'Care bundles' cure for sepsis: Study

NEW DELHI: It doesn't take the best hospital or costly therapies to save a patient suffering from sepsis - a potentially fatal condition which causes release of toxins in the body. Team approach and goal-directed therapy can save many. A multi-centre study conducted on 556 sepsis patients in eight hospitals across Asia, including two Delhi hospitals has shown this.

It bears huge significance for Indian hospitals where number of deaths due to sepsis on account of poor infection control, antibiotic resistance and other risk factors like diabetes and chronic kidney disease has been on a rise, say the doctors. According to Dr Sumit Ray, vice-chairperson, critical care medicine at Sir Ganga Ram hospital which participated in the study, mortality rate reduced from over 53% to 26% in sepsis patients with the implementation of the targeted therapy also known as "care bundles".

"In this therapy, we try to identify the high risk patients at the earliest and administer antibiotics, fluid resuscitation and transfusion of red blood cells in appropriate measures within six hours of diagnosis," said Ray. He said in the experimental model, treatment is taken over by the critical care management team as soon as a patient is diagnosed with sepsis as against the traditional approach where patient is managed in the emergency ward before being shifted to the ICU for critical care.

Dr D S Rana, chairman of Sir Ganga Ram hospital, said the bundle therapy is not expensive and can be implemented in any secondary level hospital. "Our study shows that implementation of the new model is best when doctors work as a team," Rana said.

The eight hospitals which participated in the trial termed as ATLAS (Asia Network To Regulate Sepsis) are Severence hospital in Korea, SGRH, Fortis hospital and Apollo health City in India, Chang-Gung Memorial hospital and National Taiwan University hospital in Taiwan and Raujin hospital, China. While three of them followed team model, the rest followed non-team model. According to a study published in the International Journal for Quality in Health Care, the implementation of the bundle therapy increased from 37.5% to 88.2% with team approach. With non-team approach, compliance rate was from 5.2 to 39.5%.

Dr M C Misra, chief the AIIMS Trauma Centre said, "A uniform guideline for treatment of such cases is important. Many times, patients are administered heavy doses of antibiotic therapy which proves detrimental in recovery."

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Mind games and magic tricks by young role models

If you wish to be convinced about the 'power of the mind' and the height of human endeavour, here are a few people whom you should meet. Europe's youngest IOS app developer, a 13-yearold boy who juggles his time between school and writing programmes at home; a 12-year-old mathematician who can create magic with numbers; and an Israeli mind reader who can tell your first crush's name even before he has a conversation with you. They were among 15 other personalities who spoke at American Embassy School on Saturday.

Indian and international speakers from different sectors, including academics, business and entertainment, addressed school students in the age-group of 13-18 from different schools in Delhi on the topic of 'relentless curiosity' at a TEDx Youth talk event.

Israeli mentalist Lior Suchard (30) drove the audience to frenzy with his 'supernatural' tricks. Lior randomly chose a 17-year-old student from the audience to play a magic game with him. While he made the boy think of his first crush, with eyes closed, Lior wrote the girl's name on a board. He then asked the boy to speak her name aloud. The boy couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that Lior had written the girl's name correctly even before he had revealed it. This was one of the many mind tricks that Lior performed at the event.

Lior is known to bend spoons with his eyes, read minds 'like people read newspapers' and influence people's thoughts. He was once a shy kid who also suffered from an attention deficit disorder. "I still suffer from an attention disorder. I think of too many different things at the same time. But that also made me realize that I have the power to focus deeply on things and that gives me the power to read people," said Lior. "Shrinks, scientists, doctors and all kinds of sceptics have checked me and found no answers. But I know I can do impossible things because I believe in myself."

Ethan Brown (12), an eighth grader from Bethel, near New York, also cast a spell on the audience, but with maths. While most students of his find maths rather tough, Brown likes to have fun with it. He holds the world record for reciting from memory 2012 digits of the number tau and has raised over 3000 dollars for his town library. In no time he made a magic number square, with numbers given by the audience - but every row, column and diagonal added up to the same number. "I just love doing maths. Though I make mistakes on my shows sometimes, I like solving a problem in different ways. My teachers are also very encouraging," said Ethan. He was joined by his inspiration, Arthur Benjamin, professor of maths at Harvey Mudd College and a 'mathemagician' who also showed the audience some unbelievable maths tricks. "I think schools are very rigid in the way they teach maths. Children need to be exposed to the fun side of maths. I feel maths is a very creative subject that can be like a beautiful symphony or a poem when understood properly," added Benjamin.

Jordan Casey (13) from Ireland is the youngest European app developer. He has developed three games which are commercial projects and many others that are very popular among kids. "I was using a mac book and, hence, it was easier for me to develop programmes on IOS. I am selftaught and learnt writing codes from books and websites," says Casey, who already earns a handsome remuneration with his finances being managed by his parents who are accountants. He is a member of Coder-Dojo, a global collaboration that provides free learning to young people in programming technology. "My catch phrase is 'making coding cool'. Many youngsters like me find programming very cool. I just hope it's included in school curriculum " adds Casey.

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Youth kidnaps, molests minor cousin, jailed for 2 years

NEW DELHI: A youth has been sentenced to two years in jail by a Delhi court for kidnapping and molesting his minor cousin after confining her in a room for seven days.

Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau held 20-year-old Rohan guilty of taking away his 13-year-old first cousin without her parents' permission and trying to make physical relations with her and outraging her modesty.

"Convict Rohan is not a habitual criminal but his act of enticing and alluring his minor cousin and taking her away from the lawful guardianship of her parents with intent to force or seduce her to illicit intercourse, is morally, socially, outrageous and legally impermissible," the judge said. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 upon him.

According to the prosecution, Kalyanpuri resident Rohan had kidnapped the victim, daughter of his mother's sister, when she was coming back home from her school on the pretext of taking her to the zoo here in March this year.

After visiting zoo, he took the girl to a room built outside a public toilet in Narela here, confined her there for seven days and attempted to rape her, it said, adding he also used criminal force to molest her when she resisted him.

The police said during the girl's stay with him, he had also mounted pressure on her to marry him.

Noticing Rohan's "bad intentions," the girl had managed to escape from his custody and told about the incident to her parents who lodged a case against him.

Rohan, on the other hand, told the court that he had gone to zoo with the girl but had left her at her house in the evening and also denied sexually assaulting her.

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Ponty Chadha shootout case: Namdhari's police remand extended till December 5

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Sunday extended till December 5 the police remand of sacked Uttarakhand minority panel chief Sukhdev Singh Namdhari, booked on murder charges in liquor baron Ponty Chadha shootout case.

Extending Namdhari's police custody by three more days, Metropolitan Magistrate Sunil Beniwal observed that five more co-accused, who have altered and cleaned the pistol used in the incident, have to be arrested, for which the accused has shown willingness to make their arrest possible.

"The matter is under investigation and more co-accused including those who have altered and cleaned the pistol have to be arrested in the present case. The accused has assured the police that he would accompany them to make their arrest possible, therefore, he is remanded in police custody till December 5," Beniwal said.

Namdhari, who has been in police custody since his arrest, was produced before the court after his three days' police remanded expired today.

Seeking his custodial interrogation for five more days, the Crime Branch of Delhi Police told the court that all the five accused involved in the crime have to be arrested and the vehicles used in the crime seized.

The probe agency also told the court that the accused himself has confessed that he will accompany the investigating officer (IO) to get arrested the other accused involved in the crime as they are absconding from their present place of stay.

Namdhari was arrested in connection with the November 17 shootout in a farmhouse here, in which Ponty and his brother Hardeep had lost their lives.

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Ponty Chadha shootout case: Namdhari's police remand extended till December 5

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Sunday extended till December 5 the police remand of sacked Uttarakhand minority panel chief Sukhdev Singh Namdhari, booked on murder charges in liquor baron Ponty Chadha shootout case.

Extending Namdhari's police custody by three more days, Metropolitan Magistrate Sunil Beniwal observed that five more co-accused, who have altered and cleaned the pistol used in the incident, have to be arrested, for which the accused has shown willingness to make their arrest possible.

"The matter is under investigation and more co-accused including those who have altered and cleaned the pistol have to be arrested in the present case. The accused has assured the police that he would accompany them to make their arrest possible, therefore, he is remanded in police custody till December 5," Beniwal said.

Namdhari, who has been in police custody since his arrest, was produced before the court after his three days' police remanded expired today.

Seeking his custodial interrogation for five more days, the Crime Branch of Delhi Police told the court that all the five accused involved in the crime have to be arrested and the vehicles used in the crime seized.

The probe agency also told the court that the accused himself has confessed that he will accompany the investigating officer (IO) to get arrested the other accused involved in the crime as they are absconding from their present place of stay.

Namdhari was arrested in connection with the November 17 shootout in a farmhouse here, in which Ponty and his brother Hardeep had lost their lives.

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Government’s cold attitude fatal for Delhi’s homeless

NEW DELHI: Every winter, the city wakes up to the untold miseries of homeless people. Many of them die on the streets braving the chill. A study on the 92 people who died without a roof over their heads from January 2011 to date, offers a glimpse into their tough lives.

The Mother NGO at St Stephen's Hospital recorded the deaths, but it couldn't document those deaths that were reported directly to the police. While this showed the absence of an official mechanism to coordinate between different sources when it comes to recording deaths, the study also brought to the fore the need for a uniform system to take care of the homeless.

Many more are dying on the capital's streets and many need immediate intervention, as revealed by Delhi Police data from five districts.

Over 6,800 deaths on the streets of Delhi, including those of the homeless and unidentified persons, have been reported between 2007 and 2011. This information was provided by the police in reply to an RTI application filed by activist S A Azad from the Campaign for Rehabilitation of Homeless People.

The St Stephen's hospital data reveals that cold is not the only thing killing those on the streets. But it is certainly a trigger that aggravates latent ailments among the homeless, estimated to be anywhere between 60,000 and 1 lakh.

Tuberculosis, addiction to drugs and alcohol, and respiratory problems are some of the unattended yet treatable illnesses that are claiming the lives of those sleeping rough on the streets. The absence of Delhi government-driven health facilities is seen by NGOs as a cause for concern.

Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board CEO Shakti Sinha told TOI that he will discuss the matter with the health secretary to make provision for mobile clinics. "We will also step up rescue operations through the MNGO from December 1," he assured.

Tuberculosis tops the list when it comes to common causes of deaths as per the MNGO data. Of the 92 dead, 22 were suffering from severe tuberculosis. In 12 cases, excessive drinking has been blamed for accelerating death. Nine deaths have been attributed to cold. The causes of death vary for the others, ranging from asthma, mental illness to weakness and burn injuries.

"These deaths include cases where either the rescue team of the MNGO found the person in distress on the street or reached him through calls made to the homeless helpline. The list has cases where homeless persons died in hospitals after being rescued or succumbed to a long-drawn illness at a night shelter. The list also has deaths where the cause is unknown," Dr Javed Khan from St Stephen's said.

He pointed that the analysis reflects that those on the streets need better access to medical facilities and more focused rescue operations supported by the state.

Paramjit Kaur from Ashray Adhikar Abhiyan who has been leading a community outreach clinic near Jama Masjid for over 11 years points that chest infections including tuberculosis are most common among the homeless. "Poor nutrition increases chances of TB. Skin infections and occupational problems like aches and pains are other concerns," Kaur added. She feels that state intervention in providing health facilities to the homeless to prevent deaths is the need of the hour.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by human rights forum of NGOs under the banner of Shahri Adhikar Manch: Begharon Ke Saath cites the police data on 6,800 deaths to drive home the need for development of a line of accountability for such deaths and to prevent further deaths.

The activists have also demanded that the Delhi government develop and implement a human rights-based long-term plan for the city's homeless, which includes creation of adequate permanent shelters.

According to Indu Prakash Singh from Indo-Global Social Service Society, the police data of 6,800 deaths of homeless and unidentified persons is alarming and needs to be studied in detail. "Also adequate response from NHRC, National Commission for Women and Delhi Commission for Women is the need of the hour including provision for disaggregated data on homeless persons, protecting the rights of the homeless and their rehabilitation and housing," he added.

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Road closed for sewer repairs causes chaos

NOIDA: The Noida Authority and traffic police have closed one of the busiest arterial roads of the city following a collapsed sewer in the area. Traffic movement along the route has been diverted. Though work is expected to be completed by Monday, December 3, it has caused traffic chaos as drivers on Friday attempted to find another way around the closed road.

Starting Friday, the road between Atta Chowk near the Sector 18 Metro station and the Atta Peer crossing near Max Hospital has been temporarily closed for all traffic movement. "We had to undertake this emergency measure as the sewer pipes in the area are being fixed," said Hom Singh Yadav, chief maintenance engineer, Noida.

"We understand closing the road is causing inconvenience for a lot of people, but it is important to get this problem resolved. It is quite a complex repair, but we are working quickly so repairs can be completed as soon as possible," Yadav added. According to AK Saxena, Water and Sewer works Division-I of Noida, a pipeline in being set-up and connected under the Metro station located at Sector 18.

A meeting was held on Thursday between the Noida Authority and senior traffic police officials to chalk out a diversion plan so that commuters are put to the least inconvenience during the period of repair. SP (traffic) MP Singh has asked motorists to find alternative routes. While Singh has deployed two cops at the site, nearly 10 additional district policemen will also help in keeping traffic movement in the area smooth.

Despite all arrangements, Friday being a weekend and the affected road being parallel to one of Noida's busiest market complexes, the area was completely gridlocked with commuters stuck in traffic jams for long duration. "We have also deployed tow cranes in the area so that vehicles parked in an unauthorized manner do not cause a traffic jam," Singh said. "Commuters need to cooperate with us as this closure is only temporary," the police officer said.

Traffic coming from Sector 37 towards Sector 16 Metro station and moving towards the IOC crossing via the Atta Peer crossroads is currently being diverted. "Motorists can now take a detour by taking a left turn at the Great India Place Mall. From here they can take a U-turn under the Film City flyover and then turn left at the Center Stage Mall and reach Atta Peer," said Singh.

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Ticket inspector shot dead on train near Delhi

LUCKNOW: A chief ticket inspector (CTI) of the Indian railways has been shot dead on board the Mahananda Express, between Ghaziabad and New Delhi, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place late on Friday when unidentified assailants shot Kifayatullah in the stomach when he sought to see their tickets.

Hailing from Moradabad, the railway official was on duty on the Mahananda Express which runs between West Bengal and New Delhi. He was taken to the Guru Teg Bahadur hospital in New Delhi, where he died at around 10.30 p.m. due to excessive blood loss.

Railway officials said that the incident took place near the Sahibabad station when the official was checking tickets.

A group of young men had a verbal spat with him and it turned ugly soon after. One of them whipped out a pistol and shot the railway official in his stomach. They then escaped.

Shocked passengers pulled the emergency chain and informed the Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel on train.

When the train chugged into the Shahdra station, railway officials wheeled out the bleeding CTI and took him to hospital.

During treatment, the injured official said he had an altercation with some youngsters as they were not travelling with tickets. He could not speak further, an official said.

"A hunt is on for the assailants," Pankaj Lawaniya, GRP in-charge of Ghaziabad said, adding that the passengers were being questioned.

Train travel has increasingly become scary in Uttar Pradesh, with more than half-a-dozen cases of eve teasing and violence reported in the last six months from trains plying across the state.

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Indian Railways ticket inspector shot dead on train near Delhi

LUCKNOW: A chief ticket inspector (CTI) of the Indian railways has been shot dead on board the Mahananda Express, between Ghaziabad and New Delhi, police said on Saturday.

The incident took place late on Friday when unidentified assailants shot Kifayatullah in the stomach when he sought to see their tickets.

Hailing from Moradabad, the railway official was on duty on the Mahananda Express which runs between West Bengal and New Delhi. He was taken to the Guru Teg Bahadur hospital in New Delhi, where he died at around 10.30 p.m. due to excessive blood loss.

Railway officials said that the incident took place near the Sahibabad station when the official was checking tickets.

A group of young men had a verbal spat with him and it turned ugly soon after. One of them whipped out a pistol and shot the railway official in his stomach. They then escaped.

Shocked passengers pulled the emergency chain and informed the Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel on train.

When the train chugged into the Shahdra station, railway officials wheeled out the bleeding CTI and took him to hospital.

During treatment, the injured official said he had an altercation with some youngsters as they were not travelling with tickets. He could not speak further, an official said.

"A hunt is on for the assailants," Pankaj Lawaniya, GRP in-charge of Ghaziabad said, adding that the passengers were being questioned.

Train travel has increasingly become scary in Uttar Pradesh, with more than half-a-dozen cases of eve teasing and violence reported in the last six months from trains plying across the state.

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Sacked for taking bribe, official commits suicide

NEW DELHI: A Delhi government official, who was arrested and sacked on the charges of taking bribe, committed suicide by hanging himself in his daughter's house here, police said on Saturday.

"Dharamvir Sharma's body was found hanging at his daughter's house in Dwarka area (of south Delhi)," Additional Commissioner of Police AK Ojha told IANS.

"A suicide note has been found from his possession. We are investigating the case," he said.

Sharma, who was an assistant commissioner in the food and civil supply department, was reportedly depressed for the last few months.

He was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI) on charges on bribery charges in August this year, for allegedly demanding and receiving a Rs 15,000 bribe for renewing a ration shop's license, an officer said.

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