhav Ramani and mridangam exponent Krishna Pawan Kumar.

“That kind of dedication and love for the violin is hard to come by. Whichever speed or sthayi the vocalist sings in, he will effortlessly play. He is an extremely mature musician, who aims to achieve perfection in everything he does,” he said.

Musician G.S. Mani said Mr. Subrahmanyam also makes an effort to have a deep understanding on various issues. “He asks very tricky questions and sometimes, I just wouldn’t have the answers,” he added.

Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti, president of Mudhra, recollected how legends, including Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and M.S. Subbulakshmi, appreciated Mr. Subrahmanyam and deemed him an excellent violinist.

Mr. Subrahmanyam thanked Mudhra for the award. E.N. Sajith, director, South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur, and Mudhra Baskar, secretary of Mudhra, spoke during the occasion.

A concert by Mr. Subrahmanyan followed.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – December 09th, 2017

Allies in waste management

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature

WasteManagementCF08dec2017

A few residents’ welfare associations have set to work on the Corporation’s plan for creating a city free of landfills

The annual general body meeting at a gated community in Perungudi turned out to be stormier than expected. None of the resolutions was passed without a prolonged debate — except for one. Without as much as a squeak, almost everyone agreed that the community should invest in a composting. And, on this unusually “stormy” day, it was surprisingly smooth sailing for this resolution.

A letter by the Corporation, displayed on a projector-screen earlier, had done the trick. It dwelt on a Corporation mandate that apartment complexes generating over 100 kilos of waste had to manage their waste on their premises.

After the presentation, a member of Doshi Etopia-II Residential Flat Owners’ Association, cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention.

“I hope we are all for a resolution to set up a compost unit to process wet waste at our complex,” he said.

The hall seemed to fill up with raised hands.

Whether this gated community, which has over 200 apartments, ratifies this resolution in the next few months or takes longer to do so, is beside the point.

What is significant here is that residents’ welfare associations and voluntary organisations can play an aggressive role in taking forward Corporation’s objectives in waste management.

They can point out to residents in unequivocal terms what ought to be done and what ought not to be, as spelt out by the Corporation. In this sense, these associations serve as an effective interpreter and mediator to the Corporation.

On its part, the Corporation has been conducting door-to-door campaigns at colonies and gated communities to create awareness about better waste management practices, especially after October 2 when it made source segregation mandatory.

“We are focusing on setting up more compost plants; in some divisions, finding the space to carry out this initiative is a challenge. We have identified 11 places where facilities to process biodegradable waste can come up. Compost plants are ready in Zone XI. In Zone XII, a plant is under construction and a mechanised composting machine has been installed in Zone XV,” says S. Gopala Sundara Raj, Regional Deputy Commissioner (South), Greater Chennai Corporation. It may be noted that the Corporation has no immediate plans to slap a fine on those who don’t follow the rules. Given this lenient position, it needs the help of residents’ welfare associations to keep drumming up the message.

Community initiatives:

* Two months ago, Vishranthi Coconut Grove Residents Association, a 60-unit community in Tansi Nagar, Velachery, pooled in ₹750 each from every resident to invest in two composting pots, each having a capacity of 600 litres. “Once you pay for something, you want to see what is being done, so we had a majority of residents who were ready to pay for community green bins. Also, many realised this was cheaper and less of a hassle than maintaining a khamba pot at home,” says Priya Shankar, president of the Association, adding that they get help from a vendor who monitors the whole process.

The Association expects residents to segregate.

“At least 90 % of the residents are segregating waste and witnessing the benefits of doing so,” says Priya.

* When it comes to environment-friendly practices, Ceebros Boulevard Flat Owners Association (CBFOA) in Thoraipakkam has been raising its bar regularly. Their latest initiative — Green Spaces — is inspired from the do-it-yourself (DIY) concept from the west.

Here, residents are required to take their bins to the Green Spaces, where eight to nine bins are placed, and dispose waste on their own. “Cleanliness is a big issue if the bins are not cleared at the correct time from the corridors. Also, finding labour and educating them is a challenge,” says a resident. The gated community with over 300 flats currently has 80-100 residents practising DIY.

* After a resolution was passed at the annual general body meeting of Ceebros Orchid in Velachery to start segregation of waste at source, the Association distributed segregation kits. The kit, consisting of two bins and one bag, was distributed to each of the 192 flats at the apartment complex.

A nominal amount was charged for the kit. “Currently, only 60 families follow the practice regularly. We hope to convert the rest by meeting them in person and explaining to them the benefits of environment-friendly practices,” says Swaminathan, a resident of the Ceebros Orchid.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Liffy Thomas / December 08th, 2017

Alibaba-backed bicycle-sharing firm Ofo enters India via Chennai

Business & Economy, World Opinion

Chennai:

While competition continues to intensify in the mobility space, it is the humble bicycle that is the next target. Chinese bicycle sharing company Ofo has made its India entry via Chennai.

Launched in 2014, Ofo offers a ‘non-docking’, bicycle-sharing platform, operated via an online mobile application. The company has over 100 million registered users across 180 cities globally. Ofo will import bikes into India which will be available in Chennai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Indore, Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

The company has also been actively looking for talent to build teams for various locations in Asia Pacific and cities like Delhi, Coimbatore and Pune, it is learnt. Emails sent to Ofo did not elicit a response.
In China, Ofo competes with Mobike, backed by Alibaba rival Tencent. The unicorn’s entry comes at a time when players like Ola and Zoomcar have pilots running in various cities. Earlier this month, Ola announced commencement of Ola Pedal pilots. Zoomcar’s PEDL presently operates over 500 cycles in 4 cities, Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune and Kolkata. PEDL cycles come with features like custom designed aluminum alloy frames and drum brakes, anti-slip chains, airless solid tyres and smart locks. PEDL also has the option for anyone to become a host by allowing cycles to be placed at the individual’s residence in return for various benefits.

“It is always good to have a competitor as it helps the market to grow. Ultimately, cycles will do better part of multi modal vs stand-alone,” said Greg Moran, cofounder, Zoomcar.
While welcoming the entry of Ofo, industry observers are circumspect about its sustainability. “It disrupts the way people look at last mile connectivity. However, a lot of issues need to be addressed such as infrastructure support (public restrooms/changing rooms), statutory frameworks and issues arising out of current ecosystems (share autos losing their business),” said KP Krishnan, who runs Cycos, a cycle rental company.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Chennai News / TNN / December 07th, 2017

City-based start-up gets IRs 45 crore in funding

Business & Economy, Education, World Opinion

Flinto Learning Solutions plans to expand to other parts of country, southeast and middleeast Asia

City-headquartered start-up firm Flinto Learning Solutions has received funding to the tune of ₹45 crore ($7 million) from Mumbai-based venture capital firm Lightbox.

The start-up, which is popularly called Flintobox, plans to utilise the funds it obtained to capture the pre-school market in India, which is worth over $4.5 billion.

Flinto is also gearing up for global expansion, starting with south-east and middle-east Asia.

Arunprasad Durairaj, chief executive officer and co-founder, Flintobox, said, “In India, pre-school penetration is less than 10% when compared to the developed countries, where it is anywhere between 90-100%. Flinto deep dives to address this major concern.”

The funds will be utilised to further strengthen the firm and expand to every nook and corner of India.

Currently, the start-up has over 4 lakh parents as customers from over 700 cities and towns, including Port Blair and Diu and Daman.

The firm is shipping more than 40,000 boxes per month.

Mr. Arunprasad said, “Flinto is redefining early learning by changing classrooms into big co-operative fun activity spaces where every child explores things that interest them. Flinto is designed in a such a way as to ensure parents/teachers spend time with children in a productive way.”

Lightbox partner Prashant Mehta says, “Flinto is addressing a massive need in early childhood development by delivering a subscription-based product to your doorstep every month.”

Life lessons

Flinto is the brainchild of three young entrepreneurs — Arunprasad Durairaj, Vijay Babu Gandhi and Shreenidhi Srirangam — who personally experienced the lack of quality early learning in India.

These experiences led them to set out to create tools and products that would change the way children learn and play.

In 2013, the founders pooled in ₹10 lakh from their personal savings to start this venture.

The first round of funding was ₹15 lakh raised through GSF accelerator.

They later got funding to the tune of ₹1.8 crore from Globevestor, a U.S.-based investment firm, with participation from Asian E-commerce Alliance (AECAL) and Mauj Mobile Pvt. Ltd.

The third (₹2 crore) and fourth (₹6.2 crore) rounds of funding were led by Ashwin Chadha, an angel investor and globevestor, with participation from existing investors.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Sangeetha Kandavel / Chennai – December 06th, 2017

Child rights activist from T.N. gets national award

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All
Recognising service: Activist Chezhian Ramu receiving the Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award from President Ram Nath Kovind.
Recognising service: Activist Chezhian Ramu receiving the Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award from President Ram Nath Kovind.

His organisation serves as a safe shelter for over 900 children across the State

Chezhian Ramu, a social worker and child rights activist based in Tiruvannamalai district, was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Award, instituted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Mr. Chezhian received the award from President Ram Nath Kovind, on November 14, Children’s Day. He is among the three social workers selected across the country for the award.

“It was a great honour to receive the award,” said Mr. Chezhian, who’s journey in protecting rights of underprivileged children began 25 years ago, when he lost his parents in a car accident. “I was left alone and moved to Tiruvannamalai. There I found an unreasonably high number of children begging. I began working for them without any organisation structure,” he said.

For the next three years, Mr. Chezhian devoted his time working on eliminating child beggary and providing job opportunities to their families. “It was not easy as a lot of them were stuck in organised begging rackets. But we managed,” he said.

He later joined the Swiss child relief agency, Terre Des Hommes, and worked on the rescue and rehabilitation of children affected during the 1993 Latur earthquake in Maharashtra. “The scene there moved me immensely and I decided to set up an organisation exclusively to protect children’s rights,” he said.

In the year 1994, he set up TDH CORE – Terre Des Hommes Children Organisation for Relief and Education in Tiruvannamalai, and Lifeline in 1998, where over 900 children are currently being looked after in 16 homes across the State. Four of them are schools meant for disabled children.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – December 05th, 2017

Musicologist Premeela Gurumurthy honoured

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All

PremeelaCF04dec2017

Souvenir released to mark golden jubilee of her concerts

Musician and musicologist Premeela Gurumurthy has made immense contributions to the art of kathakalashebham, N. Murali, president of the Music Academy, said here on Sunday.

“She has made a unique contribution to revive the art. She even brought out a book on kathakalashebham. She is a multi-faceted personality, who has given musical discourses in different languages, and also has a deep understanding and knowledge of Tamil,” he said. He also noted that musician Musiri Subramania Iyer was instrumental in persuading her and her family to shift base to Chennai as he saw talent in her very early.

P. Duraisamy, vice-chancellor, University of Madras, said she played a key role in introducing new courses, including M.A. Bharatanatyam and M.A. Folk Music at the university when she was the dean.

‘Remarkable researcher’

“She is not only a dedicated teacher but also a remarkable researcher. She has made an excellent contribution to research in the field of music,” he added. On the occasion of 50 years of her concert performances, a golden jubilee special souvenir was released.

K.N. Ramaswamy, director, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, and V.V. Sundaram, co-founder and secretary of Cleveland Tyagaraja Aradhana Committee, United States, spoke.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Cities> Chennai / by Staff Reporter / Chennai – December 04th, 2017

Top District Officer, Colleagues Take A Bus For Team Bonding In Tamil Nadu

Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders

The two-minute video shows their latest ride, a two-hour journey to Cozhai village as part of the monthly mass contact programme where they disbursed Rs. 1.4 crore worth welfare measures

Cuddalore District Collector Prashant M Wadnere on a local bus
Cuddalore District Collector Prashant M Wadnere on a local bus

Chennai :

A video showing Cuddalore District Collector Prashant M Wadnere and his team of some 40 officials, including senior officers, travelling in an ordinary government bus has gone viral.

The two-minute video shows their latest ride, a two-hour journey to Cozhai village as part of the monthly mass contact programme where they disbursed Rs. 1.4 crore worth welfare measures.

The collector is seated on the first seat next to the front door.

“More than saving fuel it’s more of logistics. This time spent with colleagues also helps in bonding as a lot of informal discussions happen. Unlike corporates, we don’t have such outing programmes,” the collector said.
The collector who has been doing this over the last one year says this system also helps remove the fear ordinary people have about the district administration.

“It’s also a confidence-building measure. People are now more forthcoming to speak to me,” he said.

source: http://www.ndtv.com / NDTV / Home> Section> Tamil Nadu / by J. Sam Daniel Stalin / December 01st, 2017