योग

आप कौन-सा योग करते ह� (Hindustan: 20190816)

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ताउ� �व�थ रहने का सबसे �भावी, स�ता और �व�वसनीय तर�का है योग। हर उ�, सेहत और

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DAILY NEWS BULLETIN LEADING HEALTH, POPULATION AND FAMILY WELFARE STORIES OF THE DAY

Friday 20190816

अपने-अपने ढंग से तैयार कया है। लाभ- यह मेटाबॉ6लMम बढ़ाता है। अ/त8रPत वसा और कैलर�

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यह ^यायाम तन और मन दोन, को �व�थ और संय6मत रखता है। लाभ: इसे करने से शर�र से �वषैले

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�दय रोग

कैसे रख� मुंह क� सफाई (Hindustan: 20190816)

http://epaper.livehindustan.com/textview_195558_72516678_4_1_11_16-08-2019_1_1.html

सड़े हुए दांत, फूले हुए मसूड़े और मुंह से आती दगुmध, Zदल को बीमार बना सकती है। मं◌ुह क- खराब

सेहत pदय और धम/नय, के बढ़ते खतरे का भी संकेत है। मुंह क- गंदगी हाई बीपी का खतरा बढ़ा देती

है, िजससे pदय रोग, और �Hोक का खतरा और बढ़ जाता है।.

1. मं◌ुह साफ नह�ं रखने से जमा होने वाले hलाक के कारण मसूड़, के रोग, का खतरा बढ़ जाता है।

िजVह& मसूड़, से संबं)धत गंभीर सम�याएं जैसे िजंिजवाइZटस या गंभीर पी8रयोड,टल Aडजीज ह', उVह&

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उनम& भी खतरा बढ़ जाता है: ’मसूड़े लाल व सूजे हुए होना और उVह& छूने म& दद* होना। ’खाने, Jश करने

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के संeमण होना। ’मुंह से बदबू आना या मुंह का �वाद खराब होना। ’दांत ढ�ले हो जाना।

2. दो बार Jश कर&: सुबह और रात को दो बार Jश कर&। इसके अलावा कुछ भी खाने-पीने के बाद साफ

पानी से कु[ला कर&। टूथ�पक का �योग न कर&: अगर दांत, म& खाना फंस जाए तो उसे टूथ�पक से न

/नकाल&। इससे मसूड़, को नुकसान होता है। इस सम�या को नजरअंदाज भी न कर&। डॉPटर को

Zदखाएं। तीन मह�ने म& बदल& Jश: Mयादा पुराना Jश मसूड़, और दांत, को नुकसान पहंुचा सकता है।

इस6लए हर तीन मह�ने म& Jश बदल ल&।

3. साल म& एक बार दांत, का चेकअप कराएं: दांत, म& तकल�फ न हो तब भी साल म& एक बार दांत, का

चेकअप ज>र कराएं। कभी-कभी बाहर से देखने पर दांत सामाVय लगते ह', पर कई बार अंदर ह� अंदर

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4. िजन लोग, को दांत, और मसूड़, से संबं)धत सम�याएं होती ह', उनके pदय रोग, क- चपेट म& आने

का खतरा उन लोग, क- तुलना म& कई गुना बढ़ जाता है िजVह& इनसे संबं)धत कोई सम�या नह�ं होती।

अ_ययन बताते ह' क मुंह क- गंदगी से pदय रोग, का खतरा तीन गुना हो जाता है। जो लोग /नय6मत

>प से अपने मुंह क- सफाई नह�ं करते उन लोग, को pदय रोग, का खतरा उनसे भी अ)धक होता है,

िजनके खून म& कोले�Hॉल का �तर Mयादा होता है। िजVह& पहले से ह� pदय से जुड़ी सम�याएं, जैसे

बैPट�8रयल एंडोकाAड *Zटस (pदय क- अंद>नी परत का संeमण) का खतरा अ)धक है, उVह& मुंह क-

सफाई का �वशेष _यान रखना चाZहए। उपचार के दौरान भी सावधा/नयां रखनी चाZहए। हाट* अटैक के

बाद ड&टल सज*र� या गहन ओरल H�टम&ट के 6लए कम से कम छह मह�ने इंतजार करना चाZहए। अगर

आप एंट�कोएगुल'ट (रPत को पतला करने वाल� दवाएं) ले रहे ह' तो डॉPटर को बताएं, Pय, क इन

दवाओ ंके कारण सज*र� आZद के हालात म& खास एह/तयात रखने क- ज>रत होती है। मुंह क- गंदगी

कैसे करती है pदय को बीमार बैPट�8रया और दसूरे रोगाणु ख◌ू्◌ान के ज8रए मुंह से शर�र के दसूरे

भाग, म& फैलने लगते ह'। चबाने और Jश करते समय बैPट�8रया और दसूरे रोगाणु रPत-�वाह म& �वेश

कर, प8रसंचरण तंc के दसूरे भाग, म& पहंुच सकते ह' और pदय को �भा�वत कर सकते ह'। जब ये

सूsमजीव pदय तक पहंुचते ह', तब ये अपने आपको कसी T/त`�त भाग से जोड़ लेते ह' और सूजन

का कारण बन जाते ह'। इसके कारण एंडोकाAड *Zटस यानी pदय क- सबसे अंद>नी परत के संeमण

समेत कई बीमा8रयां हो सकती ह'। अमे8रकन हाट* एसो6सएशन के अनुसार, दसूर� काAड *योवॉ�Pयुलर

सम�याएं जैसे आथtरो�Pलेरो6सस (धम/नय, का अवNR हो जाना) और �Hोक भी उस सूजन से

संबं)धत ह', जो मुंह म& पाए जाने वाले बैPट�8रया और दसूरे रोगाणुओं के कारण होती हं◌ै। बैPट�8रया

और अVय रोगाणु रPत के �वाह म& पहंुचकर सी-8रएिPटव �ोट�न (रPत न6लकाओ ं म& सूजन के

संकेतक) का �तर बढ़ा देते ह'। इस वजह से pदय रोग, और �Hोक का खतरा बढ़ जाता है। -शमीम खान

हमारे �वशेषj: डॉ. 6सqमी मनोचा, pदय रोग �वशेषj, ए6शयन हॉि�पटल, फर�दाबाद

Diet/ Nutrition (Hindustan:20190816)

http://epaper.livehindustan.com/imageview_195563_72501100_4_1_16-08-

2019_i_16.pagezoomsinwindows.php

Obesity (Hindustan:20190816)

http://epaper.livehindustan.com/imageview_195563_72500480_4_1_16-08-

2019_i_16.pagezoomsinwindows.php

Healthcare (Hindustan: 20190816)

http://epaper.navbharattimes.com/details/52951-58790-1.html

नींद क� सम�या

जा�नए, भागमभाग जीवन शलै% लोग& क� नींद पर 'कस तरह डाल रह% असर (Dainik Jagran:

20190816)

https://www.jagran.com/world/america-know-how-busy-working-lifestyle-is-affecting-

peoples-sleep-19490774.html

आज क- भागमभाग िजंदगी म& लोग, क- Zदनचया* पूर� तरह से बदल चुक- है नींद न पूर� होने पर उनको

तमाम तरह क- सम�याएं झेलनी पड़ती है।

वा6शगंटन [Vयूयाक* टाइqस]। आज क- भागमभाग िजंदगी म& Zदनचया* पूर� तरह से बदल चुक- है, इस

बदलती जीवनशलै� का रोजमरा* के जीवन पर भी असर पड़ता है। ऐसा नह�ं है क जीवन शलै� म&

अचानक से बदलाव आ गया है, बीते कुछ वषk से आम लोग, क- जीवन शलै� म& तेजी से बदलाव आया

है, िजसका असर उनके नींद के तर�के पर भी हुआ ह'। देर तक काम करने या पाटv के शौक-न लोग, को

जहां सुबह ज[द� उठने म& परेशानी होती ह'।

2400 मर�ज, पर कया गया अ_ययन

वह�ं, कुछ लोग ऐसे भी ह' जो रात को चाहे िजतनी देर से सोए, उनक- नींद सुबह ज[द� ह� खुलती है।

कई बार उनक- नींद ठ@क से पूर� नह�ं हो पाती है। उVह& लगता है क खानपान या Zदनचया* के कारण

यह हो रहा है। हालां क, इसम& जीन क- भी अहम भू6मका हो सकती है। �ल�प एप/नया (सोते समय

सांस बा)धत होना) व अ/न]ा के 6शकार कर�ब 2,400 मर�ज, का अ_ययन करने के बाद यह दावा कया

गया।

शोधकता*ओं के अनुसार, आमतौर पर नींद का चe (�ल�प साइ कल) तीन तरह का होता है। पहला,

िजसम& ^यिPत ज[द� सोता और सुबह ज[द� उठता है। दसूरा, िजसम& ^यिPत सुबह देर तक सोता

रहता है। तीसरा, िजसम& ^यिPत रात को चाहे कतनी भी देर से सोया हो, सुबह ज[द� जग जाता है।

सैन wां6स�को ि�थत यू/नव6स*ट� ऑफ कै6लफो/न*या म& Vयूरोलॉजी के �ोफेसर लुई जे. टासेक के

मुताDबक द/ुनया म& लंबी और छोट�, दोन, तरह क- नींद लेने वाले लोग, क- भरमार है।

नींद लेने का तर�का

नींद लेने का ये तर�का आनुवां6शक भी हो सकता है। कई बार इसका असर इतना अ)धक होता है क

^यिPत चाह कर भी उसम& बहुत Mयादा बदलाव नह�ं कर सकता है। यZद उसे सुबह ज[द� जगने क-

आदत है तो वह दो घंटे क- नींद लेकर भी सुबह ज[द� उठ जाएगा। कई मामल, म& तो रात म& ठ@क से ना

सोने के बावजूद ^यिPत को Zदन म& भी उबासी नह�ं आती है। वह इससे खुश भी रहते ह'। हालां क, इसे

नजरअंदाज नह�ं कया जाना चाZहए। शोधकता*ओं का कहना है क नींद ठ@क से पूर� ना हो तो उससे

भ�वKय म& अ[जाइमर (याददा�त का कमजोर होना) के साथ कई सार� बीमा8रय, का खतरा बढ़ सकता

है।

सुबह ज[द� जगने को सम�या नह�ं मानते लोग

बचपन से ह� हम& समय पर सोने और समय पर जगने क- आदत 6सखाई जाती है। देर से सोने के बाद

भी सुबह ज[द� जग जाने पर कसी को सजा नह�ं बि[क आमतौर पर शाबाशी ह� 6मलती है। इसी के

चलते देर से सोने के बाद भी सुबह ज[द� जग जाना कसी को सम�या नह�ं लगता है। हालां क, कई

साल तक यह� चe जार� रहे तो आपके नींद क- अव)ध कम हो सकती है। कई बार ^यिPत आधी रात

को ह� उठ जाता ह' और उसे दोबारा सोने म& परेशानी आती है।

मोबाइल फोन के इ�तेमाल से भी देर से आती है नींद

अ/न]ा के 6शकार और सुबह ज[द� जगने वाले लोग, को ऐसे तर�के अपनाने चाZहए िजससे उVह& ज[द�

नींद आ जाए। मोबाइल फोन और ई-बुक आZद से /नकलने वाल� नील� रोशनी के चलते भी ^यिPत को

देर से नींद आती है। इसी कारण सोने से पहले फोन आZद के इ�तेमाल से बचना चाZहए।

^यायाम और �व�थ भोजन अfछ@ नींद म& सहायक

रोजाना ^यायाम करने और सोने से पहले भार� खाने से बचना भी अfछ@ नींद म& सहायक हो सकता है।

यZद नींद आधी रात को या सुबह बहुत ज[द� खुले तो उस वPत कोई ऐसा काम करना चाZहए िजससे

बो8रयत हो। दरअसल, बो8रयत होने से ^यिPत को तुरंत ह� नींद आ जाती है।

माइ+ेन

कह%ं कॉफ� न बन जाए आपके माइ+ेन का कारण! (Dainik Jagran: 20190816)

https://www.jagran.com/lifestyle/health-even-drinking-coffee-can-give-you-migraine-

19488377.html

Zदन म& तीन कप या इससे yयादा कॉफ- पीने से माइ`ेन का खतरा बढ़ जाता है। इस अ_ययन के तहत

माइ`ेन और कैफ-न युPत पदाथl के बीच के संबंध का आकलन कया गया।

नई Zद[ल�, जेएनएन। yयादातर लोग 6सर दद* क- 6शकायत होने पर गम* चाय या कॉफ- पीना चाहते

ह'। ऐसा इस6लए Pय, क अभी तक माना गया है क चाय या कॉफ- पीने से आपको राहत 6मल सकती

है। ले कन एक नई �टडी म& पाया गया है क कॉफ- पीना भी आपके माइ`ेन के पीछे का बड़ा कारण हो

सकता है।

एक अ_ययन म& दावा कया गया क Zदन म& तीन कप या इससे yयादा कॉफ- पीने से माइ`ेन का

खतरा बढ़ जाता है। इस अ_ययन के तहत माइ`ेन और कैफ-न युPत पदाथl के बीच के संबंध का

आकलन कया गया। �व�वभर म& एक अरब से अ)धक लोग माइ`ेन क- इस बीमार� से पीAड़त ह' और

यह द/ुनया म& तीसरे नंबर क- ऐसी बीमार� है िजससे सवा*)धक लोग पीAड़त ह'।

र�सच*ज़* ने पाया क िजन लोग, को कभी-कभी भयानक 6सर दद* या माइ`ेन क- 6शकायत होती है,

उVह& एक या दो बार कैफ-न युPत पेय पदाथ* लेने से उस Zदन 6सर दद* नह�ं हुआ ले कन तीन कप या

इससे अ)धक कॉफ- लेने से उस Zदन या उससे अगले Zदन उVह& 6सर दद* हुआ।

हालां क नींद पूर� नह�ं होने समेत कई अVय कारण, से भी माइ`ेन का खतरा बढ़ सकता है, ले कन

कैफ-न क- भू6मका �वशेष >प से जZटल है Pय, क एक तरफ तो यह इसका खतरा बढ़ाती है, दसूर�

तरफ यह इसके /नयंcण म& भी मददगार है। यह र�सच* ऐसे 98 वय�क, पर कया गया िजVह& कभी-

कभी माइ`ेन क- 6शकायत होती है।

Fertility Rate

PM Modi flags population boom: Fertility rate falling, 7 key states over India average

(The Indian Express: 20190816)

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pm-modi-fertility-rate-population-india-5909022/

Seven states — UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand

— that account for about 45 per cent of the total population in the 2011 Census, recorded a

higher TFR than the national average.

Wealth creators are India’s wealth, don’t see them with suspicion: PM Modi

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted “population explosion” and underscored the

need for “social awareness” to deal with this concern in his Independence Day address to the

nation Thursday, trends indicate that the country has consistently made gradual

improvements in curbing its fertility rates.

Currently, however, the national Total Fertility Rate (TFR), which measures the number of

children born to a woman at the end of childbearing age, is estimated to be still marginally

higher than the replacement rate, which is the average number of children a woman needs to

have to keep the population at a constant size.

The latest estimates (for 2017) by the Sample Registration System (SRS) under the Registrar

General of India (RGI) has pegged the country’s TFR at 2.2. This is only marginally more

than the replacement rate which stands at 2.1.

This latest data also show that seven states — Uttar Pradesh (3.0), Bihar (3.2), Madhya

Pradesh (2.7), Rajasthan (2.6), Assam (2.3), Chhattisgarh (2.4) and Jharkhand (2.5) — that

account for about 45 per cent of the total population in the 2011 Census recorded a higher

TFR than the national average.

Gujarat and Haryana, too, recorded a TFR of 2.2, which is above the replacement rate but is

equal to the national average.

While relatively well-off states in the south — Kerala (1.7), Tamil Nadu (1.6), Karnataka

(1.7), Maharashtra (1.7), Andhra Pradesh (1.6) and Telangana (1.7) — demonstrate fertility

rates below the rate required for population replacement, the states of West Bengal (1.6),

Jammu and Kashmir (1.6) and Odisha (1.9), too, were estimated to have lower TFRs in 2017.

“I would like to highlight the issue of population explosion in our country from the aegis of

the Red Fort today. This rapidly increasing population poses various new challenges for us

and our future generations,” Modi said in his Independence Day address, highlighting the

issue as he went on to suggest that keeping a small family is akin to patriotism.

“This small section of responsible citizens is self-motivated to keep their family small. Not

only do they contribute to the welfare of their family but also to the good of the nation. They

express patriotism.”

Modi, in this context, lauded parents who have maintained small families and suggested that

they should serve as an inspiration for families who have not paid attention to the issue of

“population explosion”.

“The people who have played this huge role need to be honoured, and by setting them as

examples, we need to inspire the segment of society who are still not thinking on these lines.

We need to worry about population explosion,” said Modi.

The Sample Registration System (SRS) measured regularly reveals that the TFR has not only

been improving for the country as a whole but even in states that register a TFR higher than

the replacement rate.

The latest report of 2017 underlined that the TFR has declined from 5.2 to 4.5 between 1971

and 1981 and from 3.6 to 2.2 between 1991 and 2017. In fact, the data reveal that trends vary

along the rural-urban divide as well as the literacy levels of women.

Explained: What’s behind recession fears

The SRS reveals that while an “illiterate” woman is likely to give birth to 2.9 children on

average, a “literate” woman will produce fewer (2.1) children. Women with education levels

of Class 10 and above have been recorded to have a TFR below the replacement rate (2.1).

Data show that a Class 10-pass woman produces two children on average while a woman

who has cleared Class XII will produce 1.8 children. The TFR for a woman with education

levels of a graduate or above is 1.4 children. Likewise, urban areas have been usually found

to have a lower TFR than rural areas. While the TFR declined from 5.4 to 2.4 from 1971 to

2017 in rural areas, the decline in urban areas slipped below the replacement rate from 4.1 to

1.7 during the same period.

This decline in fertility rates is also reflected in the total population growth recorded in the

Census. The decadal population growth in the intervening period between the 2001 Census

and the 2011 Census has seen a decline after the 1971 Census.

Incidentally, the 2011 Census recorded the sharpest decline in the percentage decadal

population growth during 2001-11 since Independence. The decadal growth during 2001-11

stood at 17.64, a sharp dip of 3.9 percentage points against 21.54 growth recorded in the

previous decade (1991-2001).

Explained: What fertility rate data show (The Indian Express: 20190816)

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/fertility-rate-what-the-data-show-5908777/

PM has flagged ‘challenges’ posed by India’s ‘population explosion’. While India is expected

to soon overtake China as the world’s most populous country, the total fertility rate has been

falling almost everywhere in India

During his Independence Day speech Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined

challenges posed by population growth in the country.

The graph (below) shows trends for the total fertility rate (TFR) in various states. TFR,

defined as the number of children born to a woman until the end of her child-bearing age, is a

key indicator for population trends.

During his Independence Day speech Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined

challenges posed by population growth in the country. “I would like to highlight the issue of

population explosion in our country from the aegis of the Red Fort today. This rapidly

increasing population poses various new challenges for us and our future generations,” the

Prime Minister said.

The graph is based on TFR data from the Sample Registration System (SRS) undertaken by

the Office of the Registrar General of India. The SRS also looks at other indicators such as

crude birth rate, general fertility rate, age specific/marital fertility rate, gross reproduction

rate along with sex ratio at birth. While Census figures provide the total population every

decade, the regular SRS estimates provide dynamic trends underlying the population growth.

After four successive years (2013-2016) when the TFR stagnated at 2.3 births per woman of

child-bearing age, the latest SRS estimates (2017) show the TFR dropping to 2.2. This figure

is only marginally higher than the fertility rate (2.1) required for replacement of the existing

population.

SRS estimates over the last decade and more, meanwhile, show a declining trend across the

country. Even the states that have a higher TFR — Uttar Pradesh (3.0), Bihar (3.2), MP (2.7),

Rajasthan (2.6), Assam (2.3), Chhattisgarh (2.4) and Jharkhand (2.5) — have been witnessing

a declining trend in fertility rates. These seven states account for about 45 per cent of the total

population in the 2011 Census. Two more states, Gujarat and Haryana, recorded a TFR of

2.2, which is above the replacement rate but is equal to the national average. Taken together,

these nine major states account for 52 per cent of the 2011 population.

This means that in the states barring these nine, and accounting for almost half the

population, the replacement level is either 2.1 or has gone below it. These states with a lower

TFR include Kerala (1.7), Tamil Nadu (1.6), Karnataka (1.7), Maharashtra (1.7), Andhra

Pradesh (1.6), Telangana (1.7), West Bengal (1.6), Jammu and Kashmir (1.6) and Odisha

(1.9).

Understanding the PM’s concerns on population (Hindustan Times: 20190816)

http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

There is a mismatch between resources and population, causing instability. India must

address the issue

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s concern about the unabated growth of India’s population

will definitely trigger a healthy and constructive debate. With 1.3 billion people, India is the

world’s second most populous country. The country’s population has increased from 361

million in 1951 to 1.2 billion in 2011. Moreover, according to the latest United Nation’s

population projection, India is expected to surpass China by 2024 and will have more than

1.6 billion people by 2050. Modi has aptly described the population growth as ‘explosive’.

The country witnessed a dramatic increase in population between 1960s to 1990s when the

average population growth rate was 2% per year. Besides unplanned growth, this can be

attributed to two reasons - gradually declining mortality level as infant mortality declined

from 225 per 1,000 live births in early 1950s to 80 per 1,000 live births by the 90s. This was

accompanied with a relatively slow change in Total Fertility Rate (TFR) from six children per

woman in 1966 to 3.8 children per woman in 1992. Subsequently, while the rate of

population growth has been declining, absolute population has been increasing.

Modi’s concern, first, indicates that there is an uneven relationship between our resources and

demography. This causes social misery, undermines growth, and throws a multitude of

challenges in the field of education, health, nutrition, among others.

Second, it shows that concerns around population constitute a major priority of the

government and indicates the possibility of a concrete policy change, arrived through

democratic discourse, in coming days. In the past too, there have been efforts to check

population growth but this remained confined to reports and seminars. For instance, in 1992,

the National Development Council formed a committee headed by K Karunakaran, the then

chief minister of Kerala. It recommended a legislation in Parliament denying people political

positions if they have more than two children. This was, however, in vain.

Population policy should be intended to stabilise the current population. This requires both a

macro and micro approach. While a two-child norm is required to achieve replacement level,

ie 2:1, this policy can be successful only when regions and sub-regions are taken into

consideration.

Census data reveals that while southern and western states are experiencing demographic

transitions close to replacement level, states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya

Pradesh, and other northern and eastern states have failed to implement family welfare

programmes. This has led to disproportionate migration from these states. This also reflects

in their health, education and other social indicators. The recent annual health survey (2010-

2013) shows that more than 26 districts have TFR of 3.0, and they are clustered across the

nine states of northern and eastern India. These nine states together account for nearly 48% of

the total population, 59% of births, and 70% of infant deaths. While 174 districts out of 621

achieved replacement level fertility, there are 72 districts which have TFR of more than four

children per woman. Unless the state comes with unambiguous policy measures, our

population, and subsequently, development goals will remain elusive.

Any discourse on population stabilisation faces two major challenges.

One, the past experience of coercion during the Emergency (1975-77) still haunts public

memory. Draconian modes were applied leading to victimisation. Thus, democratic

discourse, which PM Modi indicated, is required to liberate the pseudo fear being spread by a

section of liberals who believe that things will sort themselves out. They are just

counterMalthusians.

Another challenge, which undermines healthy debate, is communalisation. Census data

shows that the growth of Hindus is slower than Muslims in all the censuses since the first

census in 1872. In post-Independent India too, the difference in growth rates have remained

undiminished. In 1991-2001, the average growth rate was 22.6 %, while the growth rate of

Muslims was 36.02%. In 2011, against the average growth rate of 17.22%, Hindus and

Muslims grew at the rates of 16.57 and 24.64% respectively. Some social scientists have

contemptuously describe such analysis as saffron demography. But the Hindu population has

declined from 84% in 1951 to 79.87% in 2011, and Muslim population, grown from 9 % to

14% in the same period.

Air Pollution

Cleanest air in 8 yrs for Delhi (Hindustan Times: 20190816)

http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

Average air pollution levels in the first seven months of the year in Delhi are the lowest since

2012, but remain way above the safe limit

Steps taken to clean Delhi’s air

■ Graded Response Action Plan for different levels of air pollution

■ Comprehensive Action Plan

(CAP) notified

■ Introduction of cleaner fuels

– CNG, PNG and BS-VI

■ Shutting down of thermal power plants

■ Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi launched

Long way to go

A study by scientists at IIT-Delhi revealed that in the last 20 years, average level of PM2.5

stayed over 2 to 3 times over permissible limits “Even though pollution levels have

dropped… the average air quality is still not good because pollution is still two to three times

above the prescribed limits… We need to concentrate on the average air quality throughout

the year.” VIVEK CHATTOPADHYAY Senior programme manager, Centre for Science &

Environment

Delhi cleanest air still has pollutants twice over limit (Hindustan Times: 20190816)

http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

AQI staying between 55 and 70 over past few days because of rain, winds

From page 1 NEW DELHI: Delhiites have been breathing easy this year, with the city at

present witnessing its cleanest air in eight years.

In a city, which has been tagged as the most polluted in the world, the average air pollution

level in the first seven months of the year have been the lowest, compared to the

corresponding period of previous years since 2012, data provided by the Delhi Pollution

Control Committee (DPCC) showed.

Even as experts attributed the drop in pollution levels to a series of anti-pollution measures

initiated both by the Centre and the Delhi government, they cautioned that the levels of

particulate matter (PM) in the city’s air was still around twice than the prescribed limits and

pollution checking measures should be enforced.

“The levels of PM10 and PM2.5 – the two critical pollutants of Delhi – have been lowest for

the period of January to July when compared to previous years. This has been possible

because of several measures that have been undertaken over the past two years at least,” said

MP George, a scientist with the DPCC.

While the average concentration of PM2.5, during the first seven months (January to July),

has steadily dropped from 133ug/ m3 in 2012 to 101ug/m3 in 2019, the level of PM10 has

also come down from 326ug/m3 in 2012 to 237ug/ m3 in 2019.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the PM2.5 levels in Delhi dropped by

7.3% in 2018 when compared to 2017 and by 14.8% over 2016. Similarly reduction in PM10

levels in 2018 is 8.6% over 2017 and 16.5% over 2016.

“In August, we have been experiencing ‘satisfactory’ air quality in the last ten days. The AQI

has been staying between 55 and 70 over the past few days mainly because of meteorological

conditions – rain and winds. The best air quality of this year so far was experienced on

August 12, when the AQI dropped to 57,” said a CPCB official.

On a scale of 0 – 500, an AQI value less than 50 is considered as ‘good’ quality air.

“Pollution levels in Delhi-NCR depend on ground-level human activities and meteorology. If

we can check and control our ground level activities, much of the pollution can be brought

down. Some measures have already been initiated and the results have started showing,” said

D Saha, former head of the CPCB’s air quality laboratory.

According to environment department officials in Delhi, the drop in pollution levels is the

cumulative effect of a series of measures that have been undertaken over the past two years at

least – introducing upgraded fuels such as BS-VI, CNG and PNG (for industries), shutting

down of Badarpur power plant, implementing measures under GRAP, launching of eastern

and western peripheral expressways, addressing pollution related complaints lodged by

citizens on social media and banning fuels like coal and kerosene.

“Even though pollution levels have dropped compared to previous years, the average air

quality throughout the year is still not good because pollution is still two to three times above

the prescribed limits. We need to concentrate on the average air quality throughout the year

by check sources,” Vivek Chattopadhyay, senior program manager (Clean Air Program) at

the Centre for Science and Environment.

According to CPCB data the number of ‘good’ to ‘moderate’ days had increased to 159 in

2018, as compared to 152 in 2017, and the number of ‘poor’ to ‘severe’ days had reduced to

206, compared to 213 in 2017.

Tuberculosis

Approval for drug that makes TB cure simpler (Hindustan Times: 20190816)

http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

NEWDELHI: The US drug regulator has approved a new medicine for treating deadly, drug-

resistant forms of tuberculosis (TB) that makes the treatment regimen shorter and simpler.

Pretamonid, a novel compound developed by the nonprofit organization TB Alliance, was

approved by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) on August 14.

TB is the leading infectious cause of death worldwide, killing at least 1.6 million people

annually. There are more than half a million cases of multi drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB)

annually, with about 6% of those cases being extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) cases.

India accounts for nearly a quarter of the global TB cases. The new drug was approved under

the Limited Population Pathway for Antibacterial and Antifungal Drugs (LPAD pathway) as

part of a three-drug, six-month, all-oral regimen for the treatment of people with XDR-TB or

MDR-TB, who are treatment-intolerant or non-responsive.The LPAD pathway was

established by the US drug regulator as a tool to encourage further development of

antibacterial and antifungal drugs to treat serious, life-threatening infections that affect a

limited population of patients with unmet needs.

“FDA approval of this treatment represents a victory for the people suffering from these

highly drug-resistant forms of the world’s deadliest infectious disease,” said Mel Spigelman,

managing director, president and chief executive officer of TB Alliance. “The associated

novel regimen will hopefully provide a shorter, more easily manageable and highly

efficacious treatment for those in need,” he added.

The three-drug regimen consisting of bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid – collectively

referred to as the BPaL regimen – was studied in the pivotal Nix-TB trial across three sites in

South Africa. The trial enrolled 109 people with XDR-TB and also MDR-TB. Nix-TB data

demonstrated a successful outcome in 95 of the first 107 patients after six months of

treatment with BPaL and six months of post-treatment follow-up. For two patients, treatment

was extended to nine months.

TB, in all forms, is treated with a combination of drugs; the most drug-sensitive forms of TB

require six months of treatment using four anti-TB drugs.

New cure for deadly strain of tuberculosis (The Hindu: 20190816)

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/new-cure-for-deadly-strain-of-

tuberculosis/article29103544.ece

Easy to swallow: A pharmacist holds two sets of pills, showing the difference between the

amount of tablets a patient takes on the new course, left, versus the old treatment.

The regimen has shown to drastically cut down treatment time in a clinical trial in South

Africa

Four years ago, South African fashion designer Innocent Molefe, 38, was diagnosed with

tuberculosis. A year ago, it developed into multi-drug resistant strain requiring painful

injections and heaps of pills.

Three months after the first round of treatment, he relapsed and started a second round. At the

end of it he still wasn’t cured.

Thanks to a new treatment — approved on Wednesday by the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration, he is now cleared of the disease, has bounced back to work and has even

resumed night-clubbing, something he has stopped four years ago.

“I was willing to beat TB and I’m living proof. I can move around... I can still go clubbing till

the early hours,” said the designer.

The announcement was especially welcomed in South Africa, one of the countries with the

highest number of TB cases. Of the more than 1.6 million TB deaths recorded every year,

more than 75,000 are in South Africa alone. In 2017, South Africa recorded more than

3,22,000 active TB cases.

The new treatment which cures highly drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis will drastically

shorten the treatment period.

Three-drug combination

The three-drug regimen consists of bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid — collectively

known as the BPaL regimen.

Pretomanid is the novel compound developed by the New York-based non-profit organisation

TB Alliance and which received the FDA greenlight on Wednesday.

The treatment regimen was studied at three sites in South Africa involving 109 patients and

achieved a 90% success rate after six months of treatment and six months of post-treatment

follow-ups.

With the treatment involving five pills of the three drugs daily taken over just six months, it is

easier to administer.

This compares to between 30 and 40 drugs that multiple-drug resistant TB patients take each

day for up to two years.

“Usually and in many places in the world the treatment for (multiple) ... drug resistant TB

would take anything between 18 to 24 months,” said Pauline Howell, principal investigator of

the clinical trial at Sizwe Tropical Disease Hospital in Johannesburg.

‘Huge difference’

“This still includes daily injections for six months, which are extremely painful,” Ms. Howell

said, adding that taking only five pills would make a huge difference.

The FDA approval represents a victory for those suffering from highly drug-resistant forms

of the world’s deadliest infectious disease, said Mel Spigelman, president and CEO of TB

Alliance.

Last year, there were more than half a million drug resistant TB cases in the world.

Ebola

Taming Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo (The Hindu: 20190816)

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/finally-a-cure-for-ebola/article29103156.ece

A health worker filling a syringe with Ebola vaccine before injecting it to a patient, in Goma,

Democratic Republic of Congo, earlier this month.

A randomised trial has shown two candidate drugs to be highly effective in curing the disease

There is good news a year after Ebola struck the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),

making 2,619 people ill and killing 1,823. Assuming that the final test results are valid, the

disease — which has had an overall fatality rate of about 67% in the current outbreak in DRC

— can be treated with drugs, especially if treatment is started early.

Earlier, Merck’s preventive Ebola vaccine (rVSV-ZEBOV-GP), which has had a 97.5%

efficacy, helped slow the virus’s spread, but was not able to stop the disease in its tracks.

Now, four candidate drugs — Zmapp, remdesivir, REGN-EB3 and mAb114 — have been

tested in a randomised trial, which began in November last year and, as on August 9, had

enrolled 681 of the target 725 patients. Preliminary results, of 499 of the participants, show

that two of the candidates, REGN-EB3 and mAb114, were highly effective in treating people

infected with the virus. While REGN-EB3 “crossed the efficacy threshold” set for the trial,

the efficacy of mAb114 was also comparable, say the results.

Reduced mortality

The overall mortality among patients randomly chosen to receive REGN-EB3 and mAb114

was 29% and 34% respectively. In the case of Zmapp and remdesivir, the overall mortality

was way higher at 49% and 53% respectively.

The striking difference in efficacy was in patients who were recently infected (and so had a

low viral load). Further, REGN-EB3 cured the disease in 94% of such patients, while, in the

case of mAb114, it was 89%.

Taking into consideration the superiority of the two candidates, data and safety monitoring

board recommended that all future patients be given either of the two, though they have not

yet been licensed.

REGN-EB3 is a cocktail of three antibodies generated by injecting Ebola virus into a mice

model that has a human-like immune system, while mAb114’s development goes back to the

Ebola outbreak in 1995 in Congo.

The first step towards finding a cure was taken in 2005 by veteran Congolese microbiologist

Jean Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, who helped discover Ebola virus in 1976 and is now tasked

with bringing the current outbreak under control. Mr. Tamfum transfused blood of Ebola

survivors into eight people with disease and though antibodies were not isolated, seven of the

eight survived. In 2006, antibodies isolated from two survivors led to the development of

mAb114.

Final analysis awaited

While we will have to wait till end September or early October before final analysis of all the

trial data is performed, there is a high possibility that the final results will be along the same

lines as the preliminary results, which were based on the data of 499 patients — nearly 69%

of the total number of participants.

Vaccination strategies have so far faced huge challenges, including those relating to tracing

primary contacts and contacts of contacts, and the mistrust among the infected people

towards authorities and health-care workers. However, in all likelihood, the attitude of people

will change, and they will become more willing to seek medical care without delay, once they

know that Ebola is a curable disease.

Trial of a new Ebola preventive vaccine from Johnson & Johnson has already begun in

Uganda.

While the interim analysis shows Merck’s vaccine to be highly effective, the durability of

protection is not known. Further, a high coverage will be required to prevent outbreaks. And

when outbreaks do occur, the availability of an approved treatment will be important for

optimal responses.

If the final results of Merck’s preventive vaccine trial and the two drugs to treat the disease

do not spring any adverse surprise, Ebola, which has had a free run so far, is all set to be

tamed.

Medicinal Plant (The Asian Age: 20190816)

http://onlineepaper.asianage.com/articledetailpage.aspx?id=13583755

Dementia

Social activity in your 60s may lower dementia risk by 12% (Medical News Today:

20190816)

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326064.php

New research over a 28-year follow-up period finds significant evidence that frequent social

contact at the age of 60 can lower the risk of developing dementia later on.

Spending time with friends could stave off dementia for those 60 and older.

The link between having a rich social life and brain health has received much attention in the

scientific community.

Some studies have suggested that levels of social interaction can predict cognitive decline

and even dementia, while others have shown that group socializing can prevent the harmful

effects of aging on memory.

New research examines the link between social contact and dementia in more depth. Andrew

Sommerlad, Ph.D., from the Division of Psychiatry at University College London (UCL), in

the United Kingdom, is the first and corresponding author of the new study.

Sommerlad and colleagues started from a critical observation of existing studies. They say

that numerous findings have suggested that frequent social contact can protect the brain,

either by helping to build a "cognitive reserve," or by reducing stress and promoting more

healthful behaviors.

Many longitudinal studies have found an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline in

people with a smaller social network or less frequent social contact. However, the authors

note, most of these studies had a follow-up period of fewer than 4 years.

Furthermore, a lot of these observational findings could be biased by reverse causation,

which means that social isolation may be an effect rather than a cause of dementia.

In light of the above, Sommerlad and colleagues decided to investigate the link between

dementia and social contact over a much longer period — 28 years.

The results appear in the journal PLOS Medicine.

Studying social activity and dementia

Sommerlad and the team carried out a retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort study

called Whitehall II.

Whitehall II included 10,308 participants who were 35–55 years old at the beginning of the

study, in 1985–1988.

The participants were clinically followed until 2017. During this period, 10,228 of the

participants reported on their social contact six times, through a questionnaire that asked

about relationships with relatives and friends living outside of their household.

New evidence that social media increases loneliness

In the debate about whether social media worsens loneliness, new evidence has emerged.

The cognitive status of the participants was assessed five times, using standard "tests of

verbal memory, verbal fluency, and reasoning."

To determine the occurrence of dementia, the researchers looked at three clinical and

mortality databases.

They applied Cox regression models with inverse probability and adjusted the analyses for

"age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, education, health behaviors, employment status,

and marital status."

Friends may lower dementia risk by 12%

The study found that more frequent social contact at age 60 with friends, but not relatives,

correlated with lower dementia risk.

Specifically, a person who saw friends almost every day at the age of 60 had a 12% lower

risk of developing dementia later on, compared with someone who only saw one or two

friends once every few months.

"[W]e've found that social contact in middle age and late life appears to lower the risk of

dementia. This finding could feed into strategies to reduce everyone's risk of developing

dementia, adding yet another reason to promote connected communities and find ways to

reduce isolation and loneliness."

Andrew Sommerlad, Ph.D.

Senior study author Gill Livingston, a professor at UCL's department of psychiatry, also

weighs in on the findings. Although the analysis was observational, she ventures some

potential explanations for the mechanisms underlying the findings.

"People who are socially engaged are exercising cognitive skills, such as memory and

language, which may help them to develop cognitive reserve — while it may not stop their

brains from changing, cognitive reserve could help people cope better with the effects of age

and delay any symptoms of dementia," says Prof. Livingston.

In broad strokes, the concept of cognitive reserve refers to the brain's flexibility and capacity

to use resources in novel ways to solve new problems and challenges. Things like education

and finding out new information can help build cognitive reserve.

Furthermore, Prof. Livingston adds, "Spending more time with friends could also be good for

mental wellbeing and may correlate with being physically active, both of which can also

reduce the risk of developing dementia."

Insulin Resistance

How diet can alter the gut, leading to insulin resistance (Medical News Today:

20190816)

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326050.php

New research — using mouse models and fecal samples collected from humans — looks into

the mechanisms that promote insulin resistance via the gut environment. The type of diet a

person eats may be key, the researchers suggest.

New research looks in more detail at the mechanisms linking diet to insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance occurs when the body stops responding normally to insulin, a hormone that

helps the body process sugar.

Developing insulin resistance can lead to type 2 diabetes, which is a metabolic condition that

affects millions of people worldwide.

Obesity is a significant risk factor for insulin resistance and diabetes. But how and why does

obesity drive this metabolic change?

Researchers from the University of Toronto in Canada believe the answer may lie in the

mechanisms that consuming a high fat diet sets in motion.

"During high fat diet feeding and obesity, a significant shift occurs in the microbial

populations within the gut, known as dysbiosis, which interacts with the intestinal immune

system," the researchers explain in their new study paper, published in Nature

Communications.

The team decided to try and find out exactly how a high fat diet might alter gut immunity

and, thus, bacterial balance, leading to insulin resistance.

"A link between the gut microbiota and the intestinal immune system is the immune derived

molecule immunoglobulin A (IgA)," the researchers note in their paper. They add that this

molecule is an antibody produced by B cells, a type of immune cells.

The investigators thought that IgA might be the missing link that explained how a poor diet

leads to insulin resistance by altering gut immunity.

A sensitive mechanism impacted by diet

In the first part of their study, the investigators used mouse models with obesity, some of

which lacked IgA. The researchers found that when the IgA-deficient mice ate a high fat diet,

their insulin resistance worsened.

When the researchers collected gut bacteria from the IgA-deficient mice and transplanted

them into rodents without gut bacteria, these mice also developed insulin resistance.

This experiment, the researchers suggest, indicates that at normal levels, IgA would help keep

gut bacteria in check. Not just that, but it would also help prevent harmful bacteria from

"leaking" through the intestines.

Mice without IgA had increased gut permeability, meaning that harmful bacteria could "leak"

from the gut into the rest of the body.

Following these experiments in preclinical models, the researchers then moved on to see if

the same mechanisms applied to humans. They were able to obtain stool samples from

individuals who had undergone bariatric surgery — a form of surgery for weight loss.

The researchers analysed the content of IgA in stool samples collected both before and after

the individuals had undergone bariatric surgery.

List of tests for diabetes

Learn how doctors can find out if a person has a form of diabetes.

The researchers found that these individuals had higher levels of IgA in their feces after

surgery, suggesting that this antibody was indeed linked to metabolic function and influenced

by diet.

"We discovered that during obesity, there are lower levels of a type of B cell in the gut that

make an antibody called IgA," notes the study's lead author Helen Luck.

"IgA is naturally produced by our bodies and is crucial to regulating the bacteria that live in

our gut," she explains. She adds that "[i]t acts as a defence mechanism that helps neutralize

potentially dangerous bacteria that take advantage of changes to the environment, such as

when we consume an imbalanced or fatty diet."

The results of the current research suggest a direct link between eating a high fat diet and

having obesity, on the one hand, and having lower levels of gut IgA, symptoms of gut

inflammation, and developing insulin resistance, on the other.

In the future, the researchers would like to find out how best to boost levels of IgA-producing

B cells, believing that this intervention could protect against insulin resistance.

"If we can boost these IgA B cells or their products, then we may be able to control the type

of bacteria in the gut. Especially the ones that are more likely to be linked to inflammation

and ultimately, insulin resistance. "

Co-author Dr. Daniel Winer

"Going forward, this work could form the basis for new gut immune biomarkers or therapies

for obesity and its complications, like insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes," says study co-

author Dr. Daniel Winer.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis drugs may lower mortality risk by 34% (Medical News Today: 20190816)

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326046.php

New research has found a correlation between taking osteoporosis drugs and a lower risk of

premature mortality. However, many people ignore their doctor's advice when it comes to

taking medication for bone health, the investigators note.

Researchers have found an association between taking drugs for osteoporosis and a

significantly lower death risk.

Osteoporosis is an age related condition that renders bone frailer and more prone to fractures.

While this condition is more common in women, it also affects many men too.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), osteoporosis of the

femur neck or lumbar spine — the most widespread forms of osteoporosis — affect 24.5% of

women and 5.1% of men who are 65 years of age or over in the United States.

Following an initial fracture related to osteoporosis, doctors will usually recommend drugs to

support bone health. Some of the osteoporosis drugs that doctors most commonly prescribe

are nitrogen bisphosphonates and etidronate, a nonnitrogen bisphosphonate.

New investigations from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Darlinghurst, Australia,

have now revealed that the use of some of these drugs — which leads to lower bone loss rates

— correlates with a significantly lower mortality risk.

However, according to the study authors, many people whose doctors have prescribed

osteoporosis drugs after an initial fragility fracture do not follow that prescription.

"It's a common misconception that osteoporosis affects only women, and many people choose

to not take recommended treatments," notes study co-author Prof. Jacqueline Center.

"But osteoporotic fractures are not benign," she warns. "Osteoporosis medication not only

decreases the risk of further fractures — but it appears that this same medication also

decreases mortality rates over the subsequent 15 years."

Prof. Center and colleagues report these findings in two study papers, one that they published

in Osteoporosis International in April this year, and one featuring in the Journal of Bone and

Mineral Research this month.

Lower death risk tied to lower bone loss

In the first study, the researchers analyzed the data of 6,120 participants aged 50 years and

over who had enrolled in the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study.

This investigation revealed that study participants in the nitrogen bisphosphonates group —

alendronate and risedronate — had a 34% lower risk of premature death. However, when the

researchers looked at each nitrogen bisphosphonate separately, they saw that it was only

alendronate that produced this effect, and not risedronate.

In the second study, the team conducted a further analysis, using data from a cohort that had

also enrolled in the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study. More specifically, they

assessed the data of 1,735 female participants aged 50 and over. In this case, they excluded

the male participants because very few of them met the study criteria.

Osteoporosis: Does poor social life impact bone health?

Older individuals with poor social lives may be more likely to develop osteoporosis, new

research suggests.

This time, the research revealed that participants who took nitrogen bisphosphonates had a

lower rate of bone loss as well as a lower mortality risk. The authors estimate that a lower

rate of femoral neck bone loss, in particular, contributed to around 39% of the reduction in

mortality seen in this group.

The researchers hope that their recent findings may encourage individuals with osteoporosis

to take their drug prescriptions seriously and follow their doctors' advice.

"For many individuals with osteoporosis, bone health isn't front-of-mind. We hope our study

results will encourage people with osteoporosis or at risk of a fracture to seek treatment —

and commit to taking it."

योगहृदय रोगDiet/ NutritionObesityHealthcareनींद की समस्यामाइग्रेनFertility RateAir PollutionTuberculosisEbolaMedicinal PlantDementiaInsulin ResistanceOsteoporosis