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Having twins takes a toll on parents mental health
08.07.2008 10:28
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Parents of twins conceived either spontaneously or with assisted reproductive technology (ART) are more likely to report mental health symptoms after delivery and one year later, than parents of single babies, according to a new study. However, the mothers of ART twins had fewer symptoms of depression before the birth than did mothers of twins conceived spontaneously. "This may be due to better counselling and preparation of infertile couples for twins. The good mental health during pregnancy may also reflect the couples'' satisfaction with successful treatment and fulfilment of hopes for parenthood," Dr Leila Unkila Kallio, who is a senior consultant in gynaecology and obstetrics at Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki (Finland), said. After birth, fathers of twins in both groups showed more depression, anxiety, social dysfunction and sleeping problems than did fathers of singletons. Researchers studied ART parents of 91 twins and 367 singletons and control parents of 20 twins and 379 singletons (conceived spontaneously) at three time points: in the second trimester of pregnancy, when the children were two months old and when they were one year old. Depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleeping difficulties and social dysfunction were measured using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ36). During pregnancy, they found that ART mothers of twins had lower mean averages of depressive symptoms than the control mothers of twins but similar levels to the ART and control mothers of singletons. Fathers in all groups had similar mental health during the pregnancies. After delivery and at one year, mothers of twins in both the ART and control group had more symptoms of depression and anxiety than did the mothers of singletons in both groups. ART fathers of two-month old twins had higher mean averages of depressive symptoms than ART fathers of singletons but their scores were comparable to those of control fathers. "Furthermore, fathers of two-month old twins in both ART and control groups reported significantly more impaired social dysfunction than fathers of singletons," said Dr Unkila Kallio. At one year, the ART and control fathers of twins also had higher levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms and sleeping difficulties than did the fathers of singletons. The study has been presented at the 24th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Barcelona. (ANI)
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Chinese President ready to work with India in various fields
08.07.2008 09:32
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh shared common country challenges with Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday, who expressed his willingness to work with India in various fields during a discussion here on the sidelines of the Group of eight Summit. Both leaders discussed bilateral relations and global issues such as climate change, energy and food security. President Hu said that China-India relations are in the best period and are facing a valuable opportunity for development. India and China as major developing countries, bear the common tasks of developing economy, improving people''s livelihood, safeguarding world peace, and promoting common development, Hu added. Hu said that China is ready to strengthen contact and coordination with India to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries to achieve common development. He added that cooperation on major international and regional issues would create an environment of peace and stability, equality and mutual trust, and win-win cooperation. Manmohan Singh described India and China as strategic partners and expressed that New Delhi is willing to promote friendly and cooperative relations with China. He said both sides have witnessed rapid economic growth during the past several years and have had consultations and cooperation in global and regional issues like climate change and food prices. Singh suggested that both sides make joint efforts to preserve peace and tranquility in the border areas before a final resolution is achieved. He also expressed hope that the two sides would continue to facilitate the process. Hu also sought India’s support for the forthcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics, which described as a grand sports event for Asia, as well as for the world at large. He said he expected an outstanding performance by Indian athletes at the Olympics. Singh said India is delighted to see the achievement made by China and wished all success for the Beijing Olympics. Hu also expressed China’s thanks to India for its timely support and assistance in providing relief to China''s quake-hit Sichuan Province. He also condemned the bomb attack at the Indian Embassy in Kabul, which claimed 41 live, and offered condolences to the families of the victims. (ANI)
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Government has the numbers and will last its full term says Pawar
08.07.2008 09:32
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The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has claimed with confidence that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government will prove its majority in any trust vote in Parliament. The NCP chief, Sharad Pawar said today in New Delhi that the Government would last its full term as it has the requisite numbers on its side. Sharad Pawar said that the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal is in the interest of the country and questioned the timing of the withdrawal of support by the Left, when the Prime Minister is on foreign soil. However, Pawar expressed gratitude to the Left Parties for extending vital support to the UPA Government during the last four years. He also added that the Left Parties have not kept the Government in dark, as they were clear about withdrawing support in case the Government goes ahead with the nuclear deal. (ANI)
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IAEA Agreement a privilege document, it cant be made public: Congress
08.07.2008 09:32
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Reacting to CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat’s demand made earlier in the day that the IAEA agreement should be made public, the Congress said that the “Safeguard Agreement” entered into between the Government of India and the IAEA Secretariat was a privilege document and so it could not be placed before the public. General Secretary In-charge of AICC Media Cell, Veerappa Moily told media persons that as per an agreement reached out between the two sides on November 16 2007, the contents of the IAEA Agreement could not be disclosed to any third party. “The Government is following exactly what it had promised in the agreement on November 16, 2007,” he said. Earlier, while announcing the withdrawal of support to the Congress-led UPA Government, Karat asked the government why it was not sharing the text of the IAEA Agreement with them, or placing it before the countrymen. “The Government has refused to provide the text of the draft safeguards agreement without which the UPA-Left committee will not be able to finalise its findings,” Karat said and added “why the Government is not placing the IAEA agreement text before the country”. (ANI)
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BJP asks Prime Minister to prove its majority, calls meeting for partys plans
08.07.2008 09:32
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After the Left’s announcement of withdrawal of support to the government, the Bharatiya Janata Party has asked the United Progressive Alliance government to prove its majority in the Lok Sabha. The top leadership of the BJP would be meeting at the residence of BJP leader L.K. Advani this evening to discuss the party’s future plans. "We are meeting at Advani''s official residence in the evening. It was an unholy alliance between the Congress and the Left parties, and it had to break," BJP President Rajnath Singh said. "After the withdrawal of the Left''s support, the Prime Minister should seek a vote of confidence in Parliament," he added. The BJP response came after Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) General Secretary Prakash Karat made an announcement of withdrawal of his party’s support to the government over the Indo-US nuclear deal. (ANI)
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Text of Left''s letter of withdrawal of support to UPA Government
08.07.2008 09:32
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Following is the full text of the letter by four Left parties to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee announcing withdrawal of support to the UPA Government: Dear Shri Pranab Mukherjee, This is regarding your letter dated July 7, 2008. You have stated that a meeting of the UPA-Left Committee on Indo-US Civil Nuclear Cooperation will be held on July 10. We wish to point out that in the sixth meeting of the Committee held on November 16, 2007, it was decided, regarding the talks with the IAEA, that: "The government will proceed with the talks and the outcome will be presented to the Committee for its consideration before it finalises its findings". Till now, the "outcome of the talks", i.e., the text of the Safeguards Agreements negotiated with the IAEA Secretariat has not been made available to the Committee. Without the text, the Committee cannot come to any findings. Since the UPA has refused to provide the text to the members of the Committee, no purpose will be served by having a meeting on July 10. Further, your proposal for a meeting on the 10th is rendered meaningless since the Prime Minister, while travelling abroad, has chosen to announce that the government will be going to Board of Governors of the IAEA "very soon". As you are aware, the Left parties had decided that if the government goes to the IAEA Board of Governors, they will withdraw support.In view of the Prime Minister''s announcement, that time has come. " Till now, the ''outcome of the talks'', that is the text of the safeguards agreements negotiated with the IAEA Secretariat, has not been made available to the Committee. Without the text, the Committee cannot come to any finding," the Left letter said. Signed by Prakash Karat, A B Bardhan, Debabrata Biswas and T J Chandrachoodan. (ANI)
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Combination drug relieves migraine symptoms if taken early
08.07.2008 09:32
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Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA, have found that a combination drug taken within an hour after the start of a migraine is effective in relieving symptoms. The combination includes sumatriptan - a migraine-specific drug that affects the constriction of blood vessels, with naproxen sodium - a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that works on the inflammatory aspect of migraine and relieves non-traditional migraine symptoms such as sinus pain and pressure and neck pain. "Unfortunately, many migraine sufferers put off treatment," said study author Stephen Silberstein, MD, of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology. "This study provides more evidence that treating a migraine at the first sign of pain increases the likelihood of relief,” he added. Researchers conducted two studies with a total of 1,111 people with migraine who had experienced two to six attacks per month in the three months before the study started. Half of the people were given the sumatriptan/naproxen drug within an hour after migraine pain started and while the pain was still mild; the other half were given a placebo. Researchers found that two hours after the dose was given, about 50 percent of those who received the drug were free of any pain, compared to about 16 percent of those who got the placebo. The people who took the placebo were also two to three times more likely to progress to moderate or severe pain over four hours than those who took the drug. Those who took the drug also had fewer traditional migraine-related symptoms such as nausea and sensitivity to light and sound and fewer non-traditional symptoms such as neck and sinus pain than those who took the placebo. However, Silberstein noted that only people whose migraines had a mild pain phase were included in the study, so it is not clear whether the results would apply to people whose migraines start at the moderate or severe pain level. The study is published in the July 8, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. (ANI)
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Regular exercise may prevent drug addiction
08.07.2008 09:32
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Regular exercise can help you avoid and overcome drug addiction, suggests a new study. The new study led by Mark A. Smith neuroscientist and Associate Professor from Davidson College has suggested that regular exercise can lower the tendency to become addicted to illegal drugs. "We''ve known that individuals who engage in exercise have lower rates of substance abuse. But there were previously no data that showed a cause and effect relationship," said Smith Over a two year period Smith and his three Davidson student research assistants- Karl Schmidt, Jordan Iordanou and Martina Mustroph compared the tendency to self-administer cocaine between two groups of rats. One group of rats lived in laboratory cages equipped with a running wheel, and the other group lived in a standard cage with no wheel. During six weeks, the rats in the wheel cages increased their running to about 10 kilometres per day, while those without wheels got no exercise at all. Later all the rats were connected to an infusion pump that would provide a dose of cocaine if they pushed a lever in their cage. However, the number of pushes necessary to deliver a dose increased geometrically for each subsequent dose. They found that the fit rats abandoned the task when 70 lever presses were required for a cocaine infusion. However, sedentary rats kept pushing the lever even when 250 lever presses were required for an infusion. In addition, the rats that ran the most on the wheel abandoned the task at a lower number of pushes than their fellow exercising rats. "We concluded that aerobic exercise reduces the rewarding effects of cocaine, and probably also has protective effects against cocaine abuse." Smith said. "That shows me that in the real world, exercise can be an effective intervention in drug abuse prevention and treatment programs," he added. Smith said exercise works because both exercise and illicit drugs prompt the same release in the brain of the euphoria-inducing protein, dopamine. Long-term exercise alters the number of dopamine receptors in the brain, meaning that drugs then have less of a euphoric effect. Smith believes exercise can prevent not only addiction to cocaine, but other drugs as well since they all affect dopamine levels. "Exercise has long been known to produce positive cardiovascular effects. We''re now also finding that it has positive psychological effects as well, in the treatment and prevention of drug abuse, depression, and anxiety disorders. I think there''s even more and we''re just beginning to scratch the surface," he said. The study appears in the online version of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. (ANI)
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Potter wasps use parasitic mites to guard their babies
08.07.2008 09:32
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Japanese scientists have discovered that that potter wasps use a parasitic mite called Ensliniella parasitica as bodyguards to protect their babies from parasitic wasps. Kimiko Okabe and Shun’ichi Makino from the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute in Tsukuba call it a surprising discovery because the mites generally show no aggressive behaviour. "None of astigmatid mites, which include this species, were previously known to attack other species, particularly ones larger than themselves," New Scientist magazine quoted Okabe as saying. After breeding, potter wasps (Allodynerus delphinalis) build a nest and lay eggs inside cavities that contain food, and are sealed with mud and saliva. Their offspring are threatened by parasitic wasps that try to invade the nest to lay their eggs inside the cavities. In the process, the baby potter wasp is killed. The mite ensliniella parasitica is known to feed the potter wasp''s haemolymph, a vital circulatory fluid that is rich in nutrients. Scientists have always thought that the mite offers nothing to the potter wasps in return. However, when Okabe and Makino studied the behaviour of host and mite under lab conditions, they found that the mites would surround and kill a parasitic wasp when it entered a potter wasp nest. The researchers said that the mites did not always repel an intruder successfully. They were themselves killed of if fewer than six mites attacked an intruder, according to the researchers. Six or more mites killed the intruder 70 per cent of the time and ten always killed it, they said. Okabe revealed that potter wasps even have little pockets on their body called acarinaria that offer a comfy home for parasitic mites, and that each acarinaria usually contains more than six mites. The researcher said that it was yet to be tested how that magic number was maintained. A research article on the study has been published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society. (ANI)
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Pregnancy alone doesnt increase mental disorders risk
08.07.2008 09:32
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Pregnancy alone may not be associated with an aggravated risk of the most prevalent mental disorders, according to a new study. However, post-partum women may have a higher risk of major depressive disorder. To reach the study’s conclusions, Oriana Vesga-Lopez, M.D., of New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, and colleagues analyzed data from interviews of 43,093 individuals who participated in a survey on alcohol, disorders and related conditions. Of these, 14,549 were women (age 18 to 50) who had been pregnant within the past year. Participants reported psychiatric disorders, substance use and whether they had sought treatment. "Past-year pregnant and post-partum women had significantly lower rates of alcohol use disorders and any substance use, except illicit drug use, than non-pregnant women," the researchers said. Also, women who were pregnant at the time of the study had a lower risk of having any mood disorder, except major depression, than non-pregnant women. "Age, marital status, health status, stressful life events and history of traumatic experiences were all significantly associated with higher risk of psychiatric disorders in pregnant and post-partum women,” the researchers added. Although pregnancy alone is not associated with an increased risk of the most common mental disorders, "groups of pregnant women with particularly high prevalence of psychiatric disorders were identified," the scientists said. These groups included women age 18 to 25 living without a partner, widowed, separated, divorced or never married and women who experienced pregnancy complications or stressful life events. The study is published in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. (ANI)
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Fat, insulin resistant women at higher risk of advanced breast cancer diagnosis
08.07.2008 09:32
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Overweight, insulin resistant women are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with an advanced breast cancer, according to a new study. The study, which was led by University of Melbourne researcher Dr Anne Cust, found that women who were overweight or had signs of insulin resistance – such as elevated blood glucose or insulin levels – were about 50 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with an advanced breast cancer tumor. Researchers tracked more than 60,000 Swedish women over a 20-year-period from 1985 to 2005. All were cancer free when recruited and their blood tested for glucose, insulin and other hormones associated with obesity and diabetes risk. Insulin resistance is most commonly caused by being overweight and inactive and is often a precursor to Type 2 diabetes. Cust said that previous research had shown a strong link between being overweight and increased breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women– but this study was the first to demonstrate the influence of insulin resistance on the stage of cancer diagnosis. "Women with insulin resistance or who were overweight were less likely to be diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancers but at greater risk of being diagnosed with stage 2 to 4 tumors – larger more advanced cancers,'''' Cust said. "We know that being overweight and having insulin resistance is a risk factor for getting cancer but - in the case of breast cancer - our study indicates that the cancer will be more advanced,” she added. The study has been presented to the Population Health 2008 Conference in Brisbane. (ANI)
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Azad''s resignation accepted
08.07.2008 03:37
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Jammu and Kashmir Governor N. N. Vohra has accepted the resignation of the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and his Council of Ministers. He has however, requested Azad to continue in office till alternate arrangements are made. Azad met the Governor at Raj Bhawan this afternoon and handed over resignation letter after withdrawing confidence motion in the Assembly. His government reduced to minority after alliance partner People’s Democratic Alliance (PDP) withdrew support on the Amarnath shrine land issue. If the PDP had not issued a whip to its members there was a chance of some members supporting the government. But after the PDP issued a whip it became unlikely. Earlier, in his emotionally charged speech in the Assembly, he said, “I am satisfied with my work. The motive I came with, I have largely achieved it. I don''t care who will be the Chief Minister. I don''t care whether the government survives or falls. I have shown the way. After spending life in serving the nation and party, I wanted to serve the people of my state. I have worked at a stretch for 20 hours.” The term of the State Government was to expire on November 2. The Congress has 21 members in the 87-member strong Assembly and is backed by two CPM MLAs and eight Independents. The PDP had 18 MLAs and its support was crucial for running the government. Vohra had summoned a special session of the State Assembly following the withdrawal of support by the PDP. The PDP, which entered into a power sharing agreement with the Congress and an assortment of Independent MLAs following a hung verdict in 2002 polls, pulled out from the Congress-led government and had withdrawn support to it on June 28. Earlier, a few days ago, the main Opposition party the National Conference, which has 24 members in the House, had announced that it would not support the State Government. The National Panthers Party, which has four members, too does not enjoy a good relationship with the government after Azad kept its MLAs out of his ministry. Only a split in either the National Conference or the PDP may save the State Government, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jammu Mukti Morcha are unlikely to support the Congress during the floor test. (ANI)
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Kerala to submit report on Mullaperiyar dam to SC
08.07.2008 03:37
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Kerala Government will soon present before the Supreme Court, a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi stating the113-year-old Mullaperiyar dam being hydrologically unsafe and in dangerous condition. The study would be submitted by the Kerala Government, as the base to support its case in the court for construction of a new dam that is being opposed by Tamil Nadu Government. Kerala Irrigation and Water Resources Minister N. K. Premachandran, said here today that the State would submit the report to the apex court as evidence to support its case for construction of a new dam at about 1,300 metres below the existing dam. Premachandran said the key finding of the study was that the water level would go up to 160.22 feet in the event of a ''maximum probable flood'' even if the storage level were kept at 136 feet. The study suggests the Mullaperiyar dam as being hydrologically unsafe for passing the estimated probable maximum probable floodwaters even when all the existing 13 spillways are opened. However, the Tamil Nadu Government has said the Central Water Commission, which inspected the dam, had told the apex court the dam was strong. Tamil Nadu is opposed to the construction of a new dam and wants the storage level to be raised from 136 ft to 142 feet. Kerala is opposed to raise the level from the present 136 feet, sighting the dam’s safety as the reason. (ANI)
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Three die as two train engines ram into each other in Pune
08.07.2008 03:37
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Three people died and two sustained injuries when two train engines collided head on in Pune on Monday. “Fire Brigade was informed at 8.30 in the morning about the accident. We found that the two engines were badly collided with each other. We also found a few bodies trapped in between the trains,” said Pradeep Ranapise, fire brigade official. The collision took place in the early hours at the Ghorpadi yard, killing three railway personnel, including a driver and a guard, on the spot. One engine ran over the other. Rescuers have recovered all the bodies and the injured have been hospitalized. The cause of the accident in not known. Railway authorities have begun investigations. India has one of the largest railway networks in the world. Experts say that slow modernization of the Indian railways is one of the main reasons of the train accidents in the country. (ANI)
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India to approach IAEA on Indo-US nuke deal very soon: PM
08.07.2008 03:37
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Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has said that India would approach the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal very soon. Dr. Singh said this to media on his way to Japan. PM is on a visit to Japan to participate in the G-8 summit. PM’s statement has come barely hours after the Left parties'' announcement that they would submit the letter of withdrawal of support to President Pratibha Patil on July 10. Earlier today, Defence Minister A. K. Antony said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was "moving ahead" with Indo-US nuclear deal and Left parties should wait till the next UPA meeting for a response. The deal is essential for the country to obtain nuclear energy from other countries and the UPA government has decided to go ahead with the same considering national interest, Antony said adding there was no question of Congress compromising on national interest. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to meet US President George Bush and discuss the progress of the Indo-US nuclear deal with him during the two-day Summit beginning Tuesday. During his visit, Dr. Singh will discuss various topics, including climate change, energy and food security with G-8 leaders and those from the outreach countries like China, Brazil and South Africa. Prior to the meeting with the G8 leaders, the Prime Minister will attend a meeting of the G5 group of outreach countries being hosted by the President of Mexico on Tuesday. India has been attending G-8 outreach meetings since 2003. An important outcome of the last year''s G-8 summit in Heiligendamm in Germany was the initiative to launch a high-level dialogue between the G-8 and the five-outreach countries to be completed at next year''s Summit in Italy. (ANI)
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